Essay of Mahatma Gandhi Essay Example for Free

Essay of Mahatma Gandhi Essay Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a great freedom fighter. He was born in the town of Porbander in Gujarat on 2 October 1869. He had done his schooling in nearby Rajkot. At that time, India was under British. His father died before Gandhi could finish his schooling. At the young age of thirteen, he was married to Kasturba who was even younger. In 1888, Gandhi set sail for England, where he had decided to pursue a degree in law. After one year of a none too successful law practice, Gandhi decided to accept an offer from an Indian businessman in South Africa, Dada Abdulla, to join him as a legal adviser. The Indians who had been living in South Africa were without political rights, and were generally known by the derogatory name of ‘coolies’. Gandhi himself came to an awareness of the frightening force when he thrown out of a first-class railway compartment car, though he held a first-class ticket, at Pietermaritzburg. From this political awakening, Gandhi was to emerge as the leader of the Indian community, and it was in South Africa that he first coined the term satyagmha to signify his theory and practice of non-violent resistance. Gandhi described himself as a seeker of satya (truth), which could not be attained other than through ahinsa (non-violence, love) and brahmacharya (celibacy, striving towards God). Gandhi returned to India in early 1915, and never left the country. Over the next few years, he was to become involved in numerous local struggles, such as at Champaran in Bihar, where workers on indigo plantations complained of oppressive working conditions, and at Ahmedabad, where a dispute had broken out between management and workers at textile mills. Gandhi had ideas on every subject, from hygiene and nutrition to education and labor, and he relentlessly pursued his ideas in newspaper. He would still be remembered as one of the principal figures in the history of Indian journalism. By this time he had earned the title of Mcthatma from Rabindranath Tagore, India’s most well-known writer. When tragedy happened in the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar Gandhi wrote the report of the Punjab Congress Inquiry Committee. Over the next two years, Gandhi initiated the non- cooperation movement, which called upon Indians to withdraw from British institutions, to return honours conferred by the British, and to learn the art of self-reliance; though the British administration was at places paralysed, the movement was suspended in February 1922. In early 1930, the Indian National Congress declared that it would now be satisfied with nothing short of complete independence (purna swamj). On March 2, Gandhi addressed a letter to the Viceroy, Lord Irwin, informing him that unless Indian demands were met, he would be compelled to break the ‘salt laws’. On the early morning of March 12, with a small group of followers, Gandhiji led a march towards Dandi on the sea. They arrived there on April 5th: Gandhi picked up a small lump of natural salt, and so gave the signal to hundreds of thousands of people to similarly defy the law, since the British exercised a monopoly on the production and sale of salt. This was the beginning of the civil disobedience movement. In 1942, Gandhiji issued the last call for independence from British rule. On the grounds of Kranti Maidan, he delivered a speech, asking every Indian to lay down their life, if necessary, in the cause of freedom. He gave them this mantra, â€Å"Do or Die†; at the same time, he asked the British to ‘Quit India’. After a long struggle, India got independence on 15th August 1947. One evening, Gandhiji was late for his prayers. At 10 minutes past 5 o’clock, with one hand each on the shoulders of Abha and Manu, who were known as his ‘walking sticks’, Gandhiji commenced his walk towards the garden. Gandhiji folded his hands and greeted his audience with a namaskar; at that moment, a young man came up to him took a revolver out of his pocket, and shot him three times in his chest. Bloodstains appeared over Gandhiji’s white woolen shawl. His hands still folded in a greeting, Gandhiji blessed his assassin, â€Å"He Ram! He Ram† and left us.

Migraine Headaches and Monosodium Glutamate Essay -- Health Medicine P

Migraine Headaches and Monosodium Glutamate For a countless number of years now, my sister has experienced excruciating migraine headaches; ones that keep her out of school too much during the year. She has seen different doctors and they have all tried to figure out what the cause is, but so far, it is yet to be done. I started looking around and saw that MSG has been know to trigger migraine headaches, and it occurred that this could be a possibility in my sister’s case. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is a salt added to foods to enhance flavor. This additive helps to bring out natural flavors that make foods taste their best. MSG is made from starch, corn sugar, or molasses from sugar cane or sugar beets and is produced by a natural fermentation process that has been used over time to make foods like beer, vinegar, and yogurt. (http://ificinfo.health.org/brochure/msg.htm) MSG and Head Pain Because MSG is a flavor enhancer for foods, many competitors in the food industry use lower quality foods and just add it in because of its cheap price. This allows the manufacturer to have a large gain in the economy. There is a large investment in MSG that leads food giants and glutamate manufacturers to get together to finance â€Å"medical research studies† to prove the safety of the additive to the consumer. Obviously, the research done in these studies funded by the manufacturer will â€Å"prove the safety† of MSG. The FDA’s Advisory Board consists of food industry reps as opposed to an unbiased group. It would only seem natural that the board accepts these research studies. When doctors look at these reports, they see that they are industry funded and don’t take into consideration that MSG could be causin... ...estigating this topic was to find the role, if any, that MSG played in the instigation of migraine headaches. In researching, however, I was presented with more information, finding out that MSG is known to cause more than just headaches, as shown in this study. Before looking into studies done on the topic of MSG’s effects on migraines, I deduced that there could possibly be a link between the two, however, this study gives much stronger evidence that MSG is troublesome more to some people than to others. Bibliography Diamond, S., Prager, J., & Freitag, F.G. (1986). Diet and headache. Is there a link? Postgrad Med, 279-86 Drouin, M.A., Herbert, M., Karsh, J., Mao, Y., & Yang, W.H. (1997). The monosodium glutamate complex: assessment in a double blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study Journal of Allergy Clinical Immunology, 757-62

Hi-Value Supermarkets: Every Day Low Pricing Case Study Essay

Problem Statement Hi-Value Supermarkets located in the Centralia, Missouri area are faced with the problem of deciding whether or not to change their sales strategy to everyday low pricing. This has become an important subject for Hi-Value due to their loss in sales of the last few quarters, and a possible future loss in market share in their area. Hi-Value has three stores in the Centralia area and all are perceived as having a high market value in comparison to its competitors. They has attempted to determine the strengths and weaknesses in accordance to its competitors by conducting a survey and two focus groups which provided some very key results. Going further into this problem we must also assess whether all products within the stores should entail everyday low pricing, and if not all which ones. We must also determine how much lower the standard price will be set for all products in order to be considered everyday low pricing. The survey and focus groups also identified that the variety of pro ducts the consumers are looking for are not present as well, and that must also be assessed. Situational analysis Hi-Value Supermarkets have multiple key strengths with their current position in the Centralia market, and they must be considered when determining their next moves to attack this current problem. Having three locations within the Centralia area is a huge benefit with covering multiple geographic sectors. Especially when there is no other competing supermarket chain with that many stores in the area. The fact that they have had a strong market share from 1995 to 2002 with an estimated 23% share of the market in 2002 is also very important. Hi-Value is in the position where all they need to do is at the very least sustain their current positions and any increase in market share is just a bonus. Being the oldest supermarket in the Centralia area is a key strength because it makes them a well known and identifiable name. Their high quality products sets a standard that some of their competitors do not have building an important reputation within the community. Survey and focus groups ma de it very prevalent that most consumers think that their stores are very well put together, sanitary, and  up to date. Descriptions of other competing stores did not entail the same qualities which helps in consumer preference especially because they are purchasing consumable products. Although Hi-Value has many key strengths, there are still some attributes that hinder their chances of success in multiple sectors. Obviously their current pricing strategy is the largest problem for the store. Although their products are of high quality and most consumers seem aware of this, the high prices in many categories may not seem worth the trade off. From the survey of 400 Centralia residents 30% said Hi-Value prices were above average. The size of their supermarkets also poses as a weakness because they are smaller in comparison to many competitors which leads to less space for products. This means that it is more likely that a product has a higher chance of not being stocked and the consumer does not have as much variety to choose from. Each store has been renovated throughout the years, but they are still located in older buildings which does hinder their public image. With their current position, the company has multiple opportunities to focus on that could lead to future success. As the present time, there is not one food store in Centralia who advertises on television. By starting an advertising campaign after the decision on changes to be done to the store, Hi-Value has the ability to publicly announce their updated policies via television making the entire centralia sector aware. The ability to expand each store is also an option that may be worth investing in. Lack in variety was a very prevalent weakness that consumers pointed out and this could solve that problem. Centralia is also a very high traffic trade area in central Missouri leaving Hi-Value with a high opportunity to gain a larger consumer base if they make the right decisions to increase market desirability. There are three major competing stores within the Centralia area that must all be assessed and compared to when determining the right moves for Hi-Value to make. Harrison’s, Grand America, and Missouri Mart are all very different Supermarkets with a variety of strengths and weaknesses. As explained in its description, Harrison’s has a very positive image in the  eyes of its customers. Their store is 50,000 square feet which is over twice the size of Hi-Value’s average size. This gives them room to hold a very wide range of general merchandise. Their current strategy is also everyday low prices and survey results prove that consumers believe they have the lowest everyday prices which gives a current competitive edge. Grand America is a 39,800 square feet supermarket and has the newest building making it the most modern store in Centralia. The store is considered by Hall officials as a secondary competitor being highly regimented and lack innovative merchandising appeal. Their greatest product strength is the dairy department which is highly regarded by its customers. One thing to consider with this supermarket is that their competitive pricing strategy entails listing prices of their competitors for individual items. Missouri Mart is the food volume sales leader in Centralia. They are the main competitor of Superior supermarkets. Around 32% of Hi-Value customers shop Missouri Mart regularly and must be taken in the highest consideration when analysing competitors within the market. It is also important to note the key findings gathered from the two focus groups. Price was determined by both groups as the most important factor in store choice explaining a lot in the loss of market share that Hi-Value is facing. 20 of 24 participants also agreed that the quality of meat was the second factor in store choice. Hi-Value is ranked as a medium between its competitors. Produce quality, variety, and display is ranked third in importance and Hi-Value was ranked in the lower tier of those categories. Hi-Values best attribute in accordance to the focus group is their shopper convenience. Recommendation and Implementation My recommendation for Hi-Value is to remodel and expand all of their stores and implement an Everyday low pricing strategy. This strategy will be very costly upfront, but Hi-Value has been an existing store for a long time and in order to continue their existence they must evolve with current trends in the market. The two main problems that keep coming up are their lack in variety and high pricing. This recommendation would cover both problems and give them the ability to begin gaining market share from their competitors once again. This is definitely a strategy built for the long term and the  benefits may not be as noticeable at the very beginning, but it should be the most beneficial option for the future of the company. Multiple steps will be made in order for this strategy to become a reality. Each store must go through a construction process to expand and gain space which will take time and a possible loss in sales for the time being. This public construction will definitely be noticed by the consumers, and may help gain awareness of the companies changes. Updates in all store accessories should be implemented if necessary. This will increase efficiency for all aspects of the store and with a predicted increase in customer traffic it will be a necessary expense. Everyday low pricing should be set at a competitive level near Grand American and Missouri Mart prices but not to the point at which perceived quality is compromised. Due to each of its competitors having different strengths, it would be best to provide this pricing strategy for all products in the Supermarket. As stated in the text everyday low pricing also has the possibility of lowering operating costs with reduced inventory and handlin g costs due to more steady and predictable demand. It may also reduce labor costs related to less frequent temporary price reductions. It is also an option to conduct a local television commercial promoting Hi-Values positive new changes, but the possibility of this happening is determinant of how much expansion will end up costing.

Marketing Management Free Essay Example, 1250 words

The bread and bakery industry of the region has a highly diversified consumer portfolio. Talking in regards to the future market trends for this particular sector in the Singapore region, it can be said that the manufacturers and retailers will try to attain a growth in the business by leveraging on the highly diversified consumers base. In order to develop a competitive edge in the business as well as for better positioning of their products, the manufacturers and retailers of the bread industry will try to introduce innovative products which will be segmented and targeted specifically to consumers on the basis of their age group. Market Growth While discussing the factors of market growth, it has to be brought in to focus that the bakery market of Singapore grew at a rate of 7.9 % on a compound annual basis between the 5 year period of 2004 to 2009 (Datamonitor. com, 2012). During this period the bread and rolls division in the bakery sector in Singapore, accounted for over 29% market share. In regards to the recent times, it has been projected that the bakery sector of the Asia Pacific region, which includes the Singapore bakery market is valuated at over 68.5 billion USD along with a compounded annual growth rate of over 6% between the five year period of 2008 to 2013 (Byrne, 2010). We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Management or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now It is of considerable importance to state that the bakery industry of Singapore is also undergoing significant changes as consumers are getting increasingly health conscious. As a result, in the recent times, a new variant like the breakfast cereals are increasingly making a place in the diet of the consumers based in Singapore. Forecasts highlight while attaining a growth rate of over 6 percent in the five years period till the year 2013, the breakfast cereals market is valued at around 3.3 billion USD for the entire Asia Pacific region (Weston, 2010). Competition Talking about the competition existing in the Singapore bakery market, it has to be said that the market is highly open to both domestic as well as international level competition (TMCNews, 2006). It is of high importance to say that Singapore being both a transit zone as well as a global financial hub has a highly diversified incoming and outgoing population with varying food tastes. This makes the market highly attractive in nature. Talking about the foreign competition that has an influencing role in the Singapore bakery sector, the global and internationally popular fast food brands like McDonalds, KFC, Krispy Kreme, Dunkin Donuts as well as a series of other brands has to be taken into consideration.