Conjoined twins issue Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Conjoined twins issue - Case Study Example In conjoined twins, these chemical messages do not work properly.The results can be bizarre, like a single organism with two heads, two hearts, four legs and arms. Jodie and Mary were conjoined twins. They each had their own brain, heart, lungs, other vital organs and each of them had arms and legs. They were joined at the lower abdomen and it was decided by the medical authorities of the UK that they could be successfully separated upon. However, this operation would kill the weaker twin, Mary, because her lungs and heart were too weak to oxygenate and pump blood through her body. Had she not been born a conjoined twin, she would not have been able to live and resuscitation would have been abandoned. She would have died shortly after birth. She was alive only because a common artery enabled her sister, who was stronger, to circulate life sustaining oxygenated blood through her body. Separation would require the clamping and then the severing of that common artery and within minutes of doing so, Mary would die. However, if the operation did not take place, both would die within three to six months, or perhaps a little longer, because Jodie's heart would eventually fail. The parents could not bring themselves to consent to the operation. The twins were equal in their eyes and they could not agree to kill one even to save the other. As devout Roman Catholics, they believed that their children's afflic... The medical classification of this type of conjoined twins is termed as Ischiopagus tetrapus and in such twins there is a fusion at the pelvic level often with a sharing of genitourinary structures, rectum and the liver. The consequence of the surgical intervention was that Mary quickly died and Jodie survived. Conjoined twins exist on the margins of our notions of embodiment and individuality. They challenge the boundaries of medical, ethical and legal possibility and permissibility and their existence poses a threat to entrenched social values about the worth of lives that differ from the norm of one individual, one body2. Numerous instances of the high profile sacrificial separation of conjoined twins have highlighted the fact that separation decisions seem to be reached on a case-by-case basis. Further, these decisions have been made based on their perceived merit, which does nothing for the internal coherence of the reasoning in the case. Since, judges may agree on outcomes but for different reasons, this presents a problem in the application of precedents, or for the case's coherence within the law, and a deserving outcome in one case may cause tensions in related law. As is often said, 'hard cases make bad law'. In Airedale N.H.S. Trust v Bland in House of Lords, Lord Browne-Wilkinson gave a judgment, which was at the same time excellent and most instructive in respect of euthanasia. In this case, withdrawal of life support systems was permitted3. The common law in UK allows people to decide for themselves, whether to agree to have surgery or medicine and further, that this right also implies the right to refuse such treatment even if such rejection results in death. This point in law has always been recognized by the courts. Robert Walker

Risk and profitability analysis Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Risk and profitability analysis - Coursework Example Commercial banking is another kind of service offered by the bank which includes Credit and lending, International trade and receivables finance, Payments and cash management, Insurance and investment, GB&M. Global banking and markets is another verticals of services provided by the banks which comprises of Global markets and Global banking. The bank provides another domain of services like Global private banking which involves Private banking, Investment management and Private trust solutions (HSBC, 2012, pp. 60-61). Lloyds provides a range of products and services financial services which involves Debt capital markets, structured finance, Working capital finance, Private equity, Trade and supply chain finance, Terms loans and overdraft. Risk management service is another vertical of the bank which comprises of Inflation linked solutions, Interest rate risk management solutions, Commodities market related solutions, Foreign exchange related solutions, and Additional risk related ser vices. ... Other verticals of services of the bank are Private banking and Business banking and corporate banking (RBS, 2012). B. Profitability and Risk Analysis of Four Banks HSBC:-It is a British multinational bank and also a financial service company which has it’s headquarter in London, UK. It is one of the largest bank is the world. It has earned $20.64 billion in 2012 and profit of $14.02 billion. HSBC Profitability Ratios 2009 2010 2011 2012 Return on equity capital 0.04 0.08 0.10 0.08 return on assets 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.01 net interest margin 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.02 net non interest margin 0.01 0.02 0.02 0.02 net bank operating margin 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 earning per share 0.04 0.09 0.11 0.08 From the above table we can see that return on equity capital has increased over the period of time from 2009 to 2010 to 2011.But in 2012 it has decreased slightly. Overall position of ROE was quite high. Return on assets was low continuously which means net income over total assets was quite low. Net interest margin remained stable during the period. Net non interest margin increased in 2010 from 2009 and then remain stable. Net bank operating margin was low. Earnings per share have improved during the period with exception in 2012. Overall profitability ratios for HSBC were remaining stable for the period of four years. credit risk measure 2009 2010 2011 2012 total loans/total deposits 0.97 0.92 1.18 1.24 provision for loan losses/total loan 0.11 0.06 0.03 0.02 liquidity risk measure 2009 2010 2011 2012 net loans/total assets 0.10 0.11 0.15 0.15 purchased funds/total assets 0.94 0.94 0.94 0.93 cash assets and govt. securities/total assets 0.39 0.38 0.40 0.40 interest rate risk

Self Care Strategies for Counsellors

Self Care Strategies for Counsellors Byrne et al. (2006) indicates that therapists can be at risk of burnout and impairment if they do not manage their professional stress well. Practicing therapists may exhibit symptoms of burnout and may suffer from symptoms of VT (El-Ghoroury et al., 2012). Graduate students in helping fields are vulnerable to stress because of the multiple demands of graduate school, such as academic assignments, clinical practice, and financial restrictions (Myers et al., 2012). Time and financial constraints have been cited as primary sources of stress among graduate students in training (El-Ghoroury et al., 2012). Student trainees may face the additional responsibilities and time demands of clinical work, supervision, and internship. In addition to aforementioned stressors, other common stressors in this population include performance anxiety, competition, program requirements, lack of experience, and professional relationships (Myers et al., 2012). Myers et al. (2012) indicate that students in t raining have to cope with these stressors and their new roles, while concurrently fostering their skills necessary for providing therapeutic services to clients. Therefore, educators and supervisors need to understand the role of stress among students to provide guidance on effective stress management and self-care (Myers et al., 2012). Without well-established support systems and coping strategies, novice trainees may have difficulties of managing the stress (El-Ghoroury et al., 2012). Forrest et al. (2008) provide an ecological description by indicating systemic factors for trainee impairment, including faculty interactions (micro), institutional (exo) and national (macro) policies, and hierarchical issues (micro). Societal hierarchical dynamics are unconscious and deeply embedded in the training process. Forrest et al. (2008) further indicates the importance of communication (meso) between academic programs and off-campus training sites such as practicum and internship settings. Besides, program structure (exo) may evoke unnecessary stresses for students. Systematic issues of program policy are often ignored while play a powerful role in student impairment. Forrest et al. (2008) comment that the understanding of trainee impairment should cover an individual level (center) and a contextual system level (micro, meso, exo, macro, and chrono). The authors suggest that trainees not meeting minimum standards of professional competence are influenced by peers (micro), t raining supervisors (micro), program policies and structures (exo), accreditation (e.g., CACREP; macro), professional associations (e.g., ACA; macro). In addition to being stressors, financial (micro) and time constraints (micro) may also be important barriers to participation in activities of self-care that may help buffer stress (El-Ghoroury et al., 2012). The existing literature has noted a significant relationship between self-care strategy and stress among therapist trainees (Myers et al., 2012). A wide range of self-care strategies have been found to reduce stress-related symptoms. Self-care strategy is defined as the engagement in behaviors that promote well-being and may include factors such as sleep, exercise, use of social support, emotion regulation strategies, and mindfulness practice (Myers et al., 2012). According to El-Ghoroury et al. (2012), lack of time was the first barrier to using or learning any of these coping strategies. The steadily rising expenses associated with graduate training are also a significant concern for students. Students may need to sacrifice their leisure time for earning a living (e.g., part- time job; micro). Given the significant amount of stress during higher education, elucidating the behavioral and emotional coping strategies by educators (micro) is important for helping them handle stress more effectively. Social support and engaging in activities that promote social support may be considered an aspect of self-care practice (Myers et al., 2012). Social support has negative correlation with stressful, emotional and physical problems (El-Ghoroury et al., 2012). Graduate program support (micro) and family support (micro) have been found to be related to graduate student stress level (Myers et al., 2012). Students reported less stressful events and health problems when perceived more support from their family and friends (Myers et al., 2012). Besides, consistent, trusting, and supportive faculty-student interactions may help students in managing stress. Support from faculty, advising relationships, and training programs are also critical for students to adapt to new professional roles. Global stress and poor advisor support were found to be associated with burnout and career dissatisfaction in therapist trainees. The importance of mentoring relationships (micro) is highlighted in career de velopment, academic functioning and satisfaction, among student trainees. The top three coping strategies reported are the support from friends, family, and classmates, rather than supervisors. Students who have difficult relationships with their advisors tend to have more stress. The quality of the mentoring relationship is associated with students’ professional outcomes. Pack (2013) indicates that on the level of microsystem, support from peer (micro) and agencies (micro) are important as well as the availability of personal therapy (micro). Opportunities to share experiences of working with trauma victims and information about VT needs to be available in all settings (micro). For example, settings should provide peer supervision and training workshops to help therapists ameliorate VT (Pack, 2013). Information on worker rights may assist in supporting therapists to collectively advocate for their work. Pack (2013) further indicates that on the organizational level, health and safety issues should be addressed within setting policy (exo). The risks of engaging potentially traumatic events need to be explained during the recruitment of new employees. Possible cumulative effects of working with trauma clients should be raised with therapists. Pack (2013) suggests that the risks of VT can be reduced if there a setting (micro) provides sufficient support and collaborative approaches for therapists. Settings can inform trainees the views of trauma practitioners about the trauma therapy. An experienced therapist (micro) may be able to mentor trainees or students. Supervisors have a responsibility for ensuring their trainees have access to education about VT. The culture (exo) of the agency could also be the support for ameliorating VT (Pack, 2013). The culture here includes peer support within daily case meetings and non-hierarchical collaborative decision making. Having a culture which s ees VT as a normal part of trauma-related helping would effectively ameliorate VT. The culture can provide sense of security for the therapists while working with traumatized clients (Pack, 2013). This idea suggests that in graduate training program, the culture (exo) and the program (micro) should provide a supportive environment to prevent students from developing VT. Ethnic minority students may face a somewhat different pattern of stressors during graduate training than non-minority students (Myers et al., 2012; El-Ghoroury et al., 2012). These additional stressors include racial discrimination, racial prejudice, the feeling of isolation, and different cultural expectations (macro, chrono), which negatively impacted school experience. Furthermore, minority students who reported the stressors had higher rates of burnout, depressive symptoms, and reduced quality of life (Myers et al., 2012). The authors also indicate that minority students and international graduate students are actually less likely to use counseling services in response to stressors. Racial minority students often experience more academic stress and less social support than students of Euro-American descent, which may be attributable to race-related stress and vulnerability of developing VT (El-Ghoroury et al., 2012). It is important to consider cultural differences when consider ing stress among student trainees. Adams and Riggs (2008) indicate that students with personal trauma history (chrono) are more vulnerable to VT in courses on trauma. At the moments of reexperiencing, students with trauma history described their struggling with coping as avoidance. Students also reported having little control over the experience of VT symptoms. Adams and Riggs (2008) describe these adaptive coping strategies used by students, including suppression, sublimation, and humor. By the end of this course, most students reported developing effective self-care strategies. This finding suggests that although many students with trauma history (chrono) may revisit their own trauma symptoms during trauma courses, the course on trauma (micro) helped students develop successful self-care strategies. Pack (2013) also addresses the importance of personal trauma history, and recommends that agencies should provide personal therapy (micro) for therapists affected by clients’ trauma information due to their own tr auma history. Adams and Riggs (2008) reported that novice clinicians may be more vulnerable to VT. The authors indicate that the level of training and experience working with traumatized patients is related to clinician outcomes. The deficits in trauma-specific training are associated with VT symptoms. Black (2008) indicates that graduate counseling students may have preexisting factors (chrono) in their lives that form a vulnerability to developing VT later in their careers. Therefore, Graduate training programs (micro) should work on preventing students in training from being traumatized or becoming more vulnerable to future VT (Black, 2008). DePrince et al. (2011) indicate that the lack of trauma education at the graduate levels increases the urgency to develop effective training for postgraduate professionals. Training and education practices which support system-wide, culturally responsive practice is important for preventing VT (DePrince et al., 2011). Even if students do not have preexistin g events that might predispose them to VT, teaching a course on trauma may prevent students from becoming overwhelmed in training (Black, 2008). Pack (2013) also recommends that training courses (e.g., practicum and internship) need to alert students to the potential risks of affecting their psychological health due to the trauma-related practice. Resources such as theoretical models fostering recovery are needed to ameliorate VT.

Solving an Ethical Dilemma at Work Essay -- Business Ethics

Describe an ethical problem you have encountered or might encounter in your workplace. How would you approach the problem and reach a decision to solve it? Business ethics defines how a company integrates core values - such as honesty, trust, respect, and fairness - into its policies, practices, and decision-making. Business ethics also involves a company's compliance with legal standards and observance to internal rules and regulations. Business ethics is, in part, the attempt to think clearly and deeply about ethical issues in business and to arrive at conclusions that are supported by strongest possible arguments. Ethics is concerned with how a moral person should behave, whereas values are the inner judgments that determine how a person actually behaves. Ethical principles are the rules of conduct that derive from ethical values. For example, honesty is a value that governs behavior in the form of principles such as: tell the truth, don't deceive, don't cheat. In this way, values give rise to principles in the form of specific "dos" and "don'ts." In a business the ultimate goal is to achieve maximum profits. There are factors affecting at different levels of the business such as finance, technology, labor, and workflow in order to maintain excellence and growth of the company. In this paper, I want to demonstrate what ethical issues I faced working as a team leader for my company and how I approached the problem in order to solve it. How to make decisions and also to find solutions without disturbing the env... ... my integrity and minimized damage to my fellow member. Although I still question the correctness of not exposing his negligence, the decision I made allowed me to preserve the trust of my team. After the project was in action that member continued working and completed his work and I had no problems with his work in future. Trustworthiness, respect, honesty, responsibility, fairness, caring, are ethical values to guide our choices in order to make an ethical decision. The key to making effective decisions is to think about choices in terms of their ability to accomplish our most important goals. Reading the chapters have changed and affected in the way of my thinking . It has also helped me decide that the decision I took at my workplace was right. Solving an Ethical Dilemma at Work Essay -- Business Ethics Describe an ethical problem you have encountered or might encounter in your workplace. How would you approach the problem and reach a decision to solve it? Business ethics defines how a company integrates core values - such as honesty, trust, respect, and fairness - into its policies, practices, and decision-making. Business ethics also involves a company's compliance with legal standards and observance to internal rules and regulations. Business ethics is, in part, the attempt to think clearly and deeply about ethical issues in business and to arrive at conclusions that are supported by strongest possible arguments. Ethics is concerned with how a moral person should behave, whereas values are the inner judgments that determine how a person actually behaves. Ethical principles are the rules of conduct that derive from ethical values. For example, honesty is a value that governs behavior in the form of principles such as: tell the truth, don't deceive, don't cheat. In this way, values give rise to principles in the form of specific "dos" and "don'ts." In a business the ultimate goal is to achieve maximum profits. There are factors affecting at different levels of the business such as finance, technology, labor, and workflow in order to maintain excellence and growth of the company. In this paper, I want to demonstrate what ethical issues I faced working as a team leader for my company and how I approached the problem in order to solve it. How to make decisions and also to find solutions without disturbing the env... ... my integrity and minimized damage to my fellow member. Although I still question the correctness of not exposing his negligence, the decision I made allowed me to preserve the trust of my team. After the project was in action that member continued working and completed his work and I had no problems with his work in future. Trustworthiness, respect, honesty, responsibility, fairness, caring, are ethical values to guide our choices in order to make an ethical decision. The key to making effective decisions is to think about choices in terms of their ability to accomplish our most important goals. Reading the chapters have changed and affected in the way of my thinking . It has also helped me decide that the decision I took at my workplace was right.

Panera Bread Case Study Essay

INTRODUCTION: Panera Bread is one of the great American success stories of breaking trends, and shaking up the market with complete innovation. Not only were they successful, but they were able to achieve this success while doing things their own way. Product and Service differentiation were the keys to this bakery-cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s success. Before Panera Bread’s creation in ___, never had a business combined the relaxing environment of a cafà © with the fresh aroma of an artisan’s bakery. This proved to be a gold mine for its owner and stakeholders, and the analysis of this period from 2001 to 2003 shows exactly why. In this analysis, we will examine the success factors of Panera Bread and explain why they were able to achieve some of the goals they had accomplished thus far. We will also explain some alternatives and opportunities that Panera Bread may look forward to taking advantage of in the future. Panera Bread’s mission was to create the bakery-cafà ©; a place the combined the welcoming atmosphere of coffee shops, the food of sandwich shops, and the quick service of fast food restaurants. They named this type of service â€Å"fast-casual† dining and the term fits because of the atmosphere and quality of service they were able to provide. Panera Bread targeted 5 key consumer dining needs which include the following: SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS: CURRENT SITUATION The company’s revenues rose from 350.8 million to 977.1 million between 2000 and 2003 as a result of new unit expansion, with 419 stores opening between 1999 and 2003. In 2000 system wide comparison sales and annualized unit volumes increased 9.1% and 12%. The growth of these two metrics decreased in the years following with system wide comparable sales and AUVs increasing only .2% and .5%. GENERAL ENVIRONMENT The fast-casual dining market consists of those companies that seek to fill the gap between fast-food chains and full-service restaurants. These companies offer speed, efficiency, inexpensiveness, hospitality, quality and ambiance. These restaurants fall under fast casual when they offer self-service, a check between 6 and 9 dollars, slightly more expensive than fast food but cheaper than full service restaurants. Other requirements include that the food be made to order and the dà ©cor being upscale. This market of restaurants experienced significant growth between 1999 and 2003. Continued growth was expected with sales projected to reach 50 billion in the following decade. This growth was expected to come at the expense of fast food chains. The industry’s growth started with high profitability and diverse dining avenues, with concepts such as Mexican, Chinese, and bakeries. Opening costs for these establishments in relation to annual sales was minimal, allowing more new players to get into the market with fresh concepts and menu items. Also the maturing of baby boomers and their children contributed largely to the growth of the fast casual market. This demographic expressed insufficient time for cooking while growing tired of fast food and desiring a high-quality, fresh, healthy dining experience, without the time consumption of a full dining restaurant. This market has effectively emerged itself into a legitimate trend in the restaurant industry. Modern day customers seek establishments that combine qualities such as a casual atmosphere, quality, and quick service. Panera Bread focuses on these aspects of their bakeries by offering breakfast, lunch, daytime â€Å"chill-out, lunch in the evening and take home meals; in alignment with consumer dining  needs. The company’s customer base included seniors, matinee-goers, shoppers, business professionals, and students. The company focuses on delivering high quality foods, targeting suburban dwellers and workers as a premium specialty bakery and cafà ©. Panera Bread was a pioneer in the cafà ©-bakery segment with unique concepts and operation strengths, which has led the company to its current position in the fast casual dining market. The company designed its concept in meeting the consumer’s needs of efficiency and the desire for high quality dining, which aren’t met by traditional fast food chains. The company strived to establish Panera Bread as a leading national brand, with its operation quality, real estate strategies, and design being integral to their success Each company-operated bakery had computerized cash registers to collect point of sale transaction data, used in generating marketing information. Product prices were programmed into the system from the corporate office. The company’s in-store information system was designed to assist in labor scheduling and food cost management, to provide corporate and retail operation management fast access to data, and to reduce administrative time. These systems supplied data to the company’s accounting department daily, enabling them to use the data to generate weekly reports on sales and other important elements. The company also monitored the average check, customer count, product mix, and other sales trends. Also, facilities had systems that allowed the dough facilities to accept electronic orders from the bakery and deliver orders to the bakeries. TASK ENVIRONMENT Employees consisted of full time associates in administrative or general positions, commissary operators, bakers, and associates at the bakeries. As of December 2003 the company had 3,924 full time associates, of whom 344 were employed in general or administrative roles principally at or from the company’s support centers. The company also had 4,078 part-time hourly associates at the bakeries. The company’s priority was staffing its bakeries, fresh dough facilities, and support centers with skilled associates, investing in training programs to ensure quality. The company  offered incentive programs and bonuses to salaried employees, with the addition of product discounts and employee stock options. Panera Bread believed that providing bakery-cafà © operators the opportunity to participate in the success of the company would enable the company to attract and retain highly motivated and experienced personnel, resulting in a better customer experience. The company targets mostly those individuals in urban areas, focusing on white collar workers who seek a fast and healthier alternative from fast food burgers and other common establishments of fast service. With a large focus on individuals seeking a fast, quality bakery product, the company seeks to give its target customers a stylish ambiance to dine in. Panera Bread’s competition derived from sources within its trade areas. The stores competed based on consumers need for breakfast, lunch, daytime, lunch in the evening, and take home bread sales with the competitive factors being location, environment, customer service, price, and quality of products. The company also competed for leased space in desirable locations where certain competitors had capital resources that exceeded those available to Panera Bread. Those primary competitors included specialty food and casual dining restaurant retailers, including national, regional, and locally owned concepts. Panera Bread had a fresh dough facility system that supplied fresh dough to the company owned and franchise operated bakeries daily. The company had 16 commissaries that prepare the fresh dough. These commissaries assured product quality and consistency, headed by the company’s master artisan baker, Mile Marino, who has been with the company since 1987. The company also entered into five year contract with a company named Bunge for its supply of frozen dough. The company also signed an agreement with Dawn Food Products to prep and deliver the frozen dough; structured as a cost-plus agreement. Franchised bakery’s operated under individual contracts with either the company distributor or other regional distributors, with three companies serving as the primary distributors for Panera Bread. The company has had increasing stock holder’s equity between 1999 and 2003, with its most recent total stockholder’s equity equaling 195,937 in December of 2003. Total incurred liabilities of the company equaled $46,235 in December of 2003 which made for a total liabilities and stockholder’s equity of $245,943  for the year. INTERNAL ANALYSIS The company strategy centered around a conceptual focus on the specialty bakery category with a focus on artisan attention bread made with all-natural ingredients. The strategies implemented by the company focus on meeting the important consumer trends met by fast food chains, while striving for a more upscale environment. In an effort to make Panera Bread emerge into a nationally dominant name, the company framed its menu, operating systems, prototype, and strategies around effective competition within sub-level business targets. This helped to company to increase profits between 2002 and 2003. The unique character of Panera Bread’s quality in its cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s, menu options, distinguished bakery design, along with the valuable locations of its stores contributed to its success. The company planned to combine company and franchise efforts in order to achieve its growth. Franchising proved to be a key factor in the company’s success, allowing the company to expand mo re rapidly due to increased resources to outfit the strategies and concepts produced by Panera. At the closing of the 2003 fiscal year, the company had 429 bakeries in operation and documented intention of opening an addition 409 bakeries. The company has 8 key executive officers with extensive experience, both with Panera Bread and also with other major corporations and organizations including Starbucks, Fidelity Investments, and other companies. All of these officers obtained their position with Panera between 1999 and 2003. The company derives its culture from the pre-existing chains of fast food and full service dine-ins. In an effort to supply consumers with a third option that combined the attributes of both of these markets, the company, through many stages of conception, effectively identified a niche within urban consumers. The company pioneered a new market segment of food service trends and through constant growth and innovation has built a successful company. The company is structured with top management and board executives establishing and updating views goals and visions for the growth and target of the restaurant chain. The company has both corporate and franchise operated bakery’s that adhere to the vision and direction of company management and consumer trends. STRATEGY FORMATION: Panera Bread has maintained its business strategy over its lifespan and they continue to employ a product/service differentiation strategy to sustain their competitive advantage as a fast-casual dining experience. This strategy has enabled them to grow very swiftly over the past 15-20 years and has given them a substantial hold on the market for fast-casual dining. Panera Bread’s decision to employ this differentiation strategy correctly, gives them the best opportunity to succeed for their target market. They are in a market where there are many ways to differentiate the products and services they provide. Buyers often perceive these differences as the product/service having value. Fortunately, few rival firms are following this distinct differentiation approach. Ron Schaich and his team were correct when concluding that this differentiation strategy would attract patrons which gave Panera Bread every reason to employ this strategy. To differentiate themselves from the likes of McDonald’s, Burger King, or Pizza Hut; they focused on an extremely high quality of food products. This played into their game plan of becoming a specialty cafe and they continued to choose the best and most natural ingredients for their products. Every loaf of bread is baked with the four ingredients, water, natural yeast, flour and salt, no chemicals or preservatives are ever used. Another practice they employ to provide first class products is within their supply chain. To provide fresh dough to their locations every day, they have many regional fresh dough facilities. These facilities would go through a 48 hour process to prepare bread and bagel dough for shipment, which provides consistent quality and efficiency to all the locations. Panera Bread also found that many customers were more health conscious which prompted them to introduce a full line of whole grain breads. Other improvements that they instituted included new artisan sweet goods, egg soufflà ©s and natural anti-biotic free chicken all to meet the customer’s ever changing preferences. These are the practices upon which Panera Bread has continued to provide an exceptional distinct product line to its customers in hopes of sustaining a competitive advantage. Panera has also implemented change in other areas to provide their customers with a differentiated service experience. They have employed a cafe design which created one of the most comfortable and warm environments to dine in. This has been very successful for their strategy of distinguishing themselves and their offerings to customers. Like Starbucks, they wanted to create an environment in which consumers would identify Panera Bread as a neighborhood meeting place. As a result, patrons would continuously use a Panera Bread location for all sorts of gatherings whether they are for business or pleasure. One of the greatest benefits that Panera Bread provides to its customers is free wireless high-speed internet and since they were one of the first to do so, this created a competitive advantage for them. The fast-casual dining industry is generally a new concept. At this point, Panera needs to sustain its leadership and competitive advantage in this industry to continue to grow and fend off competitors. One of the best defensive strategies that they can employ is the leverage gained by economies of scale. With these economies they can continue to offer their products on their terms, which give them an advantage over the competition. This in turn gives them more control over the market and the suppliers in this industry. Here they can block avenues for current competitors as well as new entrants. If they can continue to stay on the top of the industry they can continue to employ this defensive strategy. One of the main reasons that Panera Bread is relevant is because of its size. At this point they are one of the largest fast-casual dining businesses and they use this size to stimulate further growth. Continuing to grow gives them the opportunity to generate more revenue if executed well with the right buyers. Revenue is always a great reason for expansion and Panera Bread knows this. They are one of the best in the restaurant industry at recognizing shifts in consumer preferences and being able to make the proper adjustments to satisfy their customers. This is crucial especially in today’s world where change is continuous and rapid. As Panera Bread consistently strives to be a leader in product and environmental offerings,  it’s crucial that they continue to be aware of and progress along with the changing world. Even though they can employ some of these strategies in the future, they can’t lose track of their business model for fast-casual dining restaurants in the process. Though Panera Bread has been very successful during this period, there are some strategies which they can enact to stimulate a growth in profits. Unfortunately, with each benefit from an alternative there is always a cost that Panera Bread may or may not be willing to incur. Firstly, Panera Bread could try to vertically integrate their products. This would call for them to pre-pack some of their bread and sandwich products and sell them in local grocery chains across the United States. This strategy would make their products more accessible to the general public even where there are no Panera Bread cafà ©-bakeries nearby. One of the key risks with strategy would be the possibility that product quality would diminish because the products are not being made fresh within the actual bakeries. The second strategic alternative would be the use of mini cafes within retail stores. This strategy has already been implemented by Starbucks with their mini cafes inside of Target retail stores. This would also make the products more accessible to the general public, thus giving Panera Bread more exposure. This strategy would require Panera Bread to train managers within the retail store to be able to handle the proper preparation of their products. Lastly, the third alternative would be acquiring local cafes and transforming them into new cafà ©-bakery locations. This strategy would essentially eliminate competition and create new areas where these products can be accessed. On the other hand, if Panera Bread is unable to conduct full takeovers, there is a risk that they could lose some of the authenticity of their products/services.

Commodore Perry’s Journey to Japan

After the conclusion of the War of 1812 and prior to the Civil War, the United States Navy entered into a peacetime role. Initially, this role was to protect commerce trading in both inland and international waterways. However, that role was soon expanded upon with Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry’s journey to Japan. The journey had its immediate impact, including the signing of a comprehensive treaty that established trade relations with Japan and provided protection for sailors and their ships. Perry’s expedition also had the impact of serving as a precursor for the change in what the Navy’s responsibilities encompassed, which even carry on to the present day Navy. Commodore Perry left for Japan with the objectives of opening up Japanese ports to trade and ensuring American presence and protection in East Asia. These terms were outlined in â€Å"detailed instructions from the Secretary of the Navy John P. Kennedy, diplomatic instructions from the State Depart ment, and a letter from President Millard Fillmore to the Emperor of Japan†2 that Perry carried with him on his voyage.From beginning to end Perry’s voyage spanned nine months and was filled with trials and tribulations. The Japanese were initially turned off to the idea of Americans entering their country, and would not even let them step on land. Only twice did Perry and his squadron come ashore in the nine months prior to the signing of the official treaty. Most of the negotiations took place upon various ships in Perry’s control and the meetings were often difficult to coordinate.Based on notes from Perry’s personal journal, these complications often lead to frustration and Perry was constantly considering employing â€Å"whole force† that he was granted to use if he deemed it necessary to achieve his goals. 3 However, this was ultimately unnecessary, and Perry did well to remind himself that his voyage was diplomatic and pacific in nature. The negotiations were an arduous process and Perry even left Japan returning later with twice as many ships, anticipating a struggle. This was unnecessary as the Japanese agreed to Perry’s desires and the â€Å"black ships† saw no combat.With the agreement of the Japanese the Treaty of Kanagawa was drafted and subsequently signed on 31 March 1854. This treaty allowed for a U. S. consul to be created at Shimoda, and allowed access to the ports of Hakodate and Shimoda for the purpose of obtaining â€Å"wood, water, provisions, and coal, and other articles their necessities may require. † The treaty also required that â€Å"whenever ships of the United States are thrown or wrecked on the coast of Japan, the Japanese vessels will assist them, and carry their crews to Shimoda. Thirdly, men staying in Shimoda and Hakodate, or any seamen shipwrecked shall be free and â€Å"shall not be subject to†¦restrictions and confinement. †4Although there was not a formal agreement on trade in these open ports, Perry assumed correctly that with an American presence in port, trade would come naturally. 5 The initial impact of Perry’s expedition and the treaty with Japan gave the United States Navy many new roles and an international presence on the high seas. Japan had been a country focused on isolationism for centuries. This isolationism is mainly connected to the zeal of early missionaries who traveled to Japan.The United States was able to avert this conflict in values by Commodore Perry’s outright statement to the Japanese leadership that the United States government â€Å"does not interfere with the religion of its own people, much less with that of other nations. †6 Several attempts were made to open Japan to American trade, but all had failed. One such failure was that of Commodore James Biddle, which proved to be a complete embarrassment for the United States, as he made several mistakes in his conduct and on top of it a ll needed to be towed out of port by a Japanese ship. The fact that Commodore Perry was successful in his mission changed the status quo in regards to what the United States Navy could and could not do. Perry proved that the United States was capable of having a forward presence in foreign lands and was able to establish international trade in East Asia. The establishment of commercial relations with Japan furthered the Navy’s responsibility in protecting trade. Perry’s exploits also showed that diplomacy was a possible way for the United States to establish influence in other countries.Thirdly, Perry and his â€Å"black ships† were the first sign of American deterrence. The fact that American ships were off the coast of Japan ready to attack an underprepared country made it very difficult for the Japanese to negotiate anything in their favor or make any tactical or strategic decisions to remove the threat of Perry’s force. The roles of the Navy that Comm odore Perry established in the mid-nineteenth century are still prevalent in the present day.The idea of the Navy as a protector of commerce (although established before Perry, he was instrumental in expanding the Navy’s prevalence in ensuring safe trade) continues into the present day. An example of this would be ships stationed in the Mediterranean Sea. This area, specifically around the Strait of Hormuz is crucial to trade in the Middle East. The presence of the United States Navy maintains a safe trading environment between the United States and its allies, and other countries in the region.Commodore Perry also introduced the idea of deterrence, which is crucial in the operations of the Navy in today’s world. One example of American deterrence is the use of submarines, equipped with nuclear war heads and ballistic missiles, which are virtually invisible to our enemies. Perry also proved that diplomacy was a very potent way to establish influence in foreign countrie s and maintain a presence without force. This is also seen in the United States establishment of embassies in foreign countries and the use of diplomats to negotiate with foreign countries.Commodore Perry’s expedition to Japan had a tremendous impact on the United States at the time it occurred, but it also had an everlasting impact on how the Navy operates and what roles and responsibilities it chooses to take on. Notes 1. Walworth, Arthur. Black ships off Japan; the story of Commodore Perry's expedition 242. New York: A. A. Knopf, 1946. 2. Bradford, James C. Quarterdeck and bridge: two centuries of American naval leaders 115. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1997. 3. Perry, Matthew Calbraith, and Roger Pineau.The Japan Expedition, 1852-1854; the personal journal of Commodore Matthew C. Perry 157. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1968. 4. Barrows, Edward Morley. The great commodore; the exploits of Matthew Calbraith Perry 365. Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill C o, 1935. 5. Anderson, David. â€Å"Perry, Matthew Calbraith. â€Å"American National Biography Online Feb. 2000 (accessed October 2, 2012). 6. Walworth, Arthur. Black ships off Japan. 243. 7. Bradford, James C. Quarterdeck and Bridge. 113. Bibliography Anderson, David. â€Å"Perry, Matthew Calbraith. â€Å"American National Biography Online Feb. 000 (accessed October 2, 2012). Barrows, Edward Morley. The great commodore; the exploits of Matthew Calbraith Perry 365. Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Co, 1935. Bradford, James C. Quarterdeck and bridge: two centuries of American naval leaders. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1997. Perry, Matthew Calbraith, and Roger Pineau. The Japan Expedition, 1852-1854; the personal journal of Commodore Matthew C. Perry 157. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1968. Walworth, Arthur. Black ships off Japan; the story of Commodore Perry's expedition. New York: A. A. Knopf, 1946.