Cola Wars - The Carbonated Soft Drink Industry Essay Example for Free

Cola Wars The Carbonated Soft Drink Industry Essay Threat of New Entry The existing players in the soft drink industry have much advantage relative to new entrants. First, supply-side economy discourages new entrants by forcing them to enter the market in large scale. CSD’s demand side benefits of scale also makes it difficult for new entrants to be accepted by the public. In 2002, a survey found that 37% of respondents chose a CSD because it is their favorite brand, while only 10% said so about bottled water. This demonstrates CSD customers’ high brand loyalty and their lack of desire to buy from new entrants. In terms of capital requirement, concentrate manufacturers only requires $25~$50 million to set up a plant that can serve the entire United States of America. Yet, new entrants may have difficulties competing with major players’ well-established brands and their large scale unrecoverable (therefore, hard to finance) spending on advertising. There is also unequal access to bottlers and retail channels for newcomers. Most bottlers are in long-term contracts with major CSD brands; also, the largest distribution channel, supermarkets, consider CSD a â€Å"big traffic draw†, thus provide little to no shelf space for newcomers. In addition, strong fear of retaliation from major players also makes newcomers hesitate to enter. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Required inputs for CSD are mostly raw materials such as caramel coloring, phosphoric or citric acid, natural flavors, caffeine, and fructose. Almost all suppliers of the CSD industry provide undifferentiated commodities and thus have little bargaining power and almost no strength to integrate forward. Bargaining Power of Buyers End consumers and retail channels can both be considered as buyers in the CSD industry. End consumers are likely to have brand loyalty to their CSD as analyzed in threat of new entry. Thus, consumers are expected to continue purchasing a brand unless there is a significant price increase or substantial change in flavor. Consequently, end consumers have little bargaining power. Retail channels, on the other hand, have more bargaining leverage since they buy CSDs in much larger quantities than end consumers. Yet, for retail channels such as supermarkets (making up almost one third of all retail volume), CSDs are considered a â€Å"big traffic draw†, thus reducing its bargaining power. In addition, fountain outlets (making up another 23.4% of retail channel) also have insignificant bargaining power since they rely on CSD companies’ heavy investment in dispensers, cups, point-of-sale advertising, and many other types of equipment. Threat of Substitutes CSDs are unique in terms of taste and properties. When a consumer craves CSD, it is difficult to find a replacement that can equally satisfy his or her desire. Even after CSD was identified as the â€Å"largest source of obesity-causing sugars in the American diet† in 2005, CSDs still â€Å"accounted for 73.1% of U.S. non-alcoholic refreshment beverage volume (down from 80.8% in 2000)† at around the same time. It is true that consumers are moving towards alternatives that have more natural flavors such as several tea-based drinks and bottled water; yet, CSD firms have quickly adapted to this shift and largely dominated the market of these alternatives. Rivalry Among Existing Competitors Even though rivalry among existing competitors Coke, Pepsi, and Cadbury Schweppes seem intense, the profitability has not been weakened. This is largely because of the high concentration of competition and their focus on promotion, advertising, and other forms of branding instead of waging large-scale price wars. In a way, the success of Coke and Pepsi required the heavy competition on these dimensions. â€Å"Without Coke, Pepsi would have a tough time being an original and lively competitor. The more successful they (Coke) are, the sharper we (Pepsi) have to be.† says Roger Enrico, former CEO of Pepsi. The CSD industry profitability lies within the Cola War itself that forces major players to improve continuously. Through Porter’s five forces analysis, it becomes clear that CSD is so profitable because of the way its industry competition is shaped: high entry barriers due to newcomers’ unfavorable supply-side economies of scale, demand-side benefits of scale, and unrecoverable advertising spending; low bargaining power of suppliers and buyers since CSD requires mainly homogeneous commodities, buyers have high brand loyalty, and retailers rely heavily on CSD firms’ investments; well handled threat of substitutes; and healthy internal rivalry that is vital to continuous improvement.

Why Americas Veterans Should Be Honored :: Argumentative Essay

America’s veterans should be honored because they have suffered through so many hardships that others could not and have not survived, and they did it for their country that they loved and still love today. I believe that veterans are our nation’s bravest citizens. I also harbor a special adoration for them because my brother is in the Army and he has already served one tour in Iraq, and is currently on his second at the age of nineteen. My family is either very lucky or very blessed because my brother has yet to be injured in active duty. One day, I hope to join the Air Force and, in turn, become a veteran, as well. Veterans can remind us just how horrible war is, and, hopefully, prevent more wars in the future. Veterans have sacrificed so much so that we may have our rights, our leisures, our hopes, our dreams, and, most of all, our freedom. Everyone should honor the veterans of our nation at all times, not just on holidays like Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day during which we are constantly reminded of our forefathers whom gave their lives and so much more for our country. Many of us take things like going for a walk in the park, hanging out with friends, or going to the church of our choice for granted. I think we all need to take a step back and really look at the situations other countries are in right now and the dealings that they are going through. Then maybe we can look at our own country and really see what we have that others don’t, and consider all the lives, limbs, labors, and loves lost for every single aspect of freedom that we have. Our own men, women, and, at times, children have been sacrificed to feed the mouth of the beast that is poverty, oppression, depression, hunger, violence, and greed.

Destruction with Total Control Essay

In the book Nineteen Eighty-Four George Orwell shows the thesis to be that totalitarianism is destructive. He shows this by the rather unfortunate setting which has been put this way because the lack of concern. The conflict with the characters shows how a place being led by totalitarianism will unravel even what were at some point the closest relationships. Also with the plot development, eventually the government will destroy everything, including your brain throughout threats and torture. One of the first things it starts off with is the physical being of the city, the setting of the novel. Winston notices how the apartments could use a lot of work and they need constant fixing such as;â€Å"The plastered flakes fell constantly from ceilings and walls, the pipes burst in every hard frost† (22). The government could care less about what the city looks like and peoples wellbeing so most of the average people have to deal with problems like that with their homes. Winston mentions â€Å"On each landing, opposite the lift shaft the poster with the enormous face gazed on the wall†¦Big Brother is watching you, caption beneath it ran† (1-2). This is showing the complete take over by the frightful posters being plastered everywhere making sure everyone knows they aren’t safe. The city was filled with telescreens that would watch their every move, â€Å"It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any place within range of a telescreen† (65). The telescreens made it so that people had no place to think freely because there were practically no places where you weren’t under constant surveillance. Which is how totalitarianism destroys the setting in the novel. The destruction of relationships though conflict plays a big role in the book. Mr. Parsons, Winston’s neighbour, talks about his daughter who â€Å"Heard what [he] was saying and nipped off to the patrols the next day† (245). He was sleep talking about bringing Big Brother down, because his daughter had been taught to be a spy she reported him, not even thinking of the fact that she was getting rid of her own father. After Winston was being tortured because of the thought crime he committed and O’Brian was sent to change his ways â€Å"O’Brian drew back the lever on the dial. The wave of pain receded almost as quickly as it had come† (257). Even though he had been in the brotherhood with him O’Brian still betrayed Winston because he knew if he didn’t he would be the one enduring all of the pain. Winston and Julia were very close, in love even, but when asked after the torture â€Å"he had confessed in the most trivial detail everythin g that happened at their meetings† (286). Instead of being a good person he completely turned against her because of what the government had done to him. Showing how with totalitarianism comes the destruction of relationships. The plot really ties the whole idea that eventually after destroying everything else the totalitarian government will destroy the mind. They twist words to make it seems as though they are always right and even if it’s not true make it seem like you’re in the wrong. â€Å"Shall I tell you why we have brought you here? To cure you! Make you sain!† (265). Even though Winston had the right idea to betray Big Brother O’Brian makes him think he’s not mentally well for doing so. The government made sure that the mental change would be permanent â€Å"What happens to you here is forever†¦We shall crush you down to the point from which there is no coming back† (266). Giving you no way to change your mind after if you did not agree, making it as though they had complete control over you. Finally after Winston had been though all of the physical and mental tortures, what he said he would rather die than do, he did. He finally said â€Å"he had won the battle over himself. He loved Big Brother† (311). This proved they had completely destroyed and remade his brain, breaking down all of his morals and changing his outlooks on life. All proving how the destruction of your brain is inevitable with a totalitarian society. Throughout exploring some key traits of the book such as the dreadful setting which could only have put people in a bad mood. All of the conflicts with the characters putting them through so much torture and mind control to teach them to betray practically anyone other than Big Brother. As well as the plot of the destruction of the mind and how to accomplish that, Orwell proves his thesis to be that totalitarianism is destructive. From the outside in eventually you will be destroyed.

The Impact Of Children On Children With Divorce - 1115 Words

In order to explore my topic and answer my inquiry question, I began by searching through a variety of website articles. I then searched through the articles and narrowed it down to two that had opposing views. Lastly, I conducted interviews with two primary sources. All these sources gave me a better understanding of my topic, and how to answer my question. 1.5 million children deal with divorce every year. Researchers have found that only a relatively small percentage of children experience severe problems in the wake of divorce. Also, they have found that most children, after the initial blow of divorce, only suffer for a short period of time. Many children experience short-term negative effects from divorce. For example some of the effects include: anxiety, anger, shock and disbelief. These effects often disappear after the end of two years. In a quantitative review of the literature in 2001, a sociologist, Paul R. Amato, examined the possible effects on children severa l years after divorce. The studies compared children of married parents with those of divorced parents. The researchers followed kids into later childhood and adolescence. They assessed their academic achievement and emotional and behavioral problems. On average, the studies found only a small difference between children of divorced parents and those of married parents. Though, not everybody agrees on those premises. During the 70’s when the psychological literature first discussed theShow MoreRelatedThe Impact of Divorce on Children1482 Words   |  6 PagesThe Impact of Divorce on Children Emily Grandy Abstract The discussion entitled The Impact of Divorce on Children takes an in-depth look at the impact divorce has on children academics. Research has shown that children that have experienced divorce amongst their parents are two times as likely to repeat a grade level. In addition research has discovered children of divorced parents are five times as likely to be expelled or suspended from the school system. College students in research surveysRead MoreEssay on The Impact of Divorce on Children1446 Words   |  6 PagesDivorce, once unheard of among most people, is now a commonplace occurrence in families when the adults have decided that they can no longer work out their differences. Unfortunately, divorce tends to have a negative impact on the children in the family, particularly affecting children who already have psychological or emotional difficulties, such as ADHD (Patten, 1999). Problems that arise in children of divorce run the gamut from behavioral problems to later relationshi p/trust issues. ChildrenRead MoreThe Impact of Divorce on Children Essay806 Words   |  4 Pagessociety that has perhaps one of the highest rates of divorce amongst all other industrial nations at a rate averaging around 40 to 50 percent. Of that staggering rate of divorce, 60 percent of those involve children. Because of this, more than one million children go through their parents’ divorce each year. Now, during this time of divorce a great focus seems to be drawn between the adults, but at what point should we wonder about the children? What changes and potential consequences are thrustRead MoreThe Impact Of Divorce On Children And Adolescents3582 Words   |  15 PagesImpact of Divorce on Children and Adolescents Yauheni Silitski Georgia Gwinnett College Stephan Desrochers Abstract In the following paper, the various consequential effects of divorce upon children and adolescents and their development will be examined. The main purpose of this review is to determine the effects of the effects of the growing epidemic of divorce, what is happening to our children when they confront the reality ofRead MoreEssay about The Impact of Divorce on Children1401 Words   |  6 PagesThe Impact of Divorce on Children Divorce is the dissolution of a marriage that affects numerous people around the world. Divorce can be a heartbreaking process that affects not just the couple but their children also. I am going to be comparing the impact of divorce on children in context to Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory. Individual The individual in this context is the child that is affected by the divorce of their parents. Studies show that divorce can affect a child’s social skills (KimRead MoreThe Impact Of Divorce On Children S Emotion844 Words   |  4 Pages Running head: THE IMPACT OF DIVORCE ON CHILDREN’S EMOTION The Impact of Divorce on Children Emotion Lateefah Abiri Houston community College (Alief) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This research paper is made actualized through the support from everyone that include my family, teacher, classmates, HCCS-Alief Library staff and the hardworking men and women that devote their time to changing mankind through research and dissemination. Especially, please allow me to dedicateRead MoreDivorce and Its Impact on Cpuples and Children Essay932 Words   |  4 Pages The term divorce is a legal term that denotes the separation of two individuals in a legal manner that was once connected to each other as a result of marriage. Divorce can be a lifetime separation between couples and can even be a limited time separation between couples. Recently, the world has witnessed a surge in the number of divorces taking place and the occurrence of this event is even at its peak in the United States. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported during the periodRead MoreThe Impact of Divorce on Young Children and Adolescents Essay3826 Words   |  16 Pages For the past decades, divorce has been increasing dramatically throughout the United States; it is a common issue in this society. Approximately one million children experience divorce or parental separation every year(Shinoda, Kevin Seiji, 2001, La Mirada, pg. 9). Acco rding the 2000 census data, about 28% of divorce or separated parents, have at least one children who is under age of 6(Kim Leon Jul., 2003 pg. 258). Also, slightly more than half of all divorced children are under the age of 18Read MoreThe Impact of Divorce on Children and Family Dynamics Essays2068 Words   |  9 Pagestwo decades divorce has increased substantially leaving couples single and families broken. Divorce is the reality for many families as there is an increase in divorce rates, cohabitation rates, and the number of children raised in step and single marital families. Divorce cannot be overlooked as it negatively affects and impacts youngsters for the rest of their lives. Although it is the decision between two parents’s children are hurt the most in the process. The concept of divorce is extremelyRead MoreHow Divorce Impacts Children Under the Age of 182153 Words   |  9 PagesHow Divorce Impacts Children Under the Age of 18 F. Jeanpierre Psychology Abstract In this research you will see how divorce impacts children under the age of 18.   The effects are not universal. Divorce affects children differently based on their age, personality and sexuality. Divorce affects children both mentally and physically. In this research, you will see how divorce can impact children immediately as well as post divorce. I will start with  infants,  preschool age children, school-aged