Strategic Planning in the Australian Coffee market

Strategic Planning in the Australian Coffee market Industry/Market definition The Australian Coffee Industry comprises all the firms that offer products for sale that are derived from coffee beans. There are pure coffee products, ie whole and ground coffee beans, and instant coffee products. Each kind of product has its own target market. A market is the set of all actual and potential buyers of a product (Kotler et al 1998, p885). The pure coffee market consists of all the actual and potential buyers of whole or ground coffee beans. The instant coffee market consists of all the actual and potential buyers of instant coffee. For the purposes of this assignment, I will focus on the instant coffee market in Australia. Part1 Macroenvironment The marketing environment within which a company operates is dynamic. Its consists of a microenvironment, and a macroenvironment. The microenvironment is the forces close to the company that affect its ability to serve its customers. The macroenvironment is the larger societal forces that affect the whole microenvironment, (Kotler et al 1998, pp885-886) The macroenvironment consists of six types of forces: demographic, economic, natural, technological, political and cultural forces. A companys marketing strategy must take into account changes and trends in these environments that can present opportunities or pose threats. A successful firm is one that regularly modifies it marketing mix and strategies to adapt to these changes (Czinkota et al 2000, p17). Below I will outline the six macroenvironmental forces, and how they may affect the instant coffee market in Australia. Demographic environment Demographics are the study of human populations in terms of size, density, location, age, sex, race, occupations and other statistics (Kotler et al 1998, p105). The demographic environment consists of all the aforementioned demographic variables, and their ability to affect the Australian instant coffee market. The importance of the demographic environment lies in the fact that all demand for a product derives ultimately from people (Cannon 1998, p41). Kotler et al (1998, p113) noted that demographic developments have transformed the Australian marketplace from a mass market into more fragmented micro-markets differentiated by age, sex, geography, lifestyle, ethic background, education and other factors. Recent demographic trends in Australia are a better-educated and more white-collar population, increasing ethnic diversity, and changing age structures. The implications of such changes are that organisations must now design products and marketing programs for the specific micro-markets they wish to target. While all demographic variables have the potential to affect the instant coffee market in Australia, the area of particular significance is the emergence of ethnic micro-markets. Ethnic communities now make up a significant and growing part of the Australian population, who have clear product and brand preferences (Bradmore et al 1997, p88). Thus, there is now demand for a wider variety of coffee styles to suit ethnic tastes, which requires the development of new products and marketing strategies. For example, since ninety-five percent of all coffee drunk by Italians is espresso, (Barton 2000), many companies have developed instant espresso products. Economic environment The economic environment consists of the factors that affect consumer buying power and spending patterns (Kotler et al 1998, p113). Factor include income and employment levels, inflation levels, savings and credit conditions, the value of the Australian dollar and so on. This aspect of the macroenvironment is important to the Australian instant coffee market, as it is to any market, because consumers must have the purchasing power to back up their desire for the products. However, since non-price factors, such as branding, are a significant basis for competition for coffee products (IBIS World 2000, p8), changes in retail coffee prices will not have a huge effect on the market share of any one manufacturer. Despite that, economic factors that do affect the Australian coffee market include the value of the Australian dollar. Virtually all coffee beans are imported, and their prices vary with changes in the relative exchange rates (IBIS World 2000, p15). A low value of the Australian dollar, as is the present case, drives up input prices for manufacturers, which may be passed onto consumers. Furthermore, the Association of Coffee Producing Countries, which accounts for three quarters of world coffee-bean production, has announced plans to restrict the output of beans, which would mean it could control prices (Crawford 2000, p1). The effect of this possible price control is not yet known, but it could drive smaller manufacturers out of the market if the price increases are too high. Also, another issue is the level of disposable income of Australians. With an increase in income, consumers are increasingly likely to purchase higher quality products rather than to simply purchase more. Thus there is a growing market for higher quality and priced instant coffee. As noted in the IBIS World Report for C2179 Food Manufacturing, higher income facilitated the successful introduction of specialtycoffee products. (IBIS World 2000, p7). The GST is not applicable to coffee products, but GST on pure coffee products served at commercial premises could increase the market potential for instant coffee. Natural environment The natural environment concerns the natural resources that are needed as inputs by marketers or that are affected by marketing activities (Kotler et al 1998, p116). Today, there is a growing awareness of the need to preserve our planet, and that includes the need to protect our natural environment from the potentially harmful affects of industrial activities. Since coffee producers make use of the natural environment, there is a potential for this aspect of the macroenvironment to be quite significant to the Australian coffee industry. Consumers, more than ever, are beginning to boycott products that have been manufactured in such a way as to damage the environment. This is putting pressure on manufactures to ensure all procedures are environmentally friendly, or risk losing market share. Such issues that involve coffee manufacturing are the use of pesticides and chemicals, pollution from manufacturing plants, excessive water use in the production stage, and the effect of farming the land in regard to future erosion and depletion of natural minerals. Also, the supply and price of coffee beans to the Australian Coffee market is at the mercy of the natural elements. The IBIS World (2000, p27) Industry Report stated that coffee bean prices are forecast to increase sharply(as)the result of poor seasonal conditions in Central America and low stocks. Technological environment The technological environment is the forces that affect new technologies, creating new product and market opportunities (Kotler et al 1998, p889). Since coffee was discovered in around 1000AD (Nescafà © 2000), the methods used to grow, harvest, process and manufacture coffee products has certainly evolved. The use of irrigation systems, fertilisers, machinery in the harvest process, and the introduction of automated, computer controlled equipment (in Australian processing plants) has raised efficiency and, in many cases, has also improved product quality (IBIS World 2000, p25). However, the most recent influential forces concern advances in manufacturing processes, and developments of new coffee machines for home use. New technologies had made it possible for Australian instant coffee manufacturers to produce a wider range of products, of higher quality. For example, Nescafà © have recently introduced a new instant Cafà © Latte range, and also new instant Espresso. Also, using freeze-dried technology, instant coffee has a significantly longer shelf life than any product in the pure coffee market, which is a significant advantage. However, over the past few decades, the development of inexpensive coffee perculators and plungers has increased the attractiveness of pure coffee products, often at the expense of the instant coffee market. For example, Melitta House of Coffee recently introduced a coffee maker that makes 10-15 cups of coffee as quickly as boiling a jug. Lastly, the advent Internet shopping is allowing consumers to make purchases on-line, and from foreign suppliers, thus posing a threat to the size and profitability of the Australian coffee market. Political environment The political environment consists of the laws, government agencies and pressure groups that influence and limit various organisations and individuals in the society (Kotler et al 1998, p887). Like in all markets, organisations that operate in the Australian instant coffee market are subject to laws that regulate virtually all aspects of their business, including such areas as food and health safety, pollution emissions, and advertising and labelling requirements. However, the political environment does not have large impact on the Australian coffee market. Cultural environment The cultural environment consists of the institutions and forces that affect societys basic values, perceptions and behaviours (Kotler et al 1998, p882). Changes in Australian culture, and the emergence of varied sub-cultures can have a large impact on the instant coffee market in Australia. As Hugh Mackay, chairman of Mackay Research Pty Ltd stated: Anyone who is serious about communicating with contemporary Australiansneeds to understand the most contemporary trends in attitudes and behaviour. (Bradmore et al 1997, p62) Recent trends in Australia that are having a particular affect on the instant coffee market are the redefinition of health and associated anxieties about diet, fitness and stress, and the recent emergence of a young Australian coffee culture. Australians are, more than ever, concerned about their health. There is a wealth of research linking caffeine to many ailments, and thus, this is increasing demand for the healthy alternative decaffeinated products. There is also the threat the consumers could boycott coffee products all together, and switch to another beverage, such as tea, which is well known for its positive health benefits. In addition, the market for all types of coffee is benefiting from an era of coffee in AustraliaA real coffee culture is growing. (Miller 2000, p3) People are not only drinking more coffee, but becoming coffee connoisseurs. Coffee is no longer just a product, but a means of self-expression. As a society we are placing the emphasis on quality, not quantity, and as such consumers are buying more exotic instant coffees (Bannister 2000, p17). There has also been an emergence of many different subcultures. A subculture is a group of people with shared value systems based on common life experiences or situations (Kotler et al 1998, p123). Today, there is wide range of subcultures, particularly those based on nationalities, which is leading to demand for a wider variety of products. Part2 The marketing mix: How it is used by two companies to target the australian instant coffee market. There are many organisations that operate within the instant coffee market in Australia. Each company positions themselves with a unique marketing mix that is aimed at specific segments of the market. Kotler et al (1998, p57) defines the marketing mix as the set of controllable marketing variables that the company blends to produce the response it wants in the target market. The variables of the marketing mix are the four Ps: Product: the goods-and-service combination the company offers to the target market (Kotler et al 1998, p57). Price: the amount of money customers have to pay to obtain the product (Kotler et al 1998, p58). Place (Distribution): involves company logistics and marketing activities concerned with the making and distributing the final product (Kotler et al 1998, p58). Promotion: the activities that communicate the merits of the product and persuade the target customers to buy it (Kotler et al 1998, p58). This includes advertising, publicity, sales promotions, personal selling, direct marketing and sponsorship. I will focus on the marketing mix of Nescafà © and of Robert Timms. Nescafà © Nescafe products are produced by Nestle. Necafe holds a vary large share of the instant coffee market in Australia. Marketing mix outline Product There is a range of Nescafà © products available (see Table 1 below). Price The prices of the Nescafà © products have been listed in Table1: Nescafà © products and price. Place (Distribution) The Nescafà © product range is available in all large supermarket chains (Safeway, Coles etc). Smaller, independent grocers or stockists generally have a smaller range that would include Nescafà © Blend 43. Promotion a variety of promotional techniques. This includes: Large scale advertising They advertise their products in a wide variety of print, broadcast and display media. Their most recent nation wide advertising campaigns were the Open up with Nescafà © series, and the Nescafà © in the morning series. Sales promotions Nescafà © regularly runs contests that coincide with new product launches or advertising campaigns. Recent promotions were * win $1000 every morning for a month * Win the Nescafà © Latte Lounge to promote the new latte range Nescafà © also use point of sale promotions, have cash-back offers, and have give-aways. Eg. a free Nescafà © mug was given away with every purchase of 500g of Blend 43. The mug was the same type as that used in the Nescafà © in the morning advertisement series. Sponsorship: Nescafà © sponsors the * Nescafà © Big Break competition which will give away $180,000 to young people (aged 16-21) with original and achievable ideas. * Nescafà © Short Film Awards which offers a total of A$50,000 in cash awards to short film makers. There is a student category in this competition. Nescafà © also has an Australian website (www.cafe43.com.au) where information on all products, competitions and events can be accessed. Marketing mix analysis Nescafà ©s marketing mix is aimed at a large and varied segment of the instant coffee market. They could be considered the Myer of the instant coffee industry. The most obvious segments of the market they target are: * Young adult cafà © culture segment: They target this segment with their new latte range, along with the advertising, sales promotion and the competition to win the lounge seen in the advertisements. * Upscale, quality driven, higher income consumers: Their Nescafà © Gold range, and exotic tastes such as Alta Rice are aimed towards such consumers, where the price and qaulity are higher than that of the general blends. * Middle-class consumer (no age target): Nescafà © targets such a large segment with their Blend 43, Mild Roast and Espresso products. The consumer gets an economical benefit, as well as a quality product. Furthermore, Nescafà © attempts to tap into the ethnic segment using their Espresso and exotic blends. In their advertisements for espresso, they use local Italian actor, Nick Giannopoulos. In general, since Nescafà © has the largest range of instant coffee products in Australia, and has such a powerful brand name, they have a consumer franchise they gain brand recognition and demand consumer loyalty. In particular, their most popular product, Nescafà © Blend 43, is seen as the peoples coffee. In their advertisements, they use actors of varied age, gender, occupations and ethnicity. Robert Timms: Robert Timms is Australias oldest coffee company. It is the leader in the coffee bean market (Bannister 2000, p17), and has only entered the instant coffee market over the last couple of years. Marketing mix outline Product Robert Timms offers coffee bags (which work in the same manner as a tea bag) in four styles: Cafà © Style Espresso Italian Style Espresso Mocha Kenya Style Royal Special The coffee bags are a mix of ground and instant coffee. They also have: * Presmoto: Gourmet Freeze Dried Coffee. * Molto: Gourmet Granulated Coffee Price Robert Timms coffee bags are sold in: * packs of 8 for $2.35, or * packs of 18 for $4.83 I was not able to find the price of Presmoto and Molto soluble coffee as I could not find an outlet that stocks it. Place Robert Timms coffee bags are available in all large supermarket chains, but sporadically in independent stores. I am not aware of where the gourmet soluble coffee can be purchased. It was not available in any large supermarket I have visited. Promotion Robert Timms has only begun extensive promotion since early 2000, after remaining relatively low in profile. They do not promote the coffee bags or gourmet instant coffee specifically, but rather they promote the brand name. Promotional tools used by Robert Timms are: Large scale advertising Robert Timms most recent nation wide advertising campaign was the Think it over with Robert Timms series, which is seen on broadcast, print and display media. Sponsorship Robert Timms is the official coffee supplier to the 2000 Olympic Games. Robert Timms also has a web site (www.reoberttimms.com). It mainly has information on the history of the company and it products. Marketing mix analysis Robert Timms positions itself in the instant coffee market as a provider of the very highest quality coffee products. The company prides itself on its heritage. As it states on its web-site: We are a dedicated group of Australians producing coffee, coffee related products and services that are comparable to the very best in the world. http://www.roberttimms.com/about/index.html Opens in a new window The company has targeted its instant coffee products to the high income, quality driven segment of the instant coffee market. The quality of their products is reflected in the prices, which are expensive, and the packaging, which uses the stylish combination of black and gold. Furthermore, through their role as official coffee supplier to the Olympics, they are also associating themselves with the pursuit of excellence and the Australian spirit. Their promotional campaign Think it Overwith Robert Timmsà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ creates a relaxed, yet sophisticated feel about the company and their products. The premise behind the campaign is best summed up on their web-site: Take some time out of your busy day to enjoy our coffee and you too can Think it Overwith Robert Timmsà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ Reflect on the day, make the right decision at work or just decide to relax. Its up to you. http://www.roberttimms.com/think_it_over/index.html Opens in a new window Thus, while their marketing mix is targeted at high-income consumers who want high quality, they made sure they did not exclude a large share of the market by appearing overly elitist. Nescafà © vs. Robert Timms The marketing mix of Nescafà © and the marketing mix of Robert Timms are quite different. These differences reflect the different positioning of the two companies, and the segments of the market they were aiming to capture. Whereas Nescafe has targeted a larger percentage of the market, with quality but affordable products, Robert Timms has targeted a narrower segment with gourmet, expensive products. Generally, Robert Timms and Nescafà © are no real direct threat to each other. While they do both compete in the high quality, gourmet end of the instant coffee market, Robert Timms is clearly the highest quality product, and consumers must pay for this. What Nescafà © is offering is a more affordable alternative. Conclusion The instant coffee market in Australia is subject to the demographic, economic, political, cultural, natural and technological forces of the wider macroenvironment that it operates within. Each of these forces has the potential to change the marketing environment, and create opportunities and pose threats to the market and those who operate within it. What companies must do is monitor these environments to adapt its marketing mix accordingly. In the Australian instant coffee market, different companies have quite different marketing mixes, as can be seen when comparing Nescafà © and Robert Timms. These differences do not mean that one is more effective than the other, but rather they reflect the different marketing strategies adopted by each company to capture the market segments they feel the company can best serve.

Complementary Medicines - A Perplexing Pharmaceutical Product Essay

There is no place for the supply of vitamins or complimentary medicines in pharmacy. Some evidence suggests that complementary medicines work can work, and that consumer use of complementary medicines is on the increase. However, most complementary medicines lack clinical trials that conclusively prove their efficacy. This is further compounded by a lack of clear information on the status of the body of evidence for the support of specific complementary medicines. For pharmacists, considered as drug therapy experts within the community, their supply from a pharmacy presents a serious ethical dilemma, because it is would be unwise to recommend an unproven treatment. This essay will argue that there is no place for the supply of complementary medicines in pharmacy. Reasons for consumer demand for complementary medicine will be reviewed and the ethics of their supply by a pharmacist within a pharmacy will be examined. Within this essay, the term ‘complementary’ medicines will be intended to include â€Å"herbal medicines, traditional medicines, vita mins and minerals, nutritional supplements, homeopathic medicines and aromatherapy products† as defined by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (REF:TGA). Complementary medicine use has become wide spread, and by all accounts, consumer demand is increasing further. A 2004 representative population survey conducted within Australia revealed that 52% of Australians had used a complementary medicine within the last twelve months (REF:6). (REF:2) reports that consumers reasons for accessing complementary medicines are several and varied, and includes: a) those without ready access to conventional therapies, b) those dissatisfied with conventional care, c) those whom conventional me... ...omplementary medicines do not require proof of efficacy and therefore their efficacy has not been established. The belief held by about half of the Australian public that the government tests complementary medicines for efficacy is incorrect. This creates a problem for health care professionals because a risk-benefit profile can not be established, and so consequently they are unable to recommend an unproven complementary medicine. Lack of efficacy also creates ethical challenges for their supply as the community perceives pharmacists as evidence-based experts on drug therapy, but for the majority of complementary medicines this evidence does not exist. Therefore, there is no place for the supply of complementary medicines in pharmacy. (REF:5) summaries this position well, â€Å"when proof of efficacy is lacking, any risk, no matter how remote, is too much to bear†.

Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Essay -- sexuality, biology, ch

In today’s day in age, different sexualities and gender identities are quickly becoming more accepted in mainstream society. Despite this change, there are many people who believe that having a different sexual orientation or gender identity is a choice that is frowned upon. In order to refute this belief, research and biology of the brain is necessary. Researching the brain on the basis of sexuality is a fairly new topic of discussion because it is somewhat difficult and confusing. This paper will explore the different identities of gender, sex and sexual orientation and the main biological reasons behind these. There is also some validity of different sexual orientations and identities through the evidence of sexual disorders like Klinefelter’s and Turner’s Syndrome and gender dysphoria. In order to discuss the biology of gender identity and sexual orientation, it is necessary to first examine the differences between multiple definitions that are often mistakenly interchanged: sex, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Sexual orientation is defined by LeVay (2011) as â€Å"the trait that predisposes us to experience sexual attraction to people of the same sex as ourselves, to persons of the other sex, or to both sexes† (p. 1). The typical categories of sexual orientation are homosexual, heterosexual and bisexual. Vrangalova and Savin-Williams (2012) found that most people identify as heterosexual, but there are also groups of people that identify as mostly heterosexual and mostly gay within the three traditional categories (p. 89). This is to say that there are not three concrete groups, but sexual orientation is a continuum and one can even fluctuate on it over time. LeVay (2011) also defines gender as â€Å"the ... ...ved October 9, 2015 from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/klinefelter-syndrome/DS01057. Swaab, D. F. & Garcia-Falgueras, A. (2009). Sexual differentiation of the human brain in relation to gender identity and sexual orientation. Functional Neurology, 24(1), 17-28. Turner Syndrome Society. (2011). Learn about TS: Fact Sheet. Turner Syndrome Society of the United States. Retrieved October 9, 2015 from http://turnersyndrome.org/learn-about-ts/fact-sheet Vrangalova, Z., & Savin-Williams, R. C. (2012). Mostly heterosexual and mostly gay/lesbian: Evidence for new sexual orientation identities. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 41, 85-101. doi: 10.1007/s10505- 012-9921-y. Zhang, S., Liu, Y., & Rao, Y. (2013). Serotonin signaling in the brain of adult female mice is required for sexual preference. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(24), 9968-9973.

Immanuel Kants Theory Essay -- Papers Immanuel Kant Morality

Immanuel Kant's Theory Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) discussed many ethical systems and reasoning’s some were based on a belief that the reason is the final authority for morality. In Kant’s eyes, reason is directly correlated with morals and ideals. Actions of any sort, he believed, must be undertaken from a sense of duty dictated by reason, and no action performed for appropriateness or solely in obedience to law or custom can be regarded as moral. A moral act is an act done for the "right" reasons. Kant would argue that to make a promise for the wrong reason is not moral you might as well not make the promise. You must follow a certain code in order to find truth behind your actions. Kant believed that you should treat everyone with value, dignity, and respect. Our reasoning ability will always allow us to know what our duty is. Kant described two types of common commands given by reason: the hypothetical imperative, which dictates a given course of action to reach a specific end; and the categorical imperative, which dictates a course of action that must be followed because of its rightness and necessity. The categorical imperative is the basis of morality and was stated by Kant in these words: "Act as if the maxim of your action were to become through your will and general natural law." Therefore, before proceeding to act, we must decide what rule we need to follow if we were to act, whether we are willing for that rule to be followed by everyone all over. Kant believes that moral rules have no exceptions. It is wrong to kill in all situations, even those of self-defense. This belief comes from the Universal Law theory. Since we would never want murder to become a universal law, then it has to be not moral at all. Kant be... ...eighbor, be kind to others, do not steal, etc. yet, individual perception of the world by people prevents the possibility of an all-encompassing universal code of ethics. I believe along with Kant that we should develop a friendship and code to help our fellow man. We all have a duty to treat others the way we want to be treated.(Golden Rule) The one thing I disagree with is that we should not be punished for doing good deeds to those even though we might find ourselves backed into a corner when dealing with these individual problems. Overall dealing with Kant’s theory everyone should be truthful and abide by the universal code. We should follow his theory in treating everyone with value, dignity, and respect. Even though everyone should help others, I believe in some situations people have to be persuaded to help even though this goes against Kant’s beliefs.

Essay --

The Pura Principle is one of the most interesting stories written by Junot Diaz. The narrator of the story is Yunior a character that Junot had used in earlier stories. The story is also full of potent language further makes it quite interesting to read. Analysis of the plot it is also evident that the story also flows nicely especially due to the presence of several interesting imagery. Upon reading the story one of the issues that come to the mind of every reader is the question of what was main theme that the writer of the story wanted to convey. In this essay I argue that the writer of the story mainly wanted to bring out theme of conflict that exits in the modern Americans family setting. This essay therefore presents a strong view that the story bring out theme of peace and conflict that every family is subjected to. Right of from the beginning of the story the author first tries to describe the conflict that existed between Yunior and his elder brother Rafa. The author states that Yunior started drinking while he was still in high school. Whenever Rafa came home he does not have time to talk to his brother since he mostly spends time partying and drinking with his friends. Rafa even goes a step further where he comes home with women despite the objection by his mother of bringing women home without her approval. Rafa assumes that whatever advice he is given by his mother he can ignore with no consequences since at times he even goes ahead to spend time with his old girlfriend knowing very well that she is married. In most families peace is assumed to exist whenever the family members are able to sit and enjoy time together. This type of peace is rarely seen in this story since in most cases no one seems to care what th... ...ossible to conclude that the author mainly wanted to show some of the conflicts that exist in the contemporary society. Family conflict is depicted in the story as inevitable but the critical issue is how one deals with such issues. Others can also argue that the story does not have a specific theme since it only consist of a plot and voice of Yunior who is the main character. Lack of specific theme is also related to the fact that the story seems to be too simple. The story can also be seen to lack any specific theme since the author of the story makes several grammatical mistakes in mixing Spanish language with English. In addition the author also incorporates several unprofessional languages in the story that further interfere with any plot of the story. The story can also be seen as to bring out feminist related issues where women are demonstrated as powerless.

War is A Such a Waste

War is unquestionably a noticeable presence throughout the history of the human race. In the last century alone, violence and anger has stretched worldwide twice. Little skirmishes constantly erupt. Even terrorism is a form of war. Everyone wants to be in charge, and have everything go their way, resorting to violence and fear tactics to achieve this. But is it worth it? Are the lives, and economy, including both time and resources, really worth sacrificing in order to gain political achievement? The most obvious waste in war is the lives. Thousands die, on both sides, and even lives that have nothing to do with the issues involved. In an ideal world, only soldiers and leaders would be the ones to suffer. However, more than just these two groups are injured, and killed in combat. In open war, soldiers, nurses, and animals working for both sides of the army die. Also, civilians, including old men, women, and children that happen to be too near the action, are also slaughtered. The surrounding environment, flora and fauna suffer grievously. Bullets, bombs, gases, poisons, and tanks have all caused more than their share of lives to be ended in the name of benefiting some goal. The worst are all the innocent lives that our lost. This is not only a modern thing, since warfare began those too close to the front line, or in some way threatening the cause, have been murdered. Their is often wartime â€Å"battles† with the word, massacre, attached to the name. In these cases, often soldiers, police, or militia attack and slaughter unarmed civilians, who are often only protesting a simple thing, using non-violentmethods. A well-known case at the moment is in East Timor. They voted for freedom, and our now being hunted down in the streets, shot if seen walking through the town. And when speaking of waste of lives in war time, it is impossible to not bring up World War II. The notorious death camps can not escape mention. Millions were gathered from their peaceful homes, and brought to these camps to be worked and starved to death, if not immediately beaten, shot, or gassed. Over 6 millions Jews alone lost their lives in this senseless ways. This is not even counting the gypsies, Slavs, and handicapped that were suffering in similar ways in the hopes of reaching a goal, in this case, the goal of purifying Germany. Time is also wasted in several ways. First, the progress forward people could be making usually stops during war, or is at least limited to new weapon making technology. The government doesn†t support certain organizations as much as in the past, and there are sometimes just not enough people to work the man-hours necessary. Time is also wasted, in a less direct way, by the things people miss out. Like education for example. War time education is of much poorer standards than education in peace. This will later affect the economy, when untaught children make their way into the business world. Resources are also squandered during war. Raw materials, such as those from mines, are often put into making weapons, which serve only one purpose, to kill. They are then lost in the blood and violence. In history, materials are often recalled to be melted down and reformed into things useful to the war effort. Manufacturing on peaceful items is halted, and turned over to the construction of airplane parts, tank, bullets, etc. Farming suffers, setting back the nation. There is not enough money in the national budget to pay to help small farmers, or farmers families whose main provider went off to work. Money is wasted, going towards the war budget instead of science, education, and other divisions set forth to better the future for the whole of humanity. It is questionable, however, whether these are truly wasted. It†s is clear, and unarguable that many things are squandered and spent in a time of war. However, if all negotiating fails, perhaps they aren†t such a waste. Lives are a terrible thing to waste, but it is better to lose thousands, than to lose millions. It still is not right that things should die, when they are not even involved. But if the battle that took their lives had not taken place, who knows what their lives would have become. When you have a person who will not listen to reason, breaks any deal you make, and wholly ignores what†s right and wrong, force is sometimes the only thing they understand. The time spent is one of the most difficult, because there is no way to get it back. If people do not take a break from their jobs to fix the evils in the world, who knows if they†re job would still be there down the road. The resources are not unlimited, but if not spent on materials for war, then the military would stumble, unable to withstand the powerful, better equipped adversary. These things are wasted, but war, as a whole, is not a waste.

Golden Retriever: the Trusted and Advantageous Pet for Human Beings Essay

Nowadays, it is known that thousand kinds of dogs are spread around the world. A lot of kinds of dogs live among people as pets, although there are also some which live wildly. People’s taking care of dogs is based on some purposes. Not only is dog taken care as pet, people also keeping dogs to keep their houses secure. For this reason, people usually keep the kind of ‘guard dogs’ such as Boxer, Pitbull, Herder, Rottweiller, and Doberman which is known for their fierce behavior and strong power. Another purpose is people keep dogs to help their jobs. For this purpose, people like to keep dogs from ‘utility group’ which can do some kinds of particular jobs. People in Alaska use Siberian Husky as the cart puller because of its strength and ‘navigation’ instinct. Another example is Dalmatian. People in North America, Western Europe and Mediterranean use this kind of dog to help they hunt and carry the firewood during the winter season. The other example is St. Bernard which is known as the rescue dog. This dog has a very good sense of smell that it can detect the victim who is buried under the thick snow or ruins and save the person. The other purpose is people take care of dogs for fun and make them as friends. People usually keep the dogs from ‘toy group’ which tend to have small size. Some example of this kind of dog is Chihua-hua, Maltese, Cavalier King, Pug, and Shih-tzu. People can dress the dogs with accessories they like. In addition to the pleasure purpose, people also bring up dogs for companion reason. They keep dog to be their friend in purpose. The dogs for being companion usually come from ‘gundog group’. Some kinds of dogs from this group are Retriever, Cocker Spaniel, Pointer, and English Setter. It is clear that people take care of dogs for some purposes. However, to get the purposes, people have to take care of some dogs as well. Among thousand kinds of dogs, there is Golden Retriever which is popular this decade. By having Golden Retriever as pet, people do not need to keep some dogs in their houses. People take care of Golden Retriever because it is trusted and has a lot of advantages for human beings’ life. Golden Retriever has a specific physical appearance that is different from other dogs. This kind of dog has golden fur. That is why people name it ‘Golden’. Besides having golden fur on the whole of its body, Golden Retriever also has a quite big size body. The height of an adult Golden Retriever can reach of 23-24 inches. It also has wide and semi-curved skull seen from front and sides. A good Golden Retriever should have black lip, wide chin, black or brownish black nose, reddish pink tongue, wide fall ears, strong teeth structures, proportional body, strong hands and feet, long strong tail, and lovely eyes. In this case, lovely eyes mean that Golden Retriever’s eyes have to look friendly and smart. In addition, Golden Retriever’s eyes usually colored dark or light brown. The spreading of Golden Retriever in the world itself has passed a long way. Originally, Golden Retriever’s ancestor comes from Scotland. According to Natasaputra (2004), the first person who bred the first Golden Retriever was a nobility of English, Sir Dudley Coutts Marjaribanks MP or Lord Tweedmouth. Lord Tweedmouth loved hunting very much and as a true hunter, he wanted to have a kind of dog which was able to assist him in hunting. Thus, he mated his Yellow Retriever to his Water Spaniel. From the first mating, Lord Tweedmouth got three offspring which became the ancestor of Golden Retriever. Orang pertama yang menghasilkan Golden Retriever adalah Sir Dudley Coutts Marjaribanks MP atau biasa disebut Lord Tweedmouth. Sebagai seorang pemburu sejati, Lord Tweemouth mengidamkan seekor anjing pendamping berburu yang tidak hanya pandai menjemput, tetapi juga mampu mengantarkan buruan kepadanya. Saat itu ia mendapat hadiah Nous, anjing berjenis Yellow Retriever. Secara kebetulan, ia pun memiliki Belle, anjing berjenis Water Spaniel. Kemudian Belle dikawinkan dengan Nous untuk mendapatkan keturunan anjing baru yang pintar berburu. Perkawinan tersebut menghasilkan tiga anak anjing berbulu kuning yang kemudian diberi nama Crocus, Cowslip, dan Primrose. Anjing inilah yang menjadi cikal bakal lahirnya Golden Retriever. [The first person who bred Golden Retriever was Sir Dudley Coutts Marjaribanks MP or Lord Tweedmouth. As the true hunter, Lord Tweedmouth wished for a dog to assist him in hunting which was not only able to take, but also bring the prey to him. At the time, he got Nous, a Yellow Retriever, as prize. By chance, he also had Belle, a Water Spaniel. Then Belle was mated to Nous to produce new offspring which was good in hunting. The mating produced three puppies which was then named Crocus, Cowslip, and Primrose. These dogs were the ancestors of Golden Retriever. ] In addition to the first breeding of Golden Retriever, the dissemination of Golden Retriever in the world notes a long story as well. Some of Lord Tweedmouth’s families brought the offspring of Golden Retriever out from Scotland to some countries such as North America and some countries in Western Europe. In North America, the breeding rate of Golden Retriever increases rapidly. In United States and Canada, Golden Retriever becomes very popular and lots of people take care of it. That is no wonder if some people think that Golden Retriever comes from United States or Canada. The name of Golden Retriever, etymologically, comes from two English words; ‘golden’ and ‘retriever’. People named it ‘golden’ because of its golden fur color. Furthermore, the name ‘retriever’ was taken from its behavior. At first, Golden Retriever usually became the partner in hunting. It would take and retrieve the shot prey completely to its master. Because of its ability, people named it Retriever. The combination of its fur color and natural ability make people call it Golden Retriever. Disebut golden karena warna bulunya senantiasa terlihat keemasan bila diterpa sinar. Awalnya, trah ini dibiakkan sebagai teman berburu burung dan unggas liar lainnya. Saat buruan telah tertembak dan jatuh, anjing akan mengambil dan menyerahkan buruan kepada tuannya secara utuh. Kemampuan inilah yang menyebabkan anjing ini disebut retriever. Perpaduan warna bulu dan keahlian inilah yang membuat anjing ini terkenal dengan sebutan Golden Retriever. (Natasaputra, 2004) [It is called golden because its fur color always looks golden under the light. At first, this race was bred as hunting assistant to hunt birds and other wild fowls. When the prey was shot, the dog will take and bring it to the master completely. This ability is the cause why this dog is called retriever. The combination of its fur color and natural ability make people call it Golden Retriever. ] People in the world like to take care of Golden Retriever because it is advantageous and trusted. There are four common reasons why people like to keep Golden Retriever. First, Golden Retriever has pleasant behavior. Golden Retriever is calm, tame, cheerful, loyal, and friendly dog. Because of this reason, people like to take care of Golden Retriever as friend for companion. Not like any other kinds of dogs which are emotional, especially dogs from guard group, Golden Retriever tends to behave calm. For instance, if there is a strange person comes to its master’s house, it may look at the person and then run to tell its master. It is very contrast compared to the guard dogs which will bark fiercely, move to attack or maybe bite the person. Beside its calmness, Golden Retriever is best known for its tameness, including to the little children or other animals. Although it has a quite big body size, it does not mean that Golden Retriever is fierce and aggressive. Golden Retriever is a type of cheerful dog as well. It likes to play and does something fun together with its masters, mates or other animals. For example, Golden Retriever likes to play throw-catching game. It will try to find the thrown ball or frisbee until it gets the thrown thing and retrieve the thing to its master. Another pleasant behavior of Golden Retriever is its loyalty to its master. It will obey its entire master’s order, as the master has trained it before, happily. Furthermore, it also will wait its master coming home faithfully and welcome its master happily. Beside Golden Retriever is calm, tame, cheerful and loyal, it is also a kind of friendly dog. Golden Retriever likes to play with the member of family, makes friends with other dogs or animals, and kind to everyone. In other word, Golden Retriever is a kind of dog with warmhearted behavior. The second reason is Golden Retriever can help people in doing some particular jobs. In United States, Golden Retriever helps people in rescuing the victims who is trapped or buried in the building ruins. People, especially the police, in United States also have Golden Retriever to track down narcotics, bomb and other illegal things. In United States, as well, there is Canine Companion for Independence (CCI) which is the biggest and the oldest dog training academy in the world. In CCI, the trainer trains a lot of dogs including Golden Retriever as service dog. For example, Carol, a Golden Retriever, has accompanied Nicole Sibottom for five years. Nicole, a handicapped person can not use her hands properly. In this case, Carol helps Nicole in doing some particular things, for instance, in the book store, Carol bringing Nicole book, taking it to the cashier and paying for it. Carol also helps Nicole taking the fallen pencil and taking off Nicole’s Shoes. Carol –seekor Golden Retriever- yang pintar dan rajin telah menemani Nicole Sibottom selama 5 tahun. Nicole terlahir dengan kondisi cacat. Tangannya tidak bisa digunakan sebagaimana mestinya. Tugas itulah yang dilakukan Carol. Misalnya saat diajak ke toko buku, Carol mengambil, membawa, hingga membayarnya di kasir. Saat pensil terjatuh pun dengan suka cita Carol memungutkannya. Bahkan, Carol mampu menarik tali sepatu dengan cekatan saat tuannya ingin mencopot sepatu. (Natasaputra, 2004) [Carol, a Golden Retriever, which is smart and diligent has accompanied Nicole Sibottom for 5 years. Nicole was born handicapped. Her hands can not be used properly. That is Carol’s duty. For example, when it is took to a book store, Carol takes, brings, and pay for the book in the cashier. When the pencil is fallen, Carol takes it happily. Even Carol is able to pull the shoes rope skillfully when its master wants to take it off. ] Natasaputra (2004) also states that in Japan, people train Golden Retriever to help blind people. There is Eye Mate Incorporation (EMI) which trains Golden Retriever to guide blind people. Di Jepang, Golden Retriever dimanfaatkan untuk membantu orang buta. Di Ginza Street, Tokyo, dengan lincah anjing itu mampu memandu tuannya yang buta di antara hilir mudik orang yang penuh sesak. Anjing itu dididik oleh Takhasi Suzuki, pelatih anjing dari Eye Mate Incorporation (EMI). Sebagai pelatih anjing berpengalaman, ia telah melatih 100 ekor anjing untuk membantu orang buta. [In Japan, Golden Retriever is used to help blind people. In Gimza Street, Tokyo, the dog is skillfully able to guide its master which is blind through the heavy traffic. The dog is trained by Takhasi Suzuki, a trainer of Eye Mate Incorporation (EMI). As an experienced dog trainer, he has trained 100 dogs to help blind peole. ] The third reason is Golden Retriever has a high intelligence. Most people like to train Golden Retriever because of this reason. In other word, people can train Golden Retriever easily because of its high intelligence. The true example is in the movie â€Å"Air Bud†. There is a Golden Retriever named Buddy who is being sport star in basketball, soccer, baseball, and volleyball. Not only is Buddy good at any kinds of the sports, Buddy also helps to save its family from the bad guys. From this example, it is clear that Golden Retriever has a high intelligence that it can play in a movie. The last reason is that people like its appearance. In addition to the advantages of taking care of Golden Retriever, people also confess that they like Golden Retriever’s physical appearance which looks glamorous and cute. Its long golden fur supports its glamour and its cute appearance make people interested in keeping this dog as their pet. Besides giving a lot of advantages in human beings’ life, Golden Retriever also needs a good treatment in order to support achieving the advantages continuously. Some important things in taking care of Golden Retriever are to provide the needed utensils, suitable diet, and appropriate treatment. In keeping Golden Retriever, people necessarily provide some utensils such as stable, food and drinking bowl, toys, fur-brush, and dog rein. The stable should be suitable with the size of dog. Otherwise, it is better to have the larger stable for dog so the dog can move freely. In addition to the needed utensils, people also have to provide food and drinking bowl. To keep the dog’s health, it is necessary to keep the food and drinking bowl cleanness because the dirty bowls may cause illnesses. As Golden Retriever is a kind of cheerful dog, people ought to provide some kinds of toys such as ball, fisbee, bone toy, etc. to keep the dog out of stress. Dog toys must be harmless for dog so the dog can play safely without feeling worry of being hurt. Another utensil that is very important is fur-brush. Fur-brush is very important to keep the beauty of Golden Retriever’s fur. People need to do regular brushing in order to keep the dog’s fur tidy, clean, and beautiful. The other utensil that people must have in taking care of Golden Retriever is dog rein. The dog rein is useful when the owner takes the dog for some walk. However, the owner does not need to keep the dog in the rein all the time. The using of rein is just when the dog walk to a new place in order to manage it easily if something is likely to happen. Besides providing the utensils that are necessary for Golden Retriever, people have to give the suitable diet for dog too. A good diet has to contain carbohydrate, fat, protein, vitamin, and mineral. â€Å"Pada umumnya komponen utama pakan yang seluruhnya masih diimpor ini terdiri dari protein, lemak, karbohidrat, mineral, dan vitamin† (Untung, 2004). [Commonly, the main diet component which is entirely still imported is consist of protein, fat, carbohydrate, mineral, and vitamin. ] The giving of diet has to suit the age and activity of the dog. For puppies, it is a must to give the diet, in this case is dog-food, for puppies. People may not give the diet for adult because of the difference of food composition that is harmful for puppies. The giving of diet is also different to each dog. The dog with less activity needs only adequate amount of food, whereas the dog with a lot of activities and breastfeeding dog need twice up to three times amount of adequate food. Not only are important utensils and suitable diet necessary for Golden Retriever, regular treatment is also has an important role in keeping Golden Retriever’s health. People has to bathe the dog at least once two weeks, clean the dog’s ears, eyes, and teeth, brush its fur, and cut untidy claw. It is also crucial to vaccinate the dog regularly, on the certain period, to keep the dog’s immunity so it will not easily suffer from illnesses. In conclusion, Golden Retriever is a kind of dog which has a lot of advantages in human beings’ life. Its history and dissemination to some part of the world make Golden Retriever existing until today. People like to take care of Golden Retriever because of its pleasant behavior and ability in helping people doing some particular jobs. The Golden Retriever’s appeal also lays in its physical appearance which is glamorous and cute and its high intelligence that people can train it easily. In taking care of Golden Retriever, people have to know how to take care it properly so it will support the given advantages continuously. As long as the development of Golden Retriever in human beings’ life for those who want to have pet with a lot of advantages and excellences, Golden Retriever is a good choice. References Natasaputra, I. (2004). Golden retriever, anjing cerdas nan anggun sahabat keluarga. Jakarta: Penebar Swadaya. Untung, O. (2004). Merawat dan melatih anjing. Jakarta: Penebar Swadaya.