Practical Demonkeeping Chapter 8-9

8 ROBERT Robert loaded the last of the laundry baskets full of dishes into the bed of the pickup. The sight of a truckload of clean dishes did not raise his spirits nearly as much as he thought it would. He was still depressed. He was still heartbroken. And he was still hung over. For a moment he thought that washing the dishes might have been a mistake. Having created a single bright spot, no matter how small, seemed to make the rest of his life look even more dismal by contrast. Maybe he should have just gone with the downward flow, like the pilot who pushes down the stick to pull out of an uncontrolled spin. Secretly, Robert believed that if things got so bad that he couldn't see his way out, something would come along and not only save him from disaster but improve his life overall. It was a skewed brand of faith that he had developed through years of watching television – where no problem was so great that it could not be surmounted by the last commercial break – and through two events in his own life. As a boy in Ohio he had taken his first summer job at the local county fair, picking up trash on the midways. The job had been great fun for the first two weeks. He and the other boys on the cleanup crew spent their days wandering the midways using long sticks, with nails extending from one end, to spear paper cups and hot dog wrappers as if they were hunting lions on the Serengeti. They were paid in cash at the end of each day. The next day they spent their pay on games of chance and repeated rides on the Zipper, which was the beginning of Robert's lifelong habit of exchanging money for dizziness and nausea. The day after the fair ended, Robert and the boys were told to report to the livestock area of the fairgrounds. They arrived before dawn, wondering what they would do now that the colorful carny trailers and rides were gone and the midways were as barren as airport runways. The man from the county met them outside the big exhibition barns with a dump truck, a pile of pitchforks, and some wheelbarrows. â€Å"Clean out those pens, boys. Load the manure on the truck,† he had said. Then he went away, leaving the boys unsupervised. Robert had loaded only three forkfuls when he and the boys ran out of the barn gasping for breath, the odor of ammonia burning in their noses and lungs. Again and again they tried to clean the stables only to be overcome by the stench. As they stood outside the barn, swearing and complaining, Robert noticed something sticking up out of the morning fog on the adjacent show ground. It looked like the head of a dragon. It was beginning to get light, and the boys could hear banging and clanging and strange animal noises coming from the show ground. They stared into the fog, trying to make out the shapes moving there, glad for the distraction from their miserable task. When the sun broke over the trees to the east of the fairgrounds, a scraggly man in blue work clothes walked out of the mist toward the barn. â€Å"Hey, you kids,† he shouted, and they all prepared to be admonished for standing around instead of working. â€Å"You want to work for the circus?† The boys dropped their pitchforks as if they were red-hot rods of steel and ran to the man. The dragon had been a camel. The strange noises were the trumpeting of elephants. Under the mist a crew of men were unrolling the big top of the Clyde Beatty Circus. Robert and the boys worked all morning beside the circus people, lacing together the bright-yellow canvas panels of the tent and fitting together giant sections of aluminum poles that would support the big top. It was hot, sweaty, heavy work, and it was wonderful and exciting. When the poles lay out across the canvas, cables were hitched to a team of elephants and the poles were hoisted skyward. Robert thought his heart would burst with excitement. The canvas was connected by cables to a winch. The boys watched in awe as the big top rose up the poles like a great yellow dream. It was only one day. But it was glorious, and Robert thought of it often – of the roustabouts who sipped from their hip flasks and called each other by the names of their home states or towns. â€Å"Kansas, bring that strut over here. New York, we need a sledge over here.† Robert thought of the thick-thighed women who walked the wire and flew on the trapeze. Their heavy makeup was grotesque up close but beautiful at a distance when they were flying through the air above the crowd. That day was an adventure and a dream. It was one of the finest in Robert's life. But what had impressed him was that it had come right when things seemed the most bleak, when everything had gone, literally, to shit. The next time Robert's life took a nosedive he was in Santa Barbara, and his salvation arrived in the form of a woman. He had come to California with everything he owned packed into a Volkswagen Beetle, determined to pursue a dream that he thought would begin at the California border with music by the Beach Boys and a long, white beach full of shapely blondes dying for the company of a young photographer from Ohio. What he found was alienation and poverty. Robert had chosen the prestigious photography school in Santa Barbara because it was reputed to be the best. As photographer for the high school yearbook he had gained a reputation as one of the best photographers in town, but in Santa Barbara he was just another teenager among hundreds of students who were, if anything, more skilled than he. He took a job in a grocery store, stocking shelves from midnight to eight in the morning. He had to work full-time to pay his exorbitant tuition and rent, and soon he fell behind in his assignments. After two months he had to leave school to avoid flunking out. He found himself in a strange town with no friends and barely enough money to survive. He started drinking beer every morning with the night crew in the parking lot. He drove home in a stupor and slept through the day until his next shift. With the added expense of alcohol, Robert had to hock his cameras to pay rent, and with them went his last hope for a future beyond stocking shelves. One morning after his shift the manager called him into the office. â€Å"Do you know anything about this?† The manager pointed to four jars of peanut butter that lay open on his desk. â€Å"These were returned by customers yesterday.† On the smooth surface of the peanut butter in each jar was etched, â€Å"Help, I'm trapped in Supermarket Hell!† Robert stocked the glass aisle. There was no denying it. He had written the messages one night during his shift after drinking several bottles of cough medicine he had stolen from the shelves. â€Å"Pick up your check on Friday,† the manager said. He shuffled away, broke, unemployed, two thousand miles from home, a failure at nineteen. As he left the store, one of the cashiers, a pretty redhead about his age, who was coming in to open the store, stopped him. â€Å"Your name is Robert, isn't it?† â€Å"Yes,† he said. â€Å"You're the photographer, aren't you?† â€Å"I was.† Robert was in no mood to chat. â€Å"Well, I hope you don't mind,† she said, â€Å"but I saw your portfolio sitting in the break room one morning and I looked at it. You're very good.† â€Å"I don't do it anymore.† â€Å"Oh, that's too bad. I have a friend who's getting married on Saturday, and she needs a photographer.† â€Å"Look,† Robert said, â€Å"I appreciate the thought, but I just got fired and I'm going home to get hammered. Besides, I hocked my cameras.† The girl smiled, she had incredible blue eyes. â€Å"You were wasting your talent here. How much would it cost to get your cameras out of hock?† Her name was Jennifer. She paid to get his cameras out of hock and showered him with praise and encouragement. Robert began to make money picking up weddings and Bar Mitzvahs, but it wasn't enough to make rent. There were too many good photographers competing in Santa Barbara. He moved into her tiny studio apartment. After a few months of living together they were married and they moved north to Pine Cove, where Robert would find less competition for photography jobs. Once again, Robert had sunk to a lifetime low, and once again Dame Fate had provided him with a miraculous rescue. The sharp edges of Robert's world were rounded by Jennifer's love and dedication. Life had been good, until now. Robert's world was dropping out from under him like a trapdoor and he found himself in a disoriented free-fall. Trying to control things by design would only delay his inevitable rescue. The sooner he hit bottom, he reasoned, the sooner his life would improve. Each time this had happened before, things had gotten a little worse only to get a little better. One day the good times had to keep on rolling, and all of life's horseshit would turn to circuses. Robert had faith that it would happen. But to rise from the ashes you had to crash and burn first. With that in mind, he took his last ten dollars and headed down the street to the Head of the Slug Saloon. 9 THE HEAD OF THE SLUG Mavis Sand, the owner of the Head of the Slug Saloon, had lived so long with the Specter of Death hanging over her shoulders that she had started to think of him as one might regard a comfortable old sweater. She had made her peace with Death a long time ago, and Death, in return, had agreed to whittle away at Mavis rather than take her all at once. In her seventy years, Death had taken her right lung, her gall bladder, her appendix, and the lenses of both eyes, complete with cataracts. Death had her aortic heart valve, and Mavis had in its place a steel and plastic gizmo that opened and closed like the automatic doors at the Thrifty Mart. Death had most of Mavis's hair, and Mavis had a polyester wig that irritated her scalp. She had also lost most of her hearing, all of her teeth, and her complete collection of Liberty dimes. (Although she suspected a ne'er-do-well nephew rather than Death in the disappearance of the dimes.) Thirty years ago she had lost her uterus, but that was at a time when doctors were yanking them so frequently that it seemed as if they were competing for a prize, so she didn't blame Death for that. With the loss of her uterus Mavis grew a mustache that she shaved every morning before leaving to open the saloon. At the Slug she ambled around behind the bar on a pair of stainless steel ball and sockets, as Death had taken her hips, but not before she had offered them up to a legion of cowboys and construction workers. Over the years Death had taken so much of Mavis that when her time finally came to pass into the next world, she felt it would be like slipping slowly into a steaming-hot bath. She was afraid of nothing. When Robert walked into the Head of the Slug, Mavis was perched on her stool behind the bar smoking a Taryton extra-long, lording over the saloon like the quintessential queen of the lipstick lizards. After each few drags on her cigarette she applied a thick paste of fire-engine-red lipstick, actually getting a large percentage of it where it was supposed to go. Each time she butted a Taryton she sprayed her abysmal cleavage and behind her ears with a shot of Midnight Seduction from an atomizer she kept by her ashtray. On occasion, when she had rendered herself wobbly by too many shots of Bushmill's, she would shoot perfume directly into one of her hearing aids, causing a short circuit and making the act of ordering drinks a screaming ordeal. To avoid the problem, someone had once given her a pair of earrings fashioned from cardboard air fresheners shaped like Christmas trees, guaranteed to give Mavis that new car smell. But Mavis insisted that it was Midnight Seduction or nothing, s o the earrings hung on the wall in a place of honor next to the plaque listing the winners of the annual Head of the Slug eight-ball tournament and chili cook-off, known locally as â€Å"The Slugfest.† Robert stood by the bar trying to get his eyes to adjust to the smoky darkness of the Slug. â€Å"What can I get for you, sweet cheeks?† Mavis asked, batting her false eyelashes behind pop-bottle-thick, rhinestone-rimmed glasses. They put Robert in mind of spiders trying to escape a jar. He fingered the ten-dollar bill in his pocket and climbed onto the bar stool. â€Å"A draft, please.† â€Å"Hair of the dog?† â€Å"Does it show?† Robert asked in earnest. â€Å"Not much. I was just going to ask you to close your eyes before you bled to death.† Mavis giggled like a coquettish gargoyle, then burst into a coughing fit. She drew a mug of beer and set it in front of Robert, taking his ten and replacing it with nine ones. Robert took a long pull from the beer as he turned on the stool and looked around the bar. Mavis kept the bar dimly lit except for the lights over the pool tables, and Robert's eyes were still adjusting to the darkness. It occurred to him that he had never seen the floor of the saloon, which stuck to his shoes when he walked. Except for the occasional crunch underfoot identifying a piece of popcorn or a peanut shell, the floor of The Slug was a murky mystery. Whatever was down there should be left alone to evolve, white and eyeless, in peace. He promised himself to make it to the door before he passed out. He squinted into the lights over the pool tables. There was a heated eight-ball match going on at the back table. A half dozen locals had gathered at the end of the bar to watch. Society called them the hard-core unemployed; Mavis called them the daytime regulars. On the table Slick McCall was playing a dark young man Robert did not recognize. The man seemed familiar, though, and for some reason, Robert found that he did not like him. â€Å"Who's the stranger?† Robert asked Mavis over his shoulder. Something about the young man's aquiline good looks repelled Robert, like biting down on tin foil with a filling. â€Å"New meat for Slick,† Mavis said. â€Å"Came in about fifteen minutes ago and wanted to play for money. Shoots a pretty lame stick, if you ask me. Slick is keeping his cue behind the bar until the money gets big enough.† Robert watched the wiry Slick McCall move around the table, stopping to drill a solid ball into the side pocket with a bar cue. Slick left himself without a following shot. He stood and ran his fingers over his greased-back brown hair. He said, â€Å"Shit. Snookered myself.† Slick was on the hustle. The phone rang and Mavis picked it up. â€Å"Den of iniquity. Den mother speaking. No, he ain't here. Just a minute.† She covered the mouthpiece and turned to Robert. â€Å"You seen The Breeze?† â€Å"Who's calling?† Into the phone, â€Å"Who's calling?† Mavis listened for a moment, then covered the mouthpiece again. â€Å"It's his landlord.† â€Å"He's out of town,† Robert said. â€Å"He'll be back soon.† Mavis conveyed the message and hung up. The phone rang again immediately. Mavis answered, â€Å"Garden of Eden. Snake speaking.† There was a pause. â€Å"What am I, his answering service?† Pause. â€Å"He's out of town; he'll be back soon. Why don't you guys take a social risk and call him at home?† Pause. â€Å"Yeah, he's here.† Mavis shot a glance at Robert. â€Å"You want to talk to him? Okay.† She hung up. â€Å"That for The Breeze?† Robert asked. Mavis lit a Taryton. â€Å"He got popular all of a sudden?† â€Å"Who was it?† â€Å"Didn't ask. Sounded Mexican. Asked about you.† â€Å"Shit,† Robert said. Mavis set him up with another draft. He turned to watch the game. The stranger had won. He was collecting five dollars from Slick. â€Å"Guess you showed me, pard,† Slick said. â€Å"You gonna give a chance to win my money back?† â€Å"Double or nothing,† the stranger said. â€Å"Fine. I'll rack 'em.† Slick pushed the quarters into the coin slot on the side of the pool table. The balls dropped into the gutter and Slick began racking them. Slick was wearing a red-and-blue polka-dotted polyester shirt with long, pointed collars that had been fashionable around the time that disco died – about the same time that Slick had stopped brushing his teeth, Robert guessed. Slick wore a perpetual brown and broken grin, a grin that was burned into the memories of countless tourists who had strayed into the Slug to be fleeced at the end of Slick's intrepid cue. The stranger reared back and broke. His stick made the sickly vibrato sound of a miscue. The cue ball rocketed down the table, barely grazing the rack, then bounced off two corner rails and made a beeline toward the corner pocket where the stranger stood. â€Å"Sorry, brother,† Slick said, chalking his cue and preparing to shoot the scratch. When it reached the corner pocket, the cue ball stopped dead on the lip. Almost as an afterthought, one of the solid balls moved out of the pack and fell into the opposite corner with a plop. â€Å"Damn,† Slick said. â€Å"That was some pretty fancy English. I thought you'd scratched for sure.† â€Å"Was that a solid?† the stranger asked. Mavis leaned over the bar and whispered to Robert. â€Å"Did you see that ball stop? It should have been a scratch.† â€Å"Maybe there's a piece of chalk on the table that stopped it,† Robert speculated. The stranger made two more balls in an unremarkable fashion, then called a straight-in shot on the three ball. When he shot, the cue ball curved off his stick, describing a C-shaped curve, and sunk the six ball in the opposite corner. â€Å"I said the three ball!† the stranger shouted. â€Å"I know you did,† Slick said. â€Å"Looks like you were a little heavy on the English. My shot.† The stranger seemed to be angry at someone, but it wasn't Slick. â€Å"How can you confuse the six with the three, you idiot?† â€Å"You got me,† said Slick. â€Å"Don't be so hard on yourself, pard. You're up one game already.† Slick ran four balls, then missed a shot that was so obvious it made Robert wince. Slick's hustles were usually more subtle. â€Å"Five in the side!† the stranger shouted. â€Å"Got that? Five!† â€Å"I got it,† Slick said. â€Å"And all these folks got it along with half the people out in the street. You don't need to yell, pard. This is just a friendly game.† The stranger bent over the table and shot. The five ball careened off the cue ball, headed for the rail, then changed its path and curved into the side pocket. Robert was amazed, as were all the observers. It was an impossible shot, yet they all had seen it. â€Å"Damn,† Slick said to no one in particular, then to Mavis, â€Å"Mavis, when was the last time you leveled this table?† â€Å"Yesterday, Slick.† â€Å"Well, it sure as shit went catywumpus fast. Give me my cue, Mavis.† Mavis waddled to the end of the bar and pulled out a three-foot-long black leather case. She handled it carefully and presented it to Slick with reverence, a decrepit Lady of the Lake presenting a hardwood Excaliber to the rightful king. Slick flipped the case open and screwed the cue together, never taking his eyes off the stranger. At the sight of the cue the stranger smiled. Slick smiled back. The game was defined. Two hustlers recognized each other. A tacit agreement passed between them: Let's cut the bullshit and play. Robert had become so engrossed in watching the tension between the two men and trying to figure out why the stranger angered him so, that he failed to notice that someone had slipped onto the stool next to him. Then she spoke. â€Å"How are you, Robert?† Her voice was deep and throaty. She placed her hand on his arm and gave it a sympathetic squeeze. Robert turned and was taken aback by her appearance. She always affected him that way. She affected most men that way. She was wearing a black body stocking, belted at the waist with wide leather in which she had tucked a multitude of chiffon scarves that danced around her hips when she walked like diaphanous ghosts of Salome. Her wrists were adorned with layers of silver bangles; her nails were sculptured long and lacquered black. Her eyes were wide and green, set far apart over a small, straight nose and full lips, glossed blood red. Her hair hung to her waist, blue-black. An inverted silver pentagram dangled between her breasts on a silver chain. â€Å"I'm miserable,† Robert said. â€Å"Thanks for asking, Ms. Henderson.† â€Å"My friends call me Rachel.† â€Å"Okay. I'm miserable, Ms. Henderson.† Rachel was thirty-five but she could have passed for twenty if it weren't for the arrogant sensuality with which she moved and the mocking smile in her eyes that evinced experience, confidence, and guile beyond any twenty-year-old. Her body did not betray her age; it was her manner. She went through men like water. Robert had known her for years, but her presence never failed to awaken in him a feeling that his marital fidelity was nothing more than an absurd notion. In retrospect, perhaps it was. Still, she made him feel uneasy. â€Å"I'm not your enemy, Robert. No matter what you think. Jenny has been thinking about leaving you for a long time. We didn't have anything to do with it.† â€Å"How are things with the coven?† Robert asked sarcastically. â€Å"It's not a coven. The Pagan Vegetarians for Peace are dedicated to Earth consciousness, both spiritual and physical.† Robert drained his fifth beer and slammed the mug down on the bar. â€Å"The Pagan Vegetarians for Peace are a group of bitter, ball-biting, man haters, dedicated to breaking up marriages and turning men into toads.† â€Å"That's not true and you know it.† â€Å"What I know,† Robert said, â€Å"is that within a year of joining, every woman in your coven has divorced her husband. I was against Jenny getting into this mumbo jumbo from the beginning. I told her you would brainwash her and you have.† Rachel reared back on the bar stool like a hissing cat. â€Å"You believe what you want to believe, Robert. I show women the Goddess within. I put them in touch with their own personal power; what they do with it is their own business. We aren't against men. Men just can't stand to see a woman discover herself. Maybe if you'd exalted Jenny's growth instead of criticizing, she'd still be around.† Robert turned away from her and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror behind the bar. He was overcome by a wave of self-loathing. She was right. He covered his face with his hands and leaned forward on the bar. â€Å"Look, I didn't come here to fight with you,† Rachel said. â€Å"I saw your truck outside and I thought you might be able to use a little money. I have some work for you. It might take your mind off the hurt.† â€Å"What?† Robert said through his hands. â€Å"We're sponsoring the annual tofu sculpture contest at the park this year. We need someone to take pictures for the poster and the press package. I know you're broke, Robert.† â€Å"No,† he said, without looking up. â€Å"Fine. Suit yourself.† Rachel slid off the stood and started to leave. Mavis sat another beer in front of Robert and counted his money on the bar. â€Å"Very smooth,† she said. â€Å"You've got four bucks left to your name.† Robert looked up. Rachel was almost to the door. â€Å"Rachel!† She turned and waited, an elegant hand on an exquisite hip. â€Å"I'm staying at The Breeze's trailer.† He told her the phone number. â€Å"Call me, okay?† Rachel smiled. â€Å"Okay, Robert, I'll call.† She turned to walk out. Robert called out to her again. â€Å"You haven't seen The Breeze, have you?† Rachel grimaced. â€Å"Robert, just being in the same room with The Breeze makes me want to take a bath in bleach.† â€Å"Come on, he's a fun guy.† â€Å"He's a fun-gus,† Rachel said. â€Å"But have you seen him?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Thanks,† he said. â€Å"Call me.† â€Å"I will.† She turned and walked out. When she opened the door, light spilling in blinded Robert. When his vision returned, a little man in a red stocking cap was sitting next to him. He hadn't seen him come in. To Mavis the little man said, â€Å"Could I trouble you for a small quantity of salt?† â€Å"How about a margarita with extra salt, handsome?† Mavis batted her spider-lashes. â€Å"Yes, that will be good. Thank you.† Robert looked the little man over for a moment, then turned away to watch the pool game while he contemplated his destiny. Maybe this job for Rachel was his way out. Strange, though, things didn't seem to be bad enough yet. And the idea that Rachel could be his fairy godmother in disguise made him smile. No, the downward spiral to salvation was going quite nicely. The Breeze was missing. The rent was due. He had made enemies with a crazed Mexican drug dealer, and it was driving him nuts trying to figure out where he had seen the stranger at the pool table. The game was still going strong. Slick was running the balls with machinelike precision. When he did miss, the stranger cleared the table with a series of impossible, erratic, curving shots, while the crowd watched with their jaws hanging, and Slick broke into a nervous sweat. Slick McCall had been the undisputed king of eight ball at the Head of the Slug Saloon since before it had been called the Head of the Slug. The bar had been the Head of the Wolf for fifty years, until Mavis grew tired of the protests of drunken environmentalists, who insisted that timber wolves were an endangered species and that the saloon was somehow sanctioning their killing. One day she had taken the stuffed wolf head that hung over the bar to the Salvation Army and had a local artist render a giant slug head in fiberglass to replace it. Then she changed the sign and waited for some half-wit from the Save the Slugs Society to show up and protest. It never happened. In business, as in politics, the public is ever so tolerant of those who slime. Years ago, Slick and Mavis had come to a mutually beneficial business agreement. Mavis allowed Slick to make his living on her pool table, and in return, Slick agreed to pay her twenty percent of his winnings and to excuse himself from the Slug's annual eight-ball tournament. Robert had been coming into the Slug for seven years and in that time he had never seen Slick rattled over a pool game. Slick was rattled now. Occasionally some tourist who had won the Sheep's Penis Kansas Nine-Ball tournament would come into the Slug puffed up like the omnipotent god of the green felt, and Slick would return him to Earth, deflating his ego with gentle pokes from his custom-made, ivory-inlaid cue. But those fellows played within the known laws of physics. The dark stranger played as if Newton had been dropped on his head at birth. To his credit, Slick played his usual methodical game, but Robert could tell that he was afraid. When the stranger sank the eight ball in a hundred-dollar game, Slick's fear turned to anger and he threw his custom cue across the room like a crazed Zulu. â€Å"Goddammit, boy, I don't know how you're doing it, but no one can shoot like that.† Slick was screaming into the stranger's face, his fists were balled at his sides. â€Å"Back off,† the stranger said. All the boyishness drained from his face. He could have been a thousand years old, carved in stone. His eyes were locked on Slick's. â€Å"The game is over.† He might have been stating that â€Å"water is wet.† It was truth. It was deadly serious. Slick reached into the pocket of his jeans, fished out a handful of crumpled twenties, and threw them on the table. The stranger picked up the bills and walked out. Slick retrieved his stick and began taking it apart. The daytime regulars remained silent, allowing Slick to gather his dignity. â€Å"That was like a fucking bad dream,† he said to the onlookers. The comment hit Robert like a sock full of birdshot. He suddenly remembered where he had seen the stranger. The dream of the desert came back to him with crippling clarity. He turned back to his beer, stunned. â€Å"You want a margarita?† Mavis asked him. She was holding a baseball bat she had pulled from under the bar when things had heated up at the pool table. Robert looked to the stool next to him. The little man was gone. â€Å"He saw that guy make one shot and ran out of here like his ass was on fire,† Mavis said. Robert picked up the margarita and downed its frozen contents in one gulp, giving himself an instant headache. Outside on the street Travis and Catch headed toward the service station. â€Å"Well, maybe you should learn to shoot pool if you're going to get money this way.† â€Å"Maybe you could pay attention when I call a shot.† â€Å"I didn't hear you. I don't understand why we just don't steal our money.† â€Å"I don't like to steal.† â€Å"You stole from the pimp in L.A.† â€Å"That was okay.† â€Å"What's the difference?† â€Å"Stealing is immoral.† â€Å"And cheating at pool isn't?† â€Å"I didn't cheat. I just had an unfair advantage. He had a custom-made pool cue. I had you to push the balls in.† â€Å"I don't understand morality.† â€Å"That's not surprising.† â€Å"I don't think you understand it either.† â€Å"We have to pick up the car.† â€Å"Where are we going?† â€Å"To see an old friend.† â€Å"You say that everywhere we go.† â€Å"This is the last one.† â€Å"Sure.† â€Å"Be quiet. People are looking.† â€Å"You're trying to be tricky. What's morality?† â€Å"It's the difference between what is right and what you can rationalize.† â€Å"Must be a human thing.† â€Å"Exactly.†

Common risks, threats, and vulnerabilities Essay

1. What are some common risks, threats, and vulnerabilities commonly found in the LAN-to-WAN Domain that must be mitigated through a layered security strategy? A layered security strategy will encompass Rouge protocols such as Bit mining and P2P, Unauthorized network scanning and probing, and unauthorized access to the network. 2. What is an Access Control List (ACL) and how is it useful in a layered security strategy? An ACL is a Control list which will allow or deny traffic or devices based on specifications defined in the ACL. This ACL generally is applied and configured on Firewalls. It is useful in a layered security approach because from an External standpoint it become the first line of defense when hosts attempt to connect to the network. 3. What is a Bastion Host? Provide an example of when a Bastion Host should be used and how. A â€Å"Bastion Host† is a host that is minimally configured software firewall containing only necessary software/services. These are also referred to as bare metal or â€Å"lite† and is managed to be overly secure through a minimalist approach. All traffic coming is directed to the Bastion or â€Å"screened host†. Outbound traffic is not sent through it. The most common threat to the Bastion Host is to the operating system that is not hardened with additional security applications. 4. Provide at least two examples of how the enclave requirement to place a firewall at the perimeter can be accomplished. a. Placing a firewall between two routers and another firewall before a DMZ would be the best requirement choice to use 5. What is the difference between a traditional IP Stateful Firewall and a Deep Packet Inspection Firewall? a. IP Stateful firewall inspection takes place in layer 4, when traffic attempts to traverse the firewall a requested a source port and a destination port pair become part of the session allowing the source to receive information. Stateful inspection firewalls solve the vulnerability of permitting all the high numbered ports by creating a table containing the outbound connections and their associated high numbered port(s). b. Firewalls utilizing deep packet inspection provides enhancements to Stateful firewalls’ Stateful firewall is still susceptible to attack even if the firewall is deployed and working as it should be. By adding ap plication-oriented logic into the hardware, essentially combining IDS into the firewall traffic. Deep Packet Inspection uses an Attack Object Database to store protocol anomalies and attack  traffic by grouping them by protocol and security level. 6. How would you monitor for unauthorized management access attempts to sensitive systems? Acl’s and audit logs can be leveraged to confirm which station is attempting to make the unauthorized connection. 7. Describe Group ID (Vulid): V-3057 in the Network IDS/IPS Implementation Guide provided by DISA? A management server is a centralized device that receives information from the sensors or agents 8. What is the significance of VLAN 1 traffic within a Cisco Catalyst LAN Switch? Describe the vulnerabilities associated if it traverses across unnecessary trunk. VLAN1 traffic will contain the STP or spanning tree traffic, CDP traffic, and Dynamic trunking traffic to name a few. If unnecessary traffic traverses the trunk it could cause the switch instability causing it to go down or become inoperable. 9. At what logging level should the syslog service be configured on a Cisco Router, Switch, or Firewall device? Syslogs traps should be configured at levels 0-6. Logging Level 2 10. Describe how you would implement a layered, security strategy within the LAN-to-WAN Domain to support authorized remote user access while denying access to unauthorized users at the Internet ingress/egress point. To implement a layered security strategy for remote user access, we would start with an application based login, such as a VPN -SSL authentication then pair it with LDAP on a radius or Tacacs+ service. LDAP is bound to Active directory which will leverage Role based access controls to check group permissions. 11. As defined in the Network Infrastructure Technology Overview, Version 8, Release 3, describe the 3 layers that can be found in the DISA Enclave Perimeter layered security solution for Internet ingress/egress connections (i.e., DMZ or Component Flow). 3 types of layers found in the Enclave Perimeter Component Flow include the Network layer security, Application layer security and security of the actual applications themselves. 12. Which device in the Enclave Protection Mechanism Component Flow helps mitigate risk from users violating acceptable use and unwanted websites and URL links? The Web Content Filter 13. True or False. The Enclave Protection Mechanism includes both an internal IDS and external IDS when connecting a closed network infrastructure to the public Internet. True, it is required to have external IDS as well as internal IDS. Requirements include having a firewall and IDS in between the internet facing router and the internal, â€Å"premise†, and router. 14. True or False. Securing the enclave only requires perimeter security and firewalls. False, securing the enclave includes a layered firewall approach both on the inside and outside of the network. Sensitive data can be secured from other segments of the internal network (internal) as well as Internet links (external). 1 5. What is the primary objective of this STIG as is relates to network infrastructures for DoD networks? STIG, or Security Technical Implementation Guide, is an intended guide to decrease vulnerabilities and potential of losing sensitive data. The guide focuses on network security, giving security considerations for the implemented network. The STIG also covers the level of risks and the associated acceptable levels to said risks.

Case Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Case Analysis - Essay Example These are perceived as the depictions that have seized them, altering their psychological composition into something damaging to their wellbeing, and yet, advanced by society. For instance, it appears to be slender is an objective to a large number of females, and as Susan Bordo indicates, it is the consequence of advertisements and a public representation of females sustaining a number of roles, including that of the sexually suppressed and that of server. Generally, Hunger as Ideology highlights her significant attempt to uncover, educate, and illustrate past and current behaviors, eating habits, and social influences on both males and females. This paper is a case analysis of Susan Bordo’s Hunger as Ideology. The paper will highlight my views in support of the ideas from the article. Also, the paper will make use of three evidences of advertising and several quotes from the article to support the ideas. Bordo asserts, â€Å"Mass imagery has an unprecedented power to instruct.† This means that the capacity to broaden influence to a mass produces expected outcomes, outcomes which recommend the correct way, the only way, which is usually the most widespread influenced way. She goes on to claim, â€Å"Women with their eating disorders bring photos of ultra-thin models to their therapists†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Bordo 140). This is seen as the ideal explanation of mass produced views of ideology. The notion of utilizing magazine pictures of the ultra slim models as stimulators for contentment is the in thing, for example, the Fire and Ice advertisement which contained a questionnare aking women if they were made for Fire and Ice. In the part, Food and Love, the author illustrates how females display their affection for others by preparing dinner or baking for other people. For example, the use of the catchphrase â€Å"Nothing says ‘Cookie, I love you’ like Nestle’s Toll House Cookies Do.† is employed to emphasize this point (Bordo 159). Even though

Impact of age diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Impact of age diversity - Essay Example Specifically, these aspects will be examined in the context of the impact of age in the labor force and how this will affect the roles of the managers in the labor organizations as a recent study reported that by 2020, individuals of 50 years old and up will take up a third of the region’s workforce population. Article Analysis The age of the workers is recognized as a relevant determinant of their performance at work. Some employers prefer the old ones for their developed skills from experience, while the others choose the younger for their flexibility and other characteristics. Such assumptions have rooted from a number of research findings pointing out how workers of specific age ranges easily adapt to changes implemented in the work places (e.g., technology, roles and responsibilities, and etc.) while others can or do not (Morris & Venkatesh, 2000; Morris, Venkatesh, & Ackerman, 2005). Other studies also suggest that an employee’s age can tell employers his or her p robable productivity rate. Specifically, groups of researchers have previously proposed that valuable attitudes and behaviors of the workers decline as one ages (Ferris, et al., 1985; McEvoy & Cascio, 1989; Salthouse & Babcock, 1991; Lawrence, 1988); others, on the other hand, cannot particularly point out concrete evidences of the existence of such relationships in â€Å"different age categories of employees† (Duncan & Loretto, 2004). ... Specifically, groups of researchers have previously proposed that valuable attitudes and behaviors of the workers decline as one ages (Ferris, et al., 1985; McEvoy & Cascio, 1989; Salthouse & Babcock, 1991; Lawrence, 1988); others, on the other hand, cannot particularly point out concrete evidences of the existence of such relationships in â€Å"different age categories of employees† (Duncan & Loretto, 2004). Nevertheless, because of prior assumptions related to these, age discrimination has been inevitable (Ferris & King, 1992; Issacharoff & Harris, 1997; Taylor & Walker, 1997); putting the welfare of the members of the workforce -- especially the old ones -- in line while necessitating further management reorganization and implementation from those with higher positions in the workplace. As such dilemmas coexist, it is then important to consider several aspects that affect and, likewise, become affected by the consequences of the age of the employees by the overall performan ce of the workforce as well as the management of the organization. This is particularly true as an unexpected shift of the age of the workforce is to be anticipated after nine years; that is, more than 30% of the members of the United Kingdom workforce â€Å"will be over 50 by 2020† (Snowdon, 2010). In Snowdon’s article, it was noted that the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) reported in a research that majority of the managers in the work organizations in UK are still unprepared for this shift. Although the author seems to lack the efficiency of properly addressing the audience that he intends to tap with his article, it is without a doubt that

The Roles of Product Life Cycle Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Roles of Product Life Cycle - Case Study Example The main objective of product policy is to evaluate the risks and hazards that a product can cause during its life cycle by incorporating all the phases of product development, the possible players, trade policy and procurement, economic instruments, materials regulations, inter-trade agreements, environmental and labeling laws, and product design (Charter & Tischner, 2001). For this reason, product policy encompasses corporate policy and planning, development, portfolio management, life cycle assessment, brand management and marketing strategy. The other key concerns are reflecting good science, protecting confidential business information, avoiding technical barriers to trade and ensuring that a product has timely access to appropriate markets around the world (Gorchels, 2007). In effect, product policy refers to all aspects of development and management of a firm’s product, including branding and packaging. It also looks at key issues related to the 4Ps of marketing  œ product, price, place and promotion – to determine if the product will have good exchange value, at what price will it appeal to consumers, which particular market should it be addressed, and what marketing strategies should be employed to actualise the desired sales transaction.The initial step in observing an effective product policy is to define the core product, such that in the case of a car manufacturer like BMW, the firm decides if it will be a luxury top-of-the-line vehicle or a moderately priced sedan. Then the firm assesses the benefits that customers will derive from the core product. Next, the product is built around the core, which involves the design, packaging and the features calculated to provide the desired benefits and quality. Good practice of product management dictates that a new product stays longer at the

Tourism Management Course Work Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tourism Management Course Work - Assignment Example If the front desk doesn’t respond pleasantly and efficiently to the needs of the traveler, this also will leave a bad impression. How a guest is treated is more important than the looks of an establishment, which does not diminish the need for a beautiful venue. It just means that beyond that beauty should be substance, which is represented by the quality of the staff. 3. As a resort hotel manager, do you believe your guests need to be educated about environmental protection? Do you need to educate your staff? Answer: Because of the new trends in green tourism, the staff definitely needs to be fully informed on all the ways that the hotel is implanting green policies in order to leave a smaller eco footprint. The staff should also be prepared to answer questions concerning ways in which the guests might take issue with one policy or procedure or another which does consume more than what might be desired. The guests should see literature in their rooms and at the front desk tha t shows what measures have been taken in order to lower the rate of consumption by the hotel. This type of information is both instructive and develops good relationships between the hotel and the guests. The information, however, should also be subtle because those who are at the resort are there to experience a sense of luxury. A good balance between maintaining the appearance of excess, while also showing responsibility, will provide for the best possible outcome regarding this issue. 5. For new developments, should the access roads be supplied by a government agency, the developer, or both? If both, who should supply what? Answer: Access roads to a new development are supplied by the government as the building of new commerce is considered to be a benefit to the city. Negotiations between the government and the developer will often allow for other considerations as well, but the access roads, as they are connected to the main roadways, are the responsibility of the government ag ency who is in control of road development within that specific area, whether it be city, county, state, or federal. 8. The sports director of a large resort hotel has been instructed to upgrade the hotel's physical fitness program. Provide some suggestions as to how this might be done. Answer: When approaching physical fitness within a resort hotel environment, conservative is the best approach because of the liability risk involved in active participation. Low impact, high result physical activity is the best method so that guests are attracted to the hotel, but are not in danger of physical injury. Although all physical fitness has some risk, making sure that staff is fully prepared to help guests and that any activity that is programmed has fully certified instructors is the best possible mitigation to risk. The second element of reconstructing a physical fitness program is in looking at the current trends and selecting those trends that reflect safe use, but also are exciting t o the guest. Dance routine type programs, such as Zumba, an exercise program which incorporates salsa dance, provide an environment of fitness while supporting something that is relatively safe. Being current while mitigating risk factors is the key to any new physical fitness program in a resort environment as it is likely some guests who participate will have not had much previous physical activity in their background. Therefore, the third element is making sure the program is

International Justice Cooperation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

International Justice Cooperation - Essay Example Human beings at birth are necessarily good and his identity is defined entirely by events that occur thereafter as popularly adhered by the Tabula Rasa Theory. Contrary to this, man is considered neither good nor bad at birth but the forces acting for and against him molds him into what he is to become. The greater need for self-gratification has blanketed the goodness and differing individual personalities has created an offensive attitude to the civilized society. On the incidence of crime, low self-control may predispose criminal acts such as forcible rape, terrorism, stealing among others. Violent crimes however do not necessarily account for the possibility of low self-control acting alone on the individual. A variety of factors is believed to enhance the incidence of the violence in mankind that tends specifically recruit others to form a stronger criminal group. Recognizing the increasing scope, intensity and sophistication of crimes brought about by globalization as a mattress for drug operations, trafficking of arms and humans and laundering, has made the UN acknowledge the true nature of crime prevention. Efficient criminal justice systems have set standards and protocols that require cooperation to counter international syndicates. It is not surprising that at times even our own police force is pressured to deal with crimes beyond their territories and jurisdiction. In the process they have tried to wither the stringent rules other territories endeavor in order to protect that safety of their citizens albeit accused of crimes. Sometimes, even our justice system turns a blind eye and a deaf ear towards this common problem besieging the society. All forces should work hand in hand down to the lowest ranks of the state police to the highest echelons of the countries justice system in order to curb the massive criminal forces acting against positive development and in particular to the populace. Weakness in our justice systems serves to only strengthen the urge to continue the spate of crimes knowing that the legal system inhibits cooperation between judicial authorities that exploit criminality to their advantage to the detriment of the society. Alternative approaches to reform and behavioral modification should give rise to a discussion on a multi-disciplinary approach and theories to prevent the recurring incidence of criminal deviation before it has a chance to spread itself like a malady that afflicts everyone Akers (1991)1. The Center for International Crime Prevention2 is the United Nation's arm for crime prevention, justice and reform. They work with the member states to strengthen laws and promote criminal justice systems to combat the threats of organised crimes such as terrorism, corruption, drugs, human trafficking and so on. Based on the rule of law, effective justice systems ensure the respect for human rights in the national and international levels. The Criminal Justice Reform Unit assists States in developing strategies to reform all the aspects of their criminal justice systems, with particular emphasis on vulnerable groups3. It is understood that strategic information-sharing, institutional capacity-building and mutual support in law enforcement, training and extradition measures are necessary for countries to break up the thriving global empire of organized

What is CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) To what is there a Essay

What is CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) To what is there a business case for CSR - Essay Example This definition is to be found in the Green Book, which is the first documentation regarding corporate social responsibility to be published in accordance with the European Union’s initiative. From this definition it becomes obvious that companies consider social and environmental issues at the time of planning and implementing their activities. However, this entire exercise is conducted on a voluntary basis. The fundamental rules of conduct for companies are enshrined in the individual laws and regulations. However, the core of social responsibility rests on the fact that companies deliberate upon these issues in much greater detail and that their conduct is at a higher level than that enjoined by legislation (Kornfeldova & Myskova, 2012, p. 90). Moreover, CSR is best viewed in terms of its pillars. These are the social, environmental and economic pillars. The last of these, namely the economic pillar affects the local, national and global economies. It can be termed the fight against corruption, the support and development of employment, and the endeavour to mitigate unemployment (Kornfeldova & Myskova, 2012, p. 91). The environmental pillar relates to company activities that are focused upon the environment. It denotes reduction in the adverse influence of company activities on the environment, the protection of natural resources, employment of environment friendly technologies, and reduction in emissions and other pollutants. The social pillar relates to education and the development of human capital, employment, benefits, equal opportunities and employment policies (Kornfeldova & Myskova, 2012, p. 91). Furthermore, organisations and companies can distinguish themselves from other entities by employing the device of corporate social responsibility. With regard to this device it is essential to realise that compliance is voluntary, as there is no legislative imperative. The ethics codes, statements or policies relating to the responsibilities of a company declare whether it adheres to the principles of CSR (Kornfeldova, 2011, p. 107). Arguments Opposing Corporate Social Responsibility Consumers will pay more for products that are the result of socially responsible outcomes of a business. For example, one research study, established that consumers noticed more value and benefit, regarding the offer emanating from a socially responsible firm. In such instances, it was observed that the consumers were agreeable to paying even an additional 10% for such products. Furthermore, social action that was distinguished by a direct effect upon the life of consumers was seen to have a greater positive effect than social action with an indirect effect (Ferreira, et al., 2010, p. 208). However, social action with an indirect effect on the lives of consumers will have a smaller positive effect. In some cases, CSR will be detrimental to corporate interests. The following discussion supports this argument. CSR has been criticised for adopting practices that serve to camouflage or divert public attention from corporate illness. It never discloses what transpires in the company on a clandesti ne basis. A glaring illustration of this deceit was provided by Enron, which had been described as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in America. This company was honoured with six environmental awards in the year 2000. Subsequently, it was disgraced and branded the most irresponsible company in the US. Enron boasted of some of the best policies relating to anti – corruption, climate change, and human rights; and its demise caused considerable

Business plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Business plan - Essay Example Also, are women who get stressed, have little time to shop, and would generally like help in figuring the right clothes and styles to wear. Our competitive advantage is that Style Now provides an app for our customers. It is not only convenient for our potential customers but is also affordable. Compare to our top competitors, we are the only fashion truck that provides an app and merchandise prices that are in between our competitors. Our Style Now app is $5.00 and our merchandise ranges from $10.00 through $300.00. Also unlike the current fashion trucks parked on the street, Style Now trucks will sell merchandise that is uniquely tailored to meet the needs and wants of their customers. Style Now’s strategy sets the expectations for our customers by always having limited quantities in merchandise. Also, our demand in stock will always be new, since our merchandise will be updated with the latest trends. Style Now will be offered in your convenience since it’s the first to travel to customer’s desired destinations. Our shopping bags will resemble the truck’s atmosphere for memorability and gratification from their experience. Style Now has been designed and tailored to meet the needs of our target market since Style Now is customer service oriented; it provides customized selection of clothing and accessories that is convenient and accessible. Style Now’s pairing of customers with stylists is one example of the company’s excellent customer service. All Style Now trucks personal stylists are available to help customers select the perfect outfit that meets their needs. Retail/Customer experience: When customers have located our boutique, the Style Now shopping experience begins. A stylist will greet the customer and then they will both enter the truck. The truck’s merchandise will be customized to cater to our customers,

Writer's choice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 28

Writer's choice - Essay Example On the other hand, if oil prices dropped and the stock prices were on the rise, then the IMF assumed an increment in oil supply. These two forces explained the plunge of oil prices (Zumbruni, Para 1-4). The results indicated that during the first phase the oil price drop was attributed by weak global demand. For instance, crude oil declined from$ 105 to around $ 82. However, in the second phase, the oil prices for the crude oil dropped further to $ 50 and IMF suggests that a decrease in the oil price was due to increased demand. The estimates reveal that supply outdid the demand during this phase (Zumbruni, Para 1-4). The explanation aligns with the class materials effectively as it explains the effect of reduced demand and increased supply on prices. Accordingly, a decrease exerts a downward pressure in the short-run. Apparently, increased supply allows a surplus of the commodity in the market, therefore, exerting a downward pressure on the price levels. These aspects are reflected in chapter four that focused on demand and supply within the oil markets. The above information may be illustrated as follows; Zumbruni, Josh. Supply of Demand? The IMFBreaks Down the Collapse of Oil Price. Wall Street Journal. Real Time Economics. April 14, 2015. Retrieved from

Grand project on pizza industry Essay Example for Free

Grand project on pizza industry Essay Today, the average American eats 46 slices of pizza per year (about 23 pounds). Buck Jones reports The business is only expected to grow as the industry continues to expand its product base and revenue earnings through imaginative recipes and creative marketing concepts (Jones, 177). Pizza producers are searching for additional pizza products that will appeal to new markets such as the croissant, French bread, and other specialty products showing up today. Most new pizza products are marketed to adult consumers. Adults are targeted because they make up the majority of the lunch crowd and when they take their families out to dinner. Pizza consumption has many different consumers: professional people during lunch, single parent families, two income families, children, high school/college age kids, singles, and more specifically, bachelors. As consumers age, their desire for pizza declines as noted by the survey. Women are generally targeted by pizza chains because they are usually the providers of meals for their families. Currently, pizza carryout represents 46% of all pizza transactions, and home and office delivery account for 26% of delivery. During the week however, Friday through Sunday account for 59% of pizza sales (RI, 88). On average, individual pizza sales are on the rise while the portions sold remain the same. Pizza comes in many different crusts and is sold in the following percentages: regular pizza 56. 8% of pizza sold, deep dish or pan pizza 17. 5%, thick crust 11. 0%, and extra-thin pizza 8. 5%. Overall, beverages were not purchased 52. 9% of the time and carbonated drinks were the majority sold with 31. 1%. Salad bars are surprisingly only seen in 3. 3% of pizza sales. These new products will expand the current pizza markets and increase the average consumption of current pizza users with their new product innovation. Pizza toppings vary geographically based on current trends within a geographic region. Squid is Japans most popular pizza topping and tuna and corn rank high in England followed by Australias affinity for eggs as a pizza topping. The introduction of new pizza toppings has and will continue to be an avenue for increased revenues. Consumers are becoming more drawn to natural ingredients, natural restaurant environments, openness in food preparation, and the need to experience the food ethnically. Presently, newer competitors in the pizza arena are using wood-burning pizza ovens such as Macaroni Bar and Grill, Marios, and Carrabas. Consumers also prefer an open view of the pizza-making process. Pizza consumption has also increased through the distribution of direct mail coupons both locally and globally (RI, 88). These coupons amounted to a 12% increase for pizza chain sales in 1996. Cicis Pizza is presently the pizza segments value leader with their $2. 99 adult buffet ($1. 99 for kids). Many grocery retailers feel inadequately equipped to compete with the major pizza chains and therefore decide to just offer the products demanded. Most retail operators have identified two markets and have created two different product lines for the high quality pizza connoisseur and the price conscious consumer. Another new market in the pizza industry is the selling of raw pizzas. Consumers call in and specify the pizza toppings they wish for their pizza at Papa Murphys. The consumer pays for the convenience of having someone else prepare their pizza and they get to eat it in the privacy of their own home. Future Consumption Trends Consumption is expected to increase in the future due to increases in population and consumers lack of time to prepare their own meals. The pizza industry will continue to expand globally and tap into new pizza markets. This growth will spur on new changes in adapting their pizza product to their environment. Round Table Pizza is the nations fourth largest pizza chain and has 500 restaurants in the Western U. S. and internationally in six Asian countries and the Middle East (Round Table Pizza website. This is a clear example that U. S. companies have great potential in the global market and this can be achieved through adapted or standardized products, depending on the product and its industry. Consumption is also going to move toward more natural, fresh, and healthier pizza products. A shift is under way in the industry away from product novelty to high quality ingredients and an emphasis on taste. Round Table Pizza promotes their Honest Pizza made from dough mixed from scratch, freshly grated cheese, and new sauce. Round Table Pizza also created the Salute Veggie, a pizza piled high with three different cheeses and various vegetables. The Salute Veggie reaches out to the vegetarian consumer who may have previously shied away from the pizza industry due to the meat content. In response to Papa Johns fresher pizza promotions, Pizza Hut has reformulated its entire line, now including more toppings, thicker sauce, and a crunchier crust. Consumption will also increase through the addition of smaller pizza stores/stands that sell pizza by the slice. Although these are smaller sales transactions, they are on the rise as proven by Genuardis Family Market sales, which 75% of its sales are sold by the slice. Smaller Pizza Hut units are being placed inside Stop n Go stores that reach out directly to the consumer on the go. These locations bring the product directly to the consumer they are targeting. On average, there lies the common belief that pizza consumption will increase as a consumer gets married and has children. This is rationalized through decreased time allowed to prepare meals with a family and a desire for easy meals that save time. Another factor is that children on the average like pizza. When an individual thinks of pizza, one conjures up thoughts of a late night at the office, slumber parties, quick lunch meal, pizza parties during the workday in an office, and childrens pizza parlors like Chuck E. Cheese. Pizza generally summons feeling of happiness or fun and is also viewed as a really quick meal. This is a major advantage for pizza chain retailers in that not many foods carry such ideologies or feelings. These connotations generally have to be marketed much like Chuck E. Cheese (fun pizza) or Dominos (quick and delivered to your door). Over the next 5 to 10 years, there will be increases in consumption as a result of more single parent families and two income families. There will be an increase in the amount of women working to support their families and this will add to the need for easy to prepare or fast meals. As single parents continue to work, attend night school, and raise their children they will continue to utilize pizza delivery services to compensate for their lack of time to prepare their children dinner. As the population increases, there will be significant increases in high school and college age kids that order pizza. Another relationship pizza has is with beer. It is very common for students to get their buddies and order pizza to eat while drinking their beer both while studying or partying. Pizza chains should further investigate marketing their products in establishments that serve beer. Retailers could target clubs and sports bars to increase their market share. As consumers go about their daily tasks another market lies in drive-thru pizza restaurants. As people go about their day, pizza chain retailers could better serve some of its customers through drive-thru services. Over time, consumers will remain as busy as they are now and maybe even more so, some consumers could utilize these quick service establishments that allow them to enjoy pizza without having to stop to eat it.

Hr Managing Towards Recruitment And Selection Management Essay

Hr Managing Towards Recruitment And Selection Management Essay With the advent of growing emphasis on people as the prime source of competitive advantage, the foremost important decision for an organization has been to ensure the selection of the right people to join the workforce (Beardwell and Holden, 2001, p. 225). In the early 1990s, Beaumont (1993, p.56 cited in Beardwell and Holden, 2001, p. 225) identified three focus areas having significant relevance in the current industry scenario that has enhanced the potential importance of the selection decision in individual organizations. The areas include demographic trends and changes in the labour market, which have led to a less homogeneous workforce that emphasizes on fairness in selection process. Secondly, the desire for a multi-skilled, flexible workforce and an increased emphasis on team working has led to conclude that selection decision are concerned with behaviour and attitudes than with matching individuals on basis of the current job requirements. Lastly, the link between corporate strategy and Human Resource Management has led to the evolution of the concept of strategic selection that refers to the development of a system that links selection to the overall organizational strategy while aligning personnel to emerging business strategies. Thus to have a positive impact on companys productivity and profitability, the practice of recruitment and selection in Human Resource Management has become increasingly important (Beardwell and Holden, 2001, p. 225). The increased global competition and the increasing customer expectations mean that the growth and sustenance of an organization is proving to be challenging. Organisations need to be more proactive in their approach to sustain profitability and meet the ever changing global business dynamics by attracting and retaining high-quality individuals who can respond effectively to this changing environment (Bach, 2008, p. 115). Hiring competent people is of prime importance to an organization, which is greatly dependent on effective recruitment and selection procedures. As cited in Bach (2008), a poor recruitment decision can cost an employer an amount equal to 30 per cent of the employees first year earnings (Hacker 1997). These costs can include lower productivity, potential loss of customers; cost incurred in training, advertising, recruitment fees and redundancy packages (Smith and Graves 2002 cited in Bach, 2008, p. 115). Thus, in order to have a competitive edge, it is increasingly e ssential that in tight labour market scenario, firms must evolve and practice better recruitment, selection and retention strategies (Boxall and Purcell, 2003, p. 15). As mentioned in a case study on Betterbuy (Greenwood, 2007), as part of their good personnel practice they offer a market-leading package of pay and benefits such as childcare vouchers and two share schemes namely Save as you earn and Buy as you earn. It also regards eligible staff for their hard work and commitment with free shares and a pension scheme that allows member to build up a pension based in their earnings and service. The term recruitment and selection are commonly referred together; however they have distinct human resource management activities and functions. Recruitment comprises of short-listing candidate applications from potential employees, while selection techniques are used to decide which of the short-listed applicant is best suited for the job (Taylor, 2005, p. 166). Further reiterating the above point, Boxall and Purcell (2003, p. 143) has also stated that recruitment and selection are nearly always joint management processes of some kind where both line and specialist managers are involved. Bratton and Gold (2003, p. 221) defines recruitment as the process of generating a pool of capable people to apply for employment to an organization. Selection is the process by which managers and others use specific instruments to choose from a pool of applicants a person or persons most likely to succeed in the job(s), given management goals and legal requirement (Bratton and Gold, 2003, p. 221). Newell and Shackleton (2000, p.113 cited in Bratton and Gold, 2003, p. 226) refer to recruitment as the process of attracting people who might make a contribution to the particular organisation. Bach (2008) defines Recruitment as the process of attracting people who might make an organizational contribution to fill a particular role or job. While, Selection is predicting which candidates will make the most appropriate contribution to the organization now and in the future (Hackett, 1991 cited in Beardwell and Holden, 2001, p. 226) In the 1980s, some major changes were witnessed within organizations in regards to their HR practices; for instance it became more assertive as to its role played in organization (Legge, 1995 cited in Searle, 2003, p. 7). This was due to an increasing awareness and evidence of the impact of HR had on the viability of the organisations success. During this period, HR policies emerged as significant levers for assisting firms in repositioning themselves. It resulted in recruitment and selection processes being considered as the key factors for successful change management (Searle, 2003, p. 7). It can thus be asserted that selection is about how to make fair, un-biased and relevant assessments of the strengths and weaknesses of short-listed potential employees by using various selection techniques. While recruitment is the way in which a firm tries to source or attract candidates among whom it will short-list. Thus, in other words, recruitment strategy involves the organisations attempt to portray the firm as an attractive place to work thereby attracting good talent (Boxall and Purcell, 2003, p. 141). There are two methods of recruitment: Internal and External. INTERNAL RECRUITMENT One of the crucial points to reflect upon during the recruitment procedure is whether or not there is a need to recruit outside the organization. Implementing alternative approaches to recruitment might lead to the development of effective solutions at considerably lower cost (Taylor, 2005, p. 166). Research shows that most private sector companies attempt to fill vacancies internally before looking for people outside the organization (Newell and Shackleton, 2000, p. 116, CIPD 2003b, p. 11 cited in Taylor, 2005, p. 167). Fuller and Huber (1998, p. 621 cited in Taylor, 2005, p.167) identifies four distinct internal recruitment activities like internal promotions, lateral transfers, job rotation schemes and re-hiring former employees. Some of the key advantages of internal recruitment of an organization are its cost effectiveness and quick as vacancies can be advertised internally on staff notice boards, in-house publications or intranet systems at no additional cost. Thus, it promotes and helps in developing a strong establishment of motivated and committed employees among existing employees and also that the management is already familiar with the strengths and limitations of the employee. It also helps a company to maximize its return on investment invested in staff recruitment, selection and training processes. The employee in his new position is already familiar with the business objectives and has a better knowledge and understanding about the companys operations. The time taken to fill a vacancy is lesser leading to improving greater organizational effectiveness and reduction in cost and time. However, some of the disadvantages of internal recruitment are that new employees would bring in fresher ideas whic h are often required to challenge the status quo especially at senior levels. It can also lead to bringing about sterility by limiting the number of potential candidates for the job profile, lack of originality and a decline in the breadth of an organisations collective knowledge base. It may also be possible that the best suited person may not be available within the firm. Also an inclination towards this tends to perpetuate existing imbalances in the make-up of the workforce resulting in the feeling of inequality and resentment among the workforce who have not been selected. (Taylor, 2005, p. 168) EXTERNAL RECRUITMENT Even as there are numerous different approaches used to attract applications for prospective candidates, some of the formal methods used are printed media (national and local newspapers, trade and professional journals and magazines), external agencies (job centres, outplacement consultants, headhunters, employment agencies, forces resettlement agency, recruitment consultants), education liaison (careers service, careers fairs, college tutors, careers advisors, student societies), other media (direct mail, local radio teletext, billboards, internet, television and cinema), and professional contacts (conferences, trade union referrals, suppliers, industry contacts), other methods (factory gate posters, past applicant records, open days, personal recommendation or word of mouth, poaching). Few other informal methods include whereby employees families, suppliers or personal acquaintances get to hear about a vacancy via word of mouth or the grapevine. Several approaches like job centres or word of mouth is relatively less expensive in comparison to publishing advertisement in national newspaper or in delegating the task to headhunters. A few methods, such as the use of television and cinema, are used as a mode of recruiting by the largest employing organisations seeking to recruit substantial numbers like the Army and Navy recruiters (Taylor, 2005, p. 169-70). Some of the few advantages of external recruitment include that a new recruit will bring in fresh perspective and ideas, the best suited candidate can be chosen from the large pool of candidates, recruits having wider knowledge and experience on the subject can be chosen. The disadvantages to external recruitment would include that the process is long and hence more time consuming, selection process alone may not be able to identify and reveal the best candidate and also that the cost incurred is enormous for placing advertisements to attract potential talent. According to a study conducted by IRS (2001b, pp34; 2003c cited in Taylor, 2005, p. 171), approximately  £1 billion is spent each year on recruitment advertising in the United Kingdom. An HR Manager would require choosing a publication depending on the target audience. An opinion poll research carried out and published by Recruitment Today (June 1995) has indicated that around 70 per cent of people purchase different newspaper when they are looking for a new job. Thus information about readership levels and profiles is only of limited use in deciding the placement of job advertisement. It is essential for the HR manager to reflect upon whether or not there is a need to advertise nationally. For most jobs, local newspapers are preferable, because they reach potential applicants only within the relevant travel-to-work and are thus more cost effective. The need to organize at a national level arises when the target audience is at a national level. Some of the other additional alternat ive methods of recruitment include: Internet Recruitment: The scope and usage of internet as a medium of recruitment has witnessed a significant growth in the recent years. In the late 1990s, the jobs advertised on the web were mainly in IT or academia, or were specifically targeting graduate recruitments. In 2003, nearly 70 per cent of employers had been advertising vacancies on the internet (CIPD 2003b, p. 15 cited in Taylor, 2005, p. 176), while on the other hand the providers of job search website were spending vast amounts of money on TV, cinema, radio advertising, sports sponsorship and public relations activities as a means of building their public profile and brand image (Taylor, 2005). The key advantages of Internet recruitment are that large companies have a greater potential to attract passing traffic to their company corporate website By cutting down on the need to use written correspondence or field phone calls will prove to be a cost saving for the company. This form of recruitment is attractive to an emp loyer as it gives him the access to a potential audience of millions. Some of the disadvantages of internet recruitment include technology system getting hampered by bugs, computer crashes and threat of losing applications caused by recruiters with poor IT enabled skills which will result in further delay rather than accelerating the recruitment process. Poorly designed or over-engineered websites represent a further pitfall by means of slow loading speeds are all guaranteed to create fatigue in the potential candidate users whose expectations of fast, reliable access are very high thus causing damage to the brand image of the company (Taylor, 2005, p. 179). In the past few years, there has been a significant rapid development in online recruitment or commonly termed as e-recruitment which has accelerated the growth of e-Human Resource Management (Bratton and Gold, 2003, p. 230). In the year 2003, the Singapore Ministry of Manpower (Storey, 2007, p. 238) highlighted some of the key potential benefits of e-HR. The hard benefits included reduced service delivery costs due to automation of key HR business processes, by improving the accuracy of these HR processes the out put would lead to reduction in correction costs, by using intranet as a means of internal communication channel would eliminate costs of printing and distributing information to employees, improving staff productivity and efficacy by providing universal access 24/7 on various information thereby reducing the data entry and search costs through employee and manager self-service. While some of the soft benefits included allowing instant processing of data collected leading to reduction in cycle times, increasing employee satisfaction and engaging in better employee relations by improvising on the quality of HR service, making HR function to align with strategic partner in business, an indicator of change towards an organisational culture that promotes initiative, self-reliance and improved internal service standards by using technology. Employer websites: One of the most convenient methods includes highlighting existing vacancies available in an organization in respective organization website. However, links to these vacancies can be uploaded on various other search engines and recruitment agency website. These sites are easy to maintain and is cost effective as it provides an organization the opportunity to provide relevant adequate information about the profile for it to attract more responses. As quoted by Frankland (2000, cited in Taylor, 2005, p. 176); the total cost incurred to set up a fully operational website is equivalent to the total amount spent by a firm on advertisement in national newspapers. The organisations have immensely benefited by using websites as a medium of advertising the existing vacancies, but it is essential to evaluate the degree and the extent to which it has impacted in the recruitment procedure. As the success of this method solely depends upon the extent to which potential employees visit the websites. Cyber agencies: This method involves the use of specialist employment agencies that specializes in recruitment and selection of potential recruits for example, monster.com. These agencies carry out the functions and role carried out by employment agencies traditionally. These agencies extend their services to not only publish advertisements of vacancies but also short-list the candidates on behalf of the employers. (Taylor, 2005) Job linked to newspapers and journals: Many companies advertise in local and national national newspapers, notice boards, recruitment fairs and substantiate the advertisement with relevant important information relating to the job like the job title, pay package, location, job description, how to apply-either by CV or application form. The success of the recruitment process depends upon whether it is able to attract substantial number of candidates of the desired quality within the allocated budget. Too many applicants may reduce the cost per applicant but add further costs in terms of the time taken to screen the applications. While few applications received may be an indication of a tight labour market and also that the companys values, ethos and brand image in the market are poor attractors. It is thus essential that HR managers monitor the effect of such factors on the overall recruitment process (Bratton and Gold, 2003, p 234). SELECTION After the identification of a pool of potential candidates, the HR Manager needs choose and select the short-listed candidates who would best suit the job profile (Bach, 2008, p. 129). Some of the selection methods include interviews, psychometric testing (cognitive and personality test), assessment centres, references, biodata, job simulation or work sampling. Various selection techniques are used to measure differences between applicants and provide a prediction of future performance at work while measuring the effectiveness of these selection methods. Two statistical concepts reliability and validity are of relevant importance in the selection process. Techniques that are chosen on the basis of their consistency in measurement over a period of time is termed as reliability and the degree to which they measure what they are supposed to measure is referred as validity (Bratton and Gold, 2003, p. 234). The three important forms of reliability include the testee or the test-retest, the tester and the test reliability. Among the different forms of validity, the most important is the predictive or criterion-related validity. It refers to establishing an association between the predictors that comprises of the results obtained from various selection methods and the criterion that measures the performance on the job (Bach, 2008, p. 130). An HR Manager in an organization is using more sophisticated selection techniques and is ensuring to make good selection decisions. A good selection decision would reduce a number of costs incurred like the overall cost of the selection process that includes the use of various selection instruments, the future cost of inducting and training new staff and staff turnover. The process and method of selection to be used are based on two key fundamentals. Firstly, individual differences would measure the extent to which two individuals would differ on the parameters of intelligence, attitude, social skills, psychological and physical characteristics, experience, etc. Secondly, recognizing the way in which people differ would be reflected upon the prediction of performance by the individual at the workplace Many leading companies may use a variety of these techniques and statistical theory for giving credibility to techniques that attempt to measure peoples attitude, attributes, abilities and overall personality (Bratton and Gold, 2003, p. 234). Methods of Selection: Selection interviewing Interview is one of the oldest and commonly used selection methods. Cook (1994, p.15 cited in Bratton and Gold, 2003, p. 236) referred the usage of interviews along with application forms and referral / recommendation letters as the classic trio. The interview pattern can be broadly classified on the basis of the Information Elicited which would dwell on the focus on facts and the information that is required. It would follow a direct approach and give emphasis on seeking subjective information from the interviewee as the factual information must have been already collated prior to the interview. This pattern may require to qualified psychologist as it may require usage of intensive probing. It can secondly be classified on the basis of structure like structured or unstructured. Thirdly, on basis of the order and involvement pattern adopted while conducting the interview. Also by using questions related to ones past behaviour coupled with competencies in inter views has further enhanced the effectiveness of this method (Bratton and Gold, 2003, p. 238). Psychometric testing: It has formed an integral part of the selection process of most organization because of its ability to provide an objective measurement of individual competencies and personality (Beardwell and Holden, 2001, p. 243). This type of selection is also considered to have a good record of reliability and validity. Further evidence of its usage since 1990s has been witnessed due to the rapid growth in the number of organizations using this test leading to more HR professionals being trained to administer the functioning of the test (McHenry 1997a cited in Bratton and Gold, 2003, p.239). The two types of test include cognitive or ability test and personality test. Cognitive tests provide a detailed assessment of an individuals intellectual abilities like specific abilities or general intelligence. Personality test provides a detailed assessment of an individuals behaviour when confronted with a specific situation (Bach, 2008, p. 133). Assessment Centre It incorporates a variety of selection methods like interviews, psychometric test, simulations, in-tray exercises and group decision-making exercises, role-plays and presentations to test the mental ability, reasoning and personality of an individual employee (Taylor, 2005, p.242-3). Assessment centres are designed to provide information like the strengths and weaknesses of an individual employee to management for making decisions in relation to suitability for a position. (Bratton and Gold, 2003). Various on-going validity studies have found the assessment centres to have good predictive ability. One of the major drawbacks of the centre is the cost associated with setting up and functioning of the assessment centre (Taylor, 2005, p. 242). CONCLUSION While critically analyzing on which recruitment and selection approach and methodology an HR Manager must adopt for their organization, it is crucial to consider the impact and accuracy of its approach adopted on the target audience. Further, recruiters need to be aware of the image of their organization they are portraying to the external world. A local newspaper advertisement might attract large number of applicants; but there is a strong business case for spending rather more on a substantial advertisement set by professionals conveying to job seekers that the organization compares favourably with others as a place to work. Few methods are ruled out because of time constraints as most personnel specialists may quite often have pressure from line managers to fill vacancies within days instead of weeks. Thus the range of possible recruitment methods gets severely restricted. Under such circumstances, the best option that a firm can adopt is to outsource the task of recruitment and s election to employment agencies, job centres or use personal contacts (Taylor, 2005, p. 169). It may also prove to be beneficial to consider the volume of applications as outcomes that each method is likely to yield and the ability of the personnel department to administer and act upon effectively. An HR Manager should avoid selecting a recruitment methodology which resulted in receiving hundreds of applications for a single unskilled job vacancy and vice versa. For instance, an advertisement seeking application for very senior cadre roles where the widest pool of appropriately qualified individuals is needed to enable the organization to screen out all but the very best candidates. Another example would be the opening of a new plant store leading to the creating a demand for several hundreds of new jobs (Taylor, 2005, p. 169). Proposed References: Torrington, D., Hall, L., and Taylor S. (2002) Human Resource Management. 5th edition. FT Prentice Hall, England Bratton, J. and Gold, J. (2003) Human Resource Management Theory and Practice. 3rd edition. Palgrave Macmillan, New York Searle, R. (2003) Selection and Recruitment a critical text Palgrave Macmillan, UK in association with The Open University 1st edition Storey, J. (2007) Human Resource Management a critical text. 3rd edition. Thomson Learning, London Boxall, P. and Purcell, J. (2008) Strategy and Human Resource Management. 2nd edition. Palgrave Macmillan, New York Taylor, S. (2005) People Resourcing. 3rd edition CIPD, London Beardwell, I. and Holden, L. (2001) Human Resource Management: A Contemporary Approach. FT Prentice Hall: Pearson Education Limited, England Bach, S. (2008) Managing Human Resources: Personnel Management in Transition. 4th edition. Blackwell Publishing, UK Callaghan, G. and Thompson, P. (2002) We recruit attitude: The selection and shaping of routine call centre labour, Journal of Management Studies: 39(2): 233-254 Greeenwood, I. (2007) Recruitment in the retail sector: a large supermarket, Work and Employment Relations Division Teaching Case, University of Leeds **********************

Nutritional Company Herbalife Changing People Lives Marketing Essay

Nutritional Company Herbalife Changing People Lives Marketing Essay A Brief Introduction of Herbalife As founded by Mark Reynolds Hughes, 1980, Herbalife is a nutritional company which aids in the lifestyle and weight management of many people. Their main objective has always been focused on changing peoples lives by meeting the needs of every individual to provide them with a healthy lifestyle. Having been in the industry for 30 years, Herbalife has changed the lives of many people, of any age by providing nutritional and energy supplements and also personal care products, using all natural herbs and resources. Starting from the headquarters of Beverly Hills, California, Herbalife is busily expanding its operation internationally in 73 countries to continuously provide its service to people everyone in the world. With the help of Science on the 5 main focused areas which are research and development, quality assurance, manufacturing, clinical studies and lastly, establishing a Nutrition Advisory Board (NAB). Aside from the research, Herbalife has not only served the society but our planet Earth well, by their own Corporate Social Responsibility program which upholds a value of, We do the right, honest and ethical thing. With this value in their heart, Herbalife has also helped in saving Mother Earth in every way that they could. Promoting the 3Rs, they believe in taking personal responsibility and making their decisions by always thinking about the consequences in everything that they do. Not only caring for our planet, Herbalife has also been concerned for the needy of many children. Mark Hughes created a Herbalife Family Foundation  (HFF) that is dedicated to improve the lives of many children by providing them with the proper healthy nutrition. HFF has also shown continuous support in disaster reliefs over the years. Lastly, Herbalife has never failed to support their employees with a healthy and active lifestyle. By showering them with complimentary products and lowering their health insurance costs, Herbalife has always been keeping their employees at a pink of health. Looking Into The Past Providing and changing the lives of many for 30 years, Herbalife started off with a tragic story Mark Reynolds Hughes, the founder of Herbalife. At just eighteen years of age, Marks mother, Jo Ann Hughes died of an accidental overdose of prescription diet pills. Jo Ann Hughes was a part time model and actress in Los Angeles, who was obsessed in managing her weight and she spent many years in search for a convenient and effective weight loss method. However, in 1970s there were only a few methods and diet pills were the only alternative she could use. The diet pills had a lot of harmful effects on her such as making it difficult for her to sleep, so Jo Ann took plenty of sleeping pills at that time and unfortunately, she died of an overdose. The death of his mother had a great impact on Mark R. Hughes and since then, he dedicated his life to help people lose weight and to improve their health in the safest, most effective and healthiest methods possible. Despite being a school dropout, having no medical and finical background, and no finances to start his business, Mark began to take huge interest in health nutrition especially in Chinese medical herbs. He studied and travelled around China to discover more about the benefits of such herbs on the human body. With much efforts put into studying, testing and refining, Mark brought his first product of Formula 1 into many lives. This meal replacement product helps people lose weight by replacing 2 meals a day while still providing their body with all the nutrition that the cells requires. In February 1980, the 23 year old Mark finally launched Herbalife International in Los Angeles. His first customer of his product was his grandmother Mimi, who had lost about 9kg. Word of the mouth, people began taking more interest in his products and seeing the aftermath, his gain more and more customers and has raised the popularity of Herbalife. Improving, Expanding and Reaching Out In the Years The first launched of his product was a huge success as the sales for just the first month was US$23, 000. Continuous perseverance was paid and shown at the end of the year with a roaring sum of US$2million. With the tremendous success kept in mind, Mark became even more ambitious and had expanded Herbalife to even more countries. He had also established various programmes and created more products along the way. Decades of Herbalife Establishment, Contribution and Success A. In the First Decade (1980 1989) Herbalife managed to expand their business in about 8 countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and even in the United Kingdom. Many new products were also launched in the first decade for example the Formula 1 and 2 and some new hair and skin care products. B. In the Second Decade (1990 1999) With the success of the first decade, Herbalife continue to venture on reaching out to many countries as possible and to its success, Herbalife managed to open in about 40 countries. Hong Kong and Japan were the first Asian countries that had Herbalife. Again, new products were released and introduced, and it manages to launch their new line of colour cosmetics. In 1994, Mark Hughes created Herbalifes global charity organization, called the Herbalife Family Foundation (FFF). C. In the Third Decade (1990 1999) Establishing in another 24 countries, Herbalife never stops growing despite the death of their founder in year 2000. Herbalife opened in the Singapore in 2003. The HFF donates generously to the Katrina and tsunami disaster relief programs in 2005. The HFF has also reached out to many countries to help save many lives. Herbalife has also actively sponsors and contributes in the athletic world. Other products were also launched and Herbalife is proud to introduce their Formula 1 product for kids. Today, Herbalife has reached out to a total of 73 countries and has changed over a million lives. How does Herbalife change the lives of many Changing lives is difficult because mending the diets and keeping a balanced nutrition is a long and tedious process which requires time, patience, perseverance and a correct mind set. To accomplish all of the above, Herbalife always encourages a proper, balanced diet with a few nutritional guidelines and the adequate amount of exercise to live a better lifestyle. Herbalife has come up with some healthy guidelines for maintaining a good and proper nutrition: Staring the day with a healthy breakfast is important because it helps to provide you with energy that you require throughout the day. Recommendations: Formula 1 and Personalized Protein Powder would be the all-in-one healthy breakfast choice that includes all the nutrients required. Do not overeat during the day and unhealthy snacking is not advisable because it is not a good way to lose weight and provide your body with the nutrition. However, snacking in healthy methods such as fruits and vegetables would be good. Your body must be always hydrated by taking sufficient amount of fluids that it requires. Besides water, each individual should be aware of how much nutrients such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins are needed for themselves. Balancing these nutrients will ensure a healthy diet. Besides having a good and balanced nutrition, our body needs to stay fit and active. Herbalife encourages many to exercise regularly because exercising can help to increase metabolism rate, lower the risk of illnesses and diseases, builds up muscles and tone up the body. How does Herbalife business work? Not just having to be a customer, Herbalife has opened a distributor opportunity to everyone. As a Herbalife distributor, you get to change many lives and yet earn an income too. Millions of satisfied customers have joined Herbalife as a distributor and this has increased the popularity of Herbalife over the years. The role of a distributor is to promote and gain as many customers as possible with the correct mindset of promoting healthy lifestyle for everyone. A distributor must also provide a good experience for all customers by delivering the products in person, be courteous to potential customers and provide a great follow-up service by calling and ensuring that the customers are getting positive results with the products, and also to introduce them to new products. To ensure that the customer is satisfied, a distributor must also start by building a strong relationship. Showing a great and genuine interest in meeting the needs of the customers will make them trust them more. The USE, WEAR, TALK Principle The USE, WEAR, TALK is a principle which consists of three simple concepts which all distributors must know and follow. This principle helps many distributor s succeed in their Herbalife business. USE As a distributor, he or she must use the product every day and show positive results because then, their customers will trust them more. Seeing is believing, therefore the distributor have to take Before and After photos of themselves to show their customers that they did it. This will gain trust from their customers and they will want to follow their footsteps. WEAR Wearing refers to the Herbalife buttons and apparel which aids in the promoting and advertising of Herbalife. Buttons such as Lose Weigh Now, Ask Me How! will gain the attention of many and people will want to ask you about what the button meant. This will help distributors start off conversations much easier. TALK When the distributor finally got a customer, he or she needs to use resourceful and the right knowledge about the products, financial success stories and business opportunity to instruct their customer on how to use the Herbalife product efficiently. Lastly, by encouraging customers to be a part of Herbalife as a distributor would serve many benefits to both parties. The customer will gain discounts in all products and he or she is open to a business opportunity which in return, he or she can gain his or her own customers. He or she will also have an opportunity to travel with Herbalife around the world for trainings programmes and various Herbalife events. On the distributor side, if he or she has gain many customers and reached the specific targets, he or she gets even more discounts and profits. With that, he or she can be promoted to higher standards in the Herbalife business and gaining much more benefits. Swot Analysis of Herbalife Strength Weaknesses Opening to many more countries Increase Herbalifes entity with the increase of distributors Frequent road shows to promote Herbalife Lack of customers and their trust, Herbalifes business will suffer losses Competitors of similar companies Products may be banned in some countries due to the different requirements Opportunities Threats Herbalife allowing business opportunities will help many people earn an income More income and expanding business with health conscious society Being a health company, Herbalife can face threats like complains of products By bringing Herbalife to many other countries, the strength of this method could not only expand the business but also change many lives across the globe. With more people joining as distributors, the business will grow faster and more people will know about Herbalife. Lastly, promoting road shows is a strength because with every road show, Herbalife can gain more customers and spread the message across of healthy living to many people. Herbalife has opened their doors to many people for a business opportunity to earn an income for themselves. This job is done leisurely and thus people would not find it a chore to complete a certain task given to them. In todays society, many people demands for a good healthcare system. This gives a huge opportunity for Herbalife to sell its nutritious products faster since the demands keeps increasing. Similarly to many companies, once there is a loss of customers, the company will face a lesser profit at the end of the year. If this persists, the company would face a downfall or even bankruptcy. Since the demand for good healthcare is increasing, more and more companies will open for the same purpose which is to promote and sell their health products too. With such a competitive market, any company whos laid back and not up to date will definitely be on the losing end. Due to the different requirements in the different countries, some health products may be banned as the government agrees that it is not suitable to be sold. If the products do not meet the requirements that are proposed by the country, again Herbalife would lose another opportunity to sell their products. Being a health company, Herbalife can face threats like complaints of products. People who would have complained might have suffered some conditions or find the products inefficient and not working on them. This again will lead to a loss in business. Marketing Mix of Herbalife Product The main purpose of Herbalifes product is to help their customers lead a healthy lifestyle with the appropriate and sufficient nutrients needed for themselves. Not only just selling their nutritious products, Herbalife has also skin and hair care products too. Price Herbalife has a special pricelist for their distributors. As mentioned in the earlier part, when a distributor performs well and reaches the certain target, he or she is entitled to more discounts based on the category they are standing on. For example, Herbalifes main product would be the Formula 1 nutritional milkshake. A customer will purchase this at $77.22. However, if a distributor purchases the same product, he or she is entitled to a 25% discount and the cost of it would be $59.35. The percentage of discount will increase when the distributor is promoted to a higher level. Place Herbalifes Worldwide Corporate Headquarters is located in Los Angeles, USA. In Singapore, Herbalife International Singapore PTE. Ltd was located at Orchard Road. They moved earlier this year (2010) to TripleOne Somerset Road. Promotion Herbalife has always been keen to go public. Distributors are giving free body evaluations almost every day and free health talks once a month. As a normal customer, they can also stand a chance in having a higher percentage discounts when they buy in bulk. Herbalife has come up with a wholesale price scheme which allows their customers to have more discounts when they buy in large amounts. Comparing Herbalife and a Competitor, Cambridge Diet Cambridge Diet The Cambridge Diet is a diet plan developed by Dr. Alan Howard, a research scientist of Cambridge University in 1970. Dr. Alan together with Dr. McLean-Baird researched and created a weight plan that helps people lose weight by consuming their formulated products which contains all the nutrients required. The Cambridge Diet was a success as results proved that it was effective in helping many people to lose weight quickly. Herbalife The Cambridge Diet Serves the purpose of helping people lose and gain weight healthily Main purpose of helping people lose weight effectively only As of today, Herbalife has already been established in 73 countries, worldwide in just 30 years As of today, The Cambridge Diet Plan is sold in 31 countries worldwide in 40 years only. Does not only sells health products but other products like skin and hair care products, cosmetics Only sells health products like meal supplements such as porridges, healthy bars and shakes with a plan to follow for effective results Herbalife products cater for all age groups, from toddlers and kids to adults and elderly. The Cambridge Diet is suitable for people over the age of 16 Involves in many events and helps the world in various ways such as providing funds and help for disaster reliefs; for example establishing of the Herbalife Family Foundation Does not have a charitable organization, is focused mainly on helping people lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle. Why do I compare Herbalife with the Cambridge Diet? Both companies, Herbalife and The Cambridge Diet are similar healthcare companies that provide helps and ways to help people improve their weight problems with nutritional products. However, referring to the table above, both companies are quite different in various ways. The goal for the company may be quite similar however, Herbalife helps both people who are underweight to gain weight and overweight to lose weight. Unlike The Cambridge Diet which only helps people lose weight. Herbalife is more successful in selling their products and expanding their business over the world. This can be seen in the number of countries where their availability is found. Herbalife does not only focus on a certain age group and thus, it is well-rounded in providing for everyone needs. Lastly, Herbalife thinks for the society and is responsible and helpful in doing their part for Mother Earth. Opening a charitable organisation would already benefit and save many lives. To sum it up, Herbalife can be seen to be more successful and has achieved many goals over the years. It is more established and has thoughtful in providing the needs for people of all ages. The Final Climb to Success After the tragic death of Herbalifes founder, Mark Hughes, the company faced many struggles that caused damages to the companys reputation. Lawsuits after lawsuits were filed on Herbalife that caused the companys sales to decrease from $1,085.5 million in 2000, to $1,020.1 million in 2001. The decision was then made to sell the company. Herbalife was invested by private firms Whitney Co. and Golden Gate Capital in 2002. Michael O. Johnson, who was also the President of The Walt Disney Company for 17 years, became the CEO of Herbalife. Under the direction of Michael O. Johnson, Herbalifes sales began climbing steadily from $1,309.7 million in 2004, to $2,324.6 million in 2009. In 2007, Michael O. Johnson became the Chairman of Herbalife. With such a talented leader for Herbalife and the never dying spirit of Herbalife, the sales have grown to $2.7 billion today. Only with the help of Michael O. Johnson, Herbalife was able to get in the road of success once again. Conclusion Over 30 years, Herbalife has proved that failure is never a dead end and only with the countless number of tries, Herbalife is proud to be where it is now. Today, Herbalife has continuously been improving, researching and expanding their business worldwide. With the strong beliefs, values and missions, I believe Herbalife will prosper even further.