Noli Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo Essay Example for Free

Noli Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo Essay Both novels, the Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) and the El Filibusterismo, (The Filibuster) inspired by the patriotic ideals of national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, depict the abuses suffered by the native indios at the hands of Spanish tyrants. The Noli paints us an ugly, yet clear picture of the so-called social cancer that deteriorates the society. The first of those two masterfully-crafted works, the Noli lays the most liberal, realistic and fearless view of the countrys well-being during the 300-year Spanish regime. It illustrates the rotten system of governance, the illicit ways of the church and the unfavorable trade of the privilege class. The Noli also relates how the government, the church and the privilege class manipulate the people. The government deprives the youth of education and how they use the peoples ignorance to their advantage. The treacherous friars by means of God and faith controlled the people, making them dummies of all sorts. On the other hand, the privilege class used their elite status to get ahead of everybody, by hook or by crook employing the me first attitude. In the Noli, the weak and disposed seemingly lose hope resulting to unfortunate deaths (as the case Pilisopo Tasyo) and sometimes insanity. (as the case of Sisa) Hence the oppressed formed a brotherhood that hopes to liberate the country by use of force. To no avail, due to disorganization and lack of arms, each and every attempt at resistance failed. In Noli, the character of Juan Crisostomo Ibarra was introduced, an intelligent and promising young man who has high hopes of changing the course of the country.

Boston Consulting Group Matrix (BCG) Explained

Boston Consulting Group Matrix (BCG) Explained The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) growth-share matrix is a very vital inclusion in marketing or strategic management. The Boston Matrix developed by Bruce Henderson in the early 70s of the Boston Consulting Group. Even thou considering the flaws in the model, the Boston Consulting Group model is one of the most famous portfolio management tool implemented in product life cycle theory. It can provide effective guidance towards resource distribution. The BCG matrix works on two variables: market share and market growth. This variables point at the status of the organisation. It can be also stated as, products which have a greater market share or fall in the fast growing category can yield higher profit margins. It basically serves four distinctive purposes: It can be used to categories products portfolio in four types namely Stars (high growth, high market share) , Cash Cows (low growth, high market share), Question Marks (high growth, low market share) Dogs (low growth, low market share); it can be used to prioritize products in the products portfolio; classifying products on the bases of cash usage and generation; helps generating strategies to tackle possible product lines. Hence, the BCG model proves to be a useful analytical tool to value a companys product ranges. The four cells classified in the BCG are: Stars This category holds the market leaders which also have greater market share. The products in this category generate large amount of income but also require heavy investment to sustain market share rapid growth. Cash Cows The products in this category basically have high market share in an already developed market. They generate high profits and generate good cash flow. Such products do not require much investment as they are already established products. Question Marks Question marks are products which fall in a high growth market with relatively low market share. Such products require considerable investment to hold and increase the market share. The return on investment is also low due to the lack of market share. Dogs Dogs thrive in a low growth market with a low share. They do not generate any effective profits for the company and show little signs of growth. Such products should be generally liquidated. Although BCG matrix is a well-known tool for portfolio analysis, it has numerous constraints too. Some of them are: The foremost and important problem is how to define the market and collection of data regarding a products market share. It is not necessary that a product with a high market share result in profitability at all times. The model only works on two aspects namely market share and market growth. Businesses with low market share can also be profitable. It only rates the products on the bases of one competitor i.e. the market leader. It overlooks small competitors with high rate of growth. It overlooks the effects of synergy between strategic business units. Internal and External Audits The marketing audit forms a very core part of the marketing planning process. Audits are undertaken at the beginning of the plan, as well as at fixed intervals during the execution of the plan. The marketing audit consists of both internal and external influences on marketing planning, also considering the review of the plan itself. Many tools and methods are available to undertake such audits, e.g. SWOT analysis which can be used for auditing internal as well as external environment. Altogether such marketing audits help evaluate the opportunities and threats, and help the marketing heads to assess and make necessary changes to the plan. Many a times when things start going downhill in a company in ways like falling sales, weakening margins, reducing market share, the need for an audit spurges up. Management often overlook the actual problem and work towards the wrong symptoms. Launching of new products, reducing costs, cutting costs are some of the tactics used. Such measures are highly ineffective, if core problems are not addressed. Such problems have to be effectively identified and auditing helps in defining such problems. Internal Audit Internal audit consist of controllable variables in a firm. Internal audit helps in evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of an organisation which provide certain advantages and can relate to the needs of the specific target market. Strengths can be classified as internal factors which can support an organisation accomplish its objectives or to reduce threats. Weaknesses are factors which may hamper the organisational growth and foil organisations from achieving their targets. Some of the areas of internal audit in order to analyse the internal factors of a company are:- Resources, sales, market share, profit margin, costs, marketing procedures, marketing organisation, marketing information, marketing mix variables as : Products, Price, Distribution, Promotion. External Audit External audit is related with the uncontrollable variables, outside the firm such as the market, the competitor, etc. The external audit is concerned with factors such as political-legal, economic, social-cultural and technological (also known as PEST or STEP), with these the ecological and competitive factors which may stand opportunities or pose threats. An opportunity can be termed as an external factor which the company can exploit to gain higher profits margins. A threat can be any external circumstances that could curtain organisational performance. Areas of analyses for external audit include information regarding customers, suppliers, partners, market share, technical standards; customer feedback through surveys, suggestions, complaints; government, academic or syndicated studies of the market, the industry, competition; industry groups; employees, suppliers, and other partners; media and online reports; special interest group (Woods, 2007)*. SWOT TOWS It is very an important part of planning to understand the environment an organisation operates. SWOT analysis summarises a companys strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. SWOT analysis is a tool for auditing a company and its environment. It is conducted at the initial stage of planning and helps point out the key issues. SWOT is an acronym used to define Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats which are strategic factors for a company, where the strengths and weaknesses form the internal factor, opportunities and threats are external factors to the firm. Where SWOT analysis is a tool used to identify business strategies for an organisation to adopt. It comprises of specifying and grouping together internal organisational strengths and weaknesses and environmental opportunities and threats. In real life scenario this is not so viable as although having all identified all the information in hand, the problem arises of what to do with the information. Whereas, the TOWS matrix is a mechanism which helps in explaining the strategy rather than just helping in its generation. The TOWS matrix (Weihrich, 1982)* presents a mechanism for facilitating linkages and presents a framework for identifying and formulating strategies. In order to conduct Strategic management, brief market research needs be carried out using accurate information systems to evaluate key issues in the company and environment. Factors such as: Market Research External and internal which may affect a company. Target customers. Driving forces behind sales trends. Company Research Information of company resources assets, I. P., etc. Information of company capabilities. Competition Research Competitive edge. Needs of products and services. The information thus collected needs to be scanned and evaluated into four elements: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, where in opportunities and threats are used to analyse the external factors and strengths and weaknesses are used to analyse the internal factors. It is very important to bear in mind that internal and external factors should clearly distinguished, as it may obscure both the management approach and decision making body. The SWOT TOWS process can carry on till the time the body feels it is productive, as long as the information is properly evaluated and refined by discussions and arguments. At the end, the points put forward should be agreed by the whole board on which points to reject and which to retain, so the final gird will contain only the key strategic marketing external opportunities and the key strategic internal strengths and weakness. As concluded by Tony Proctor (2000)* with his case study on over 50 organisations, that practising such tec hniques have helped the organisations in gaining greater insights in the process of strategy creation and have helped structure their thinking process and have helped them profoundly in coming up with better strategic ideas. Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning process The STP process is a very important process in a marketing strategy as it helps the organisation in creating personalised marketing mix packages which target specific group of the market segment with similar characteristics and needs. The STP process consists of three main activities: market segmentation, market targeting and market positioning. The level and category of segmentation process employed varies significantly depending factors like Dimension of the organisation Point at which it is carried in the marketing planning process Financial position of the organisation Current market position Segmenting targeting positioning (STP) consist of different steps as stated by Pelsmacker and Geuens (2007)* namely, definition of segmentation criteria, definition of segment profiles, assessment of the attractiveness of segments, selection of target groups, definition of the desired unique position in the mind of targeted consumers. The STP implementation begins with defining potential factors based on which segmentation of the market can be carried. The market segments created should further be divided in to generalized subgroups, in which the members of one group should respond identically to marketing stimuli and be different in their reaction to such stimuli from members of other segments. For example, the furniture market can be disturbed into different groups such as home and business market. Further division of these segments can be carried out such as, home market can include segments like student home furniture, classic furniture, design furniture etc.; likewise business segment can be divided into office furniture, hotel furniture etc. In the next stage, Points in each segment can be combined to form segmentation profiles. On the basis of identified segmentation profiles, their attractiveness can be assessed. The attractiveness of the segments depends on many factors like the size and forecasted progression of sales, buying power and competition amount targeted for the segment. Considering the analysis of segment attractiveness, a number of target groups will be selected which will be focused upon, keeping in mind the companys strengths. This process is called targeting. Further objectives, strategies and tactics created will circle around these particular groups. In the end, the organisation has to create a unique and appropriate position for its product in the mind of the target group. Positioning can be defined as how a product is perceived by the target group based on its important attributes. Positioning is one of the fundamental element of marketing strategy and of marketing communications.

Analysis of Still Life With Peppermint Bottle by Paul Cezanne Essay

Analysis of Still Life With Peppermint Bottle by Paul Cezanne Paul Cezanne is considered one of the greatest and most memorable artists of the Post-Impressionist period. His techniques were admired and greatly influential in the development of Cubism and many other modern art movements. He employed several styles in his works, such as his still life productions. In 1894 he produced a brilliant piece of work entitled â€Å"Still Life with a Peppermint Bottle†. Through this work he used elaborate techniques that most artists had not even discovered during his era. Cezanne mastered the technique of still life. In his paintings he used random objects such as a peppermint bottles and fruit (these examples taken from his painting, ‘Still Life with a Peppermint Bottle’), which symbolized the private part of man’s nature. Jane Roberts supports this idea in stating that, â€Å" †¦ man will gladly surround himself with beloved knick knacks with which he can be isolated with and alone†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Roberts 213). She goes on to say that these objects are contemplative in nature, allowing man to sit and ponder their meaning. When I speak of contemplation, I mean that every object is taken into account and their meaning of existence and placement are reflected upon. The fruit on the table has many other meanings besides being edible or for human use. By observing the fruit, you come to realize that the fruit is not being used for a human purpose, such as for food. It is something to be contempla...

War and Peaceful Fables :: Stories War Peace Essays

War and Peaceful Fables War stories, fantasy stories, sci-fi and simplistic fable stories, the list trails on like fans behind a famous actor. From books or movies to computer games and music videos, the element of story penetrates a broad array of interests; the public longs for engaging stories and seeks them in any form they can. Keeping this in mind, please do not be shocked when I state that gruesome war stories and simple fables are, in principle, one in the same. Of course, I dont deny that one form of story may be more preferable for readers. However, we can know that the meaning of story (a written work that shows character and the motivations that spring from it) puts such extremely different stories and genres on the same plane. In The Things They Carried, Tim OBriens mastery of the concept of character comes through to us clearly. He portrays Lieutenant Jimmy Crosss inner struggles and unpredictable actions in such a way that we can identify with himeven though the lieutenants character comes out under the stress of war, and ours may not. Just like many an average person, Lieutenant Cross adds to his burden, physical and mental, by carrying pictures and letters from his love, Martha. He knows she really doesnt love him, but, from the pressure of war, he turns by default to the comfort of his far away love, countering the harsh reality. The second sentence of the selection of The Things They Carried begins with, They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping (706). This quote shows what the letters meant to Cross, and why he carried them. He and the other men cling to material things in this mannerwhether it be love or dope, tranquilizers or too much ammunition, or even slingshots and comic book s. Doesnt this seem a silly thing for soldiers to do? Maybe. But their reactions to war are certainly realistic. OBrien continues to expand character throughout the piece. In the lieutenants mind, the pressure and even pointlessness of war grows with its morbidity and loss. But it was not a battle, just an endless march without purpose (713). OBrien continues this prose with revealing that the men would often discard things. Purely for comfort they would throw away rations (713). But no matter how they discarded the objects that they needed physically, it was so difficult to shed the emotional weight They carried all the baggage of men who might die (716).

The Role of Music in Thomas Hardys Writing :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Role of Music in Thomas Hardy's Writing Music played a role of marked importance in the life of Thomas Hardy. Hardy was surrounded by a family and a community in which music enhanced everything from church services to social gatherings at the local alehouse. His family was full of active musicians; his father and grandfather were instrumentalists in local church bands, his uncle was a violin player, and his mother often sang traditional ballads. Like many village musicians, Hardy had the ability to read music and play the violin. Although he owned a written collection of music, Hardy, like other villagers, focused on an oral musical tradition. Hardy could play several hundred songs on the violin, and was exposed to countless others at family, village, and church gatherings. This music, and the rural tradition out of which it grew, were foundations on which Hardy built a literary identity. Through the incorporation of music into his works, Hardy strove to preserve the musical traditions of his familiar rural settings. In his prose, Hardy used music as a means to evoke emotional responses from his characters. The introduction of music into a lush, fertile nature, such as that described in chapter XIX of Tess of the d'Urbervilles, resulted in a heightened sensuality of the character. As Tess walked through the outskirts of the garden, the music of Angel's harp intensified both her physical and emotional states. In chapter VI of Far From the Madding Crowd, Gabriel Oak sought respite from his sorrow through "the sound of the well-known notes [that] cheered his own heart."(Hardy) By playing his flute in the malthouse, Gabriel shared his joy in music with the townspeople. Hardy incorporated a traditional piece of rural life into his novels using folk songs and church music. He presented folk music in Tess of the d'Urbervilles as a symbolic link between Tess's past and her present circumstances. Tess is reminded of a lullaby sung to her as a child as she is trying on her wedding gown. At that point she realizes the significance of the familiar tune with the current events in her life. In Under the Greenwood Tree, Hardy relied on traditional church hymns to develop the Christmas caroling scene with the Mellstock Church Choir. The tradition of caroling in these rural societies exemplifies the role of church music in the lives of the rustic people. Hardy extensively used music in both the structural composition and thematic development of his poetry.

Importance of Descipline in Life Essay

Discipline means abiding by, or adhering to, certain rules or norms of social life. Discipline is what a person imposes on himself taking it as his duty to God, to society, or to some other institution. It remands a strict control over an individual’s rights and privilege, which if allowed swelling uncurbed and unregulated may result in disorder and anarchy in social and political life of a country. Discip ¬line is vital to a successful life. Without discipline army is reduced to a disordered mob, democracy degenerates into monocracy and social life becomes chaotic and anarchical. Nature provides the best example of discipline in life. In nature all the planets move in their orbit; the seasons change in accordance with a set order, day and night follow each other at regular intervals, Man must take lessons from Nature. Our life should be punctuated with discipline. Discipline is of prime importance in every sphere of man’s life. In a family, members have to work as a cohesive team under the charge of the ‘Pater families’ i. e. , the father or the bread-winner. But if the sense of discipline is not instilled into the minds of the members, each going his own way in his own manner, life in the family becomes a living hell, in our social life, we are required to follow certain norms of behavior and make a harmonious adjustment between our rights and duties. Without this our social life will become a mess and will soon go out of gear. Even in small day-to-day things like walking along the road, boarding a bus, buying a ticket from the counter or doing, or getting a work done in a govern ¬ment office, citizens must show a sense of discipline. Discipline is the backbone of the political life of a nation. If a political party is torn by internal rife or differences, or if it suffers from groupies or indiscipline, it cannot commend any prestige or following of the common man. If a leader is undisciplined, he cannot even dream of becoming a beloved leader of the people. Discipline and democracy go hand in hand. Democracy necessitates a balance between rights and duties, between ‘self-regarding actions’ and ‘other regarding actions’. But if in a democracy discipline is lacking, it will function like a fast running automobile without brakes. It is bound to result in chaos, and be replaced by a dictatorship or a totalitarian government sooner or later. Discipline is necessary both for the teacher and the students. A teacher is the leader of his charges; He must possess and main ¬tain an intellectual and moral discipline of a high order. However learned and scholarly a teacher may be, but if in his personal life he leads an undisciplined life, he will never be able to win and com ¬mand the respect and obedience of students. Similarly, only a dedi ¬cated and disciplined student can carve out a brilliant career for himself and serve the motherland. Wanton indulgence in indiscipline, strikes, demonstrations, drug-addiction, beating up of teachers in examinations, molestation of girls, boycotting classes, defying the authorities and fighting pitched battles with the police, which has become the bane of student life in free India of today are, in a way, the negation of the-very theme and purpose of the student life. Dis ¬ciplined students are the pillars of a nation’s strength and with their strength of character they can lift a nation to the great heights of progress. Some people entertain the erroneous belief that discipline is a constraint on liberty and self-fulfillment. They are averse to disciplined and they reach very sharply whenever some restrictions are im ¬posed. This is not correct. This type of freedom degenerates into license. We must realize that discipline alone can ensure all-round progress and advancement of the country. In fact, discipline is the basic principle behind the progress and smooth working of an individual and a nation. It is essential for the preservation of social values. But discipline should be inborn and self-imposed rather than externally imposed.

PepsiCo restaurants Essay

I. Introduction The key question is whether PepsiCo should expand its restaurant business by pursuing the purchase of CARTS OF COLORADO, a $7 million manufacturer and merchandiser of mobile food carts and kiosks, and CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN, a $34 million restaurant chain in the casual dining segment. II. Analysis of the main problemPepsiCo has 3 main segments: soft drinks (35% of PepsiCo’s sales and 39% of its operating profits in 1991), snack foods (29% of PepsiCo’s sales and 35% of its operating profits) and restaurants (36% of PepsiCo’s sales and 26% of its operating profits). In the early 1990’s PepsiCo’s three restaurant chains (KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut) were the leaders in their respective segment. PepsiCo’s senior management believes its ability to move people within and across divisions gives PepsiCo a competitive advantage in the restaurant segment. PepsiCo believes their restaurants perform due to their strong management teams; which are developed within the corporation. PepsiCo would like to utilize their competitive advantage in running restaurants with PepsiCo managers by adding California Pizza Kitchen and CARTS OF COLORADO to the PepsiCo portfolio. Despite PepsiCo’s success with KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut it had difficulty expanding La Petite Boulangerie, a three-unit bakery chain it purchased in 1982. The large overhead for La Petite Boulangerie made the company unprofitable and Pepsi sold it in 1987 for a $13 million loss. The unsuccessful venture into La Petite Boulangerie suggested that although PepsiCo managers were gifted and could be easily moved across divisions; the moves would not always guarantees a successful business expansion. Therefore, the main problem for PepsiCo management is to decide whether it can successfully purchase and administer CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN and CARTS OF COLORADO. This is in light of the fact that PepsiCo believes it has a competitive advantage in the skillfulness of its managers that was not borne out in the unsuccessful La Petite Boulangerie bakery endeavor. III. Recommendations PepsiCo can be categorized as a related diversifier. Approximately 30% of its revenue is split between its 3 main industrial  categories. PepsiCo’s business units share common resources and skills. Historically companies that take a corporate strategy of related diversification perform the best (GBS_634M lecture notes). Therefore on the surface it would appear that diversification by acquiring CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN and CARTS OF COLORADO would be an excellent strategic decision. However, in arguments described below; the evidence does not support a recommendation for PepsiCo to purchase Carts of Colorado or CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN. IV. Justification for recommendations PepsiCo is a lucrative company and therefore does not need to diversify into CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN and CARTS OF COLORADO to maintain it profitability. From 1987-1991 PepsiCo’s sales doubled, income from continuing operations grew at a compound rate of more than 20%, and the company’s value on the stock market tripled (PepsiCo restaurant Case, pg. 4, and Exhibit 3). Eight key reasons NOT to diversify into CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN and CARTS OF COLORADO. It is poor rationale for PepsiCo to diversify into CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN and CARTS OF COLORADO simply to reduce risk. The restaurant business is cyclical. Some restaurants will be profitable, while some will not be profitable. PepsiCo’s shareholders can diversify risk by purchasing shares in CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN and CARTS OF COLORADO themselves. Furthermore, it is not an appropriate strategy for PepsiCo management to over-diversify to protect their personal wealth. Maintaining growth is not a good basis to diversify into CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN or CARTS OF COLORADO. Most shareholders would rather hold shares in a small profitable company, not a big unprofitable company. As a shareholder, there is only a benefit if PepsiCo makes a profit. Currently PepsiCo is making a profit. Although managers benefit from growth regardless of profit or loss , growth for the sake of growth is not an appropriate reason to diversify. Although PepsiCo can use CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN and CARTS OF COLORADO to balance cash flow by funneling cash from its large business units to the smaller CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN and CARTS OF COLORADO business units; this is not recommended. Even thought PepsiCo has the capability of doing this an individual shareholder can do this for himself. The counterargument would be that PepsiCo managers can do a better job balancing cash flow than shareholders because the corporation can be more tax efficient than the individual shareholder. But this alone is not a sufficient reason to diversify. The acquisition of CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN and CARTS OF COLORADO will not create synergy within the PepsiCo corporate strategy. PepsiCo already has a Pizza segment (i.e. Pizza Hut) and does not have experience in the mobile food cart segment. Diversifying into these two market segments will not produce corporate synergy where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. One good reason for PepsiCo to diversity into CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN and CARTS OF COLORADO is the sharing of infrastructure and to create economies of scope. PepsiCo is currently saving money because they are competing in several different industries (ie. Soft drinks, snack foods, and restaurants). These business units share the support structure and therefore the reduced costs. While Pepsi’s economy of scope can be used to distribute chips just as well as soft drinks it is not apparent that they can deliver well in the niche restaurant market like CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN (refer back to La Petite Boulangerie misfortune). If PepsiCo were to sell two or more different products simultaneously that would be beneficial by creating an economy of scope. For example, if PepsiCo could distribute Pepsi soft drinks and California Pizza from a cart they would have justification for the acquisition of CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN and CARTS OF COLORADO because they would be sharing common infrastructure that would make them unique. The uniqueness would make it very difficult for competitors to imitate and would be a reason to diversify. But there are currently no mechanisms to sell California Pizza’s from a cart. Therefore at this time, sharing of  infrastructure is not a good justification for PepsiCo to diversify into these two markets. It is not apparent that PepsiCo will increase its market power if they acquire CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN and CARTS OF COLORADO. PepsiCo already has multiple business units that buy from the same set of suppliers and sell to same set of customers. They have used this to gain market power. It is not apparent that adding CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN or CARTS OF COLORADO to the fold will increase PepsiCo’s market share significantly. It could be argued that by acquiring CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN and CARTS OF COLORADO PepsiCo is exploiting core competence. Although this is generally a good reason to diversify by generating more revenue opportunity and competing in several markets; this is not a good initiative for PepsiCo in the situation with CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN and CARTS OF COLORADO. In order to exploit core competencies, PepsiCo’s business units must be related, so they share the same set of skills. In order for this strategy to be successful, the benefits to PepsiCo have to be unavailable to PepsiCo’s competitors. If PepsiCo’s competitors can gain the same advantage, then PepsiCo will not have a strategic benefit. Although the Colorado Carts are unique, they can be duplicated by the competition (e.g. California Carts, All-Star Carts, Creative Mobile systems). With regards to CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN, other pizza restaurants can reproduce the unique flavors and styles of pizza. Therefore, PepsiCo will not be exploiting its core competence and should not diversify. If PepsiCo is contemplating CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN and CARTS OF COLORADO as good ‘turnaround projects’ then this is not a justification for diversification. CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN is a profitable company. CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN has increased both sales and net income from 1990 to 1991. CARTS OF COLORADO has also shown an increase in sales and operating income from 1985-1991. The management teams of both companies appear to be performing well. Therefore the ‘turnaround’ potential is not a good reason to diversify. CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN and CARTS OF COLORADO do not fit into the PepsiCo Corporate strategyWhere does PepsiCo compete?There may be a market opportunity for PepsiCo in the acquisition of CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN and CARTS OF COLORADO, but that does not necessarily imply that PepsiCo should take the opportunity. The overall scope of PepsiCo is on convenient foods and beverages. The acquisition of CARTS OF COLORADO would certainly be in-line with PepsiCo’s focus of providing foods and beverages at well-situated locations. However, PepsiCo does not have experience in the placement of mobile food carts and therefore PepsiCo would be at a disadvantage to those more experienced in the mobile cart business. There is even less evidence for a distinctive market opportunity for PepsiCo with the acquisition of CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN. PepsiCo already owns Pizza Hut and therefore has a place in the dine-in and take-out pizza business. Although CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN is suited for more upscale markets with unique flavors and tastes, Pizza Hut could introduce similar unique flavors and tastes. In addition Pizza Hut has stores across the United States and internationally, while CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN has a limited geographic scope. It currently operates only 25 restaurants in eight states (PepsiCo case, pg. 15). The offbeat pizzas may not sell well across the United States and internationally. For example, jerk-chicken pizza may sell very well in Beverly Hills, CA but not sell well in Peoria, Illinois or Duesseldorf, Germany. How does PepsiCo compete?PepsiCo’s corporate strategy allows for transfer of resources (i.e. managers) across their business units. PepsiCo’s philosophy is â€Å"We take eagles and teach them to fly in formation† (PepsiCo case, pg. 3). Therefore PepsiCo may have a strategic advantage by transferring managers from one of its current business units to CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN or CARTS OF COLORADO. For example, one manager could transfer her knowledge from a position at Pizza Hut to CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN relatively transparently; although it may be more difficult to transfer knowledge from Pizza Hut to the food carts and kiosks; the business of Colorado Carts. PepsiCo does transfers resources which fit well with the CARTS OF COLORADO  enterprise. PepsiCo can place a Cart outside a shopping mall on the street selling food. At some carts PepsiCo could offer KFC or Taco Bell while offering a Pepsi soft drink; maybe put forward some Frito lays chips. But this strategy does not fit well with the idea of the upscale CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN being directly near a KFC or Taco Bell in a mega-mall food court. How does PepsiCo execute?PepsiCo, although a very large corporate office, has an execution strategy in which they let the managers go at their own pace. They have a ‘decentralized organization’ (PepsiCo case pg. 4). PepsiCo managers are rewarded on a two-phase system; reporting performance first to direct managers then to upper level managers. In order to be promoted managers of CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN and CARTS OF COLORADO would have to perform very well relative to all of the remaining PepsiCo restaurants. Because all of the other PepsiCo restaurants are at the top of their respective segments it will be a challenge for managers of CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN and CARTS OF COLORADO to surpass other PepsiCo business units. Therefore the managers will not be incentivized as well managing CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN or CARTS OF COLORADO. Therefore, diversifying into California Pizza Kitchen and CARTS OF COLORADO is not copasetic with the PepsiCo corporate strategy. V. Summary. The acquisition of CARTS OF COLORADO and CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN will not lead toward the fulfillment of PepsiCo’s mission which is â€Å"To be the world’s premier consumer products company focused on convenient foods and beverages and seeks to produce healthy financial rewards to investors as they provide opportunities for growth and enrichment to their employees, their business partners and the communities in which they operate. And in everything they do, to strive for honesty, fairness and integrity.† (http://www.pepsico.com/PEP_Company/Overview/index.cfm)PepsiCo’s management should take the â€Å"guilty until proven innocent† approach and not diversify into these two business segments. As described in the preceding paragraphs  at this time there is not sufficient and convincing evidence to support the need for diversification into CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN or CARTS OF COLORADO. References: 1. http://www.pepsico.com/PEP_Company/Overview/index.cfm2. www.cpk.com3. PepsiCo restaurants. 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