IP Subnetting

As part of your assigned readings and material covered in your class lecture, you have learned about IP subnetting including the math involved. For this assignment, you will answer questions relating to IP subnetting.Resources: Textbook Lecture materials and notesDeliverables Answer the questions in the following section. Turn in your responses to your instructor. Be sure to show your work, meaning your steps to convert binary to decimal, etc.Questions: 1. How many bits of mask are required to provide 30 host addresses? 27 Mask=255.255.255.2242. How many networks will be created using a 255.255.0.0 given a class A IP network (i.e., 10.0.0.0)? 2563. What would be the dotted decimal equivalent o the slash notation of /30? 255.255.255.2524. What would be the dotted decimal equivalent o the slash notation of /8? 255.0.0.05. What would be the dotted decimal equivalent o the slash notation of /17? 255.255.128.06. What would be the dotted decimal equivalent o the slash notation of /12? 255. 240.0.07. Given 9 bits of mask for the host portion, how many host addresses are available? 5108. Given 13 bits of mask for the host portion, how many host addresses are available? 81909. Given 3 bits of mask for the host portion, how many host addresses are available? 610. Given 8 bits of mask for the network portion, how many subnets are available? 102411. Given 4 bits of mask for the network portion, how many subnets are available? 819212. Explain the reasoning behind the concept of â€Å"subnet zero.†Prior to Cisco IOS Software Release 12.0, the ip subnet-zero global configuration command was required to be able to configure subnet zero on an interface, but in v12.0 this command became part of the default configuration and is now utilized in network addressing.13. For a network address, what does the host portion of the address appear as in binary representation? 014. For a broadcast address, what does the host portion of the address appear as in binary representation? 25 515. Complete the table below: IP Address Dotted Decimal Subnet Mask Broadcast Address8.2.6.5/16 255.255.0.0 8.2.255.255 133.3.103.9/25 255.255.255.128 133.3.103.125 192.168.9.67/26 255.255.255.192 192.168.9.61 4.3.222.9/20 255.255.240.0 4.3.15.255 192.168.9.67/26 255.255.255.192 192.168.9.61Use the following pages to show your work for Question 15 or any other question.IP Subnetting Work:IP Subnetting Work:

Benefits and Costs of Economic Growth

Economic growth is defined as the sustained increase in real GDP or GNP per capita over time. Economic growth is desirable for an economy as it increases its real national income and standards of living for its people in general. Although it is desirable, economic growth does have its benefits and costs. One benefit would be increased levels of consumption. Provided economic growth outstrips population growth, it will lead to higher real income per head. This can lead to higher levels of consumption of goods and services. With economic growth there will be improvement in business expectations, leading to increase in investment. Firms replace worn-out/ obsolete capital or invest in new capital. There will also be expansion of demand, leading to increased output. Existing idle capacity and unemployed labour are utilised. This result in more people being employed, thus increasing the level of consumption within the country. If human welfare is related to the level of consumption, then growth provides an obvious gain to society. Next, it can help to avoid other macroeconomic problems. People aspire to higher living standards. Without a growth in productive potential, people’s demands for rising incomes are likely to lead to higher inflation, balance of payments crises(as more imports are purchased), etc. Growth in productive potential helps to meet these aspirations and avoid macroeconomic crises. Moreover, economic growth makes it easier to redistribute incomes to the poor. If incomes rise, the government can redistribute incomes from the rich to the poor without the rich losing. For example, as people’s incomes rise, they automatically pay more taxes. These extra revenues for the government can be spent on programmes to alleviate poverty. Without a continuing rise in national income, the scope for helping the poor is much more limited. Society may also feel that it can afford to care more for the environment. As people grow richer, they may become less preoccupied with their own private consumption and more concerned to live in a clean environment. Economic growth, though resulting in many economic and social benefits to the people in the country, is not without its costs. Firstly it could result in reduced current consumption. To achieve faster growth, firms will probably need to invest more. This will require financing. The finance can come from higher saving, higher retained profits or higher taxes. Either way, there must be a cut in consumption. In the short run, therefore, higher growth leads to less consumption, not more. Next, growth involves changes in production: both in terms of the goods produced and in terms of the techniques used and the skills required, the more rapid the rate of growth, the more rapid the rate of change. People may find that their skills are no longer relevant. Their jobs may be replaced by machines. People may thus find themselves unemployed, or forced to take low-paid, unskilled work. A richer society may be more concerned for the environment, but it is also likely to do more damage to it. The higher the level of consumption, the higher is likely to be the level of pollution and waste. What is more, many of the environmental costs are likely to be underestimated due to lack of scientific knowledge. Acid rain and the depletion of the ozone layer have been 2 examples. Lastly, it could deplete our non-renewable resources. If growth involves using a greater amount of resources, rather than using the same amount of resources more efficiently, certain non-renewable resources will run out more rapidly. Unless viable alternatives can be found for various minerals and fossil fuels, present growth may lead to shortages for future generations. In conclusion, economic growth can have both benefits and costs depending on certain factors. Moreover it is desirable as long as the benefits outweigh the costs.

Importance of the Humanities Essay

There has been much debate about the importance and benefits of funding the humanities in school. Many people are of the view that the study of the humanities is a waste of time and that more money and effort should be expended on teaching the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). On the other hand there is the school of thought which express the importance of maintaining the humanities. Others like Christina Paxson in the article â€Å"The Economic Case for Saving the Humanities† have posited the view that there be a â€Å"cross pollination between the sciences and the humanities†. I am of the view that the humanities are essential and should remain an integral part of the education system. Like Paxson I agree that individuals should be exposed to both the humanities and the STEM disciplines. The humanities are basically the study of the different ways in which people from different parts of the world and during different periods of history have processed and documented the human experience. It is the humanities that we have used to make sense of the world in which we live and also to make records of our experiences. Humans have made sense of the world in which they live through philosophy, literature, religion, art, music, history and language. Having records of human experiences allows individuals to feel connected to those who were before us and also our contemporaries. I strongly believe that the study of humanities is important because not only does it allow us to understand the world in which we live but it also gives us insight into everything and brings clarity to our future. By doing the humanities individuals learn to think creatively and critically. They know how to ask questions and to reason. According to Paxson we need to create well rounded individuals who will be experts in any situation. She argues that the country does not need experts in one subject but a civil society in which everyone can provide meaningful insight into any topic of conversation. As Paxson points out we are living in a global world. As such it is important that we have knowledge of other cultures in order to negotiate our way in this complex village. The United States for example have to form relationships with other countries and it is important that the powers that be know who they are dealing with. Paxson cites the example of the importance of having experts in Arabic and the history of Islam after the September 11 attacks. Through their knowledge the US gained insight into what motivated these individuals and how to possibly respond to them. Knowledge of these people would not have been possible without the study of humanities. The humanities provide us with a number of intellectual and emotional skills that we need to have in order to operate in our society. These are not acquired naturally but rather through the study of a number of humanities. The humanities helped me a lot in my last job at a bank. It strengthened my communication skills both in written and spoken word. I was able to communicate with internal customers, coworkers, easily and without being socially awkward. I was also able to challenge and make recommendations to policies in a respectful manner. I dealt with external customers promptly and efficiently due to the fact that I was able to understand their transactions and queries. In the first part of the video â€Å"Why Look at Art† a lady says, â€Å"I think it’s important [that] people look at art, because we live in a visual world. † This is true; we definitely live in a visual world. Look at it this way, if it was not for art, computers and other electronic devices could only be used by programmers as they were just a series of codes and commands. The introduction of the GUI, Graphic User Interface, solved this problem. The GUI had images that everyone could relate and easy to use. If it was not for art these devices would not be as successful as they are today and would not form the backbone to our means of communication. Throughout this paper I have sought to highlight the importance of humanities as a course of study. Humanities encompasses a wide range of areas that can be applied to our daily existence and enhance our interpersonal interactions, it is therefore important that the humanities remain an integral part of one’s educational experience. This is basically to ensure that one becomes wellrounded, socially accepted individuals.

Causes and Consequences of high Staff Turnover Levels in the Retail Essay

Causes and Consequences of high Staff Turnover Levels in the Retail Industry - Essay Example where this phenomenon is clearer, but the fact is that the high staff turnover level has become a common problem in most organizations while the efforts made should be characterized as rather inadequate. Specifically for the retail sector, the high staff turnover level can be explained by the severe turbulences that characterize the relevant market, which can lead to a series of negative outcomes for the companies that operate in this area. In this context, high staff turnover level in the retail sector should be regarded as an expected outcome if taking into account the series of problems of the specific industry which are being represented mostly by several failures regarding the initiatives and the decisions made by the companies’ human resources department. The particular topic has been chosen because of its importance in the operation of commercial markets internationally. More specifically, staff turnover has been found to be related with the business performance (as it will be analyzed in the sections that follow). From this view, staff turnover can also influence the performance of a whole industrial sector in case that the phenomenon is expanded to many firms of a specific sector or just to one which is considered to be the ‘indicator of stability’ in its market. Furthermore, the particular topic has been chosen because of its importance for the employees in the various industries of modern commercial markets. The main objective of current dissertation is the examination of the factors that influence the staff turnover in the retail industry as well as the parameters that can lead to an increase of the turnover in the long term. On the other hand, the consequences of the high staff turnover in the retail industry are also being examined in order to formulate secure results regarding the appearance and the development of the relevant phenomenon in modern commercial markets. It has to be noticed that current paper examines a variety of issues related

Mobility Management for LTE-Advanced Relay Systems Research Paper

Mobility Management for LTE-Advanced Relay Systems - Research Paper Example These different technologies can cooperate together In order to improve the user’s quality of service and granting mobile users the ability of roaming across different wireless networks in a seamless manner. However, the different characteristics of each wireless technology with regards to QoS brought many challenges for provisioning the continuous services (e.g. audio/video streaming) in a seamless way. In such a heterogeneous environment, to support mobile user’s requirements, a mobility management mechanism is a key issue. Index Terms— Heterogeneous network, LTE-Advanced, Relay System, Vertical Handoff I. INTRODUCTION With the increase in demand and rapid development of wireless communication quality over the past 3 decades, the initial 1G has run into 4G with a high data rate and better mobility support. The 4G technique-International Mobile Telecommunications-Advanced (IMT-Advanced) systems include new capabilities that go significantly beyond those of the I MT-2000. Key requirements of the IMT Advanced systems, for instance, include improved mobility support and cell edge performance, increased spectral bandwidth and efficiency, reduced handover interruption time and reduced User plane latency and Control [1]. Considered as the main trend in future wireless communications, 3GPP LTE-Advanced has advanced features, for instance coordinated multipoint processing, carrier aggregation. It also considered as one of the top candidates towards achieving the IMT Advanced requirements. In 3GPP, high speed train scenario is agreed as the main scenario in Rel11 study item, mobile relay for E-UTRA. Here, when train rushes at a high speed the channel characteristics change and result in Doppler spread. Also the vehicles are vehicles are more crowded than other areas and therefore passengers are more likely to use high data rate services, for instance, browsing, playing games and watching videos so as to pass time [2]. The high data rate transmission requires strong signal strengths and high throughput, plus better mobility management, so mobile relay station for large vehicles are proposed for Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) system. A relay system may be mobile, which means it is a dedicated network node equipped on the vehicles to provide a fixed access link to those travelling on the vehicles. It is very suitable to solve the capacity gain of the high speed vehicles if it is well deployed. In a conventional cellular network, user equipment (UE) is connected directly to a Base Station (BS), and when a user moves away from the cell center, he/she will get less bandwidth which means lower data rates. However relaying technique has been introduced in 3GPP release 10 & 11 to allow establishing an indirect two-hop link between UE and BS through a Relay Node (RN). Relay nodes can also be used to spread out the cell coverage and increase the coverage outside main area (e.g. at cell edge). The two major challenges addressed in this c ontext are maintaining the throughput and ensure a seamless mobility and service continuity to all UEs. Hence, the objective of this paper is to develop, implement, and evaluate intelligent algorithms for next generation wireless communications systems with focus on throughput and service continuity. Specifically, the paper mainly addresses to the following aspects: Relaying in heterogeneous network, resources and mobility management. The rest of the paper is arranged as follows. Firstly, the overview of fixed and mobile relay system is given is Section II. In Section III, the paper presents a Handoff Analysis. Section IV presents a system level simulation and results. The paper concludes with section V. II. FIXED AND MOBILE RELAY SYSTEMS OVERVIEW A. Background

The Parable of the Watchful Servants Term Paper

The Parable of the Watchful Servants - Term Paper Example (c) Do you detect any particular structural pattern? (example: parallelism with other books of the Bible or is you passage a stand-alone passage etc.) (d) Has your passage come through the editorial process? What changes have been made? Explain why possible changes have been made?   (e) What are the theologically important words in your passage? Do these words evoke any other parts of the Bible? Are these words used in a new way by the author of this passage? What does the word or words mean?   (f) What does this passage say about a relationship with God?   What questions might this passage have addressed in the community for which it was originally addressed?   Context The passage which proceeded from the Parable of the Watchful Servant pertains to the Parable of Rich Fool. This verse in Luke 12: 13-21 forewarned believers not to covetous to mundane and material abundance because God is not interested about how much wealth was reaped from this world but how much spiritual we alth one was able to nurture. Didn’t it was clearly pronounced when he asked â€Å"what profit a man if he earns the whole world but loses his own soul (Mark 8:36)?† The parable of the Watchful Servant was also connected to the succeeding paragraph which explicated the need for those enriched to care for those who are deprived as enshrined in Luke 12: 22-29. The verses ask the rich to not just enjoy once abundance in life by eating, party-making and merrying but rather by engaging in a more meaningful act of sharing such abundance to those who are hungry, deprived and impoverished. Such mundane richness is neither the measure of man’s person nor of Christian’s value. Man should transcend the richness reaped from for mundane causes and must rather prepare his soul with values to please God because He will not be fascinated to recognize the possessions generated from the earth which always corrupt the person and his spirit. The biblical text called on the f ollowers to treasure those that could permeate him to enjoy the Kingdom in heaven. Thus, the passage encourages those who earned more to give alms and to share because life is more than the flesh and more than just meat. It’s therefore primordial to â€Å"seek first the Kingdom of God because all things shall be added unto you (Luke 12:31).† The Parable of the Watchful Servant is followed by the verses on The Unfaithful Servant (Luke 12:41-48) and I quote: Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?  And the Lord said,  who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?  43  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.  Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.  But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the m enservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;  The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut  him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.  And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.  But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more (Luke 12:41-48).  Ã‚  

PS Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

PS - Personal Statement Example I have observed good intentions in nearly every person, and have come to conclude that the world is not as complicated and evil as most people believe. It is our role to beautify the world. We can all achieve this by cherishing each other as we do our friends and family. I am passionate about by career and personal life because I have faith in my academic, professional and social efforts. Academically, I lean more on scientific facts that religious speculations. This is because I have a preference for mathematics and design. I might not be proficiently skilled at reading, but I share different perspectives about the significance of reading. It is essential not to disregard literacy, but the skill of reading is not as important to me as understanding methodical researches. I appreciate communication with other people because teamwork is an important aspect of design and research. I spend my leisure time engaging in a variety of activities. I have always loved to dance since I was six, and still do as a hobby. I also intend to become a professional dancer in traditional Chinese dance, as well as ballet and hip-hop. I believe Information Systems and Technology is an excellent field. I am eager to enter information systems and technology placement. I want to find a program that provides the prospects to train in a well-organized and well-managed surrounding with IT specialists who will empower me to realize my upmost

Asia History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Asia History - Essay Example Same holds true for Africans and Americans. In fact, there is little difference between Europeans and Americans. Many people in the two continents conventionally have similar way of living. Most of the tribes in African states have exactly same style of living, traditions and culture. Many even retain the same financial status. Such trends are least likely to be observed in Asia. In Asia, people generally tend to associate with one another on the basis of some similarity. Religion is largely considered as a means of association irrespective of the difference of race, ethnicity or origin. People tend to develop irremovable differences with people even in their own race on the basis of religion. Two Asians, one from India and the other from Pakistan might look exactly the same apparently, but the two are very different from each other in every day life. This is because the way of life of the two people is governed by the religions they belong to. Let’s assume that the Indian is a Hindu and the Pakistani is a Muslim. The vastness of distance between the beliefs the two of them hold can be estimated from the fact that the former worships a cow while the latter slaughters it, and both of them have religious reasons for doing so. Similar examples can be quoted while comparing Pakistanis to Chinese, Chinese to Srilankans and Iranis to Russians. Apart from religion, other fundamental causes of differences among Southeast Asian countries are political systems and differing sizes of population (Pope, n.d., p. 2). This can, hence, be stated that religion plays a fundamental role in deciding the relations between a vast majority of Asians. This is because many in-flowing religions have had influence on the already existing ones in Asia from time to time. Asia’s history is much influenced by religions. Buddhism has long been the religion of Asians. The teachings

Why I want to become a D Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why I want to become a D - Essay Example On the other side, I like professionalism in workplace environment. I know that a dental assistant must be ready to serve at dental clinics and offices related to the workplace environment of a dentist. Besides, I am aware of the fact that professionalism and flexible work schedule will help me to feel comfortable within this context. I know that Dental Assistant Program will help me to gain upward mobility within my profession/career. Dietz (2001) states that, â€Å"Dental assisting should be considered as a professional, specialized career, thus dental assistants must recognize the importance of their position as a valued member of a dental team delivering efficient and safe healthcare to patients† (p. xviii). One can see that qualification is essential for the success as a dental assistant. I consider the job of a dental assistant as the first step in my career and the selection to the Dental Assistant Program as the first step to achieve the same. To be specific, I know th at dental assisting is a demanding and promising career for me because I am deeply interested in serving the needy. Still, mere serving mentality cannot help an individual to stick on to his/her profession. To be specific, a dental assistant can have attractive salary, based on work schedule and working hours. Besides, acquisition of essential skills can help me to be an experienced and popular dental assistant in future years. At the same time, additional training within this profession can help me to accelerate my professional success by developing myself into a dental hygienist. I like to study new things and I know that my enthusiastic attitude can help me to learn new things and to be successful. I consider that taking care of the needy is an inbuilt quality and I possess the same. One can see that one’s attitude determines one’s success within professional life. To be specific,

The value of cross-cultural studies Essay Example for Free

The value of cross-cultural studies Essay A cross-cultural study examines human behavior by comparing members of at least two different societies. Comparing two groups that differ only in terms of culture allows researchers the opportunity to determine whether certain traits, behaviors, and practices are culturally bound. In addition to differentiating contextual factors, like socioeconomic status and education, from cultural factors, cross-cultural studies can also test hypotheses posed about a certain way of life. Cross-cultural studies also answer questions of variations. Do traits like intelligence or self-esteem differ across different countries? Every culture cherishes its strengths and absorbs its weaknesses. Cross-cultural studies allow scientists and researchers to define the unique personalities of the world’s countries. A recent study by Fiori, Antonucci, and Akiyama (2008) is an example of a cross-cultural study that sought to answer the question of whether social relationships among the elderly differed between older Americans compared to older Japanese citizens. This research utilized archival data gathered for another study over a decade ago. Face-to-face interviews were conducted for approximately 60 minutes to determine how many, what quality, and what type of relationships elderly participants experienced. Different types of social networks were determined and labeled, including such types as family-focused, friend focused, and various types of restricted relationships (Fiori, Antonucci, Akiyama, 2008). All participants also consented to the disclosure of a number of health variables, including time of death. A statistical analysis examined the association between social networks and morbidity. One of the aims of this cross-cultural investigation sought to identify societal differences in social relationships. Fiori and colleagues concluded some types of relationships described by the elderly are shared by both the Japanese and American cultures. These include family-centered and friend-centered. Other types of social networks are unique to that country, like the married/distal label attached to the Japanese tendency to experience the companionship of marriage with little social contact with others. Social networks labeled â€Å"diverse† were exceptionally common in the United States but rarely observed in Japan. Elderly Americans also experienced two distinct barriers to social relationships, structural restrictions and functional restrictions. Older adults who live far from family members and may be socially isolated experience structurally restricted socially networks. A functionally restricted social network includes proximal family members or contacts but these relationships fail to meet the emotional and social needs of the older individual. In addition to exploring cultural differences between the social networks of the elderly in Japan and the United States, this study also identified differences in associations to health and survival related to these relationships. Americans who reported functionally restricted relationships were at a much greater risk for depressive symptoms and a number of negative health adversities. Those with structurally restricted relationships, however, demonstrated higher and faster rates of morbidity compared to participants who experienced other social network types. Interestingly, Japanese participants showed no difference in health variables or survival associated with social networks. The information garnered from this study can be applied to working with the elderly population. The need to consider social networks and cultural factors is clearly established. Future research can expand these findings to develop interventions to target negative or nonexistent social relationships among the elderly. Longitudinal research is needed to draw a causal connection between social networks and health, but the importance of these variables has certainly been emphasized by this study. References Fiori, K. L. , Antonucci, T. C. , Akiyama, H. (2008). Profiles of social relations among older adults: A cross-cultural approach. Ageing and Society, 28, 203-231.

Macro Environmental Factors Affecting The Industry Marketing Essay

Macro Environmental Factors Affecting The Industry Marketing Essay 1.0 Introduction This report shall examine Coles Supermarket, Western Australia Based, Australian grocery retailer, and its position in the Australian supermarket industry. Through examination of Coles internal operations it is hoped that a better understanding of Coles s strategy, and subsequent success, can be gathered. Hence recommendations for future sustained competitive advantage can be formulated based on the findings from an examination of the external environmental factors affecting the industry. 1.1 Coles Supermarket The focal grocery retailer of this report is Coles Supermarket, specifically, its food and retail grocery business. Coles operate 742 stores across Australia, has taken its total sales to $30 billion in 2010, a rise of 4.2%, and now controls around 35% of the industry. Hence, Coles is the second place in the market leader, with its leading competitor, Woolworths controlling 40% of the market (Westfarmer Annual Report 2010). However, with major environmental changes on the horizon it is debatable if Coles can increase such numbers in future. C:UsersMuiAppDataLocalTempmsohtmlclip11clip_image001.png C:UsersMuiAppDataLocalTempmsohtmlclip11clip_image001.png Figure 1, Coles full financial year revenue2008-2010, and Coles Operate stores (Westfarmer Annual Report 2010). 2.0 External Analysis Significant trends in macro-environmental dimensions will be discussed, specifically socio-cultural and economic trends and how they will impact Coles profitability in future. The Porters five forces model may be utilized to assess the state of the competitive environment, and finally the attractiveness of the industry to Coles in the future shall be examined. 2.1 Macro-Environmental factors affecting the Industry Socio-Cultural Factors: One major social trend is the increasing consciousness towards health and well-being, reflected in a movement towards organic produce and healthy alternatives. This trend offers an opportunity for Coles, as currently there are few players in the market offering organic foods, and sales of organic foods are set to rise over the long-term (IBIS, 2011). It also constitutes a potential threat in that farmers markets and niche supermarkets which specialize in such produce will thrive in the environment. Another social trend would be the increasing number of consumers who are time-poor. Consequently, there is a higher demand for time convenience. i.e. the ability to patronize a store when consumers have the time. The ability to provide fulfill this need has been possible by extending in trading hours. In addition, Coles is providing further convenience through expansion of its product range as much as possible, and created new business such as Coles Express. Economic Factors: The current economic climate has resulted in lower spending levels, especially with flexible goods. Hence, consumers are switching to private label brands for cost savings. Subsequently, supermarkets are increasing their private label offerings. This enables them to compete on the basis of price while realizing the higher margins. Provision of private labels also enables supermarkets to compete on the basis of choice convenience, i.e. offering a low-cost alternative. 2.2 Porters five Forces Analysis In this section, the attractiveness/profitability of the Australian supermarket industry in current times shall be assessed. This will be followed by an examination of Coles relative position in said industry. Threat of Substitutes: The threat of substitutes is high, as Coles laces many indirect competitors, such as convenience stores, specialist grocery stores, and farmers markets. Evidence suggests these indirect competitors are viable substitutes to Coles and cause serious threats in the future: Convenience stores have also experienced an expansion in product offerings and would he competing directly with supermarkets in the provision of choice convenience and wide product range. With the increasing trend towards healthy alternatives, Farmers markets selling organic produce are also poses a potential future threat. However, the threat posed by specialty stores is perceived to be minimal with the rise of increasingly time-poor consumers. Rivalry amongst Existing Competitors: A high degree of rivalry exists in the land is a direct result of the small number of major players in the market and their lack of perceivable differentiation due to the generic nature of the services and products provided. Therefore, competition is primarily based on price, but other competitive factors include product choice and store location. Three main drivers of an increase in future rivalry are the private retailer IGA, Actions and Woolworths which in the leading position. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: The bargaining power of suppliers used to be very low. With Woolworths and Coles controlling more than 75% of the market (Fenner, 2011), many local Australian producers have an extremely limited selection of intermediaries to choose from (McKinna, 2011).Therefore, in many cases, Coles or Woolworths is the major purchaser, perhaps even the only purchaser, of a producers production. Even major international brands such as Kellogs and Nestle do not dare to upset either retailer; such is the power of their market-share (Wade, 2002). However, this is set to change, with the existing of the Action supermarket and the expansion of IGA, along with the Federal Government and The Australian Competition and Consumer Commissions (ACCC) recent push to lower competition barriers in the Industry (Hewett, 2011). Thus, the bargaining power of suppliers is set to be moderate in future due to a potentially larger selection of intermediaries to consign to. Bargaining Power or Buyers: Whilst low, the buying power of consumers is also set to increase in future. Once again, the aggressive push by the Federal Government and ACCC to lower competition barriers and allow new competitors to enter the market is set to increase consumer choice (Hewett, 2011), consequently increasing consumers bargaining power. Further driving the increase of consumer bargaining power would be the rise of price comparison websites such as grocery.bestpricedirectory.com.au which enables consumers to compare prices and choose the cheapest alternative. Both factors are set to bring consumers future bargaining to a more moderate level. Threat of New Entrants: The threat of new entrants is very low, and is set to remain unchanged. An insidious combination of local zoning laws and leasing agreements with landlords has resulted in an artificial scarcity of grocery store sites (Hewett, 2011). As such, this has deterred many new entrants from entering the market, especially overseas players interested in the Australian grocery industry. This is further aggravated by preferential treatment for Coles and Woolworths by landlords, due to their enormous pulling power in terms of consumer traffic (McKinna, 2011). Furthermore, potential entrants to the Australian grocery market must compete with Coles and Woolworths incredible economics of scales. Thus the investments in infrastructure, and facilities would be massive, and the expertise to manage them all would be specialized and rare. Thus, very few firms have the expertise or resources required for such a significant undertaking, and only a few players such as IGA and Action are able to do so (McKinna, 2011). 2.3 Comparison of industry attractiveness for Coles From the Porters Five-Forces analysis in the previous section, the Supermarket industry until a few years ago presented moderately high to high attractiveness for Coles, the most important reason or which was the high barriers to entry and weak bargaining power of suppliers and buyers. Hence profitability would be high for Coles at that point of lime. However, future environmental changes are set to change the attractiveness of the industry to Coles to moderate. Hence, Coless profitability is set to decrease from high to moderate in future as well. The main reasons for this would be the increase in bargaining power of suppliers and buyers, along with the greater intensity of firm rivalry with Woolworth, Action and expansion of IGA.C:UsersMuiAppDataLocalTempmsohtmlclip11clip_image001.png Figure 2, Attractiveness and Profitability of Industry to Coles in near future As such, the ability to outperform its rivals and maintain its competitive edge rests on Coles resources and capabilities, and more importantly how those resources and capabilities are utilized in the future, when industry attractiveness and profitability has decreased from previous levels. 3.0 Internal Analysis This section will begin with an assessment of Coless position in the food chain (i.e. extended value system) the firm participates in. It will be followed by an examination of the significant functions within Coles Value Chain that delivers the most value to the firm. Finally, Coles most significant resources and capabilities shall be identified and discussed in detail. Coles 3.1 Examination of the Food Chain Coles participates in C:UsersMuiAppDataLocalTempmsohtmlclip11clip_image001.png Figure 3, Coles Food Chain From the above diagram, it can be observed Coless function in the food chain is to provide producers with a channel to reach end consumers. This is because the producers Coles works with concentrate solely on production, hence those producers require to go-between with retailing expertise and infrastructure. For many of Coles suppliers, Coles is a major buyer, if not the only buyer of their produce. Thus, Coles exerts great influence over many of the small local producers and can state things like farm sizes, crop type, agricultural methods and prices the producers receive, which are based on Coles product and process quality specifications (wade. 2002). 3.2 Value Chain Analysis of Coles Coles mission statement specifies how Coles Down Down, Prices Are Down and Quality food costs less at Coles. Thus, all the value-creating activities of Coless business are all geared towards delivering the above promises (Westfarmer Annual Report 2010). The three main value-creating functions involved in delivering the firms promises are: 1. In-Bound Logistics: Coles is essentially a retailer. Hence it does not produce the products it sells. Instead, it controls the distribution network of its products. Within this function there are two significant activities which contribute to the firm: Procurement and Logistics: C:UsersMuiAppDataLocalTempmsohtmlclip11clip_image001.png Figure 4, In-bound logistics summary (Coles Supplier, 2011). Coles produce goes directly from producers to a national or regional distribution centre, where it is certified for quality then transported directly to stores. In addition, Coles owns and operates of all the trucks and distribution centers involved in its distribution network. This puts it in a better position to prevent worker strikes and enables greater control in ensuring punctuality of shipments. Moreover, operating the distribution centers (DCs) and trucks in its supply chain puts Coles in a better position ensure optimum distribution efficiency and product quality (Coles Supplier, 2011). 2. Operations: This involves two primary activities that ensure customer convenience and value, Quality Assessment and Inventory Management: C:UsersMuiAppDataLocalTempmsohtmlclip11clip_image001.png Figure 5, Operation Summary (Coles Supplier, 2011). From the time the stock arrives at the retail store to when the products are put on display, constant checks are made to detect and remove defective products. Furthermore, for each stock unit there is a Minimum Presentation Level (M.P.L)'. Sophisticated Point of Sale (POS) technology keeps track of the number of stock units sold for a particular product, and once stock levels fall beneath the M.P.L, a re-stocking order is dispatched to the relevant distribution centre (Coles Supplier, 2011).In addition, Coles utilizes an advanced forecasting program to forecast future changes in demand due to environmental factors such as seasonal changes or economic trends. 3. Marketing and Sales: Two main activities are involved in increasing sales and enabling Coles to compete effectively, In-store Promotions and Organizational Dynamism: C:UsersMuiAppDataLocalTempmsohtmlclip11clip_image001.png Figure 6, Marketing and Sale Summary (Coles Supplier, 2011). Coles holds weekly specials to boost short-term sales of certain products where prices of certain items are reduced by a large percent (Coles Supplier, 2011). This is supplemented by the distribution of sales catalogues informing consumers of the weekly specials. Highly effective in boosting short-term sales and inventory turnover, an example would be how Coles would normally sell $2000-$3000 worth of toilet paper per week, but that amount increases to around $8000 during its weekly special (Coles, 2011). A significant capability of Coles would be its ability to keep up with consumer trends and environmental changes, enabling the formulation or new strategies to compete effectively (Coles, 2011). For instance, to keep up with current consumer lifestyles and preferences, Coles introduced its selection of easy to prepare meals under its Coles Quality Food brand in conjunction with its monthly online interactive Coles Feed Your family Recipe guide which provides recipe suggestions and nutritional advice for healthy living (Coles, 2011). 3.3 Assessment of Coles Significant Resources and Capabilities Coles adopts an integrated competitive strategy, i.e. it utilizes a combination of both cost leadership and differential elements to compete, with its efficient supply chain to minimize costs, and its brand image to differentiate itself based on quality. In addition, strategic factors such as minimization of future threats and keeping the firm flexible in wake of environmental changes are also critical to Coles survival. Thus, with the above factors in consideration, Coles three most significant resources and capabilities are: Highly Effective Supply Chain: Coles efficient distribution network is both a resource and a capability in its in-bound and out-bound logistics. The end of tangible and intangible assets such a technological capabilities and supplier relationships, it is highly valuable as it was the significant cost- savings achieved throughout its entire logistics network that enabled Coles to come closer to Woolworths (McKinna, 2011). The level of cost saving benefits provided is non-substitutable by any other resource. It is also difficult o copy as the level and scope of the technological capabilities involved is highly specialized and staggering. However, should Coles posses an unfavorable public image or sell products undesirable to consumers, possessing an efficient distribution network would be irrelevant. Thus, by itself an effective supply chain is insufficient as a distinct competency, and must be supported by other competitive advantages. Brand Reputation: Coles reputation as quality food was built over many years. This was done via positive consumer experiences with its products which can be attributed to its stringent quality assessment procedures throughout its supply chain (Urban, 2007), as well as its Quality Food Cost Less at Coles advertising campaign. Hence, this brand reputation is valuable, as it provides meaningful differentiation to its competitors, and has directly contributed to higher levels of customer satisfaction. It is also non-substitutable, as the benefits provided cannot be matched by any other resource. However, it is neither rare, nor hard to copy, with most of its rivals also claiming to sell fresh and Quality food. More importantly, fresh food and quality products have come to become a basic expectation of consumers. Thus, this reputation is not a distinct competitive advantage; rather it is a point of parity that Coles must possess in order to compete. Effective Top Management: Despite recessionary pressures and rising inflationary rates, Coles is still able to achieve growth rates at higher than. This can be attributed to Coles effective top management, in particular CEO John Fletcher (Fenner and Raja. 2011). Further, the relations within the Coles Group top management is a significant factor perceived as enabling Coles to compete effectively with AGI in future and the main competitor such as Woolworths (Fenner. 2011). Thus, the capability of top management in steering Coles through the current economic climate and continuously achieving high growth rates makes it a valuable resource. As such, it is non-substitutable by any other resource, and is hard to copy as it is difficult to obtain capable and effective senior managers. However, it cannot be considered rare: as Due to the mature nature of the sector, most of the companies operating in the Australian Grocery Industry also have capable senior management. Therefore, effective t op management is not a distinct competitive advantage, but a point of parity that is utilized in conjunction with other factors such as efficient supply chain to enable Coles to outcompete its rivals. 4.0 Recommendation The recommendations presented by this report are classified into short-term and long- term recommendations: Short-term Recommendations: In the short-term, Coles should invest more in advertising. More specifically, Coles should create advertisements representing how their Coles Quality range of healthy meals to go fits into consumers everyday routines. This would heighten brand recall of Coles in consumers minds, which increases purchase likelihood. More importantly, by creating advertisements linking Coles to healthy, easy to prepare meals that are conveniently available at reasonable prices, this would increase the chance of making Coles identical with convenience and healthy consumption, a valuable point of differentiation in a market where Quality food cost less are now points of parity. Long-term Recommendations: It is recommended for Coles to focus more on convenience and an enjoyable shopping experience in the long-term. Coles current program to refurbish stores should be supplemented by measures to improve store atmosphere, such as the inclusion of relaxing music and having cheerful, enthusiastic and helpful staff to create an enjoyable shopping experience. More importantly, in the long run it is recommended for Coles to invest in more profitable industries and businesses. As mentioned earlier, the attractiveness and profitability of the Australian supermarket is set to fall in the future. Thus, Coles should focus in new businesses in which sales growth are projected to rise over the long term, such as Coles Express and Coles online shopping. 5.0 Conclusion Coles Supermarkets business strategy has been analyzed in this report which base in Western Australia. Examination of Coless external environment such as socio-cultural trends as well as the deteriorating economic climate had been conducted to gain understanding of current industry trend. The industry attractiveness was found to have declined in recent times, due to difference factors such as a rise in supplier and buyer bargaining power, greater intensity amongst rivals and higher threats from substitutes. Internal operations it is hoped that a better understanding of Coles s strategy. Coles control of the distribution network of its products helps ensure quality and distribution efficiency. Coles three most valuable resources and capabilities were found to be its highly efficient supply chain, its brand reputation and its effective top-level management. With recommendations for short-term and long term strategies may perhaps ensure sustainability of Coles supermarkets future.