An Overview of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc Free Essays

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. specializes in retail donut market and was founded in 1937 in North Carolina. Today, there are over 400 stores which employ 3,900 employees in 45 states and 4 countries. We will write a custom essay sample on An Overview of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc or any similar topic only for you Order Now The company produces about 7.5 million donuts each day. The company is one of the leading producers of donuts and is ranked 4th of the top 100 chains in the U.S. (standing as of 2004). The company owns and franchises Krispy Kreme doughnut shops and sells over 20 different kinds of doughnuts, including its Hot Original Glazed variety. Today, the company faces some significant challenges: Employees are suing the company over mismanagement of retirement funds Changes in eating habits have affected the company†s revenue In May of 2004, the Krispy Kreme stock fell almost 18 % because of changes in dieting habits, particularly the low-carbohydrate phenomenon. The sale of packaged donuts dropped dramatically. The company claimed this was impacting sales but analysts were skeptical because doughnuts are not thought of as â€Å"part of a diet†, any diet. And changes in America†s eating habits, especially the health craze that seems to be the current pattern is likely to impact the sales of sugary and snack foods. Krispy Kreme doughnuts fall into both categories. Changes in senior management always make investors wary. In 2005, Stephen F. Cooper was named CEO replacing Scott A. Livengood, who has retired as Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company. He will become a consultant on an interim basis. Steven G. Panagos has been named President and Chief Operating Officer (press release, 2005). The company hopes this change will turn things around. In the company†s own words, â€Å"The Company also announced that the results for its fourth quarter ending January 30, 2005 have been, and may continue to be, adversely impacted by significant sales declines. For the eight weeks ended December 26, 2004, system wide and Company average weekly sales per factory store have decreased approximately 18% and 25%, respectively, compared to the corresponding weeks of the prior year. The quarter is also being adversely impacted by the substantial costs associated with the legal and regulatory matters previously disclosed. These factors may result in the Company experiencing a loss for the current quarter. KZC will work with the Company to review whether it should take certain operational actions, which could include the consolidation of store locations. Any such actions could result in substantial losses, although it is expected that any restructuring charges largely would be non- cash charges. The system wide average weekly sales per factory store, is a non-GAAP financial measure. System wide sales data include sales at all company and franchise stores. The Company believes system wide sales information is useful in assessing our market share and concept growth (press release, 2005). The company needs to change. One start may be to consider its offerings. Although the company was initially successful by making doughnuts, they may need to expand and also offer customers healthier choices, such as low-fat muffins and bagels. Although this will change the premise of their business it provides an opportunity for the company to gain new customers. Dunkin Donuts has successfully altered their offerings and so can Krispy Kreme. The company also needs to settle their regulatory and legal affairs so that the company†s reputation doesn†t continue to be negatively impacted. Once they have a clean slate, they should issue a press release assuring consumers that Krispy Kreme has dealt with its issues and is back on track. Addressing any quality control issues and consolidating where possible will also lend an air of credibility, especially to stockholders and potential investors. The company needs to put some significant checks and balances in place to prevent any additional financial scandals and prove that the goal of the company is to regain financial stability and profitability. The company also faces increasing competition and needs to set themselves apart. One way could be to develop a â€Å"healthier† doughnut-one that is lower in fat but retains the taste. Basically, the company needs an overhaul and having a new CEO is the best way to start. This is the perfect opportunity to implement change on every front. The biggest challenge facing the company is to make these changes as quickly and efficiently as possible to regain their competitive edge and name in the industry. How to cite An Overview of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc, Essay examples

Reality Blurred or Completely Fiction free essay sample

An examination of reality television and how it effects society. This paper examines the formation and recent development of reality television: the type of television that reflects personal lives and encounters. The author attempts to tackle why reality television exists, the types of reality television that is offered and the future of reality television and society. Included is a review of different television shows that fall under this category. In the past few years? society and the entertainment industry has been more and more obsessed with the idea of reality-based television. This desire to find the real amongst society is a reflection on a society, which is based on lies, fraud and war. Television shows such as Real World, Cops, and Hard Copy introduced television viewers to the world of the unscripted and spontaneous. We often put aside these television programs calling them trash TV, or game shows, when really it is society, which has made these shows popular and allowed for the major networks, to demand for our attention in their scheduling. We will write a custom essay sample on Reality Blurred or Completely Fiction or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This essay will introduce many different types of reality television and begin to guide us to understanding why it exists and where it is expected to go. Society has been waiting for television to reflect our personal lives and the real world in which we live, and now it does.

Top 3 Awesome Resources for Administrative Assistants

Top 3 Awesome Resources for Administrative Assistants Being an administrative assistant can be a tough job. It’s often considered an entry-level position, but it’s a role that requires a large number of skills to perform effectively and support your manager. So how do you gain those skills? And once you’re in the assistant role, what kind of support is there for the supporter?These three online resources are great places to help admin assistants expand and improve skills.1. The American Society of Administrative Professionals (ASAP)ASAP is an organization created specifically to support professionals like you. Here, you can find career development opportunities like online training courses and webinars, articles on industry trends and business skill development, and a certificate program (Professional Administrative Certificate of Excellence, or PACE) if you  want to be certified as an administrative professional. Access to these benefits is part of a free membership, and with 50,000 members nationwide, you get th e support of an entire field- you’re not alone!2. LinkedInLinkedIn is a great resource for job hunters- but did you know that it can be a useful tool once you’ve been hired, too? Groups like the Administrative Assistant Office Professional Network (149,000+ members) and Administrative Assistant Office Professionals (All Levels) (189,000+ members) offer discussion and networking opportunities for all sorts of admin assistants and professionals. You can also find specialized groups relevant to your role or industry: for example, medical assistants, executive assistants, receptionists, etc. Want to connect with other assistants in your area? You can search for groups specific to your city or region, as well.3. Lynda.comThere aren’t many sites out there that can teach you everything from basic software use to advanced coding- and that’s what makes Lynda.com so special. This site offers online video tutorials for professionals in all industries and at all leve ls and features some great seminars for administrative assistants- whether it’s application training (Excel, Office, Word) or general business skills (marketing, leadership, project management).This site can also be excellent for bumping your skills to the next level, or helping you adapt to different office environments. For example, if you’ve always used a PC but your new office is all Mac, Lynda can give you tips on how to perform your daily tasks in iOS. It’s like having an expert mentor in your pocket at all times.If you’d like to build skills or just find others who can relate to the realities of being an administrative assistant, these resources can be a big help.

A Collection of Zulu Proverbs

A Collection of Zulu Proverbs Much of Africas history has been passed on through the generations orally. One consequence of this is that traditional wisdom has been crystallized in the form of proverbs. Zulu Proverbs Here is a collection of proverbs attributed to the Zulu of South Africa. You can learn wisdom at your grandfathers feet, or at the end of a stick.Meaning: If you pay attention to what your elders are telling you and follow their advice, you wont have to learn things the hard way through experience. If you dont absorb what they have to say, you will have to learn your lessons by making mistakes and accepting the often-painful consequences.A walking man builds no kraal.Meaning: A kraal is a homestead. If you keep moving, you wont settle down or be forced to settle down.You can not know the good within yourself if you can not see it in others.Meaning: If you want to build self-esteem, you need to practice looking for good qualities in others and appreciating them. This in itself is a virtue, which will build goodness in you.When you bite indiscriminately, you end up eating your own tail.Meaning: Think before you act, especially when acting out of anger or fear. Plan your actions carefully so you dont make things worse.The lion is a beautiful animal  when s een at a distance.Meaning: Things arent always as they seem at first glance, so be careful what you wish for; it may not be what is best for you. The bones must be thrown in three different places before the message must be accepted.Meaning: This refers to a divination ritual; you should consider a question multiple times in multiple ways before reaching a decision.Guessing breeds suspicion.Meaning: When you dont have all of the facts, you may come to false conclusions or experience paranoia. Its better to wait for solid evidence.Even immortals are not immune to fate.Meaning: Nobody is too big to take a fall. Your wealth, intelligence, and success wont protect you from random negative events.You cannot fight an evil disease with sweet medicine.Meaning: Fight fire with fire rather than turning the other cheek. This proverb advises war over diplomacy and not showing mercy to an enemy.Old age doesnt announce itself at the gate of the kraal.Meaning: Old age sneaks up on you; it doesnt simply arrive one day when you are expecting it.Almost doesnt fill a bowl.Meaning: You dont get partial credit for a failure; you will still suffer the consequences of the failure. You must complete a task and carry through to enjoy success. Dont bother to use the excuse that you tried and you almost succeeded. This is similar to Yodas, Do. There is no try.   Even the most beautiful flower withers in time.Meaning: Nothing lasts forever, so enjoy it while you have it.The sun never sets that there has not been fresh news.Meaning: Change is the one constant.

Schmid compliance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Schmid compliance - Essay Example This is a dicey issue. On one hand, the school, since it must make budget cuts, is being forced to eliminate the women’s varsity softball team. Also, one of the mens’ teams is being cut as well, so it would appear that the university is not being unfair in any manner. However, since the school is approximately 50% men and 50% women, and since 39% of women compete in sports, it seems as though the school may have a difficult time making their case for why this program should be cut. On one hand, the womens’ softball team does have less athletes, than say, the womens’ swim team. It would therefore seem like a logical choice that, in the face of budget cuts, the womens’ softball team would be the first to go. However, considering the fact that the school is comprised of about almost the same amount of men, it seems that the university would want to comply with Title IX. The female student athletes could probably make a reasonable argument that they wer e not being given reasonable accommodation under Title IX. These are the facts. 3. On which of OCR’s three â€Å"benchmarks† for measuring effective accommodation of student athletes’ interests and abilities might the college base its defense? What arguments could the college raise under each? The first benchmark is one that the college might base its defense on. The college could raise the factors under each benchmark that: a) the college had to make budget cuts; b) the cuts that were made were made both to the mens’ and womens’ teams;

Criminology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

Criminology - Essay Example How is it possible, for example, to justify the actions of a criminal, who killed a little child? It is absolutely impossible to let this person exist further, moreover to give him a chance to appear among other members of the society again one day. Such people should be eliminated, they should not exist, because their behavior can’t be corrected anyhow. So, death penalty is very helpful here and should be used. On the other hand modern world is trying to follow democratic principles. Notwithstanding that the majority of European countries and many states of the US cancelled death penalty, in some countries death penalty is still widely used. For example, in China it is applied every day to any kinds of crimes (Evans, 2012). Is it right? No, it is absolutely wrong because it contradicts humanistic and democratic principles. The best way is to use death penalty only sometimes for the most severe crimes. However, cases are rarely considered separately, the law is the same for everybody, and many innocent people are still in risk. Thus, the issue remains

History Of Crime And Social Construction

History Of Crime And Social Construction This paper will evaluate the statement is crime a social construct? In order to evaluate this statement social construction as well as the history of crime and its recorded beginnings have to be analysed accordingly and different sociological views taken into consideration. It will also look into the social construction of the Official Crime Statistics and the theories that blame society for crime. Crime is the product of the social structure; it is embedded in the very fibres of society. In this essay, I aim to explore different theories as to why crime exists within society and how we as a society therefore construct it. Crime is a social construct; it is always in society and is on the increase. It is inevitable. Where does it come from? It comes from legislation, from the making of laws. Deviance can be simply defined as fundamentally norm-breaking behaviour and crime simply, essentially deviant behaviour which is against criminal law. However, defining crime is not as straightforward as it seems, it is a contested concept and this could be due to laws changing over time and place and subsequently changing the definition of crime. There is very rarely a unanimous agreement about what criminal is, for example one persons terrorist maybe anothers freedom fighter. However, there are other behaviours which may not be considered criminal in law but which many of us may think of as crimes, this therefore describes deviance as an act that breaks the norms held by the majority in society. There have been many biological and psychological theories of criminal behaviour. This essay focuses on the arguments that no behaviour is inherently criminal and society creates crime by making rules and consequently breaking those rules constitutes crime. Crime and Punishment In 1998 Croall explained that there is a very narrow borderline between what is considered as criminal and normal, legal or illegal. For instance many people often break the speed limit but would not label themselves as criminal. It is the social problems within communities that reflect what people are concerned about presently, what they find undesirable and need to be removed. Depending on the situation these problems are subject to change and can bring new legislation into action, therefore changing the laws. Spector and Kitsuse described social problems as the activities of individuals or groups making assertions of grievances and claims with respect to some putative conditions. The emergence of a social problem is contingent upon the organisation of activities asserting the need for eradicating, ameliorating, or otherwise changing some condition. (Spector and Kitsuse 1987: 75-76). Pfohl showed in 1977 that it was only in the early 60s that child abuse became a problem and something had to be done. Previous to this children were abused and beaten and it was never brought to the publics attention, it was only when medical specialists acted out in order to make this condition become a major public problem (Hestor and Elgin 1992). This could be described as a moral panic; a term which was first used by Jock Young in a 1971 article published describing the publics concern about drug use. According to Thompson moral panic has five stages. Firstly a threat to values or interests, then the thre at is portrayed by the media, this increases the publics concern which in turn forces the authorities to respond and finally make a change, such as amend or introduce new legislation and hence, create more crime opportunity. This is crime being socially constructed. Classicists believe that punishment should be proportionate to crime and looked upon as a deterrent. It is believed that it controls and direct behaviour by affecting rational behaviour. George Void (1958) stated that An exact state of punishment for equal acts without reference to the individual involved and with no attention to the question of special circumstances under which the act came about. Beccaria described crime as injurious to society; basically punishment given to criminals should be focused on the harm it has done to the society as a whole. He also claimed that criminal law should be clear and rational in order to guide society. Bentham suggested that all punishments should be proportionate to the crime committed. These ideas fail to take into account the reasoning for the crime being committed and assume that there is a unanimous set of values. Positivism developed due to new scientific developments, it intended to search, explain and predict future patterns of social behaviour. It suggested that a persons behaviour was biological and that they had no control over how they acted. Lombroso focussed on criminals and concluded that a criminal was a lower form of human evolution and had certain characteristics. Positivists assumed that there is an primary agreement within society with crime as the key violation and that criminals are only from certain social groups, ignoring the values, cultures or structures of the groups. The Positivist approach is simply about a deviants reaction to external forces beyond their control. The followers of the Interactionist theory, on the other hand, reject this positivist approach and say that it is due to the internal factors of the individual. Emile Durkheim believed that morality could be explained in terms of social interaction. According to Durkheim a certain amount of crime is normal in any society; he claimed that it plays a number of important functions. He described an adaptive function which described the idea that crime presents new ideas and practices into society hence allowing change rather than stagnation. He then describes a boundary maintenance function; this reinforces social values and norms and helps to reiterate the difference between right and wrong. He explained that crime is something inherently social in character and can only be explained through reference to social factors. His ideas made us reconsider the definitions of crime and he demonstrated them through analysing suicide statistics. He concluded that different social conditions can influence propensity to commit suicide amongst certain groups and between different societies and explained that this is the case for other crimes. Functionalists see crime deviance in society as a function, in that it serves to remind us, through public condemnation of those who have broken the rules, of our shared values and norms. Furthermore, they suggest that crime is a result of structural tensions and a lack of moral regulations within society. If the aspirations held by individuals and groups in society do not coincide with the available rewards, this disparity between desires and fulfilment will be felt in the deviant motivations of some of its members. This was the basis for Mertons Anomie theory. (Robert Merton 1957) The Marxism theory however, is structured towards the accumulation of wealth rather than social need. Edwin H Sutherland was the first sociologist to study this area known as White Collar Crime in 1949. Let us now look at crimes of the powerful and the less powerful. There are two main points; deviance is a product of unequal power relations and equality in general. Despite the fact that the law is in favour of the dominant class, some of its members do break the rules for their own gain. Power and equality affect the quality of deviant acts. Thus, people that are more powerful are more likely to engage in profitable deviant acts such as corporate crime i.e. bribery and corruption in business and politics, misconduct by professionals such as lawyers etc. On the other hand, the powerless are more likely to commit less profitable deviant deeds such as burglary, theft and armed robbery. (Ermann and Lundman 1996) Power, or rather social class, is therefore the key element which determine s the type of deviance people are likely to carry out. The powerful are more likely to commit deviant acts because of something that is called Relative Deprivation. This is the feeling of being unable to achieve the high standards they set for themselves, compared with the powerless, whose standards are typically low. Their aspirations are so high that they become less achievable. The more that people experience this Relative Deprivation, the more likely they are to commit deviant acts. (Cookson and Persill 1985) Furthermore, the elite have more legitimate opportunities than the poor worker to commit crime i.e. A banker will have better opportunities to defraud customers for instance, and because of his status, the crime is less likely to be detected, whereas the poor worker would probably have to resort to robbing the bank, a much more visible crime. Furthermore, the powerful are subjected to weaker social control. They have more influence in the making and enforcement of control. The laws against higher status crime, the White Collar crime, are therefore relatively lenient and rarely enforced, but the laws against crime which is committed by those with a lower status, are harsher and more often enforced because they are so visible and detected much more easily. The activities of White Collar crime occur on a daily basis, but there is no public outcry or moral panics about it and therefore no legislation made, whereas, street crime attracts massive law enforcement. As Jeffrey Reiman (2001) s o aptly stated, The rich get richer and the poor get prison. Interactionism was quite popular from 1960s to 1970s. Max Weber and George Herbert Mead favour the Interactionist approach and suggest that crime is a social process, that crime is an interaction between the victim, the police/officials and the offender. Crime is shaped by the nature of this interaction and this selective labelling, stigmatisation, negative labelling of those without power and more vulnerable. This approach focuses upon the interaction between deviance and those who define it as such, hence the Labelling Theory. Howard F Becker, the founder of this theory, argues that society creates deviance by making rules. Rules that when broken, constitute deviance, and by labelling those particular people as deviants, they are also labelling them as outsiders. Therefore, it is not the act of the person, but rather a consequence of applying the rules by others to an offender. Deviant behaviour is behaviour that people so label. Becker suggests that in one sense there is no such thing as a deviant act. An act only becomes deviant when people define it as such, when they label it as such. Such labels largely override their status as workers, friends, parents etc and others see them negatively. This labelling of people who commit crime, often results in the denial of an ordinary life to them, and because of this denial, out of necessity, they develop illegitimate routines and often resort to a life of crime. Thus, a criminal career is formed and the only way that they can be a part of society, is by grouping with likewise people, and being part of a different type of society. It may be a criminal society, but at least they fulfil that human need to belong. This process results in what is known as the self-fulfilling prophecy i.e. a person is to be known as a criminal, he/she may as they may as well act that way. The Feminist approach is critical of the mainstream approaches in that they see them as male dominated and this gender bias is part of the structure of the Criminal Justice System, the majority of its personnel being male. Crime is specific to the gender, males being more violent and women committing softer crime such as benefit fraud, shoplifting etc. This approach sees that there is a need for more support and resources for women and that anti-sexist training is necessary in the police force. These sociological theories are intended to apply to both sexes but feminists disagree. For example, Mertons anomie theory assumes that people are inclined to strive for material success, which is true for men but not necessarily for women, although this is on the increase. (Merton 1957) In the past women have been socialised differently to men. They are traditionally less interested in achieving material success as their place has been in the home. However, this social construct is changing, because women are being given more equal opportunities, and are more likely to strive for that material success, which would account for some increase in womens crime rates. (Chesney-Lind 1997;Daly and Chesney-Lind1998) This may be an indication that opportunities for women are still far from equal. Anomie theory may apply if this is the case, as the opportunities available to women are lacking in relation to womens increasing desire for independence and material success, therefore causing the disparity that Merton talks about. Furthermore, men and women calculate the risk of arrest differently. Women are more aware of that risk and that awareness becomes a disincentive. Another interesting argument would be that it is a fact that over 90% of people convicted of crime, are male. (John Hagan et al 1996) Between 1971 and 1993 the volume of recorded crime dramatically rose within the UK. This showed the significant rise of major crime most crime committed however, has always been property crime. Despite the publics belief that crime has risen it has in fact fallen considerably since 1993. Property crime is more likely to be committed by juveniles rather than adults and from working class backgrounds rather than middle or higher classes. In 1995 Andy Pilkington noted that the official statistics does not contain a complete record of crime i.e. summary offences. This shows that there is a dark figure of unrecorded crime and that the statistics do not show a true representation. As illustrated during public surveys that showed over 80 percent of crime may not be reported for various reasons and around 40 percent of crimes reported are not recorded and do not end up in the statistics. Holdaway (1988) noted that the official statistics are not facts of crime but are the end product of a co mplex series of decisions and interactions therefore, socially constructed. Interpretivist sociologists such as have argued that the OCS (Official Crime Survey) are a result of selective policing. That the criminal statistics stem from the relation between police officers and suspects. On the other hand it has been shown that social groups receive different treatments from the police. The claim that a high proportion of working class offenders within the statistics are the result of the police negatively stereotyping young working class people hence they are stopped more frequently. Smiths and Grays study of the Metropolitan police suggested that male officers were more likely to stop a male rather than a female. Another study by these also demonstrated that, on average, six out of ten young black people are stopped five times a year. Hoods research showed that almost 80 percent of magistrates are from higher socio economic backgrounds, with almost a complete absence of working class on the bench, another Hood study in 1989 suggested that black males have a 17 percent greater chance of receiving a custodial sentence than white males committing the same offence. Let us now examine how time and space has affected the way that society has constructed crime and deviance. For example, is the death penalty an act of murder? It is in some countries, but not in some US states. Is abortion an act of murder? What about war? Murder exists in some contexts as a crime and not in others. Crime then is a social construct which is ever changing according to time and space. It makes no sense to say that crime is a result of biochemistry only because crime is the result of political decision making, and we can easily change those decisions according to different contexts, without changing our own biochemistry. In an effort to solve the crime problem then, our task is to determine how much of the crime problem is in fact the result of these definitions and political decisions, and what part is the result of broader sociological or biological forces. The government, in its efforts to tackle the crime problem, has little regard for the way that working class people and their environments actually work. Its new measures to be tough on the causes of crime fail to question why these things happen, and hence how they might be prevented. Creeping inequalities in education, the health services, housing and pensions, contribute to the lack of belonging that people feel. This disconnected feeling of our seemingly society-less age can only contribute to the crime problem. It is time to review other methods because the governments endless clamping down on those who already have the least stake in society is not the solution.