14 Ranchers' Brainchild: Country Natural Beef Promises Traceable, Quality Beef - Essay Sample

Introduction

Country Natural Beef was a brainchild of 14 ranch families that sought a better way to market their cattle and agreed to produce a higher margin product with lean natural beef. The company kept hold of its products until such a point when the product was ready for distribution (Pullman & Villa-Lobos, 2010.). Unlike commodity beef, which is ranch-raised for six-months before being transferred to a feedlot, CNB ensures that their livestock is traceable to their ranch origins. This move helps CNB differentiate from similar players in the market since there are consumers who are concerned with issues such as open land grazing, habitat preservation, and watershed management. The main strength of CNB is that they run a sustainable business model and a supply chain that addresses most of the consumer concerns. Therefore, these strengths can help the company to form strategic relationships with players that are beneficial to its supply chain.

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Tetra Pack: Sustainable Initiatives in China

The dairy industry in China began flourishing after the onset of the new millennium with demand increasing three-fold, which led to the establishment of brands like Mengniu, Sanyuan, and Bright as industry leaders. Tetra Pack, a packaging producing company for these dairy giants, reaped heavily from this massive consumption. However, this trend dealt a blow after a scandal about milk safety rocked the industry (Jia, Wu, & Gosling, 2013). The approach that brought Tetra Pack the success it had experienced was building positive engagement with key stakeholders in the industry. A company supplying packaging for milk companies in a country with rising demand is meant to expect an increase in sales. Therefore, when an issue about the quality of milk arose, the company was affected since milk consumption declined, which also impacted Tetra Pack's investment plans. The company should perhaps include a section in the packaging where authorities can approve the milk products coming from the dairies to ensure that the product is safe for consumers. This mark of quality would also serve to restore consumer confidence.

Cocaine Incorporated

Cocaine trafficking is an intricate business that entails several steps, from production to actual supply to the market. The use of technology and innovation causes the immense cost of smuggling the drugs into America, but the profits earned from the business help to cover the expenses (Keefe, 2012). At one point, Escobar used to deliver drugs to America using planes that had cocaine concealed in mattresses. Their approach and innovation in the supply chain demonstrate great determination to ensure that the drugs get to the market. Each cartel involved in drug trafficking commands specific routes, and this authority is usually a product of violence. This violence makes the drug business a dangerous venture where successful kingpins are determined by their abilities to subdue their friends and foes. The reason why drug cartels have succeeded to continue being in business for such a long time is that some government officials have been compromised and allow these activities to proceed.

Complexity, Coupling, and Catastrophe

An accident refers to an unintended activity that causes the damage of property, which affects the functioning of a system (Perrow, 2006). People involved in the accident are called victims, and they either belong to the first or second party. First-party victims influence the system since they are operators. Second-party victims are associated with the system, but only as suppliers or users, thus do not control the system. Therefore, analyzing an accident and how to prevent it should consider the possible interactions between the victims and the system then develop interventions to reduce the chances of an accident.

References

Jia, F., Wu, Z., & Gosling, J. (2013). Tetra Pack: Sustainable initiatives in China. The Case Centre.

Keefe, P. R. (2012, June 15). Cocaine incorporated. New York Times Magazine. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/17/magazine/how-a-mexican-drug-cartel-makes-its-billions.html?_r=0

Perrow, C. (2006). Normal accidents: Living with high-risk technologies. Basic Books, Inc.

Pullman, M., Villa-Lobos, V. (2010). Country natural beef: A maturing co-op at the crossroad. Portland State University.