Defeating Diabetes one step at a time- the Alpha Gamma Delta Essay

Defeating Diabetes one step at a time- the Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation - Essay Example According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 23.6 million people representing 8% of population are diabetic which is increasingly becoming a cause of growing concern and hence in dire need of strong and prompt action. It is in the light of these facts that I intend to take up the cause and help make a difference to the society of which we all are a part of. The cause need to be popularized through media as well as through word of mouth, so as to cause awareness about this critical issue and touch the lives of millions of people worldwide by spreading the word. With a host of opportunities available today, especially with the growth of internet and its rising popularity among the young and the old alike, the cause could be conveniently propagated through blogs, social networking sites, video uploading sites, as well as through other forms of media such as T.V and news advertisements. In order to make a difference you need to have a vision – a vision that inspires change. They say that you need to be the change you want to see and to suffice I’d like to quote these lines: â€Å"Maybe I will never be, All the things that I’d like to be, Now is not the time to cry, Now is the time to find out why† –

Violent Video games not the cause for youth violence Essay Example for Free

Violent Video games not the cause for youth violence Essay Violent video games and television shows has been the source of entertainment for years. Violent video games made its first appearance in the early 1970’s. In 1972 Sony released a very popular game, Call of Duty. This game series, gave many people, especially youth, aspirations to join the military. In 2004 Icon Productions released of the most realistic movies in history. The movie Passion of The Christ depicted a very clear and precise way that people were treated in the older days. Many may argue these first two categories of violence were the booster seats of violence, but these violent video games and other entertainment outlets have little to do with contributing to youth violence. According to Jacob, 65% of youth today do not have the instinct to determine what is real and what not (Purdue.) Violent video games are positively used, they help kids prepare for the military, build self- esteem within themselves and gain heroic qualities, despite contrary beliefs that it generates bullying and family violence. One of the most played video game series is Call of Duty. Call of Duty, used for military purposes. Americas Military use this game to stimulate fighting skills and to prepare their troops for battle. Lieutenant Johnson argued that fighting skills derived in this game may even protect them from mental stresses of combat (Holtz) The Military has really taken a hold of gaming technology. Call of Duty also in association with Modern warfare two has become a more effective tool for the Military than all other Army advertisements combined, according to MIT researchers (Holtz.) According to Pete Singer, mental horrors will prepare our people for war and kids who play these games will be more likely to grow up and go on to take on the world and protect the world. Video games sold in the United States made twenty one billion dollars just on violent video games. It has been argued that violent video games are bloody and do not serve a purpose to youth. Violent video games bring many benefits. One happens to be increasing self-esteem. When kids play violent video games that involve having a multiplayer, they learn to work as a team and they tend to build self-esteem for themselves. They either learn how to follow and take directions or take the lead unselfishly (Purdue.) The media likes to blame violent video games for the aggression in youth. In a recent broadcast, violent video games have given youth heroic qualities. Two teenage brothers Colten and Luke were out late to purchase Grand Theft Auto V. On their way home from the store they witnessed 70 year old elderly man burning in his apartment building. They quickly ran into the building and saved the man from burning. Colten and Luke are die hard grand theft auto fans and spend countless hours on the gaming system. The two did not run into the building to beat the elderly man and take all of his possessions, they saved him from the bottom of their hearts. This goes to show that violent video games do not create aggression in youth. It creates heroism. Some causes of youth violence are because of the society within society. Bullying has led violence to another level. April 20th, 1999, the Columbine shooting at a High School located in Littleton, Colorado tool place. The two suspects were Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. These two young men total of thirteen people and one of them was in fact an educator. A seventeen year study of seven hundred children from the ages of 16-22 had less than one hour of daily viewing of media violence, causing their involvement in aggressive acts to be at 5.7% (purdue) Dylan and Eric had little known source of violent video games and television shows. Dylan and Eric were simply fed up with what they had been dealing with for years. Both were mentally and physically bullied at their local school and simply wanted revenge, so they planned for an attack. Exactly ten years later another catastrophic event took place on April 17th, 2011 with narcotics. The Seth Tyler Jackson case included one victim and six suspects. The young adults were not playing violent games like Grand Theft Auto or Halo or watching a violent movie such as Saw. The suspects were indeed smoking and using methamphetamine, a drug, which submerges the brain under a negative delusion. These types are not to blame on media violence, because violent games are used for good purposes. Other factors are early childhood abuse. Adolescents that were raised in an abusive household have a greater risk or chance of growing up and taking on violent actions. Doctors with PhD’s often argue that media violence is the blame for aggression that is shown in children in this generation. American Psychological Association studies have proven if a child sees his mother or father that they look up to beating someone they love, they will also think that it is right to do the same thing to other people when they become an adult. Statistics show that 70% of adolescents were brought up in abusive households, causing them to have violent intentions (purdue) Parents and Doctors argue that media violence has a negative effect on youth, but media violence has a positive effect on children. The factor that has a positive effect on children is, preparing them for combat like preparing them for the Military and creating a sense of self-esteem, team work and heroic qualities.

Management Principles in the Construction Industry

Management Principles in the Construction Industry Task 1 Management Techniques (1.1, 1.2, 1.3) Define and attribute three established definitions of management Fredrick Taylor observed that workers were often working beneath their potential and he designed a four stage method to overcome this problem; Break the job into its smallest elements Select the most qualified employees to do the job and train them to do it. Monitor the employees to ensure that they follow the prescribed methods. Continue in this way, but only use the employees that perform the work well. In 1911, Taylor published principles of scientific management in which he described methods of work designed to increase productivity. Many studies were performed at the Bethlehem steel company in Pittsburgh where he examined the time and motion details of work operations. He developed better methods for performing specific tasks and trained the workers to perform them. In one experiment he increased the output of a worker loading pig iron onto a rail car. He broke the task down into its smallest operations, timing each one with a stopwatch. The task was then redesigned, reducing the number of movements as well as the effort required and the potential sources of error. Work breaks were introduced at specific intervals for a specified duration and a differential pay scale was also used to improve the production rate. The workers output rate increased from 12 to 47 tons per day! Taylor was known as the father of scientific management. Frank (1868 to 1924) and Lillian (1878-1972) Gilbreth The Gilbreths, a husband and wife team, developed ways to increase workers output. They believed that it was possible to design work methods whose durations could be estimated in advance, rather than using time studies based on observation. One of his studies related to bricklaying. He filmed all of the required movements to perform the task. This enabled him to determine the tasks that made up each stage of the process. As a result, he designed and patented special scaffolding to reduce the amount of bending and reaching. This changed an 18 stage process into a five stage process, increasing productivity by around 200%. The Gilbreths defined motion study as breaking work down into its fundamental elements, studying the elements both separately and both in relation to each other so as to minimise waste. They defined time study as a scientific analysis of methods and equipment used for a task, development of the best way of doing it and determination of the time required to perform it. Frank Gilbreth is known as the father of time and motion studies. Administrative Management Administrative management considers the running of the total organisation. Some of the major contributors are: Henri Fayol (1841 to 1925) was a French engineer. Fayol was the first to distinguish the four management functions: Planning Organising Leading Controlling Fayol was known as the father of modern management His principles of management included, division of work, authority and responsibility, discipline and order, unity of command and direction, subordination of individual interests to general goals, job security and remuneration of personnel. Max Weber (1864 to 1920) was a German sociologist and economist Weber outlined the concept of bureaucracy. He saw bureaucracy as the most logical and appropriate structure for large organisations. Bureaucracies are based on authority which comes from law, procedures, rules, etc. He believed that efficiency in bureaucracies comes from: Hierarchical structure Clearly defined and specialised job functions Use of strict and systematic rules and procedures Appointment of employees to job based and technical expertise Promotions of employees based on competence Clearly defined career paths His work is the foundation of contemporary organisation theory. Mary parker Follett (1868 to 1933) was an American lecturer and management consultant Follets concepts included: The universal goal The universal goal of organisations is an integration of individual effort into that of the whole company. The universal principle The universal principle involves reciprocal response emphasising feedback to the sender, ( the concept of two way communication). The law situation The law of the situation emphasises that there is not a single best way of doing anything, but that it all depends on the situation. Behavioural orhuman relationsManagement, which appeared in the 1920s, dealt with the human aspects of the organisations. Initially, it was a reaction to the shortcomings of the classical theories of management. Behavioural research began with the Hawthorne studies which were conducted between 1924 and 1933 at the Hawthorne plant of the western electric company in Cicero, Illinois by Elton Mayo and his colleagues. Elton Mayo (1880 to 1949) Mayo believed that work satisfaction depends more on working conditions and attitudes than on the level of remuneration. He rejected Taylorism and that work should be considered as a group activity. He proposed that workers needed recognition of their efforts and tnat a sense of belonging was more important than the physical working conditions. Mayo identified the Hawthorne effect. This is the bias that occurs when people know that they are being observed. The Hawthorne studies The Hawthorne studies included the Illumination experiments. The aim of these studies was to investigate the effect of operating conditions on productivity. Illumination experiments were carried out to establish whether better lighting conditions would lead to increased productivity. It was found that employees productivity increased whether the light were turned up or down. However, the increased productivity was found to be a result of the attention received by the group, not the working conditions. Another study found that employees do not work as fast as they can when they are being paid piece rate wages. Instead, they will perform informally to a level set by the group. The conclusion was that there was no direct cause and effect between operating conditions and productivity. Worker attitude and peer pressure was found to be more important. 1.2  Explain the principles and processes of management: forecasting The Principles and forecasting of Management Principles of Management The principles are; To command Maintain the activity among the personnel. Forecasting To be able to predict the outcomes of business behaviour or industry sector through the use of experience, qualification or with the use of statistics or other previous records. (The go to place for management) Forecasting is an effective practice use as a starting point for management planning and decision making. General types of forecasting include trend examination, regression analysis, Delphi technique, time series analysis, correlation, exponential smoothing, and input-output analysis. Daily business planning Planning is an incredibly effective way for managers to stay focused on achieving their own goals and the goals of the organization for which they represent. Organising Build up the structure, both material and human, of the undertaking. Motivating To encourage and inspire other to carry out tasks or jobs to be completed and maintain momentum or the working pace of the operatives. Controlling Seeing that everything occurs in conformity with established rule and expressed command. Coordinating Binding together, unifying and harmonizing all activity and effort. Communicating Henri Fayol published 14 principles of management these principles are: (Fayol) Division of Work. Specialization allows the individual to build up experience, and to continuously improve his skills. Thereby he can be more productive. Authority. The right to issue commands, along with which must go the balanced responsibility for its function. Discipline. Employees must obey, but this is two-sided: employees will only obey orders if management play their part by providing good leadership. Unity of Command. Each worker should have only one boss with no other conflicting lines of command. Unity of Direction. People engaged in the same kind of activities must have the same objectives in a single plan. This is essential to ensure unity and coordination in the enterprise. Unity of command does not exist without unity of direction but does not necessarily flow from it. Subordination of individual interest (to the general interest). Management must see that the goals of the firms are always paramount. Remuneration. Payment is an important motivator although by analyzing a number of possibilities, Fayol points out that there is no such thing as a perfect system. Centralization (or Decentralization). This is a matter of degree depending on the condition of the business and the quality of its personnel. Scalar chain (Line of Authority). A hierarchy is necessary for unity of direction. But lateral communication is also fundamental, as long as superiors know that such communication is taking place. Scalar chain refers to the number of levels in the hierarchy from the ultimate authority to the lowest level in the organization. It should not be over-stretched and consist of too-many levels. Order. Both material order and social order are necessary. The former minimizes lost time and useless handling of materials. The latter is achieved through organization and selection. Equity. In running a business a combination of kindliness and justice is needed. Treating employees well is important to achieve equity. Stability of Tenure of Personnel. Employees work better if job security and career progress are assured to them. An insecure tenure and a high rate of employee turnover will affect the organization adversely. Initiative. Allowing all personnel to show their initiative in some way is a source of strength for the organization. Even though it may well involve a sacrifice of personal vanity on the part of many managers. Esprit de Corps. Management must foster the morale of its employees. He further suggests that: real talent is needed to coordinate effort, encourage keenness, use each persons abilities, and reward each ones merit without arousing possible jealousies and disturbing harmonious relations. 1.3  Identify the motivational needs of individuals and groups, leadership styles and concepts of team working. Motivational Needs Organization of goals, function within addition to ideals among employees, teams and company is the generally essential part of motivation. The better the arrangement and personal union with organizational aim, the healthier the podium for incentive. Anywhere persons find it hard to support and unite with the organizational aims, and then mainly motivational ideas and actions will have a reduced level of success. Motivation is a difficult subject. It differentiates for each person. Motivational receptivity and potential in everyone differs from day to day, from situation to situation. Get the alignment and values right, and motivational methods work out better. Motivational methods of every sort will not work if some people or organisations are not aligned. People are more interested or gravitate towards something they can relate to and something they can believe in. Times have changed. People want more. Motivational and inspirational quotes, poems, posters, motivational speakers and stories, team building games and activities, all develop employee motivation for sales and business staff in all kinds of organizations. Motivational and inspirational experiences improve employees attitudes, confidence and performance. Leadership styles Charismatic Leadership Charismatic Leaders use a wide range of methods to manage their image and, if they are not naturally charismatic, may practice assiduously at developing their skills. They may engender trust through visible self-sacrifice and taking personal risks in the name of their beliefs. They will show great confidence in their followers. They are very persuasive and make very effective use of body languageas well as verbal language. Participative Leadership A Participative Leader, rather than taking autocratic decisions, seeks to involve other people in the process, possibly including subordinates, peers, superiors and other stakeholders. Often, however, as it is within the managers whim to give or deny control to his or her subordinates, most participative activity is within the immediate team. The question of how much influence others are given thus may vary on the managers preferences and beliefs, and a whole spectrum of participation is possible, as in the table below. Situational leadership The best action of the leader depends on a range of situational factors. When a decision is needed, an effective leader does not just fall into a single preferred style, such as using transactionalor transformationalmethods. In practice, as they say, things are not that simple. Factors that affect situational decisions include motivation and capability of followers. This, in turn, is affected by factors within the particular situation. The relationship between followers and the leader may be another factor that affects leader behaviour as much as it does follower behaviour. Transactional Leadership The transactional leader works through creating clear structures whereby it is clear what is required of their subordinates, and the rewards that they get for following orders. Punishments are not always mentioned, but they are also well-understood and formal systems of discipline are usually in place. The early stage of Transactional Leadership is in negotiating the contract whereby the subordinate is given a salary and other benefits, and the company (and by implication the subordinates manager) gets authority over the subordinate. When the Transactional Leader allocates work to a subordinate, they are considered to be fully responsible for it, whether or not they have the resources or capability to carry it out. When things go wrong, then the subordinate is considered to be personally at fault, and is punished for their failure (just as they are rewarded for succeeding). Transformational Leadership Transformational Leadership starts with the development of a vision, a view of the future that will excite and convert potential followers. This vision may be developed by the leader, by the senior team or may emerge from a broad series of discussions. The important factor is the leader buys into it, hook, line and sinker. The next step, which in fact never stops, is to constantly sell the vision. This takes energy and commitment, as few people will immediately buy into a radical vision, and some will join the show much more slowly than others. The Transformational Leader thus takes every opportunity and will use whatever works to convince others to climb on board the bandwagon. In order to create followers, the Transformational Leader has to be very careful in creating trust, and their personal integrity is a critical part of the package that they are selling. In effect, they are selling themselves as well as the vision. The quiet Leader The approach of quiet leaders is the antithesis of the classic charismatic(and often transformational) leaders in that they base their success not on ego and force of character but on their thoughts and actions. Although they are strongly task-focused, they are neither bullies nor unnecessarily unkind and may persuade people through rational argument and a form of benevolent Transactional Leadership. Servant Leadership It is easy to dismiss servant leadership as soft and easy, though this is not necessarily so, as individual followers may be expected to make sacrifices for the good of the whole, in the way of the servant leader. The focus on the less privileged in society shows the servant leader as serving not just their followers but also the whole of society. Servant leadership is a natural model for working in the public sector. It requires more careful interpretation in the private sector lest the needs of the shareholders and customers and the rigors of market competition are lost. Task 2 Leading by Example (2.1, 2.5, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5) 2.1  Describe in outline the main markets, activities and services provided by the construction and built environment sector. The Main Markets New build Housing The housing market is the supply and demandfor homes, normally in a particular country or county, a primary element of the housing market is the average house prices and activity in house prices. The availability of housing and the amount of housing stock fluctuates house prices sectors include the rented sector. Buy to let investment and the requirement from tenants, government intervention controls and Influences the Housing market Interest rates also influence the cost of erratic mortgages market conditions and mortgage activity, plays an important part in whether people are eligible for mortgages financial progress, incomes and unemployment rates population and geographic trends also have influences in this market place The UK Housing Market is habitually unpredictable because of a variety of factors. The UK Housing market often has influence over wider economy. E.g. when house prices are decreasing, consumer spending tends to fall because the housing market always dictates for the economy and individual homeowners, it is essential to try and predict or foresee the future movements in the housing market. Industrial Commercial Markets This industry consists of units generally occupied in the construction and development of commercial and industrial non-residential buildings. This category also consists of elements occupied in carrying out additions, alterations or renovations or general repairs or remodelling to commercial and industrial buildings or in organising or managing the construction. Establishments mainly engaged in the construction of institutional non-residential buildings such as schools hospitals and other government buildings. Infrastructure Markets The general dependable systemsof a community or countries population, including utilities, water, sewage, roads, etc. These systems are considered paramount for enabling growthin an economy. Building and developing an infrastructure often requires huge investment, but the economies of scaletend to be significant. 2.5  Define and explain the application of a mission statement, strategy, corporate planning, policy and objectives to the activities of a practice or firm A mission statement is a formal short statement of the purpose of a company or organisation. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organisation, spell out its overall goal, provide a sense of direction, and guide decision making. It provides the framework or context within which the companys strategies are formulated. Historically it is associated with Christian religious groups; indeed, for many years a missionary was assumed to be a person on a specifically religious mission. The word mission dates from 1598, originally of Jesuits sending members abroad. Corporate planning Corporate planning is the continuas process of making present risk-taking decisions systematically and with the greatest knowledge of their futurity; organising systematically the efforts needed to carry out these decisions, and measuring the results of these decisions against the expectations through organised, systematic feedback. Planning at the highest level in an organisation, involving an analysis of the current situation, the setting of objectives, the formulation of strategies and tactics, implementation and evaluation. 4.3  Describe what is meant by multi discipline non adversarial working in project teams (Lathem Report). Multi discipline means a person firm of group offering multiple disciplines in which they specialize. If a task requires more than one type of specialist/function, it requires multi-disciplined group or person. Non- adversarialmeans there is a spirit of co operation, a passive stance, the parties are willing to reach a mutually satisfying resolution to a problem. There is persuasion rather than coercion. The Lathem report The Lathem report was an influential report written by sir Michael Lathem. Commissioned by the United Kingdom Government and industry to review procurement and contractual arrangements in the construction industry. It tackled the most controversial issues facing the industry during a period of lapse in growth as a whole. The Lathem report of July 1994 was sponsored by UK Government and industry following several poorly performing projects. The inefficiencies identified pointed to the need for partnering and collaboration in the construction sector. The Lathem report 1994 `constructing the team` a joint industry government report was based on a simple concept that through teamwork the construction industry could delight its consumers. The report acted as a wake up with all the urgency of an emergency siren. This was a report that had to be listened to, the industry couldnt but help but hear the cries for reform. The industry was ineffective, adversarial, fragmented, and incapable of delivering for its customers` and lacking respect for its employees` more than just ringing alarm bells the Lathem report set the agenda for reform and gave the industry targets. From this a raft of initiatives flowed. The report led to the establishment of the construction industry board to oversee reform and subsequent initiatives were the Egan report 1998 `Rethinking construction` the construction best practice programme, The movement for innovation` and construction excellence` all designed to drive the industry forward. 4.4  Evaluate the concept of sharing best practice and benchmarking the performance of a practice/firms activities Best practice is a method or technique, method, process, activity, incentive, or reward that is believed to be more effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other technique, method, process, etc. When applied to a particular condition or circumstance. The idea is that with proper processes, check, and testing, a desired outcome can be delivered with fewer problems or unforeseen circumstances, best practice can also be defined as the most efficient and effective way of accomplishing a task , based upon repeatable procedures that have proven themselves over time for large numbers of people. A given best practice is only applicable to a particular condition or circumstance and may have to be modified or adapted for similar circumstance. In addition, a best practice can evolve to become better as improvements are discovered. Despite the need to improve on processes as the environment changes , best practice is considered by some as business buzzword used to describe the process of developing and following a standard way of doing things that multiple organisations can use for managements, policy, and software systems. As a team becomes more popular, some organisations have begun using the term best practices to refer to what are in fact merely `rules` causing a linguistic drift in which a new term such as good ideas is needed to refer to what previously would have been called `best practice`. 4.5  Explain how sustainable Construction and environmental Management/Conservation Issues impact on the organisation and operation of a project/organisation. Sustainable construction Environmental management The strategy for sustainable construction is a joint industry and government initiative intended to promote leadership and behavioural change, as well as delivering benefits to both the construction industry and the wider economy. The output of the construction industry has a major impact on our ability to maintain a sustainable economy overall and has a major impact on our environment, moreover, it is clear that we cannot meet our declared environmental targets without dramatically reducing the environmental impact of buildings and infrastructure construction, we have to change the way we design and build. The business case for sustainable construction agenda is based upon increasing profitability by using resources more efficiently, firms who offer sustainable products and ways of working are more likely to secure building contracts, by enhancing their company image and profile in the market place by addressing issues related to corporate and social responsibility, and sustainable construction. Construction companies competing in this market place must address issues such as: Design quality Energy Health and safety Materials Procurement Skills Social responsibility Surface water management Waste Water use Facilities management Task 3 Organisation (2.2, 2.3, 2.4) 2.2  Identify the roles of the different professions/disciplines within the design construction and installation team and the main cycle of work activity. Design Client, lead consultant, CDM coordinator, Cost consultant, Lead designer, Architect structural engineer, services engineer, contractor Construction Principle contractor, managing director, contracts manager, project manager , site manager, assistant site manager, foreman. Labourer. Installation teams Surveyor, setting out engineer, groundworks subcontractor, brickwork subcontractor, steel frame subcontractor, concrete slab subcontractor, floor screed subcontractor, carpentry subcontractor, mechanical and electrical subcontractor, cladding contractor roofing contractor, telecoms contractor, scaffolding contractor, dry lining subcontractor, British gas southern electric. 2.3  Produce an organisation structure that includes examples and explanations of direct line, lateral functional and staff relationships and also explain with examples, span of control chain of command centralised versus decentralised and job design. Directors Managers Managers Section heads Section heads Section heads Section heads Section heads Section heads Managers Explanations of direct line. The director Directors have many business responsibilities for ensuring the success of their company, in areas such as health and safety, employment law and tax. The contracts Manager He / she will be responsible for the successful procurement, progress and completion of several contracts at any time. Planning and Control Planning Designing a methodical process for accomplishing the goals of the organisation / preparing the organisation for the future Organising Arranging the resources to carry out the plan / the process of creating the company structure, establishing relationships and allocating resources to achieve the organisational goals. Directing Guiding, leading and supervising employees to achieve the organisational goals Controlling Verifying that actual performance matches the plan/ if it does not match the actual plan then corrective action needs to be taken. Lateral functions There are also lateral functions in the job functions and personal roles in the areas of design, planning and construction there are senior managers and operative in all areas who need to liaise and work together to achieve the goals of the organisation. 2.4  Identify project based organisation structures. Health Safety Consultant CDM Coordinator Subcontractors Employees Subcontractors Subcontractors Subcontractors Subcontractors Subcontractors Subcontractors Assistant Manager Site Manager Project Manager Section heads CDM Coordinator The CDM co-ordinator is there to advise and assist with CDM duties  on notifiable jobs. They will: advise on selecting competent designers and contractors; help identify what information will be needed by designers and contractors; co-ordinate the arrangements for health and safety during the planning  phase; ensure that HSE is notified of the project; tell if the initial construction phase plan is suitable; and prepare a health and safety file (this contains useful information  needed to enable future cleaning, maintenance and alterations to be carried out  Safely). The appointment of the CDM co-ordinator is better done soon as possible, but no later than the initial design/preparation stage. Health and Safety consultant Normally familiar with working within a construction site environment, roaming various sites to ensure that health and safety standards are being met according to statuary regulations and company and client standards. The Project Manager A project manager is often a client representative and has to determine and implement the exact needs of the client, based on knowledge of the firm they are representing. The ability to adapt to the various internal procedures of the contracting party, and to form close links with the nominated representatives, is essential in ensuring that the key issues of cost, time, quality and above all, client satisfaction, can be realized. The Site Manager He /She will be responsible for the day to day running of the site the job normally involves Producing the site layout plan Setting up the dimensional control of the works Interpreting the drawings and specifications Liaising with the architects and engineers Checking the quality of the work Ensuring a safe site environment Planning 3.1  Describe techniques used to organise the layout, resourcing and accommodation of the project The techniques used to organise the layout of the project is called a site layout plan. All construction projects of any notable size require the provision of substantial amounts of temporary facilities (TF). One of the initial tasks to be undertaken on any construction site is the construction of the temporary accommodation and associated site compound. The compound is required for safety and security whilst various types of temporary facilities are required the most common being, Office Accommodation   Ã‚  Ã‚   (Reception, General Office, Engineers Office, Project Managers Office etc.) Welfare Facilities Accommodation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (Canteen, Toilets, Showers, Drying Rooms etc.) Storage Accommodation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (Valuable and Hazardous Materials storage facilities) 3.2  Describe with examples, methods of work planning, monitoring and progress control u

Eliminating The Capital Gains Tax :: essays research papers

Eliminating The Capital Gains Tax One of the major obstacles facing all entrepreneurs in the United States when starting a new business or expanding an existing one is raising capital. Here capital refers to money that people invest in a business. Investment and entrepreneurship are the heart and soul of a lively economy. There is no other economic task more important than investing one's capital into new ideas and new enterprises. Therefore capital raised from one person or a group of professional investors remains a crucial source of funding for these type of enterprises. In the type of economic world which is present today the opportunity for good returns on a person's money must be in abundance to allure investments in such ventures. Capital gains taxes significantly diminish these returns, therefore reducing the incentives to invest. Eliminating the capital gains tax will spark entrepreneurship and new investments in the economy, which in turn will elevate economic growth and increase the number of jobs. In order to stimulate economic growth in the United States, taxes on capital gains should be eliminated. Members of Congress once considered a reduction in the capital gains tax rate from 28% to 19.8%. Combined with indexation, which is , reducing the capital gains tax by any amount would be a vital pro-growth step taken by Congress. However, given the fickle and high risk nature of investments and entrepreneurships, and the importance of maintaining a competitive economy in a global environment, capital gains should be exempt from taxation altogether. A zero percent capital gains tax would attract entrepreneurial risk taking, which is very important to economic growth. It would entice wealthy investors to invest in a certain enterprise, which in small numbers would immensely increase the economic growth in the United States. In the Wall Street Journal the U.S. Commission on civil rights said, "Reducing the tax on capital gains effectively increases the flow of financial 'seed corn' to budding entrepreneurs." Also, from a global perspective, the United States has one of the biggest capital gains tax rate. Depending on inflation, sometimes the United States has the largest capital gains tax rate in the world. In a competitive global economy a zero percent capital gains tax rate would make the United States a haven for capital, which in the long run will spark economic growth in the United States. Eliminating the capital gains tax altogether would not only promote a "boom" economy in the United States but will give the United States an edge that it needs to compete in the global world, not to mention create new jobs. The potential benefits for eliminating the capital gains tax are clear.

Leadership from the Bible Essay

The pages of History are littered with stories and legends of societies’ great leaders: Napoleon Bonaparte, a brilliant and charismatic military strategist; Mahatma Ghandi, the peaceful revolutionary; Pope John Paul II, the vibrant Roman pontiff that continues to inspire millions; Ronald Reagan, the â€Å"Great Communicator†; and the list goes on and on. And these leaders are looked upon, revered, and modeled in today’s society as those having exemplary leadership skills, having the keys to motivating, influencing, inspiring, and moving the masses to accomplish great and mighty things. But there was only one perfect, righteous leader; one who led by example, and implemented the wisdom keys from the Word of God: Jesus Christ. And He gave to us His Word, the Bible, the perfect manuscript for life, including key leadership concepts that we can be apply today. Using the life of Christ as the primary example and combining His life with God’s word, one finds perfect, holy, and successful leadership treasures that excel in relevance and effectiveness beyond history’s secular leadership examples. This paper is my exploration into how the Word defines a great leader and those wisdom nuggets that we can use today through the concepts of small beginnings, vision, service, and time management. When Israel returned from captivity to rebuild the Lord’s Temple, the Lord said through the Old Testament Prophet Zechariah, â€Å"[Do not] despise the day of small [beginnings]† (New King James Version, Zechariah 4:10). Referencing this verse, Pastor Mac Hammond of Living Word Christian Center rhetorically asks the question, â€Å"If it can’t be instantly huge, why bother? (â€Å"Small Beginnings†). The world is consumed with the concept of instant gratification, the desire to be the biggest and the best without enduring the struggle that comes with growth, but Jesus started his ministry small, with 120 passionate, committed followers. The LORD also started the Hebrew Nation with just one man, Abraham. And from that man, a great nation has grown and endured for thousands of years. And even before that, God created the first family, one man and one woman, to fill the earth and subdue it. Our God, the Christian God, is a God of small beginnings. I attend the mega-church Family Worship Center in Lakeland, FL. The church’s pastor and charismatic shepherd is Reggie Scarborough. Like the greater church body, the nation of Israel, and the beginnings described in Genesis; Pastor Reggie did not despise Family Worship Center’s day of small beginnings. In fact, I believe, he embraced it. Nearly 26 years ago, the church began with exactly 100 members and has flourished to a congregation of nearly 4,000. Great leaders do not despise or forsake the day of small beginnings. For those who suffer those small beginnings the Lord is faithful to yield much. In the financial world there are three mutually owned financial firms that separate themselves from the rest: New York Life, Massachusetts Mutual Life, and Northwestern Mutual Life. All three companies were founded in the mid-19th century with a strategy for small, slow, conservative growth. Today, the â€Å"Big Three Mutuals† are Fortune 100 companies with credit ratings and assets that surpass most other rivals in the financial markets. These companies saw the value of small beginnings, and the payoff has been a good, strong name. For me, leadership key number one is â€Å"do not despise the day of small beginnings. † To the prophet Habakukk, the Lord said, â€Å"Write the vision and make it plain†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hab 2:2). This was the Lord’s reply to Habakukk’s complaint of the wickedness befalling Judah. Habakukk was seeking justice from the Lord and an answer on Judah’s future. In similar measure, the Lord spoke through Proverbs to say, â€Å"Without a vision, the people parish†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Prov 29:18). A great leader must have a vision for the future. The text uses the phrase â€Å"mission statement [to] summarize ‘why’ an organization exists† (Kiniki and Kreitner 459). In like manner, the Word of God uses â€Å"vision† to give the people a purpose, an answer to the question, â€Å"Why do we do what we do? † A vision or mission statement also allows those in the organization to glimpse the â€Å"big picture. † Pastor Mac Hammond encourages his readers to, â€Å"Find out where you fit in the grand scheme of things. † (â€Å"The Big Picture†). It also allow for goal-setting. How will the organization accomplish the vision? Referring to the passage from Habakukk, Pastor Mac Hammond states, â€Å"Setting specific, measurable goals is a powerful exercise†¦ It’s one of the most important motivational tasks for winning†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (â€Å"The Exercise of Goal Setting†). Just as Pastor Reggie started Family Worship Center with small beginnings, he also had a vision for the congregation. That vision is espoused in the mission statement of Family Worship Center which reads: Our mission is to create a worship environment through a union of the Word of God and the Spirit of God that will stimulate a progressive Pentecostal community. â€Å"Our Mission†). Its vision allows its congregants to know why they are there and how they fit in. The vision also helps Pastor and his Board of Advisors create and manage goals for Family Worship Center’s growth. And from that growth through goals formed from the vision, Family Worship Center has grown to a mega-church that sows into ministries throughout the world. Likewise, the Big Three Mutuals all had separate, yet similar, visions. All of their stories are alike in that each of their founders laid out a vision or mission for long-term financial security and conservative growth. The following mission statement was released in 1911 from the Northwestern Mutual Life (NML) Board of Trustee, and reads as follows: The ambition of the Northwestern has been less to be large than to be safe; its aim is to rank first in benefits to policyowners rather than first in size. Valuing quality above quantity, it has preferred to secure its business under certain salutary restrictions and limitations rather than to write a much larger business at the possible sacrifice of those valuable points which have made the Northwestern pre-eminently the policyowner’s company. Shannon and Poley) This mission statement has allowed NML to grow in an efficient conservative manner for nearly 100 years, and its reputation and name is revered in the industry. Like Family Worship Center, NML’s vision has giving its policyowners and staff the ability to see NML’s big-picture, and the vision has been the guidebook NML uses when setting goals and future plans. A Vision does multiple things for any organization: It gives the organization purpose, it shows the people where they fit in with the big-picture, and it gives a clear path for goal-setting. For me, leadership key number two is â€Å"have a vision. † Another prominent leadership concept is servant-leadership. Although the term â€Å"servant-leadership† was coined by Robert Greenleaf in 1970, the concept was espoused by Christ two millennia before (â€Å"What is Servant Leadership†). Jesus promoted the idea of servant-leadership when He said to His disciples, â€Å"†¦whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (New International Version, Matt 20:26). His focus was putting others before oneself. I like the way John MacArthur describes the passage: In this rich text, the Lord was teaching the disciples that the style of greatness and leadership for believers is different [than for none believers]†¦ [Christians] lead by being servants and giving themselves away for others, as Jesus did. (1430) Servant-leadership gives the leader influence, builds moral, and provides him or her understanding. Through Jesus’ example, He did all those things. He had influence; He inspired the crowds; and His leadership style showed understanding. From a business point of view, there is an old saying, â€Å"He who serves best, profits most. † (Source unknown). And it’s true in any organization. Leaders in a church must serve the sheep, just as Pastor Reggie has done at Family Worship Center. Leaders in business must serve their clients, just as the Big Three Mutuals. For me, leadership key number three is â€Å"service. † The Apostle Paul said to the church at Ephesus, â€Å"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Eph 5:15 – 16). In comparison, the New King James uses the phrase â€Å"redeeming the times† instead of â€Å"making the most of every opportunity. † For the leader, what Paul may be inferring here is, â€Å"Use your time wisely. † In support of Paul’s letter, John MacArthur opines: â€Å"We are to make the most of our time on this evil earth in fulfilling God’s purposes, lining up every opportunity for useful worship and service (1812). In Scripture, we constantly see Jesus â€Å"redeeming the time† and â€Å"making the most of every opportunity. † He had priorities in place, taking care of the most pressing matters, first. Many of his miracle healings were interruptions in His schedule, but He often turned aside from His journey to touch the sick and heal the blind, making the most of the opportunity. He redeemed the time He had on the earth. For the Christian, Pastor Mac Hammond says, â€Å"†¦one of the most crucial lessons any leader can learn is how to use time wisely. † (â€Å"Time Management†). For me, leadership key number four is â€Å"time management†. Although this paper has addressed four keys to successful leadership, the wealth of leadership treasure in the Bible is without end. It does not matter the type of organization that applies these concepts. Whether a church like Family Worship Center, or one of the Big Three Mutuals; biblical leadership keys work. For me, if I only master these four, I believe I will be successful in both Christian ministry and the secular business world: small beginnings, the willingness to forgo instant gratification; vision, the idea that gives me purpose; service, putting others before myself; and, time management, making the most of every opportunity.

Mandarin Chinese Names of North American Cities

Mandarin Chinese Names of North American Cities Mandarin Chinese has a relatively limited stock of phonetics compared with other languages. When it comes to translating Western geographical names into Chinese characters, a close phonetic match is attempted. Consideration must also be given to the meaning of the chosen Chinese characters. Most geographical names are chosen as phonetic approximations of the Western names, but a few place names are descriptive. San Francisco, for example, is Jià ¹ JÄ «n ShÄ n, which translates as â€Å"Old Gold Mountain,† reminding us of the California gold rush. Most Mandarin Chinese geographical names sound strange to Western ears. This is because there is usually not an exact phonetic equivalent to the sounds of the English names. North American Cities Click on the links to hear the audio. English Name Chinese Characters Pinyin New York ç ´ Ã§ ´â€ž niÇ” yuÄ“ Boston æ ³ ¢Ã¥ £ «Ã©  â€œ bÃ…  shà ¬ dà ¹n Montreal è’™ç‰ ¹Ã¥ ©  mà ©ng tà ¨ là ³u Vancouver æ º «Ã¥â€œ ¥Ã¨  ¯ wÄ“n gÄ“ hu Toronto Ã¥ ¤Å¡Ã¥â‚¬ «Ã¥ ¤Å¡ duÃ…  là ºn duÃ…  Los Angeles æ ´â€ºÃ¦ â€°Ã§ £ ¯ luà ² shÄ n jÄ « San Francisco 舊金å ± ± jià ¹ jÄ «n shÄ n Chicago èŠ Ã¥Å   Ã¥â€œ ¥ zhÄ « jiÄ  gÄ“ Seattle è ¥ ¿Ã©â€ºâ€¦Ã¥Å"â€" xÄ « yÇŽ tà º Miami é‚ Ã©Ëœ ¿Ã¥ ¯â€  mi Ä  mà ¬ Houston ä ¼â€˜Ã¦â€" ¯Ã©  â€œ xiÃ… « sÄ « dà ¹n Portland æ ³ ¢Ã§â€° ¹Ã¨Ëœ ­ bÃ…  tà ¨ ln Washington è  ¯Ã§â€ºâ€ºÃ©  â€œ hu shà ¨ng dà ¹n New Orleans ç ´ Ã¥ ¥ §Ã¨â€° ¯ niÇ” o ling Philadelphia è ² »Ã¥Å¸Å½ fà ¨i chà ©ng Detroit Ã¥ ºâ€¢Ã§â€° ¹Ã¥ ¾â€¹ dÇ  tà ¨ lÇÅ" Dallas é â€Ã¦â€¹â€°Ã¦â€" ¯ d lÄ  sÄ « Atlanta ä ºÅ¾Ã§â€° ¹Ã¨Ëœ ­Ã¥ ¤ § y tà ¨ ln d San Diego è â€"Ã¥Å" °Ã§â€°â„¢Ã¥â€œ ¥ shà ¨ng dià © y gÄ“ Las Vegas 拉æâ€" ¯Ã§ ¶ ­Ã¥Å   Ã¦â€" ¯ lÄ  sÄ « wà ©i jiÄ  sÄ «

Problem with the Pledge essays

Problem with the Pledge essays The Pledge of Allegiance is spoken daily in many schools throughout the United States. During the last several years this fact has become a source of contempt for many parents, who do not promote a particular religious belief in their homes. Reciting wording specific to a particular set of religious beliefs has recently caused some problems concerning constitutional validity, the ideals of our founding fathers, and even the basic reasons for the pledge to exist, however there is a simple solution, that could satisfy all Americans, whether they question the wording under God, or not. The words first known as the pledge of allegiance are now simply a base for the current pledge. This base was first published in honor of the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. In the fall of 1892 children began to recite the unperfected version of the recitation that is now familiar to all Americans. There was no mention of God; in fact God was not mentioned through several revisions. After fifteen failed attempts by Congress to change the wording, during the Cold War Dwight Eisenhower attended a sermon given by Reverend George Docherty. Reverend Docherty belittled the Pledge of that time saying it could be the pledge of any republic (). The president agreed with Reverend Dochertys sentiments and three days later a bill was proposed. Five months later the words under God were added in a joint session of the House and Senate. The underlying currents of anti-communism and anti-atheistic were present during the speech when President Eisenhower said that We shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our countrys most powerful resource in peace and war (). Pope John Paul II stated after the last change that the pledge had become a patriotic oath and public prayer. The words under God were put in specifically to make clear the American stand...

Wickedness in the tribe of Benjamin

Wickedness in the tribe of Benjamin Free Online Research Papers The last three chapters of the book of Judges contain a very tragic story of the wickedness of the men of Gibeah and the tribe of Benjamin. The tribe of Benjamin was severely punished and was almost entirely cut off from the rest of the tribes. Chapter 19 speaks of a Levite who took to himself a concubine. A concubine was a sort of secondary wife; and that such connections were not disreputable, being according to the general custom of those times. This is seldom practiced today although it is still widely practiced in certain countries. The Levite’s concubine was unfaithful and she returned to her father’s house. Today, the cases of unfaithfulness and infidelity are numerous so much so that it has become something that is not surprising anymore. We hear about it almost everyday ranging from celebrities to neighbors and friends. The host of the place where the couple was staying was willing to make a proposal relative to his virgin daughter in order to defend the guest that was at his home. This also does happen in these days where parents are willing to give up their children whether to sell their son to the slave market or their daughters to prostitute homes in order that they have money. The wicked men want ed to have sex with the Levite man. This shows they were homosexual which is very common today. This phenomenon has become so common that it no longer shock us much when we hear about it. The Levite man took his concubine most likely by force and violence and gave her to them in order to save his body. They raped and abused her all night and dismissed her at dawn. The Levite then took her home and cut her into twelve pieces and sent the pieces to each tribe. This is evidently widely happening in the modern day scenario. There had been too many cases of girls being raped and abused and then murdered just to satisfy their lust. Newspapers these days are full of reports on these gruesome and inhumane acts. At the end of the book the Israelites took a vow not to give their daughters in marriage to the Benjamites. So the Benjamites seized and carried off the women who danced at the feast and the women became their wives. This is hardly practiced these days because there aren’t many vows whereby a woman shouldn’t be given into marriage to a certain tribe or race. Research Papers on Wickedness in the tribe of BenjaminCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyTrailblazing by Eric AndersonEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayHip-Hop is ArtThe Spring and AutumnThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Beer Consumption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Beer Consumption - Essay Example The fact that beer was accidentally formed was also a shock to me. The amount of beer consumed in the world today is of a huge quantity and I expected it to be much lower. In United Kingdom still a large amount of beer is consumed as primarily this state was one of the state which gained major profits through barley. According to me barley was a common crop and could not provide huge profits to a specified state. The beer consumed all over the world shows the importance of the crop which was previously unknown to me. Furthermore, the fact that Egyptians even used beer for medicinal purposes was also a shock as modern science concludes that beer can be harmful to healthy activities. The accidental formation of beer was unexpected as it was expected that beer came into existence after a long study, however beer was formed in the quest of storing grain. Barley and Malt have played an important role in the economics of the United Kingdom and beer is an important product used through out the world. It can also be known that beer has decreased the rate of hard alcohol consumers through out the world. The immense consumption of beer through out the world is known by reading the essay. Furthermore the advent of the beer can also be known by reading the essay. The use of beers was firstly limited but after a certain span of time it expanded through out the world. It has been a product which is used on celebrations also. If beer did not exist in the world the whole social environment of this world would be changed. What one thing does a reader know The reader knows that beer is used for celebratory purposes through out the world and it is an important product of this world. What is the most important detail, quote, fact idea in the draft The draft tells about the advent of malt and how beer came into existence. It tells how the use of beer expanded from a small region through out the world and how it is valued in the world today. Furthermore it tells through this quote that it was also used for medicinal purposes in the lower classes "it [beer] constituted a considerable portion of the medieval diet, particularly in the lower classes" (Geary, 1983: 181). It tells about the consumption of beer as analyzed by Franklin in England. What do you itch to explore through revision The revision would further detail about the history of beer. It would tell how the whole world came to know about the product. It would gather the facts as to what the total consumption of beer is in the world today and how it matters to the society. The disadvantages of beer would also be analyzed in the final draft so it can possibly tell the readers how it is affecting the society in a negative way. It would further conclude if beer is changing the environment of this world in the right or the wrong path. What single message may the final draft deliver The final draft would tell whether or not beer can be termed as important in the world

Information System Outsourcing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Information System Outsourcing - Essay Example It is easier so outsource the development of information technology and systems and workers do not require complex infrastructure to begin their work. As the outsourcing market is highly competitive internationally and has a high level of mobility, it poses a certain degree of threat that major operations might be to other countries that are better able to provide a stable supply of skilled workforce. China has replicated the Indian model, is taking a more sustainable approach towards creating a stable flow of skilled workers and seems determined to grab a substantial market share in the outsourcing business. IBM is one successful business that has been able to retain a large pool of highly skilled labor in India. Its labor force has increased substantially from thirty-five thousand employees to well around sixty thousand headcounts. Its success is deeply rooted based on its ability to pay premium wages to its employees based on its international standing and its ability to charge its clients a premium based on its brand image. British Petroleum similarly outsourced its entire information technology system development program without enough geographical diversification and found after a year that none of the information technology firms in India was able to provide any satisfactory program for implementation. In conclusion, it is clear that outsourcing has its benefits for both parties but also adds significantly to the risks. A better strategy for outsourcing is the use of multi-sourcing to avoid risks related to non-performance and delays.

Land law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 3

Land law - Essay Example ld in relation to different cases wherein various individuals residing in her accommodation considered themselves as tenants and e refused to pay rents among others. In relation to the case scenario, Hild has provided an unoccupied flat to Albert who is the son of an old school friend. She provided the flat to Albert as Albert was not having any place of accommodation after the broke up of his marriage. There was no written agreement regarding the accommodation provided to Albert by Hild. Additionally, Hild accepted no payments from him but occasionally she used to accept the payments in relation to bills of Council Tax. It can be viewed that Albert has been residing in the flat of Hild for a prolonged period of one year and now he claims that he is a tenant of the flat and shows no sign of moving on. According to the case scenario depicted above, it can be apparently observed that there was no agreement made between Hild and Albert in relation to the flat that has been provided to Albert by Hild for accommodation. Conceptually, tenancy agreement provides adequate information regarding the rules along with the conditions in relation to any property rented. Additionally, tenancy agreement provides important information including deposit, rent, renewing as well as termination of tenancy, discrimination, homelessness and services1. It can be affirmed in this regard that with the absence of written agreement amid Albert and Hild, the obligatory rights offered to the parties are not affected as both the parties are observed to be protected under statutory law of tenant rights. Due to the absence of written agreement, Albert might consider himself as a tenant of the flat possessing certain rights like illegal eviction, claiming housing benefits and appropriate notice to quit in accorda nce with tenant rights. However, owing to the lack of written agreement, Albert will not be facilitated with the opportunity of residing in the flat for a fixed period of tenancy, rather

The Enron Scandal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Enron Scandal - Essay Example There have been several causes suggested by various experts and analysts that actually caused the failure of the company. Experts have indicated Enron as the biggest audit failure in the American history. The biggest energy company in the world rapidly collapsed which drew attention on its several economical and commercial aspects (Wilkinson, 2005). For the purpose, this paper shall analyze the case study of Enron scandal. Several management and strategic decisions and policies contributed to the major fall in the US corporate history. The paper shall further analyze the causes of the failure from economic perspectives. Background Enron was established in 1985, and it was one of the leading seven American energy companies. It was one of the world’s leading natural gas, electricity, and communication companies. The annual revenues of the company rose from $9 billion to more than $100 billion in just 5 years after 1995 (Salter, 2008). According to reports and published financial s, in 2000 the company’s stock price stood at $90; however, at the end of 2001, the stock price of Enron felt to less than $1. Furthermore, the last published financial statements of Enron depicted that the company made a loss of $586 million (Sterling, 2002). This caused the company to financially fail and by the end of December 2001, the company went bankrupt. As a result of this, billions of dollars were wiped out from the US capital markets and investors across the globe lost their trust in the US financial and corporate sectors, which were not efficient enough to build strong checks and balances on businesses like Enron. The case of Enron opened up investigations into several other unethical practices of other organizations, and the ripple effect shook up the entire US corporate sector. Supply and demand During 1990’s, the population of California raised by thirteen percent, whereas, the government did not make any enough investments in building power plants to co pe with the rising requirements of electricity. The government expanded the existing energy plants’ capacity by 30% during 1990-2001. Furthermore, in 1991 the drought in the northwest states caused the supply of hydroelectric from Pacific Northwest of Oregon and Washington to decline (Barreveld, 2002). Both drought and energy shortages created a supply gap in the country, and the government faced several issues to cope with the energy demand in the region (Swartz & Watkins, 2004). With the rapid increase in the population and the breakdown in California’s electricity generating capacity created a situation of less supply as compared to the energy demand. The industrial sector was highly affected as the supply of energy remained very low during the peak working hours. Furthermore, the private industries were using privately owned power generating plants as energy reserves of California were not sufficient to meet the demand. On the other hand, the state owned energy pla nts were deliberately shut down in order to manipulate energy prices (Swartz & Watkins, 2004). The gap between supply and demand of energy was deliberate in order to raise prices of the electricity generated by private generators (Miller & Fusaro, 2002). Enron secretly exercised with the government to create a gap between the energy produced and its requirement in the

Systems design and software integration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Systems design and software integration - Essay Example The essay portrays the various difficulties associated with improper implementation of systems, inadequacy of data, lack of standardization of work procedures and methods. It throws light on the fact organizations gets affected because the top management fails to understand the nuance of systems integration and merely treats the whole job as purchase of software. It also highlights the additional costs involved in debugging wrong procedures or approaches. The essay is primarily based on the case of the food and confectionary giant Nestle, SA. Nestle, best known for its milk and chocolate products operates from more than 500 locations across the world and has its operations in more than 16 countries. The case draws our attention because it projects the need for systems integration approach, measures to be taken in selection of ERP modules and vendors, the number of difficulties a business organization can encounter in integrating some of its key activity areas such as centralized purchasing, linking the supply chain, distribution, manufacturing and sales functions. The essay critically exposes the limitations systems integrations approach can pose business units to if they fail to use the definition given by Elliot.G regarding ERP. Elliot defined ERP as "A key feature of ERP system is the ability to link areas of businesses that are globally distributed" (2004, pg.202) and customize its applications to suit its business needs. Nestle, operating in more than 500 locations and with a business volume of around $46.6 billion is a huge enterprise, controlling and planning operations of that magnitude is a colossal task. Nestle, had its own Electronic Data processing and Systems departments to cater to its needs. They had around 80 systems units using a range of IBM mainframe computers and UNIX machines to process and ensure information is exchanged properly between all the business units. A large organization such as Nestle believes in decentralizing its purchasing, marketing and even production activities. They decentralize the above mentioned activities so as to suit the cultural needs, values, preferences of customers regionally. They focus at offering products depending on the preferences of the customers. This customization of products helps them in leveraging their market positions globally.Rationale for ERP in large multinational organizations such as Nestle: Areas of concern for Nestle in this case are the amount of expenditure it is incurring in purchase of raw material, damage of material in the ware house and supply chain problems. As they do not have a centralized electronic data processing unit it is unable to compare and analyzes prices paid in purchase of raw material from a single vendor. For any organization it can be a serious limitation in terms of information, time and money. In order to overcome this limitation Nestle decided to go for an ERP. Organizations before they decide to go for ERP packages do need to evaluate their organizational needs. Information technology for managers a book from ICMR in a chapter named as Enterprise resource planning suggests that "before initiating the process of ERP implementation, the management should identify the

Choose one example of a real protectionist policy that has been Essay

Choose one example of a real protectionist policy that has been implemented by the government of some country and discuss the is - Essay Example Under non-automatic licensing requirements importers need to approach authority for the pre-registration and pre-approval of all imports into the country (USTR, 2012). Over time, rather than eliminating these measures, Argentina brought almost 600 items that include textiles, consumer electronics, bicycle parts, glass, metallurgical products and many more under the ambit of non-automatic import licensing procedures from February 1, 2012. The new requirement served two purposes: firstly, discouraging importers with lengthy and expensive customs procedures and secondly, strengthening domestic economy by supporting local producers. This has impacted many countries worldwide including European Union, the US, Japan, Mexico for they will not be able to export goods to Argentina. Arguments for Setting Such Policy It is important to note that Argentina, apart from being a WTO member, is also a member country of the Mercosur Customs Union and cannot arbitrarily change its tariffs. That is why it has resorted to a novel practice of imposing non-automatic import licensing system for all goods precisely to circumvent WTO and Mercosur free trade rules (Bendini, 2012). Mercopress (2012), a south Atlantic News Agency, reports that Argentina has imposed new restriction on imports in the garb of non-automatic import policy to safeguard domestic producers of the country. European Union Substantially Impacted The European Commission is of the view that licensing procedures adopted by Argentina are cumbersome, lengthy taking more than six months or longer (WTO prescribes 60 days) to complete. It also lacks transparency. Even goods that are not subjected to non-automatic import licensing procedure need to pass through a long and tiresome preapproval import procedure. In 2011, European Union export to Argentina was valued at EUR8.3 billion. Obviously, EU has been impacted significantly due to this protectionist policy of Argentina to curb imports (Bendini, 2012). According to Europe an trade commissioner, Karel De Gucht, the Argentine restrictions on imports have impacted a wide range of European exports of products such as mobile phone, laptops, cars and household appliances. De Gucht argued that as many as 19 WTO members have raised concerns against protectionist policies of Argentina and they would initiate a consultative process to solve the issue and if not resolved, then the EU would approach WTO to establish a panel of arbitrators to decide on the legality of Argentine action (Moss, 2012). Several Other Countries also Affected It is pertaining to note that Mexico, Japan, and the US have filed their separate complaints with the global trade arbiter regarding Argentina's new import policies (ICTSD (2012). In April 2012, at the Import Licensing Committee Meeting of WTO, several member countries that included Japan, Australia, the EU, Turkey, Thailand, Norway, the US, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Colombia, Peru, Chinese Taipei, Korea, Canada and Switzerland comp lained that their exports to Argentina had gone down due to Argentina's licensing requirements. They further complained that Argentinean government had put almost 600 products under a list that required individual approval for import (WTO, 2013). In 2012, similar

The Enron Scandal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Enron Scandal - Essay Example There have been several causes suggested by various experts and analysts that actually caused the failure of the company. Experts have indicated Enron as the biggest audit failure in the American history. The biggest energy company in the world rapidly collapsed which drew attention on its several economical and commercial aspects (Wilkinson, 2005). For the purpose, this paper shall analyze the case study of Enron scandal. Several management and strategic decisions and policies contributed to the major fall in the US corporate history. The paper shall further analyze the causes of the failure from economic perspectives. Background Enron was established in 1985, and it was one of the leading seven American energy companies. It was one of the world’s leading natural gas, electricity, and communication companies. The annual revenues of the company rose from $9 billion to more than $100 billion in just 5 years after 1995 (Salter, 2008). According to reports and published financial s, in 2000 the company’s stock price stood at $90; however, at the end of 2001, the stock price of Enron felt to less than $1. Furthermore, the last published financial statements of Enron depicted that the company made a loss of $586 million (Sterling, 2002). This caused the company to financially fail and by the end of December 2001, the company went bankrupt. As a result of this, billions of dollars were wiped out from the US capital markets and investors across the globe lost their trust in the US financial and corporate sectors, which were not efficient enough to build strong checks and balances on businesses like Enron. The case of Enron opened up investigations into several other unethical practices of other organizations, and the ripple effect shook up the entire US corporate sector. Supply and demand During 1990’s, the population of California raised by thirteen percent, whereas, the government did not make any enough investments in building power plants to co pe with the rising requirements of electricity. The government expanded the existing energy plants’ capacity by 30% during 1990-2001. Furthermore, in 1991 the drought in the northwest states caused the supply of hydroelectric from Pacific Northwest of Oregon and Washington to decline (Barreveld, 2002). Both drought and energy shortages created a supply gap in the country, and the government faced several issues to cope with the energy demand in the region (Swartz & Watkins, 2004). With the rapid increase in the population and the breakdown in California’s electricity generating capacity created a situation of less supply as compared to the energy demand. The industrial sector was highly affected as the supply of energy remained very low during the peak working hours. Furthermore, the private industries were using privately owned power generating plants as energy reserves of California were not sufficient to meet the demand. On the other hand, the state owned energy pla nts were deliberately shut down in order to manipulate energy prices (Swartz & Watkins, 2004). The gap between supply and demand of energy was deliberate in order to raise prices of the electricity generated by private generators (Miller & Fusaro, 2002). Enron secretly exercised with the government to create a gap between the energy produced and its requirement in the

Choose one example of a real protectionist policy that has been Essay

Choose one example of a real protectionist policy that has been implemented by the government of some country and discuss the is - Essay Example Under non-automatic licensing requirements importers need to approach authority for the pre-registration and pre-approval of all imports into the country (USTR, 2012). Over time, rather than eliminating these measures, Argentina brought almost 600 items that include textiles, consumer electronics, bicycle parts, glass, metallurgical products and many more under the ambit of non-automatic import licensing procedures from February 1, 2012. The new requirement served two purposes: firstly, discouraging importers with lengthy and expensive customs procedures and secondly, strengthening domestic economy by supporting local producers. This has impacted many countries worldwide including European Union, the US, Japan, Mexico for they will not be able to export goods to Argentina. Arguments for Setting Such Policy It is important to note that Argentina, apart from being a WTO member, is also a member country of the Mercosur Customs Union and cannot arbitrarily change its tariffs. That is why it has resorted to a novel practice of imposing non-automatic import licensing system for all goods precisely to circumvent WTO and Mercosur free trade rules (Bendini, 2012). Mercopress (2012), a south Atlantic News Agency, reports that Argentina has imposed new restriction on imports in the garb of non-automatic import policy to safeguard domestic producers of the country. European Union Substantially Impacted The European Commission is of the view that licensing procedures adopted by Argentina are cumbersome, lengthy taking more than six months or longer (WTO prescribes 60 days) to complete. It also lacks transparency. Even goods that are not subjected to non-automatic import licensing procedure need to pass through a long and tiresome preapproval import procedure. In 2011, European Union export to Argentina was valued at EUR8.3 billion. Obviously, EU has been impacted significantly due to this protectionist policy of Argentina to curb imports (Bendini, 2012). According to Europe an trade commissioner, Karel De Gucht, the Argentine restrictions on imports have impacted a wide range of European exports of products such as mobile phone, laptops, cars and household appliances. De Gucht argued that as many as 19 WTO members have raised concerns against protectionist policies of Argentina and they would initiate a consultative process to solve the issue and if not resolved, then the EU would approach WTO to establish a panel of arbitrators to decide on the legality of Argentine action (Moss, 2012). Several Other Countries also Affected It is pertaining to note that Mexico, Japan, and the US have filed their separate complaints with the global trade arbiter regarding Argentina's new import policies (ICTSD (2012). In April 2012, at the Import Licensing Committee Meeting of WTO, several member countries that included Japan, Australia, the EU, Turkey, Thailand, Norway, the US, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Colombia, Peru, Chinese Taipei, Korea, Canada and Switzerland comp lained that their exports to Argentina had gone down due to Argentina's licensing requirements. They further complained that Argentinean government had put almost 600 products under a list that required individual approval for import (WTO, 2013). In 2012, similar

Progressive Movement Essay Example for Free

Progressive Movement Essay The period from 1890 to 1917 in the history of United States is known as Progressive era. This period is marked by an all-encompassing and intensive change in all spheres of American life viz. political, economic and social. According to Nevin and Commager, this period was â€Å"marked by revolt and reform in almost every department of American life. Old political leaders were ousted and new one enlisted; political machinery was overhauled and modernized; political practices were subject to critical scrutiny and those which failed to square with the ideals of democracy were rejected. † (p. 382) These leaders from middle class pleaded for government regulation of big businesses to prevent exploitations pf the weaker sections. Stressing on the needs for reforms, Theodore Roosevelt said, â€Å"No hard-and-fast rule can be laid down as to the way in which such work [reform] must be done; but most certainly every man, whatever his position, should strive to do it in some way and to some degree. (Roosevelt) Most of the problems that Progressives wanted to tackle was an outcome of the industrial expansion and the political-industrial coalitions of the Gilded Age. During the Progressive almost every department of American life was overhauled and modernized. Thus Progressivism was a movement with â€Å"predominantly middle class objectives and viewpoint, deriving much of its support from small businessmen, farmers and professional people.† ( Parkes, p.544) At the federal level, the Progressive movement set in with the inauguration of the President Roosevelt curtailed the powers of the large organizations was epitomized through the suite against The Northern Securities Company in 1903. He introduced other legislative measures to breakdown the monopoly of the large corporations. Trust-Busting was the first radical step taken by Roosevelt that was aimed at the breaking of monopolies in any form and its abuses. Second major proponent of Progressivism at the Federal level was President William Howard Taft (1909-1913) who accomplished more progressive legislation than the Roosevelt. He introduced and enacted law to check corrupt practices during the elections. He dissolved ninety trusts under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act (these trusts were saving huge taxes in the name of charity and were involved in certain illegal activities). He strengthened the cause of democracy when he propagated the idea of direct elections for the senators and introduced 17th amendments in the U.S. constitution. Woodrow is the next in the row for progressive presidents. He introduced far-reaching economic reforms and adopted a number other progressive measure to capacitate the entire American spirit with purpose. Hs foremost priority was the revision of tariff and introduction of viable reforms. Secondly, he introduced another Act to reconstruct the monetary and banking sector. Although his program of more progressive reforms were cut short but the outbreak or WW II but two more constitutional amendment (18th and 19th) became effective in his presidency.[1] Progressives could not bring about the revolutionary transformation of the political and economic system. The evident disappointment of the Progressive movement was its disinclination to deal with racial discrimination. Although it had a national agenda but it was meant for Whites only. The Afro-American suffered from the victimization at the social and state level through disfranchisement, Jim Crow laws, and poverty.   Additionally, it failed to address the questions of class conflict and ended in despair for small owners and businessmen. Yet it cannot be denied that through their reforms they tried to revitalize democracy and made the rulers responsible and accountable to the public. â€Å"Perhaps the best known results of this era are the 18th and 19th Amendments, Prohibition and woman suffrage respectively. But this legislation really came at the tail end of the period that has come to be known as the Age of Reform. The amendments were actually the byproducts of an immense social and political upheaval which changed forever the expectations of the role government would play in American society.† (PBS) References Nevins, Allan Commager, Henry S. 1966. A short history of the United States. New   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   York: A. Knopf. Parkes, Henry B. 1959. The United States of America—A History. New York: Knopf. PBS. The Progressive Era 1900-1918. On-line. Available from Internet, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eleanor/peopleevents/pande08.html, accessed 23 March   2008. [1] 18th Amendment of U.S. Constitution the process of introduction of Prohibition was completed whereas 19th Amendments granted the right of vote to the women on equal terms with men.

Analysis The Three Sisters English Literature Essay

Analysis The Three Sisters English Literature Essay Review of Three Sisters Three sisters is a fictional Russian drama. The play was written and produced in 1900s.anton Chekhovs three sisters is produced specifically for Moscow art theatre .the writer has also written two other plays, the seagull and uncle vanya .the captivating drama has extra ordinary characters. The Three Prozorov sisters who are in their twenties namely Olya, Masha and Irina And their only brother Andrey .solders in a nearby camp are the supporting characters. Its about three unhappy prozorov sisters who despise the life of small town in Russia which is miles away from the nearest railway station .the town is enlivened by the presence of a military facility. The all yearn to go to Moscow where they previously lived. The fictional drama starts with commemoration of the sisters father first anniversary which coincides with Irinas baptismal day. Soldiers and the family members pay tribute to the late father. Olga the eldest sister gets elevated to a headmistress position. Olga is presented as a teacher in this act but later in the play shes is promoted to a Headmistress position. Masha, the middle sister, is a trained pianist married to a younger and witty teacher Feodor Kulygin.. Irina, the youngest of the three sisters is obsessed about to visit Moscow. Andrey is only boy in the family is in love with Natasha who is naive .the three sisters becomes unhappy with the marriage of their only brother who goes ahead and gets a child. In the twist of events Natalie is extra marital affairs with Andrey boss, Protopopov. Strong bond starts to form between Masha and lieutenant-colonel Vershinin secretly. Two solders, Tuzenbach and Solyony compete for Irinas love. Masha, Olga and Irina are angry with their only brother, Andrei, for mortgaging their house, spending money on gambling debts and relinquishing all his authority to his infidel wife Natasha. the eldest sister, Olga, is not interested with teaching career and longs quietly for an out, but her dreams for marriage are slowly fading away; Masha, the middle sister, so unhappy with her husband. She seeks extra marital affair from married soldier, the youngest, Irina, moves from one soul-crushing job to another. She resists getting married to noble man. More adrenaline is released in the climax the play. There are bloodshed and friendship bonds in this scene. Solders have created an everlasting bond with the three sisters. Aristocratic Tuchenbach is murdered by his lover Solyony competitor in a challenge. This section reveals that Masha and Vershinin get married after a brief stint of romance. Natasha maintains her hatred nature and Andrey is stuck in the maternal led marriage with two children. The play ends on a happy note. Olga embraces her two sisters as the band music is playing. She encourages her sisters. Anton Chekhov has managed to point out the major theme to his audiences. The Major theme that is emerging is the uncomplaining nature of women in the Russian society. The play brings out vividly the loneliness and desperation of the three sisters. They therefore, accept their situation without complaining. According to the play Moscow is symbolic to three sisters. Each of the sisters is yearning to go back to Moscow. The city is associated with happy and perfect life. However, their aspirations to go back to Moscow remain only mere dreams. Irina initially believes by going to Moscow she will get her true love there The play lacks a flowing story line at some point as an audience I got lost along the way. The story development is complicated such that audience can be confused. Conflict has not been maturely developed. On the first scene, a delicate tone is constructed as the three sisters celebrate the anniversary of their deceased father which coincides with Irinas baptismal day. Unfortunately, the tone is not maintained the rest of scene one. The play has been translated from Russian to English. Therefore, the rich meaning of the plot has been diluted by the translation. Three sisters is a story that cannot get old. This is because it echoes what is happening in the contemporary time. The very same issues such as infidelity, romance, gambling, and marriage are still happening in the contemporary times. The roles of Andrey and the three sisters are brought out clearly. Andrey is supposed to relinquish his intellectual ambitions. He is trapped in very complicated marriage. The three sisters yearn for Moscow is well introduced in the plot of the story. The costumes of the play are supposed to be a combination of military wear for the solders and the 1900 civilian clothes. This is well depicted in the play. However, the aristocrat Baron Tuchenbach costumes have no large difference with the other cast. The baron should have expensive clothes in order to bring out the issue of bourgeoisie and proletarians. The costumes did manage to convince the audience the play was a staged in 1900s.The lighting and sound of the overall play were excellent. the audience enjoys the band music that plays at the climax of the play. In my views, Anton Chekhovs three sister play is a very captivating. The play has managed to bring out the traditional picture of the modern day Russia. The choice of characters is excellent. They have managed to communicate the intended message from Chekhov. Symbolism has been brought forward as a tool to glue the audience to the play. The play should improve on conflict and flow of the storyline.

The Affect of Child Labor on the World Essay -- Essays Papers

The Affect of Child Labor on the World Introduction Child labor is a very hot topic in today’s world. The problems associated with child labor have always been a part of life but thanks to Globalization, everyone is now more aware of the child labor issues that exist. Whether an individual is in favor or against child labor the fact is that child labor affects everyone, because child labor affects the global economy. Children who work play a big role in the economy because they produce goods and are paid wages just like adults; they are an active participant of the work force. Child Labor Issues It is estimated that more than 200 million children across the globe between the ages of 5-17 work instead of going to school. And of these, 171 million work in hazardous conditions. Even though child labor was widespread during the eighteenth century it was not until the industrial revolution that society began to realize the seriousness of abuses on children that worked. In the past children generally worked alongside their families to help the family survive, but those conditions were not as severe as when children began working more than ten-hour days in factories and in adverse conditions like those seen during the industrial revolution. There are many other factors that cause child labor such as poverty, social values and cultural circumstances but they tend to be complex to understand. It can be said that child labor is more widely seen in developing and third world countries than that of developed. This is due in part to the poverty that the majority of these people liv e in, and then children are forced to work to help support the family. Asia has the highest number of children below the age of 15 that work wi... ...y with child labor. Conclusion Forturnatly, many organizations and individuals feel very strongly about protecting children and are trying to develop solutions to many of the problems associated with child labor and also to help protect the rights of children in the work place and in general. The International Labor Organization is an agency that is trying to develop a strategy to help prevent children form loosing their childhood and education by being forced to work. Other agencies such as UNICEF are protection agencies that advocate the protection of children’s rights. References Basu, Kaushik. Sep, 1999. Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. 37 No.3. American Economic Association. Children’s Rights. Oct. 2004 www.hrw.org/children/labor.htm Children in the Global Economy. Oct. 2004 www.aflcio.org/issuespolitics/globableconomy/children.cfm

Comparison of Popes The rape of the Lock and Swifts A Modest Proposal

Although Alexander Pope's, The Rape of the Lock, and Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal are both witty satires, they differ on their style, intention, and mood. To begin, in The Rape of the Lock, Alexander Pope uses satire to invoke a capricious, melancholy mood to illustrate the absurdity of fighting over the cutting of one's hair. Hidden inside this poem is a crafty criticism of the society that helps create the crisis over the stolen lock. A Society in which appearances ere more important to a person’s sense of identity, and treats the insignificant with utmost importance. The very title of this mock- epic gives the audience a clue, the word "rape" and all its implications bring to mind a heinous crime of violation. Pope chose to utilize the heroic couplet to trivialize this mock- epic â€Å"But when to mischief mortals bend their will, how soon they find it instruments of ill!† (3. 53-54). He also employs in many instances, historic allusions to give the poem a serious feel â€Å"Fear the just Gods, and think of Scylla's fate! chang'd to a bird, and sent to flit in air, she dearl...

Strategic Marketing Plan

Strategy Marketing Plan As Seen On Screen (ASOS) Table of Contents Executive Summary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3 Case Study†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦5 Statement of the Problem†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦5 Product Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 Communicating their Identity†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Competitor Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 Positioning Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 ASOS customer population by age groups†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦8 ASOS customer population by gender†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 8 Offer Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 8 Conceived Identity†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9 Ideal Identity†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 10 Public Relations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦11 Timing Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11 Desired Identity Expanding New Values for customers worldwide†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 12 Customer Care and service†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦12 Misaligned Identities: actual and desired†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 12 SWOT Analysis Strengths†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦13 Weaknesses†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 13 Opportunities†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 14 Threats†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦14 Recommendations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦14 Executive Summary ASOS is one of the most recognized online clothing store in the United Kingdom. It offers products that people often see worn by celebrities. As such, many people are encouraged to try out their items. In addition, the prices of their products are relatively lower compared to high street fashion. Because of these along with other factors, ASOS was able to grow. With the growth of ASOS over the years, it is important to ensure that it can be sustained. The fact that online shoppers and traditional shoppers differ in terms of concerns and behavior, it is critical for ASOS to study the purchasing behavior of their market segment to determine the kind of strategy that they need to ensure success now and in the future. This research focuses on the various aspects of online retailing in the hopes of investigating the purchasing behavior of ASOS customers and formulating recommendations on how to keep the profit margin of the company on increasing side. For the past 50 years, the retail industry has been under numerous changes. For example, the 1950’s saw downtowns as the center of retailing. People would often go downtown to avail the various products and services. These products and services included clothing, food, hardware supplies and banking services. A decade later, a group of retailers started offering their products and services in large departmental stores. The idea is to provide convenience to the shoppers. By creating a place were various retailers can offer their products and services, shoppers will no longer have to make several trips to different locations in order to purchase the things that they need. This means that retailers hoped to create a one-stop shop for their customers. As a result, big names such as Wal-Mart and K-Mart made big names in the retail industry. On the other hand, downtown or small scale and specialized retail outlets experienced a decline in the 1970s and 1980s. From the later part of 1980s to the early years of 1990s, a new kind of retailing came in being. Home TV shopping networks as well as warehouse clubs became very popular among consumers. If one-stop department stores aimed to provide convenience to their customers, home shopping networks brought the idea of convenience to a completely new level. Instead of encouraging customers to drive to their stores, retails brought the stores inside homes and purchasing the desired products is as easy as calling a toll free number. On the other hand, warehouse clubs offered customers the opportunity to buy products in bulk and at discounted prices. Costco and Sam’s Club are some of the warehouse clubs that earned success. The changes within the retail industry continued well into the late part of the 1990s. Along with the success of internet, retailers were quick to recognize the importance of surfing the web, also use of other internet applications was fast becoming incorporated in the lives of many people around world. For this reason existing retail shops and new genres of entrepreneurs have grown up and have decided to bring their stores online. The move to utilize the internet was a good decision in terms of marketing. Cable television took 25 years to reach approximately 10 million people, while computers took 7 years to do the same. However, the internet was able to manage that feat in just six months. This means that retail store will have more chances of exposure if they have their own website. Since the utilization of the internet for retailing purposes, many companies have been able to experience the benefits of bringing their businesses online. With this, a need was created to formulate strategies that focus on maximizing the potentials of internet. Nowadays, ecommerce, ebanking and other forms of ebusinesses are becoming a popular choice among the consumers and as such, it is also becoming a popular form of business for companies. Increase in sales are usually expected by companies when they launch an online store on host websites that offers their products and services. In the retailing industry, etailing is also fast becoming the choice of companies. One of the companies that concentrate in advancing their etailing endeavor is As Seen On Screen 0r ASOS. They offer clothing and other fashion related items that are similar to designer fashion worn by celebrities but at a lower price. They have a website where they post the products that they currently have. In addition, they show actual photos of celebrities wearing a similar item of clothing that are being sold on their site. Case Study Despite the degree of success that ASOS was able to achieve over the years of their operation, there are still problems that they need to resolve in order to ensure the survival of their business. This is the rationale behind this paper. This paper will be presenting the conditions that ASOS are operating in as well as the various aspects that they need to focus on in order to maintain   steady or increasing flow of profit. Statement of the Problem : The problem of ASOS is generally related to the problem faced by most online retailers: the online consumer buying behavior. Attracting consumers with the limited resources available on the internet is a big challenge to online retailers like ASOS. Knowing the online consumer behaviors will let the retailers and managers of these companies formulate and develop effective strategies that will help increase the popularity and sales of clothing online. According to a study of users who have bought products online, there are five main reasons why people shop through the Internet. These are convenience and ease of use; greater selection; better prices; easier comparison-shopping; and no sales pressure. On the other hand, there are also reasons why people are not attracted to making purchases online especially when it comes to clothing. The top four most frequently identified reasons why consumers are not purchasing online are ability to judge quality, security, privacy, and easier to purchase locally. Product Strategy The product line of ASOS is very well defined. The company knows exactly what they want to show in their website. As the former name of the company suggests, the product line of ASOS is composed of clothing articles as well as other fashion related items that have been seen on celebrity fashion icons or trendsetters. The company’s decision to extend their product line to include beauty products have paid dividends to the company. Since the products of the company focuses on products that must be appealing to the eye of the customers in order to be bought, visual merchandising is important in conveying the aesthetics of the products that they are being offered. Customers need to see that the clothing items that are being offered in the website were indeed â€Å"as seen on screen†. Like the conventional retail clothing outlets, ASOS does have a window to display their products. The pages of their website serve as the windows where their customers can see the products. Communicating their Identity. Being both in the fashion and retail industry, ASOS needs to be able to meet the requirements of both industries in order to succeed. In relation to the fashion industry, ASOS must ensure that the items they are offering are according to the season and also in sync to the latest styles. Another objective of ASOS is to provide a pleasant online shopping experience to their customer. It is important to associate shopping with being online. It is a fact that being physically involved in shopping brings about a different experience compared to shopping online. Competitor Analysis Competition is important since it affects the success of a business venture. Competition is about the company’s capability in positioning itself in the market so that they could stand out among the rest in the perception of the consumers. In the case of ASOS, they do not have any direct competitors when it comes to clothing associated with celebrities. However,it compete with   other clothing retailing stores such as Topshop. com and Figleaves. com. Positioning Strategy The target market segment of ASOS is as defined as their product line. They target people who are eighteen to thirty years of age and who are internet savvy. Based on the questionnaires prepared and used for this research, the biggest bulk of ASOS customers are eighteen to twenty-two years. This age group represents fifty-five percent of the total ASOS customers. It is followed by people who belong in the age brackets twenty-four to twenty-nine and thirty to thirty-five which are twenty percent of the ASOS customer population each. Lastly, people who are thirty-six to forty-two years old complete the population representation five percent of the total. ASOS customer population by age groups The result of the survey concluded that ASOS targeted the right age group for the products. This is the case since the survey revealed that eighteen to thirty year old customers are more open to buying the products that ASOS offers. Another reason for the bulk customers on the said age bracket can be attributed to the fact that people within this age group are more apt at using computers as well as navigating the internet. In addition, they are also the ones who are part of the corporate world where everything is fast-paced that they do not have the time to go down town and shop for the clothes and other fashion items. ASOS customer population by gender In relation to gender, eighty percent of ASOS shoppers are women, while only twenty percent are male. This may be the case since most of the items that are being offered online are for women. In addition, the marketing activity of ASOS focuses on disseminating information to more women than men. 500,000 emails are sent to females twice a week compared to 100,000 emails sent to males only once a week. Offer Strategy The success of ASOS is being owed to their ability to offer trendy clothes at significantly lower prices. However, there are still other actors that needs to be considered when discussing the success of ASOS as an online retail clothing store. Aside from the price of the products, the seasonability of the products being offered is also crucial. It is a fact that the fashion industry is always on its toes when it comes to innovation. Various collections come out on a regular basis depending on the season. There are winter and summer collec tions as well as spring and fall collections. Conceived Identity Corporate identity is a valuable management resource because it affects every aspect of corporate life. A company's image, reputation and management perception, the three components of corporate identity. Establishing a clear identity has become a difficult task due to the trend towards cross-border mergers, the growing importance of environmental concerns and the increasing similarities between products and services. In the current situation of ASOS, it affects it corporate reputation in the US. However, there are some strategies which can be done to build up the ASOS reputation and credibility. The brand of the company is important part of company. Marketing communication vehicles such as advertising, direct mail, public relations, trade shows, seminars, and collateral material play an important role in communicating brand. Thinking of these activities as brand conveyors is important to understand their role. Consistent with its objective to build up their reputation and credibility towards the customers, ASOS would develop a solid message platform that clearly and consistently communicates their product features and benefits in a way that incorporates its brand principle, personality, and associations. Secondly, ASOS would communicate with its customers by using third parties to send its messages and in order to establish credibility with all target audiences. Third parties include analysts, media, award givers, happy customers, and online newsgroups/list serves. Public Relations By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most favorable light. The earliest form of public relations and still the most widely practiced is publicity. The principal instrument of publicity is the press release, which provides the mass media with the write up material and news stories. The growth of modern public relations is generally attributed to the development of the mass media, which accelerated the spread of ideas and increased the importance of public opinion by giving more people access to current events. Timing Strategy The sales of ASOS increases significantly during the holiday season. This is the case because orders for products that will serve as gifts were in demand. In addition, a series of events take place during the holidays. Family reunions and countless parties are set to happen during this time of the year. This means that people will always be on the look out for clothes that they will be able to use during these events. However, it is also expected that during the holiday season discounts are in abundance. This means that consumers are also on the lookout for bargain deals. In the case of ASOS, they are able to meet the needs of their customers for ideal apparel at reasonable prices. As such, during the holiday season ASOS must be able to get the word going that they will be able to provide quality yet affordable apparels for the people. Desired Identity Expanding New Values for customers worldwide The ultimate goal of ASOS’s sales activities worldwide is to satisfy their customers so that they will continue to come back for more ASOS quality products. That's why they put full effort into their services, responding to changing values and increasingly sophisticated needs. They’re always working to improve the quality of customer relations providing friendly and attentive sales, responsive service support, thorough maintenance and repairs so customer satisfaction constantly grows. ASOS also continues to develop sales and service systems best suited to community eeds. Customer Care and Service Total Quality Management is incorporated into all the functions and processes of the organization. With this, it can be stated that customer relationship management programs are included in total quality management. The need to develop an effective total quality management is important due to various reasons. It is also the case that total quality management views customer sati sfaction in relation to customer retention and increase in the profits. These above points are considered by ASOS when they designed their website. They wanted to give their customers the kind of shopping experience that would lead them back to the website and make more purchases. Misaligned Identities: actual and desired Mismatched in actual and desired identity could be sited from the following example : ASOS is one of the leading retailers existing in the corporate world today. One of its leading features is etailing. Due to the far reaching grasps of the internet, etailing has flourished. However, ASOS has intended to further it influence in the retailing industry of the Far East by building a branch in one of Asia’s key and remote cities. But the fact remains that ASOS is primarily an etailing (relies much on the internet) corporation, and that many of the countries in the Far East do not have advanced computer and internet services as the rest of the world. ASOS presented a key solution to this problem, they would build a material retailing branch. But this would thoroughly conflict with their actual identity, which is etailing. SWOT Analysis Strengths The strength of ASOS is its utilization of the Internet. Through the Internet, it has formed a definite market segment that is composed of mainly Internet users. A firm that limits its attention to fewer market segments can better serve those segments than those firms that influence the entire market. Moreover, its core focus, which is apparel, as worn by celebrities at affordable price gives them a marketing edge for it to attracts customers right away. It also gives huge discounts and has broad category coverage. Weaknesses Online retailing in general is getting bad publicity nowadays such as poor delivery performance. Another weakness is that ASOS cannot guarantee specific product or brand presence. Internet selling is unlikely to be successful, as consumers like to try on clothes and see the quality of fabric and workmanship. One issue that ASOS needs to resolve immediately, is that since its launch until this day, they only offer clothing items up to size 12. This means ASOS is excluding a segment of the market that can offer them additional profit. This may also cause some customers to get turned off since this suggests that ASOS thinks only people upto size 12 bodies have the right to wear celebrity inspired apparel. Opportunities Ecommerce channels now represent 11% of the total UK retail business, and record numbers of products are being procured via the internet. People are attracted by low prices and convenience. In addition, they have integrated their everyday activities to technology and the Internet, including shopping. As the number of working women, who are ASOS core customers, continues to increase, they will not only need more clothes for work but are also more likely to be financially independent to purchase clothes. Threats Online clothing chains from overseas are successfully invading UK and at the same time, branded apparel such as Diesel, Guess and Zara are still popular among the market. Other purely online fashion etailers such as Yoox. co. uk, Brandalley. co. uk are also their main threats. Downturn in the economy could also cause buyers to cut back on overall spending. Recommendations Improvements for ASOS. com The ASOS website could be improved through a variety of ways that would benefit both the company and the consumer. For example if video and audio clips were added to some pages, this could increase the interest level for the browsing customer, which could result in increased sales figures. Customer services could be improved through the addition of a live chat service on the website, providing the opportunity for customers to interact with retail staff directly about any questions or concerns they may have about their shopping experience. ASOS can actually provide this kind of service if they outsource it to call centers in Asia for example. It will be cheaper to outsource it than to create an in-house call center. Other issues that would need to be addressed within the ASOS. com website include increased contact with staff, faster processing of refunds and returns and an increase in transparency which could be achieved through more comprehensive information on the company itself. Based on the survey conducted for this research, ASOS customers consider the style, price and quality respectively before buying at ASOS . This means that ASOS must be able to meet these demands of their customers if they want to ensure continued patronage from them.