The Holiday Market Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Holiday Market - Assignment Example Geographic segmentation divides the market in terms of cities, countries, regions or locality. This may also include the size of the area, population and climatic conditions. Psychographic variable takes into account people’s lifestyles and attitudes. Socio-economic basis helps the marketers to target selected products to different segments thus made. In addition to the above bases for segmentation, because of changes in consumer demands, several other bases for segmentation have been found. These include behavioral and attitudinal segmentation. Behavioral segmentation is undertaken based on how the customers know or respond to the use of the product. The holiday sector is seasonal and hence based on the occasion, segmentation can be undertaken. Customer behavior also pertains to usage and loyalty and these are also used as bases for segmentation on this sector (Tutor2u, n.d.). Marketers can engage in attitudinal segmentation but Diaz-Martin et al., find that people with diffe rent attitudes may also end up buying the same brand or having the same preferences. The attitude determines the preference for the activity and some may choose hill trekking while others prefer scuba diving. All the above bases for segmentation as discussed above do not apply to all areas within the holiday market. In the air sector segmentation based on expected sales is redundant. Latent class segmentation is undertaken which is based on consumer perception of brand, price promotion, sales personnel and product line (Bond & Morris, 2003). Customer expectations are not homogenous and airlines also use customer expectation as an important segmentation variable. Expectations influence the perceived service quality which helps to gain competitive... The Holiday Market Segmentation comes naturally to human beings. Segmentation helps focus on the specific market and service its needs accordingly. The market has to be defined in terms of the end users of the products or services. Sales and marketing is not about getting any customer but to select a homogenous group of customers. This helps devise the right marketing mix strategy as market segmentation is a proactive process involving several analytical techniques (Goller, Hogg and Kalafatis, 2002). This paper evaluates the different bases that marketers use to select their target market. It also examines the segment that is likely to increase or decrease in the next decade. Based on this analysis, the paper recommends how holiday marketers can monitor and devise their marketing strategy. What bases for segmentation might be appropriate in the holiday business? The holiday market is highly competitive and fragmented and hence the segmentation is based on different factors. In fact segmentation in the holiday market could differ for different products. For instance segmentation in transportation could differ from segmentation strategy adopted by the hotels. Segmentation can be based on factors such as demographic, socio-economic, geographical, or psychographic. On review of the above discussion and research it can be concluded that holiday marketers would have to segment their customers based on demographics even if it is considered an outdated method of segmentation. The older customers’ is a high potential segment which prefers package holidays as they seek convenience, comfort, security and safety.

Causes and effects of international labour mobility

Causes and effects of international labour mobility Introduction Globalisation is the process of intensified international competition and trade. It enables the movement of goods, production factors, labour and technology across borders. If countries use their resources efficiently then globalisation can also enhance growth and social welfare. This depends on how much competition there is and a country has to have a certain stability and mobility of labour and resources for production. The common trade theory suggests that globalisation will equalise the prices of products and costs of production and free trade will lead to a more efficient allocation of resources. It is also beneficial for the customer since free trade suggests high competition and therefore companies will be able to offer low prices to their customers. This seems to be the case in the long run but problems that arise in the short run include high unemployment and income inequalities. Globalisation is an ongoing process that has been around for quite some time now. EU firms can o ffshore many tasks which were never possible before. This also means that international competition is completely changing and going through a transformation. Competition took place mainly between firms or different industries in different countries, however now since a lot of firms go abroad for their production, because it is cheaper, competition takes place between individual workers that use similar skills for their tasks in different countries, so they no longer compete within a nation. This of course can be beneficial for some workers but can also harm other workers. Europe is exactly facing this problem at the moment and this paper will focus on the impact globalisation has on the low skilled workers and income inequalities in Europe. European Globalisation trends Globalisation is taking place in nearly every country on the planet, but it has different effects on different nations. Trade expansion in Europe seems to be proceeding at a rapid paste, especially trade with low wage countries. Due to immense improvements in technology, transportation and communication, it is now a lot easier to handle the production process and this might have caused some firms to move parts of their production process to other nations. Offshoring and outsourcing are the common terms used when companies move their production process abroad. There are many reasons for why companies move to other nations for production. But the main reasons could be because it is cheaper to produce in less developed countries, firms only have to pay low wages and get a better output than in the home country. Especially labour intensive goods are shipped to less developed countries because there are more people that would do the job for less money. Therefore globalisation seems to hav e a negative effect on employment, especially low skilled labour. Since a lot of firms moved their production abroad and the ones that didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t only employ high skilled labour, it makes it even harder for the low skilled labour to find employment. New technologies also lead to higher unemployment rates among low skilled workers, because the low skilled workers that used to have a job are no either replaced by new technological advancements or by high skilled labour. Overall one could say that globalisation lead to a high demand for skilled labour and on the other side a rise in unemployment among low skilled workers. EU trade In Europe most of the countries are part of the EU, which has special trade agreements. Trade among industrialised countries differs significantly from trade with the developing world. This is mainly due to the fact that industrialised countries are relatively similar, in the sense that they use similar production technologies and have similar factor endowments, so one could say that they produce pretty similar goods. Trade between them therefore mainly exists among industries. So countries would import and export products from the same industry sector. For example Germany exports their yogurts brands and France French yogurts to Germany. These goods are similar because they are both yogurts but they have different tastes and characteristics, that is why these countries trade. It is the same with cars, Germany sells German cars to France and France sells French cars to Germany. Trade among industrialised and developing countries is different. Countries export goods belonging to one s ector and import goods belonging to another sector. Germany would for instance export Volkswagens to China and import rice or computers in exchange. Theoretical approach Comparative advantage Ricardian model Globalisation leads to increased trade amongst countries. Countries usually produce goods where it is the cheapest to produce them. Krugman discussed this in Chapter 3, if free trade exists with countries that pay low wages then this will harm the country that pays high wages. In the end the consumer profits from this because if firms have low production costs then they are able to offer the products at a lower price. And the producer benefits from a higher income if he uses his resources more efficiently. Krugman gave an example of this where W represents the wage rate in the home country W* represents the wage rate in the foreign country And the home countries unit labour requirement for good i is aLi, and the unit labour required for good i of the foreign country is a*Li. Now if WaLi < W*a*Li then the home country will produce the good I because it is cheaper, as wages are less at home. Or if the relative productivity of a country is higher than the wages, then the good will be produced in that country. This can be calculated as a*Li / aLi > W / W*. So overall if a country produces the good that uses the resources most efficiently then trade will be beneficial for that country. EU Unemployment To explain why Europe is facing this high unemployment ratio one has to look at the relative wages. This can easily be determined by looking at the relative demand and supply of labour services. If W / W* rises then the relative demand for home labour services will fall. If the home country would produce goods with expensive labour services then this can have a huge impact on society. Because it means that production costs are high as the producer has to pay high wages and therefore he canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t offer the final goods at an attractive price. If nobody buys the products because they are too expensive then the demand for labour services will go down too. This can also lead to fewer goods being produced at home because costs are too high, which will lead to a further reduction in demand for labour services in the home country. The Ricardian model only focuses on the productivity of labour across countries. According to this model a country gains from Trade if a country has a comparative advantage in producing a specific good. If the country produces the good it has a comparative advantage in, then it is able to use all its resources more efficiently and will gain more from producing this good. So here this model shows that overall if a country trades according to rules mentioned above, then the relative price of the good will increase, wages will increase and the producer is able to offer the good at a lower price so therefore even the consumer profits from it. Heckscher Ohlin Samuelson Model The Ricardian Model suggests differences in productivity of labour between nations cause productive differences. The Heckscher Ohlin model suggests that there are other factors of production between different countries, not just differences in productivity of labour, that cause differences in production. Usually the price of a good should be the same as its production costs, and the production costs also depend on how much wages they have to pay and the lending/renting rate of land. Changes in lending rates can affect the final price of a product, depending on how intensively you use land in production. For example if there are two products cloth and food, cloth is labour intensive and food is land intensive. If lending rates for land increase then this should have a bigger affect on the price of food than the price of cloth, because the production of food requires more land than the production of clothes. Heckscher Ohlin model also suggests that an economy will be efficient at producing goods that are intensive in the factors of production in which the country has a lot of. Just suppose the domestic country has an abundant amount of labour relative to land. This suggests that domestic country is abundant in labour and the foreign country is abundant in land. Likewise, the domestic country is scarce in land and the foreign country is scarce in labour. Because the domestic country is abundant in labour it would be very good at producing cloth, as cloth production is very labour intensive. The foreign country on the other hand should produce food as it is abundant in land and the production of food is very land intensive.(64-68) With trade the relative price of cloth should rise in the labour abundant country which is the domestic country, and should fall in the labour scarce country which is the foreign country. According to the Heckscher Ohlin Model, in the domestic country the rise in the relative price of cloth leads to a rise in the relative production of cloth and a decrease in the relative consumption of cloth. The same will happen to food in foreign economy. So what will happen is that the domestic country will become an exporter of cloth and an importer of food. And the foreign country will import cloth and export food. So one could say that a company would be very good at producing the goods that are intensive in its abundant factors, this just means a country produces the goods it has a comparative advantage in. And likewise a country should export goods that are intensive in its abundant factors of production and should import goods that are in its scarce factors of production. (58-63). To explain the wage inequalities among European low skilled workers one has to understand The Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson factor endowment model. This model predicts that trade among different countries derives from differing factor endowments across nations. This model looks at different countries that are trading with each other and these countries are also on the same technological level, which just means that they use the same technologies in their production process for both products. The production process for both goods in this case, requires two different inputs, this could be high skilled labour for one country and low skilled labour for the other country. For example, the production of one of the goods, for instance computers, requires more high skilled labour, while the production of the other good, for instance cloth, needs more low skilled labour. It is assumed that one of the two countries is relatively well equipped with either low skilled labour or high skilled labour, for instance Europe is equipped with relative large amounts of high skilled labour and the foreign country is relatively well equipped with low skilled labour. Usually when two countries trade industrialised countries have more high skilled labour and the developing countries have more low skilled labour. The Heckscher Ohlin theory in this case suggests that industrialised countries like Europe would export computers and the developing foreign country Europe is trading with should export cloth. The outcome would be that the relative price of cloth would fall in the industrialised country, but would do exactly the opposite in the developing country, the relative price would increase. This would lead to changes in wage distribution; low skilled labour in the industrialised country such as Europe would decline relative to the wages of high skilled labour. This can be explained because globalisation increased trade among countries and enabled countries access to products that were produced abroad, furthermore this implies that through trade the relative supply of low skilled labour has increased. According to this theory, inter -industry trade would as a result have the effect of increased wage inequality in industrialised countries like Europe, while inequality should decrease in developing countries. (58-61) Overall it seems as if owners of abundant factors gain with trade and owners of scarce factors lose. This model assumes that after international trade factor prices will be equal in both countries. This just means that once the domestic country which has a higher ratio of labour to land than the foreign country trade with each other, the wage rate and the lending/renting rate of land are the same in both countries. But that is not the case with every country that trades because labour moves around and usually both countries are not exactly the same in terms of infrastructure, technology and communication as the Heckscher Ohlin model suggests (68-69). Because ever changing differences in relative product prices has a large effect on the relative earnings of resources, and with trade the relative price also changes, so trade has a negative impact on income distribution. Causes and effects of international Labour mobility (chapter 7) p154 Heckscher Ohlin model focuses on trade as an explanation of bringing together factor prices, and capital / labour movements have similar effects. Capital tends to move from high wage countries to low wage countries. However labour migrates from low wage to high wage countries. Workers usually move to foreign countries in order to get paid more. Krugman suggested that labour will migrate to countries with higher labour productivity and higher real wages. And he further states that due to immigration wages will fall and due to emigration real wages should increase. If wages do not fall despite immigration, employers have no incentive to create additional jobs, and the immigration and this causes unemployment. Due to the fact that countries do not produce the same goods, due to differences in technology and due to immigration barriers, real wages across countries will never be equal (156-157). Companies in Europe which is considered an industrialised country will outsource those activities that use a large amount of unskilled labour. Moving these activities abroad would then lead to a decrease in the relative demand for low skilled labour in Europe within each industry. This means that outsourcing has a similar effect on reducing the demand for low skilled labour relative to high skilled labour within an industry, as does skill-biased technological change. Technological advancements and wages Skill-biased technological change reduced the demand for unskilled workers leading to higher long-term unemployment among low skilled workers in Europe. So low skilled workers would have to receive training in order to retain a job. At the same time, international outsourcing also leads to a shift in relative demand for labour. Firms outsource the low skill intensive parts of production and therefore increase the relative demand for skilled labour. Technological advancements also enabled companies across the world to better communicate with each other. Fast communication is a key factor when you are trading. Better infrastructure and more ways of transportation also enabled and increased trade among different countries. Benefits from globalisation According to the traditional trade theory globalization will equalize the price of products and production factors. Free trade will lead to a more efficient allocation of world resources as competition will shift production to the producers with the lower production cost. This more efficient allocation of resources will boost growth with positive effects on social welfare. Innovation and increased international competition can lead higher productivity, higher wages and improved living standards. Consumersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ welfare will improve due to a decrease in prices. However, the fall in prices relies on the level of competition in the product markets. Conclusion If economies have different capital/labour ratios, free factor mobility will encourage capital (labour) to move from the economies with a high (low) capital/labour ratio to those in which capital (labour) is relatively scarce. This process will affect the distribution of income since it will increase the relative income of capital (labour) in the countries initially with a high (low) capital/labour ratio. As globalization accelerates further, both costs and benefits will tend to raise while costs such as higher unemployment and income inequality will be concentrated in the short run while benefits in the form of lower prices, higher productivity and income will only occur later on.

Revenge and Vengeance - Revenge More Important than Oedipus Complex Ess

Revenge More Important than Oedipus Complex in Hamlet  Ã‚        Ã‚   A boy's streak of vengeance is not always merely Oedipal. Hamlet's revenge, and the situations that spur it, are not based on his love for his mother, but on the need to avenge his father's death. Although Hamlet is the only one who hears the ghost talk, others experience the sight. This proves that he does not subconsciously create the hallucination in order to rid his mother of her new lover. Once learning that his father was murdered, and that no one witnessed his death, Hamlet feels compelled to punish the killer. Even though the murderer is his mother's new husband, Hamlet acts to avenge his father's death, not out of jealousy for his mother's partner. Hamlet is very angry with Gertrude, his mother, for marrying so soon after her first husband's death. His fury is based solely on his mother's rapid wedding and the person whom she wed, not on Hamlet's sexual desires towards his mother. Although Hamlet may love his mother, his actions of revenge are based on his need to a venge Old Hamlet's untimely death. The Oedipus Complex is a "universal law" which suggests that all boys become their mother's lover in dreams. "Freud believed that in the phallic stage of development, every boy becomes his mother's lover in his dreams"(1).This may cause them to try to rid their mother of her lover out of jealousy. In Hamlet's case, his revenge is not based on his sexual desires towards his mother but on his need to punish his father's killer. Old Hamlet's spirit, which was seen by Horatio, Bernardo and Marcellus even before gaining access to Hamlet, is not a figment of Hamlet's imagination. Hamlet did not subconsciously create the spirit as a means of creating a reason to ... ...loyal son's revenge. Works Cited and Consulted: Adelman, Janet. Suffocating Mothers: Fantasies of Maternal Origin in Shakespeare's plays, 'Hamlet' to 'The Tempest'. London and New York: Routledge. 1992. Guerin, Wilfred L., Earle Labor, Lee Morgan, Jeanne C. Reeseman, and John R. Willingham. A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. Heilman, Robert B. "The Role We Give Shakespeare." Essays on Shakespeare. Ed. Gerald Chapman. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1965. Pitt, Angela. "Women in Shakespeare's Tragedies." Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Shakespeare's Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. The Riverside Shakespeare. ED. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston: Haughton Mifflin Company, 1974.   

Isolation of organic compounds Essay

1. 2.07 g of the mixture of naphthalene and benzoic acid was weighed accurately on a balance. The mixture was then dissolved in 40 ml dichloromethane and the solution was poured into a separatory funnel. 2. 20 ml of aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution was added to the dichloromethane. A stopper was placed on the separatory funnel and was shaken and pressure was frequently released. The 2 liquids separated into clear layers and the lower layer (dichloromethane layer) was tapped into an Erlenmeyer flask. The aqueous layer was placed into a 400 ml beaker. The dichloromethane was placed back in the separatory funnel. 3. The dichloromethane was extracted with 2 more fresh portions of sodium bicarbonate solution. The bicarbonate solutions are combined in the beaker. 4. The dichloromethane was dried with about 10g of anhydrous sodium sulphate for 10 minutes after which the sodium bicarbonate was filtered using the BÃ ¼chner funnel. The mass of an evaporating dish was measured and the dichloromethane placed in the evaporating dish and placed on steam bath until it evaporated into a solid. The evaporating dish containing naphthalene was weighed to determine the yield. 5. A funnel was placed on the evaporating dish on the steam bath to collect some sublimating crystals which were used to determine the melting point. 6. The bicarbonate extract was acidified with concentrated HCl. A piece of litmus paper showed that it was acidic. 7. The benzoic acid was extracted by shaking it with25ml portions of dichloromethane. The organic extracts were collected in a pre-weighed Erlenmeyer flask and evaporated on the steam bath. The mass of Benzoic acid produced was determined. RESULTS (i) Naphthalene: 0.85g; Benzoic acid: 0.71g (ii) The melting point of Naphthalene: 80-89Â º c

Balanced Scorecard and Financial Perspective

African Journal of Business Management Vol. 5(32), pp. 12520-12530, 14 December, 2011 Available online at http://www. academicjournals. org/AJBM DOI: 10. 5897/AJBM11. 928 ISSN 1993-8233  ©2011 Academic Journals Full Length Research Paper An investigation into the interrelation between balanced score card factors: A case study in the automotive industry Jalalpoor Mahdieh1 and Tolouei Pedram2* 1 Department of Management, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.Department of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. 2 Accepted 14 June, 2011 Since 1990s, when Kaplan and Norton introduced balanced scorecard (BSC) model, this model has been considerably popular amongst managers all over the world. Although BSC is known as a successful performance measurement tool amongst managers, there have been criticisms of that including: How financial and non-financial measures are linked together? Are relationships in a direct way or there is bi-directional casualty?To overcome the limitations t o current BSC theory, this paper aims to describe main factors of each balanced scorecard BSC perspectives and investigate interrelation between them with consideration to automotive parts sector in Iran. For this aim, we analyze the relationship between various perspectives in structure of balanced scorecard and measure causal relationships between various perspectives and their role in improving financial perspective. This research was conducted through a set of monthly reports of Balances scorecard factors in Tosnco – company of auto industry – during a three-year period.Case study evidence verified the underlying theoretical hypothesis of BSC. It is verified that perspectives are positively correlated with each other and new interrelation between internal process perspectives factor and financial perspective evidence was also found. The innovative dimension of this research is that we actually applied BSC in Iran and investigated factors related to auto industry an d interrelation between factors with each other. Key words: Performance, process, customer, finance, factors. INTRODUCTION Performance measurement is considered a part of a performance management system. This process includes series of activities to eminently and spiritually achieve organizational excellence in the competitive field and focus the efficiency and effectiveness of these activities. Martinson (1999) offer several descriptions of organizational performance, and present a variety of models and methods to performance measurement at the same time. Traditional performance measurement methods *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email  protected] ut. ac. it Abbreviations: BSC, Balanced scorecard; statistical package for the social sciences. SPSS, that were based on financial measures- not only reflected the complete success or failure of companies that did not ave the necessary abilities, but also failed to establish a logical relation between the company’s success factor s and was unable to support management programs (Kaplan and Norton, 2001). Environmental management issues have received an increased amount of attention in recent years, as have various performance measurement systems (PMS) such as the balanced scorecard (BSC). At this time, BSC was presented as the most practical and comprehensive performance measurement model. In recent years, BSC has been a comprehensive model when looking at management issues for financial and non-financial purposes and has been very popular as it as attracted a lot of attention (Norreklit, 2000). This model offers a variety of performance factors in four Mahdieh and Pedram perspectives: The Financial perspective; the customer perspective; the internal business process perspective and the organizational learning and growth perspective. The BSC is a multi-criteria evaluation concept that highlights the importance of performance measurement (Tseng, 2010). Based on BSC, the cause and effect relationship between th e four perspectives have been created (WongOn-Wing et al. , 2007; Paul, 1998). In fact, the logic of cause and effect as the essence of he BSC approach-which distinguishes it from other approaches- is described (Atkinson et al. , 1997). It is stated that the learning and growth performance, internal process performance, costumer performance, and financial performance counteract each other eventually (DE Haas and Kleingeld, 1999). Jones and Sasser (1995) recognized a cause and effect relationship between loyalty and customer satisfaction and financial results, where customer satisfaction leads to loyalty and it is customer satisfaction that can bring positive financial results. Due to the chain relationship between perspectives, hanges in one perspective would cause changes and reactions in other perspectives. Consequently, managers can achieve improved financial results through the chain relationship between perspectives (Cohen et al. , 2008). Relationships in BSC model are indicate d within the framework of the fact that in order to make financial results, we must provide value for costumers, and this would happen only, when an organization improved internal processes and match them with costumers’ demands. Accordingly, in order to improved internal processes, and initialize processes that provide value for costumers, the rganization must reinforce growth and learning in the organization (Kaplan and Norton, 1996). Hogue and James, in study of Australian construction companies in 2000, realized that the companies employing non-financial factors have made considerable financial results. Other researchers have realized that using BSC is indirectly related to improved performance and profitability (Malina and Selto, 2001). There are very few researches related to causal relationship between various factors; especially between financial perspective and other perspectives in BSC model. Amongst such researches we can point to a research, in Greece, that onside rs the relationship between parameters of BSC model in 90 companies. Results of this research indicate that improving non-financial perspectives results in better financial perspectives, and non-financial perspectives are interrelated (Cohen and Thiraios, 2008). Although BSC is known as a successful performance measurement tool amongst managers, there have been criticisms of that including: How are financial and nonfinancial measures are linked together? Are relationships in a direct way or there is bi-directional casualty? In this study, we present an approach to overcome the limitations to current BSC theory.The scope of our study is two-fold; the first goal is to investigate and identified main factors of each balanced score card perspectives with 12521 consider to automotive parts sector. We categorize the factors and determine their priority in regard to environment of automotive parts industry. While the second goal of the study is focused on cause and effects logics and linki ng financial and non-financial perspectives together. In this part, we will assess the influence of factors of each perspective on other perspectives and analyze the cause and effect relationship between them. In order to present a better image of reciprocal impacts f various factors, we have taken into consideration four perspectives of the automotive company with an exception of BSC, and then we will analyze the interrelationship between four perspectives. Considering the fact that in the present environment of Iran, management and control affairs are considerably important, and accurate scientific evaluations are amongst managers’ major concerns, BSC is considered to be one of the most comprehensive and functional tools of performance evaluation. This research measures the effects of different perspectives of balanced score card in an automotive parts manufacturing unit in Iran. LITERATURE REVIEWHere, we first explain how to use balanced scorecard, and then in the next par t, we investigate and identify factors related to each perspective. Part A – BSC Since 1990s, when Kaplan and Norton introduced BSC model, this model has been considerably popular amongst managers all over the world. Hundreds of organizations have already employed this model, or intend to employ it in near future (Rautiainen, 2008; Kald and Nilsson, 2000). Healthcare organization in Sweden has appreciated BSC model quite well, and has employed it as a solution to organizational problems, as well as a means of realizing organizational goals (Aidemark, 001). Germany, England and Italy have also successfully developed BSC model (Gehrke and Horvath, 2002). Numerous countries in Northern Europe have employed this model (Kald and Nilsson, 2000), and studies indicate that the model has been specifically favored in most of those countries; although in some countries, including France, where there is another model called â€Å"dashboard† rooted in their culture, BSC model is no t so popular (Bourguignon et al. , 2004). Kaplan and Norton stress on importance of three principals in the concept of BSC: 1. Maintaining causal relationship 2. Including adequate performance incentives and timulators 3. Maintaining the relationship with financial measurement factors (Speckbacher et al, 2003). 12522 Afr. J. Bus. Manage. Figure 1. All perspectives of BSC. On this basis, researches refer to this model as a means of working out strategies based on causal relationship (Speckbacher et al. , 2003). Causal logic is considered to be the essence of BSC model. Other researchers name causal logic as the core of BSC model (Atkinson, 1997; Norreklit, 2000). There are also theories stressing that Kaplan and Norton (1996) have not adequately explained the causal relationships, and researchers claim that the entioned relationships are not causal, and are merely logic (Pedram, 2003). Another research, in Finland, is indicative of dissatisfactions caused by lack of causal relationsh ip between components of the model (Malmi, 2001). Although definition of causal relationships is the basis of accomplishment for balanced scorecard model, apparently many organizations do not take this into consideration (Aidmark, 2001; Ittner et al. , 2003). Part B – Factors related to each perspective in BSC In this paper, in order to measure and evaluate relationships between various perspectives, we searched or factors related to each perspective. The four perspectives of BSC are learning and growth, internal processes, costumer, and financial. Here we briefly explain characteristics of each perspective. Learning and growth perspective: stress on innovation, creativity, competition, capabilities, and target subjective properties. This perspective aims to identify professions (human assets), system (informational asset), and organizational state (organizational asset) in order to support internal processes. Internal process perspective: identify decisive processes in the o rganization. In this perspective, we ust make sure that company’s products and services meet the needs of customers. Costumer perspective: results in introduction of a valuable approach that guarantees loyalty of costumers. In this perspective we must keep constantly identifying parameters, which costumers consider as valuable, and provide them for costumers. Financial perspective: defines tangible outcomes of organization’s strategies and includes a series of traditional financial factors. This perspective covers longterm goals of the organization, and company’s major goals are usually put into this perspective. Financial erspective is usually considered to be a secondary aspect and a function of other perspectives. It is indeed the outcome of activities of other three non-financial perspectives. All perspectives, their causal relationships, and their relationships with strategies are shown in Figure 1. METHODOLOGY Kaplan and Norton stress that BSC is a model, and must be optimized in accordance with specific elements related to an organization or industry. This model cannot be used as a general model for various organizations and industries, or even for all aspects of an industry. Therefore, it must be designed and xecuted individually for each condition and each organization. Every organization must adjust BSC to its own mission, outlook, strategy, technology, organizational culture, and environment, in order to use it properly (Kaplan and Norton, 1993). For the same reason, we searched in related literature and Mahdieh and Pedram. studies and worked out factors related to each perspective within the realm of automotive parts. The factors are as follows: 1. There are some general factors in accordance with the requirements of international standard. Standard related to this industry is ISO/TS16949: 2009 and ISO9000 2.There are also factors related to costumer, which all companies must report to costumers periodically. 3. Factors related to other stake holder such as communities, share holders and employees 4. Factors included in scientific articles and researches with related subjects We took all required factors from the mentioned sources and put them in Table 1. Source of each factor is shown in the table too. After taking the viewpoints of experts and conditions of the Company into consideration, we selected main factors from Table 1. Factors shown in Table 2 are measured and analyzed as major factors throughout this article.Also in Table 3, the number of factors which are used in the paper is shown. Hypotheses formulation According to Kaplan and Norton model there is a continuous relationship between perspectives of BSC. According to this model, Kaplan and Norton claimed that outcomes of optimizing performance of learning and growth perspective are evident in better performance of internal business processes. This would accordingly have a positive effect on costumer perspective, and finally improves financial performance. These relationships are shown in Figure 2. The following research has aimed to evaluate this claim.In this article, we analyze the relationship between various perspectives in structure of balanced scorecard. Measuring causal relationships between various perspectives and their role in improving financial perspective is the final goal of this research. Three hypotheses were formed in this regard: H1. 1: There is a positive relationship between learning-growth perspective and internal process perspective. H1. 2: There is a positive relationship between internal process and costumer perspective. H1. 3: There is a positive relationship between customer perspective and financial perspective.In the next part, we investigated the relationship between each main perspective of BSC and detailed factors of the other perspectives. The second part of article will assess these hypotheses: H2. 1: There is a positive relationship between all factors of learning and growth perspective and internal process perspective in total. H2. 2: There is a positive relationship between all factors of internal process perspective and costumer perspective in total. H2. 3: There is a positive relationship between all factors of customer perspective and financial perspective in total. 12523 se performance factors which had been frequently used in literature of BSC. For financial perspective we used one financial criterion. In the following tables abbreviations and values related to each factor are brought from TOSN data during the period of 2006-2009. Number of factors in each perspective is shown in Table 4. We worked out level of realization of factors on the basis of company reports, covering the period of March 21st 2006 to March 20th 2010, and in a monthly order. In order to synchronize and facilitate calculations, we worked out reports related to the factors on a monthly basis and in forms of percentages.For each factor, we worked out 48 data from the existing information, we then calculated geometrical average of factors and determined the level of interrelation between each factor and geometrical average of the related perspective. We also worked out value of each factor for the period of March 21st 2006 to March 20th 2010. Measuring the relationship between perspectives This trend showed that the BSC, when executed have growth factor. By using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) in this article, Level of interrelation between each factor and other factors of the same perspective was taken into consideration.By using SPSS, we determine importance rate of sub-scales (factors). The importance rate of each factor is shown in Tables 5, 6 and 7. Also the correlation between four main perspectives is shown in Table 8. The relationship between these four perspectives is shown in Figure 3. In Addition to relationships which are stated in Kaplan and Norton BSC card, it is obvious that there are some strong between perspectives. These relation ships demonstrate that not only these for perspectives are in contact with each other in simple direction as it is shown in Figure 2; they depend on each other indirectly. It eans that not only our hypotheses in the first part are based on facts; some other relationships should be taken into account. Next, we determined whether all the sub factors of each perspective influence on upper perspective. For this aim, we consider each factors of one perspective (for example learning) and calculated the correlation between all factors of that (L1-L8) with the next perspective (In this example, the process perspective). Based on BSC model, all of the factors of each perspective (Learning) must influence directly on the next perspective (process). We will investigate whether this claim is true or not.These relations are shown in Figure 4. Research method Conclusion Statistics used in this article are related to automotive parts manufacturing companies in Iran. The data are collected in Naien Development and Progress Company (TOSN Co. ). TOSN was established in January 1997. The main activity of this company is manufacturing main parts of automotive engine. The company is the sole manufacturer of some specific parts in Iran. The company outlook is defined as pioneering in manufacturing main parts of automotive engine in the Middle East. In this research we tried to In this article, we investigated factors related to each erspective. In order to measure and evaluate relationships between various perspectives, we searched for factors related to each perspective and ranked them for each perspective (Tables 5, 6 and 7). In the next part, we evaluated level of interrelation between non-financial perspectives and financial perspectives through 12524 Afr. J. Bus. Manage. Table 1. General factors related to evaluating BSC perspectives. Perspective Factor Abbreviations Financial Return on assets return on equity inventory turnover sales margin assets turnover, debtors turnover R OE ROA IT SM AT DT Percentage of lost clientsPercentage of customers’ complaints Market share on time delivery to customer rate of orders variety of products (according to the market), Perceived level of quality Perceived level of trust to the products After-sales service Rate of new costumers Perceived level of service Brand awareness Brand image Perceived value of money Perceived level of service PLC PCC MSh OTD RO VoP PLoQ PLoT AfSS NC PLoS BA BI PVoM PLoS Effectiveness of the quality management system Degree of evaluation suppliers performance number of raw material suppliers Reduction defect (casting ,machining) Reduction scraps m ean time to repair ean time between faults repair costs Quality cost Per capita logistic per capita raw materials transportation costs per capita product transportation costs EQMS DoESP NRMS RD RS MTTR MTBF RC QC PL PRMTC PPTC Costumer Internal processes 1 source 2 4 * * * * * * * * 3 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Mahdieh and Pedram. 12525 Table 1. Contd. production person-hours average daily production percentage of product realization Useful product line internal duplication error overall equipment efficiencyEffective dispatching of orders (in terms of price, specifications and delivery time) degree of cooperation with suppliers degree of cooperation with distribution channels Speed of adopting innovations already introduced in the market Speed of adopting innovations not yet introduced in the market rate of support the groundwork for establishment of a process-based organization Learning and Growth PPH ADP Ppr Upl Ide OEE EDO DoCS DoCDC SoAIaI SoAInI sgepo Per capita presented suggestion, per capita accepted suggestions per capita executed suggestions rate of training hours rate of training section efficiencyFrequency rate of accident Severity rate of accident rate of access to IT per capita non-cash bonus rate o f investment in new technology rate of innovative products and services exchange of information with co-operative companies Promotion of common business plans with co-operating companies Cooperative companies monitoring Collaboration and information exchange in the organization Pps Pas Pes Rth Rtse FRA SRA Rai PNCB InvTech IPS FExCO FPCBT CCM FCoEx * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Source 1-factors from international standardSource 2-factors from customer viewpoint Source 3-factors focusing on stakeholder viewpoint Source 4-factors from literature review questioning main hypotheses in balanced scorecard logic. Indeed, we tried to find a real evidence for this claim. The questioned data in TOSN, manufacturer of automotive parts using balanced scorecard for 3 years, confirms this claim in some aspects. Results of presented hypotheses were as follows: Interrelations between growth perspective and intern al processes perspective was almost 0. 96. Also, interrelation between processes perspective and costumer perspective was 0. 824. Interrelation etween costumer perspective and financial perspective was 0. 781(results are shown in Table 8). Therefore, in this company there is a deep and 12526 Afr. J. Bus. Manage. Table 2. Selected factors related to evaluating BSC perspectives in this article. Factor Financial perspective Sales margin Abbreviation Label Sm F Customer perspective Market share Perceived level of quality Perceived level of trust to the products After-sales service Perceived level of service Brand awareness Brand image Perceived value of money MSh PLoQ PLoT AfSS PLoS BA BI PVoM c1 c2 c3 c4 c5 c6 c8 c8 Internal business and production process perspectiveEffective dispatching of orders (in terms of price, specifications and delivery time) degree of cooperation with suppliers degree of cooperation with distribution channels Speed of adopting innovations already introduced i n the market Speed of adopting innovations not yet introduced in the market Rate of support the groundwork for establishment of a process-based organization EDO DoCS DoCDC SoAIaI SoAInI Sgepo p1 p2 p3 p4 p5 p6 Learning and growth perspective Rate of investment in new technology Rate of innovative products and services Exchange of information with co-operative companiesPromotion of common business plans with co-operating companies Collaboration and information exchange in the organization Rate of training hours Rate of training section efficiency Cooperative companies monitoring InvTech IPS FExCO FPCBT FCoEx Rth Rtse CCM l1 l2 l3 l4 l5 l6 l7 l8 Table 3. Number of factors in each perspective. Number of factor 1 8 6 8 23 Perspective Financial perspective Customer perspective Internal business and production process perspective Learning and growth perspective Total and positive relationship between non-financial factors of the model. According to BSC model, Kaplan and Norton claimed hat outcomes of optimizing performance of learning and growth perspective are evident in better performance of internal business processes. This would accordingly have a positive effect on costumer perspective, and finally improves financial performance. Kaplan and Norton did not investigate the different relationship between all perspectives. In this article, we assessed all the relationships between perspectives to determine the cause and effect relationship between all perspectives. Our research resulted in amazing conclusion. We found the relationship between business processes and financial perspective strong.Interrelation between financial perspective and internal Mahdieh and Pedram. 12527 Figure 2. Effect of factors of BSC on each other. Table 4. The importance rate of each factor in the learning perspective. L1 1 0. 854(**) 0. 933(**) 0. 938(**) 0. 947(**) 0. 969(**) 0. 968(**) 0. 959(**) 0. 975(**) L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6 L7 L8 L L2 0. 854(**) 1 0. 959(**) 0. 948(**) 0. 868(**) 0. 8 91(**) 0. 922(**) 0. 903(**) 0. 938(**) L3 0. 933(**) 0. 959(**) 1 0. 968(**) 0. 934(**) 0. 937(**) 0. 954(**) 0. 954(**) 0. 978(**) L4 0. 938(**) 0. 948(**) 0. 968(**) 1 0. 928(**) 0. 957(**) 0. 976(**) 0. 955(**) 0. 984(**) L5 0. 947(**) 0. 868(**) 0. 34(**) 0. 928(**) 1 0. 911(**) 0. 934(**) 0. 957(**) 0. 961(**) L6 0. 969(**) 0. 891(**) 0. 937(**) 0. 957(**) 0. 911(**) 1 0. 987(**) 0. 958(**) 0. 978(**) L7 0. 968(**) 0. 922(**) 0. 954(**) 0. 976(**) 0. 934(**) 0. 987(**) 1 0. 963(**) 0. 990(**) L8 0. 959(**) 0. 903(**) 0. 954(**) 0. 955(**) 0. 957(**) 0. 958(**) 0. 963(**) 1 0. 982(**) L 0. 975(**) 0. 938(**) 0. 978(**) 0. 984(**) 0. 961(**) 0. 978(**) 0. 990(**) 0. 982(**) 1 Table 5. The importance rate of each factor in the process perspective. P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P P1 1 0. 852(**) 0. 918(**) 0. 765(**) 0. 916(**) 0. 865(**) 0. 962(**) P2 0. 852(**) 1 0. 663(**) 0. 951(**) . 925(**) 0. 853(**) 0. 920(**) P3 0. 918(**) 0. 663(**) 1 0. 580(**) 0. 736(**) 0. 683(**) 0. 827(**) P4 0 . 765(**) 0. 951(**) 0. 580(**) 1 0. 824(**) 0. 738(**) 0. 827(**) P5 0. 916(**) 0. 925(**) 0. 736(**) 0. 824(**) 1 0. 939(**) 0. 968(**) P6 0. 865(**) 0. 853(**) 0. 683(**) 0. 738(**) 0. 939(**) 1 0. 958(**) P 0. 962(**) 0. 920(**) 0. 827(**) 0. 827(**) 0. 968(**) 0. 958(**) 1 Table 6. The importance rate of each factor in the customer perspective. C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C C1 1 0. 979(**) 0. 959(**) 0. 872(**) 0. 953(**) 0. 945(**) 0. 806(**) 0. 820(**) 0. 938(**) C2 0. 979(**) 1 0. 948(**) 0. 891(**) 0. 947(**) 0. 53(**) 0. 855(**) 0. 876(**) 0. 965(**) C3 0. 959(**) 0. 948(**) 1 0. 849(**) 0. 972(**) 0. 960(**) 0. 705(**) 0. 733(**) 0. 898(**) C4 0. 872(**) 0. 891(**) 0. 849(**) 1 0. 873(**) 0. 933(**) 0. 879(**) 0. 878(**) 0. 956(**) C5 0. 953(**) 0. 947(**) 0. 972(**) 0. 873(**) 1 0. 970(**) 0. 733(**) 0. 764(**) 0. 917(**) C6 0. 945(**) 0. 953(**) 0. 960(**) 0. 933(**) 0. 970(**) 1 0. 804(**) 0. 829(**) 0. 961(**) C7 0. 806(**) 0. 855(**) 0. 705(**) 0. 879(**) 0. 733(**) 0. 8 04(**) 1 0. 985(**) 0. 935(**) C8 0. 820(**) 0. 876(**) 0. 733(**) 0. 878(**) 0. 764(**) 0. 829(**) 0. 985(**) 1 0. 946(**) C 0. 938(**) 0. 965(**) 0. 898(**) . 956(**) 0. 917(**) 0. 961(**) 0. 935(**) 0. 946(**) 1 ** Correlation is significant at the 0. 01 level (2-tailed). processes of production and business was positive and equal to 0. 946. Based on this finding, we tried to determine the reason for this relationship. For this aim, we considered all the factors of each perspective and we evaluated these detailed relationship. Interrelation between factors of process perspective and financial 12528 Afr. J. Bus. Manage. Table 7. The relationship between main perspectives. L P C F L 1 0. 967(**) 0. 888(**) 0. 950(**) P 0. 967(**) 1 0. 824(**) 0. 946(**) C 0. 888(**) 0. 824(**) 0. 771(**) F 0. 950(**) 0. 946(**) 0. 771(**) 1 ** Correlation is significant at the 0. 01 level (2-tailed). Table 8. The relationship between each factor of one perspective with the next perspective. Relatio nship between factors of learning perspective and three other perspectives Learning factor Process Customer Financial ** ** ** L1 0. 971 0. 793 0. 968 ** ** L2 0. 854 0. 967 0. 827** ** ** L3 0. 921 0. 916 0. 911** ** ** L4 0. 951 0. 917 0. 914** ** ** L5 0. 910 0. 793 0. 929** ** ** L6 0. 984 0. 852 0. 944** ** ** L7 0. 977 0. 884 0. 945** L8 0. 947** 0. 843** 0. 932** Relation Strongly accepted Moderately acceptedStrongly accepted Strongly accepted Moderately accepted Strongly accepted Strongly accepted Strongly accepted Relationship between factors of process perspective and three other perspectives Process factor Learning Customer Financial Relation P1 0. 880** 0. 740** 0. 889** Direct relationship P2 0. 940** 0. 964** 0. 849** Strongly accepted P3 0. 687** 0. 547** 0. 729** Direct relationship P4 0. 869** 0. 968** 0. 765** Strongly accepted ** ** P5 0. 934 0. 817 0. 888** Direct relationship P6 0. 960** 0. 752** 0. 936** Direct relationship Relationship between factors of custo mer perspective and three other perspectives Customer FactorLearning Process Financial Relation C1 0. 753** 0. 711** 0. 822** Strongly accepted C2 0. 821** 0. 775** 0. 696** Not accepted C3 0. 656** 0. 579** 0. 803** Strongly accepted ** ** C4 0. 506 0. 525 0. 677** Strongly accepted C5 0. 628** 0. 664** 0. 531** Not accepted C6 0. 748** 0. 663** 0. 600** Not accepted ** ** C7 0. 957 0. 936 0. 961** Strongly accepted C8 0. 921** 0. 923** 0. 937** Strongly accepted perspective as a whole was the greatest level of interrelation between financial and non-financial factors. As it was earlier demonstrated, there is a strong direct relationship between business process perspective and inancial perspective. This relationship has not been declared as a direct relation in Kaplan and Norton Model; whilst its more analysis will be useful regarding its high occurrence rate, factors p1, p3, p5, p6 are the main reason for such strong correlation between business processes perspective and financia l perspective. It shows that although, according the model, the relations are series like and bottom-up, there are other relations amongst perspectives as well which must be considered. More detailed analysis of such relations may be posed as the following: P1 high correlation with the financial perspective:Effective dispatching of orders (in terms of price, specifications and delivery time) with financial perspective; given the status quo of the company, relation of this factor with financial perspective is so that more Mahdieh and Pedram 12529 Figure 3. The relationship between four perspectives in BSC. Figure 4. The relationship between main perspectives factors. attention to this factor will lead to faster payment by the customer and hence improvement of financial status of the company. market with financial perspective; this factor relates to R and D field. And regarding its high importance for the ustomer, it will result in faster payment and also will create direct relationsh ip with financial perspective. P3 high correlation with the financial perspective: Degree of cooperation with distribution channels, with financial perspective; this factor affects on p1 factor and improves the performance in terms of financial perspective. P5 high correlation with the financial perspective: Speed of adopting innovations not yet introduced in the P6 high correlation with the financial perspective: Rate of supporting the groundwork for establishment of a process-based organization with financial; because of its elation with â€Å"activity based cost† (ABC) method, it has found relationship with processes and processes separation topics. Considering such direct relations between these two perspectives and their definitions, it can be concluded 12530 Afr. J. Bus. Manage. that although the offered relations in this model are verified in this case, all relations have not been considered in BSC model. Thus, consideration of all of these relations is essential to ac hieve the strategic goals of the company. Research limitations and suggestion for further Factors introduced in each perspective were general. In utomotive parts manufacturing section, we needed to have interviews with managers and decision makers to determine rates of these factors. During analysis of relationship among different perspectives, a direct relation was attained between customer perspective and learning and growth perspective which may be analyzed precisely in the coming studies. REFERENCES Aidemark LG (2001). â€Å"The meaning of balanced scorecards in the health care organization†. Financ. Account. Manage. , 17(1): 23-40. Atkinson AA, Balakrishnan R, Booth P, Cote JM, Groot T, Malmi T, Roberts H, Uliana E, Wu A (1997). New Directions In Management Accounting Research, J.Manage. Account. Res. , 9: 79-108. Bourguignon A, Malleret V, Norreklit H (2004). â€Å"The American balanced scorecard versus the French tableau de Bord: the ideological dimension†. Mana ge. Account. Res. , 15: 107-34. De Haas M, Kleingeld A (1999). Multilevel design of performance measurement systems: enhancing Strategic dialogue throughout the organization. Manage. Account. Res. , 10: 233–261. Gehrke I, Horvath P (2002). â€Å"Implementation of performance measurement: a comparative study of French and German organizations†. In Epstein MJ, Manzoni JF (Eds), Performance Measurement and Management Control: A Compendium ofResearch, Studies in Financial and Management Accounting, JAI Press, London, 9: 159-80. Hoque Z, James W (2000). â€Å"Linking balanced scorecard measures to size and market factors: impact on organizational performance†. J. Manage. Account. Res. , 12: 1-17 Ittner C, Larcker D, Randall T (2003), â€Å"Performance implications of strategic performance measurement in ? nancial services ? rm†. Account. Org. Soc. , 28: 715-41. Jones TO, Sasser WE (1995). Why satis? ed customers defect. Harv. Bus. Rev. , pp. 88–99. Kald M, Nilsson F (2000). â€Å"Performance measurement at Nordic companies†. Eur. Manage. 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Society, 32: 363-77.

Shakespeare and Insanity

Shakespeare and Insanity For centuries, Shakespeare's tragedies have swept audiences up in dramatic intensity, achieving what Aristotle described as catharsis, the purging of emotional tension through drama. They draw us into the psyche of the protagonistthe angst of Hamlet, the guilt-ridden soul of the Macbeths, and the torment of Learwith an evocative language of feeling and Shakespeare's use of a most powerful image: the human mind in a state of madness.What drove Shakespeare's characters into insanity? Certainly, it can be argued that outside influences played their part. In the case of Othello, the scheming Iago used his cunning and manipulation to lead his victim into self-doubt and despair. The same could be said for King Lear, who was driven to madness by his ungrateful daughters. Did Shakespeare's tragic protagonists, however, have some pre-disposed disorder? The answers could be in a many centuries old belief that the human body is driven by a state of chemical balance.humorAn imbalance of chemistr y could effect the mood of the individual and if not corrected, could lead to permanent illness, madness and/ or death.Body Chemistry: Having a Sense of Humor(s)The theory of body chemistry or humors theory goes back to the 4th century BC. There were earlier cultures in Egypt and Mesepotamia which fluctuated between natural and supernatural explanations of disease, but it took Empedocles to develop theories based on four basic elements and characterized by a quality and a corresponding body humor or liquid:Element Quality HumorFire Heat Blood (in the heart)Earth Dryness Phlegm (in the brain)Water Moisture Yellow bile (in the liver)Air Cold Black bile (in the spleen)These humors were also tied into the seasons as well. Black bile was considered to be a part of autumn, blood was associated with spring, phlegm with winter and summer...

Is an elite liberal arts college worth the price tag

Is an elite liberal arts college worth the price tag Last week I visited with the head guidance counselor at a well-regarded private high school in Madison. Amongst our topics of conversation was the trend he has noticed away from private colleges. Students were being accepted to Ivy League and other top colleges, then choosing not to attend, in favor of larger state schools. As you might imagine, the main reason for their decision was financial. These families are already paying $10,000/year to send their child to high school. Their coffers are strained if not empty. Yet, perhaps there are hidden factors that, if revealed, would sway these parents and students to choose a private college. A March 2012 article by P. Maloney, â€Å"Does it Pay to Attend an Elite Liberal Arts College?† explored the benefits of an elite liberal arts education. In this article, Maloney asks an important question: Is it worth the $50,000 price tag to send your child to one of these elite schools? I have asked a similar question in two previous articles, Is it Worth it to Compete for an Ivy League Education? and Employers Favor State Schools for Hires – But Ivy League is Still the Best Pick; in both instances, I concluded rather unscientifically that it was worth the cost to attend an elite school. Maloney’s more rigorous study supports my conclusions. He evaluated many major studies (a.k.a. the â€Å"literature†) on the subject, performed his own multi-faceted statistical analysis, and concluded that although attending an elite liberal arts college might not lead to higher earnings directly out of college, a statistically significant difference arises by the middle of a person’s career. Maloney points out that this finding is similar to that of Brand and Halaby (2006), another major study which found that the effects of attending an elite college on a person’s wages increased over time. Maloney admits that his study is limited in that â€Å"the number of individuals in the [study group] that attended an elite liberal arts college is rather small compared to the number that attended other types of schools. This may limit the scope to which these results can be extended.† More research is clearly needed. However, the results are indicative of a trend toward higher career earnings that could influence families’ decisions about where to send their children to college. If your child were accepted to both an elite private liberal arts college and a state school, how would you make your decision? What factors would you consider? If you knew that your child’s earnings potential would ultimately be significantly higher from attending an elite liberal arts college, would you still choose a state school or other less expensive option? If you have faced this type of choice or think you might face it in the future, I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments! Want essay writing help for your student to get into an elite college? Contact The Essay Expert for a 15-minute consultation. We will make that essay shine! Category:College AdmissionsBy Brenda BernsteinSeptember 10, 2012 4 Comments Christopher Feyrer says: September 11, 2012 at 12:19 am I would not choose whether my child went to the liberal arts college. He or she would. Given that, from a social networking perspective, Im sure that Ivy League connections would lead to hire eventual wages simply because of the higher least common denominator among the attendees and alumni. The biggest barrier for a layman like myself would be pure economics and barrier to entry. Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: September 11, 2012 at 12:35 am I believe that most parents would ideally like for their child to decide. With such large economic considerations, however, sometimes the parents do need to make an economic choice. And you have a lot of company in economics being the greatest barrier. Log in to Reply Christopher Feyrer says: September 11, 2012 at 12:20 am I meant higher eventual wages above. Thats what I get for dictating my post! Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: September 17, 2012 at 11:26 pm I received the following response to this article from one of my readers, who wished to remain anonymous. I think her comments add a great perspective: Thanks for another insightful article. Our daughter was accepted into the Honors program of our state school, but we are sending her to the University of Pennsylvania for several reasons: 1) We wanted her to interact with people from all over the world to expand her worldview and test her assumptions. She can do that better at Penn. In fact, we think that helped her conceptualize spending a semester abroad, which she is doing now. 2) We wanted to surround her with the brightest and most-motivated peers. Clearly, there are very bright and very motivated students at state schools, but many go for the price vs. the educational opportunity. 3) Sometimes, students cannot complete their education at state schools in four years because they cannot get into the classes they need. Not only does this diminish the price differential, but it presents an opportunity cost, since the student cannot enter the job market as soon. 4) How much money she makes after graduation should not be the sole criterion of success. I know from my own Ivy League education that I was forced to think analytically, write clearly, and test and retest my values. At a less intellectually rich institution, I might have had the impetus and support to hone my skills. Log in to Reply

The Origins of British Columbia in Canada

The Origins of British Columbia in Canada The province of British Columbia, also known as BC, is one of the 10 provinces and three territories that make up Canada. The name, British Columbia, refers to the Columbia River, which flows from the Canadian Rockies into the American state of Washingon. Queen Victoria proclaimed British Columbia a British colony in 1858. British Columbia is on the west coast of Canada, sharing both a northern and southern border with the United States. To the south are Washington State, Idaho, and Montana, and Alaska is on its northern border. Origin of the Province Name British Columbia refers to the Columbia District, the British name for the territory drained by the Columbia River, in southeastern British Columbia, which was the namesake of the Columbia Department of the Hudsons Bay Company. Queen Victoria chose the name British Columbia to distinguish what was the British sector of the Columbia District from that of the United States or the American Columbia, which became the Oregon Territory on August 8, 1848, as a result of a treaty. The first British settlement in the area was Fort Victoria, established in 1843, which gave rise to the city of Victoria. The capital of British Columbia remains Victoria. Victoria is the 15th largest metropolitan area of Canada. The largest city in British Columbia is Vancouver, which the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada and the largest in Western Canada. The Columbia River The Columbia River was so named by American sea captain Robert Gray for his ship the Columbia Rediviva, a privately owned ship, which he navigated through the river in May 1792 while trading fur pelts. He was the first non-indigenous person to navigate the river, and his voyage was eventually used as a basis for the United States claim on the Pacific Northwest. The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. It flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state of Oregon before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. The Chinook tribe who live near the lower Columbia River, call  the river Wimahl. The Sahaptin people who live near the middle of the river, near Washingon, called it Nch’i-Wna. And, the river is known as swahnetkqhu by the Sinixt people, who live in the rivers upper reaches in Canada. All three terms essentially mean the big river.

Etruscan - Byzantine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Etruscan - Byzantine - Essay Example It is also characterized by neighboring columns, superimposed and engaged, serves as an embellishment to the structure. Roman style is also characterized by an elevated high base steps rising to a deep portico which was a strong influence of the Etruscan style of architecture. Hagia Sophia, which is located in Istanbul formerly Constantinople, on the other hand, is one of the best examples of the Byzantine architecture. Although there are a lot of existing styles that concentrated on a religious theme, Byzantine architecture’s strong feature is that the structures built during this time were meant to glorify the church. This style is set apart by great domes, smaller domes and half domes supported with pedentive, huge columns, round arches and abundant use of color, decorative and glass mosaics. Both architectural styles have a distinct characteristic that distinguish it from others. Pantheon has a top heavy appearance and an imposingly large entrance like most temples in this era. Hagia Sophia, however, is somewhat inviting. Although Byzantine also uses columns in their architectural design, the Roman style has more columns that somewhat overlaps each other just by looking at it. Both structures made use of domes, the difference however was that Pantheon has only one while Hagia Sophia has several. Initially, Pantheon was believed to be created as a temple for the gods.

Human Trafficking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Human Trafficking - Research Paper Example However, the government of the US is combating trafficking in persons both at home and abroad. The clauses, which have been covered in â€Å"the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 gives new protections to the trafficking victims; the pre-existing penalties â€Å"(Human Trafficking, 2012) have been enhanced. Moreover, certain benefits and services are provided to those who have been severely affected by human trafficking. It was in 1994 that the US started monitoring persons being victimized by trafficking in persons. This was mainly when the issue became prominent in Annual’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices of the Department (Human Trafficking, 2012). Initially, the women and girls who were trafficked for sexual purposes were kept in the limelight. However, the situation has changed now and men, women and children who are being trafficked in any form of labor force whether it be agriculture, domestic service, construction work, or sweatshops are monitored on a constant basis (Human Trafficking, 2012). The human traffickers commit this act usually when the situation is critical and the police agencies cannot really do anything about it. For instance, when there were crisis in Lebanon, at that time the traffickers took 300000 people in their refuge. These people were mostly from Sri Lanka and Philippines. This was when the important people were busy being evacuated. In such circumstances, the police become handicapped and cannot take any action. The US should focus on having wide-ranging national policies and programs that will assist in preventing human trafficking; hence, the victims will be protected. Moreover, the police agencies should have strong networks so that the exchange of information regarding routes of traffickers as well as their profiles and the profiles of the victims could be easily tracked. Moreover, the police agencies should be a part of UNODC (UNGIFT, 2007). UNODC is contributing in the prevention of

Family Support Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Family Support - Article Example Family support is a philosophy that promotes the growth and development of families. It aims to enhance the strengths innate in families as well as strengthening identified weaknesses in order for the members to achieve optimal well-being and personal success. Various family support programs have been developed and offered in communities, however, Malcolmson (2002) believes that family support should have a strong commitment to relationship-building based on trust, respect and sharing of power. Dunst (1995) offers the following characteristics of family support programs: Enhancing a Sense of Community: the coming together of people with similar needs and values. Mobilizing Resources and Supports: sourcing and establishing the necessary services in supporting the family’s needs. Shared Responsibility and Collaboration: sharing of skills and ideas in taking care of the family’s needs Protecting Family Integrity: keeping the values and cultural perspective of the family st rong Strengthening Family Functioning: helping family members to strengthen their capabilities to be able support each member to function at his/her best. Adopting Proactive Program Practices: availing of family support services that support and strengthen the family. How does the theoretical framework of family support e.g: premises/paradigms and guiding principles culminate in a promotion model of service delivery to families as described on the reading. The theoretical framework of family support gives the prevailing idea that support services are more preventive than promotional. Initially, being preventive is viewed as a good thing. The cliche â€Å"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure† hails prevention as the ultimate paradigm to keep families safe, healthy and far from the risks of deterioration. However, Dunst, Trivette and Thompson (1990, as cited in Dunst, 1995) and Cowen (1994, as cited in Dunst, 1995) contend that the use of prevention models goes again st the principles of family support. They argue that the prevention of problems does not guarantee that families will effectively function and their competence will be optimized, as opposed to situations when they are given opportunities that support and strengthen families from the onset. Family support is characterized with a proactive paradigm that focuses on further enhancing families’ strength with promotion-oriented practices. Such practices have a mastery and optimization orientation, and the development, enhancement and elaboration of an individual’s skills and strengths are emphasized, most especially the competencies that increase his control over the important aspects of his life (Dunst, 1995). Hence, a promotion model of family support builds strengths instead of rectifying deficits. This way, the individuals benefitting from the promotional family support finds it easier to deal with life’s challenges and difficulties while they set growth-oriented goals and the achievement of personal aspirations. What do you see as the role of the practitioner in this model of service to families? Consistent with Dunst’s (1995) characteristics of family support services, the practitioner has multiple roles in the delivery of such service. Being alert to the needs and strengths of the families in the community, he has a broad picture of the resources and supports available. He is able to match service providers with service consumers and he bridges a sense of responsibility and collaboration between

3 year personal development plan in nursing Outline

3 year personal development plan in nursing - Outline Example Within one year, the outcome should be evident in my communication and patient-care skills. The confidence gained will pave way for me to expand my professional network in the second year. This will be achieved through participating in at least one professional development program in a quarter, thus improving on my organisational commitment and job-satisfaction as noted by Turner (2007). This would also provide knowledge on the practice in other different nursing fields, including mental health nursing. Still in my second year, I will seek to develop academically. Thus, I will enrol for part-time postgraduate diploma course specialising in adult nursing which will take me two years, up to the third year of my development plan. I will apply for a scholarship from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) so as to subsidise on the cost implication. Accomplishing this course will expand my knowledge on patient care and further on ethical issues around nursing in general. Therefore, my three year development plan would basically entail professional development and network building and academic

Constitution cafe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Constitution cafe - Essay Example The discussions are based on Thomas Jefferson, a radical who held the belief that there was the need to keep on revising the Constitution. As outlined in the book, periodic amendment of the Constitution can be regarded as essential since it keeps the constitution in line with the changing times. Phillips contends that the Constitution has become an immutable as well as a sacred text, which needs some shaking up or some review (Phillips 1–336). In the book, Phillips argues that respect of the United States’ Constitution forms a key phenomenon of modern political life in America. According to Phillips, the Constitution is the basis upon which the rights of the U.S. citizens can be understood. Across the political spectrum, it has become the last argument of politicians and the secular scripture has it as the moral gravity. The book explains the desire of the third American president, Thomas Jefferson, that Americans should rewrite the Constitution after every twenty years in order to enable them to meet their needs. The radical ideas of Jefferson are put to the test by Phillips, who asks Americans to create a new Constitution that will serve their needs (Phillips 1–336). Throughout the book, the main idea that Phillips strives to pass focuses on how the American public could rewrite the United States’ Constitution. The book involves a series of discussions, which engage various groups coming together and focussing on various Articles and Amendments. For example, there are teenagers who talk about the amendment of age at which people should vote, and lawyers discussing the patent clause. Each of the groups involved comes up with new Articles, which have the aim of redressing problems of the existent Constitution. The author also discusses the historical interludes regarding the conflicts among the Founding Fathers; this highlights the compromises as well as difficulties that were needed in 1783 (Phillips 1–336). In the book, Phillips portrays

Analyzing news paper articles Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analyzing news paper articles - Assignment Example Therefore, it is needed to stop and plan what exactly their policy should be and then adapt it into something that would be more economically practical, and not seek to equally modernize each leg in the nuclear triad. In this respect, the article gives certain suggestions: the â€Å"D5† submarine-launched ballistic missiles should not be produced and the fleet of nuclear-armed submarines should be decreased from fourteen to eight, keeping in mind that the reduction in number will not affect the potential or strength of this leg. Also, the present arsenal could be visibly reduced; consequently, money could be saved by closing down a few of the weapons-design labs. Moreover, spending can be reduced on missile defense, which is very superfluous. About 30 to 35 billion US$ can be saved over the next 10 years, the article states. These are good suggestions, albeit very tough, but politicians and the military have to realize that the country’s financial condition is going to become an actual security problem soon enough. In this editorial of the New York Times, President Obama’s executive order, and its rationale, is questioned. Even though this executive order puts an end to the rule that deprived groups from federal funding when and if they performed abortions or advised their patients with regard to the procedure, even if they did not use federal money to do this; however, the executive order did not undo the policy that places similar restrictions and bans on groups that use foreign aid money for abortions. Oddly enough, this rule applies even in current day war zones like Congo where rape is used as a weapon in the conflict, and even in cases of rape, even though such a policy is not ordered by any law. The article asserts that the 1973 Helms amendment, which restricts using foreign aid money to be used for abortion as a method of family planning, does not really include victims of rape or incest. It is, of course,

Constitution cafe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Constitution cafe - Essay Example The discussions are based on Thomas Jefferson, a radical who held the belief that there was the need to keep on revising the Constitution. As outlined in the book, periodic amendment of the Constitution can be regarded as essential since it keeps the constitution in line with the changing times. Phillips contends that the Constitution has become an immutable as well as a sacred text, which needs some shaking up or some review (Phillips 1–336). In the book, Phillips argues that respect of the United States’ Constitution forms a key phenomenon of modern political life in America. According to Phillips, the Constitution is the basis upon which the rights of the U.S. citizens can be understood. Across the political spectrum, it has become the last argument of politicians and the secular scripture has it as the moral gravity. The book explains the desire of the third American president, Thomas Jefferson, that Americans should rewrite the Constitution after every twenty years in order to enable them to meet their needs. The radical ideas of Jefferson are put to the test by Phillips, who asks Americans to create a new Constitution that will serve their needs (Phillips 1–336). Throughout the book, the main idea that Phillips strives to pass focuses on how the American public could rewrite the United States’ Constitution. The book involves a series of discussions, which engage various groups coming together and focussing on various Articles and Amendments. For example, there are teenagers who talk about the amendment of age at which people should vote, and lawyers discussing the patent clause. Each of the groups involved comes up with new Articles, which have the aim of redressing problems of the existent Constitution. The author also discusses the historical interludes regarding the conflicts among the Founding Fathers; this highlights the compromises as well as difficulties that were needed in 1783 (Phillips 1–336). In the book, Phillips portrays

Checkpoint ratio, vertical, and horizontal analyses Assignment

Checkpoint ratio, vertical, and horizontal analyses - Assignment Example It helps to understand the quantity of an item in the financial statement as a percentage of a whole and compare over a horizon of many years. Comparing current assets as percentage of total assets in year1 and year2 would be an example of vertical analysis. Horizontal analysis helps in analyzing the various items over a period of time either in absolute numbers or in percentage. Example, change in sales (+ or -) figures in year1 as compare to previous year. The current ratio shows that Pepsico is showing a decreasing trend from 1.28 in 2004 to 1.11 in 2005 (appendix). Coca-Cola is also showing a similar trend with the ratio at 1.10 in 2004 and 1.04 in 2005 (appendix). This shows that both the companies are increasing their short term financing. They can afford to do this at present as both companies have their current liabilities adequately covered. However, the trend could be alarming for their short term liquidity position in the future if it continues, especially for Coca-Cola which has almost equal amount of current assets covering the current liabilities ($1.04 for every $1 of current liability). Vertical analysis of Assets shows that for Pepsico current assets component of total assets has increased marginally in 2005 over the previous year (appendix). The current liabilities as percentage of total liabilities has increased drastically which shows that the company is financing more through short term obligations rather than long term debt. A further component analysis reveals a clearer picture. There has been a major increase in short term liabilities and taxes showing an increased short term financing for growing business (appendix). For coca-cola current liabilities have increased and assets decreased again showing increased short term financing (appendix). Horizontal analysis of Pepsico shows that there has been an increase in current assets and liabilities

The Global Presence Of Zara Commerce Essay

The Global Presence Of Zara Commerce Essay PESTLE Analysis is a type of situation analysis where we need before starting market decisions or business plans. It is extremely important to identify the external environment. The only way to accomplish our goal is through a PESTLE analysis which contains six factors that influence on a business: Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal. Besides it is also very important for a company to be fully awake of the actions their competitors take. These kinds of factors change constantly. It is no surprise why every time we talk about fashion the same name always comes up: Zara. The largest and the most famous Spanish clothing company in the world. There stores covers almost every continent in the world. The Zara Company was established in 1975 by Amancio Orgega, Zara is the flagship of Inditex (Industria del Diseà ±o Textil, S.A.), the company is located in Galicia, the north-west part of Spain. In a relatively short time frame Inditex has become one of the biggest clothing retailer in the world with 2,692 stores spread across 62 countries worldwide by the end of January 2006. In addition to Zara which accounted for 66 percent of the groups turnover in 2005, Inditex owns seven smaller store brands: Bershka (avantgarde clothing), Pull and Bear (youth casual clothes), Massimo Dutti (quality and conventional fashion), Oysho (undergarment chain), Stradivarius (trendy garments for young women), Kiddys Class (childrens fashion), and Zara Home (household textiles). Political Factors The government and political parties are accountable for evolving the political environment in a country. The chief silent factor in a business is government; they can help an industry by using the form of policies. Zara has been present in Spain, and merely one more main distribution centre for Europe. In addition, the political help that is provided for expansion of the business in other countries must be assessed critically. Because European countries have predictable and safe economic environments, Zara has choices to expand its business around Europe. And these are some of the most important pull factors that give a clear definition of the internationalisation of Zara include: The 1986 admission of Spain in the EU; The globalisation of the economy potential economies of scale; The homogenisation of consumption patterns across nations Zaras believes that national frontiers are no impediment to sharing a single fashion culture The eradication of export obstructions and the growth of Information Technology. (Lopez Fan, 2009). As we know already Zara is a Spanish company so establishing a new branch in another country and all the terms which are related to taxation are political factors for Zara group. The political emphasize on the role of goverment and its effects on our company, and also extent of participation in a political situation. For example Indian government is willing to provide foreign investment in their nation; The Company Zara was provided an open market by India. However the government of India has its own policy which is to be followed by companies as Zara which formed a joint venture with TATA (Shah, 2011) Economic factors Production not transferred to low cost locations: Zara resisted the famous in industry trend to produce fashion cheaply in countries like China. Zara states that this offers more control as it controls most of its steps on the Supply Chain, the design, manufacture and the distribution of products (CNN, 2001). In the UK, half of what products Zara sells are made in Spain, a quarter in the rest of Europe and another quarter in countries in Africa and Asia. For example, longer shelf life clothing such as t-shirts is outsourced to cheap suppliers mostly in Asia and Turkey (Business Week, 2006). Zero Advertising Policy: The rarest company policy is the policy not to advertise. While Zaras competitors mostly rely on expensive advertising campaigns, Zara prefers to invest into opening new stores instead (CNN, 2001). Producer of nearly 11,000 items annually: There is a large product range in the Zara Company. While the competitors of Zara produce about 2000-4000 items annually, Zara produces a whole 11 000 items. In addition brand loyalty is built and an increased number of customer visits as a result of Zara changing its designs every two weeks. A customer visit in Spain on a high street in Zara is 17 times a year compared to 3 times in the average street stores. (The Guardian, 2002). Shortening Product Life Cycle: While the designing of a new product and getting it to the stores by industry takes 6 months, Zara needs just 2 weeks to do the same (Business Week, 2006). To recap, Zara breaks all the guidelines, but it seems that using this strategy proves to be very successful, because Zara is considered to be one of the largest stores in industry. Social Factors Growing of income: People began to look for a high quality and comfortable life when their disposable personal income rose. A wide market share is provided to Zara from this kind of trend. Personalized consumption turns into the mainstream of society. A major guarantor of Zaras success is a small amount, variety, cheap. Fast Fashion: When talking about the strategy of design, an article in Business world Magazine defines it as follows: Zara was a fashion imitator. It focused its attention on understanding the fashion items that its customers wanted and then delivering them, rather than on promoting predicted seasons trends via fashion shows and similar channels of influence, which the fashion industry traditionally used. There will be a depreciation of 0.7% of fashion goods every single day. A new product, from its designing to manufacture, logistics operation and the final sale, needs only about 2 or 3 weeks in Zara. Affordable Fashion: Fashion has received attention by a growing number of people. However, only a small amount of people can afford it because fashion is a masterwork of top designers. By tracking these fashion elements, the designers of Zara design their own product in order to make it affordable to most consumers (Badu, 2010). Technological Factors RD and Production 1. Fast production: Zaras deliveries take up to 6 weeks instead of 6 months which is usual for their competitors.(Ghemawat Nueno, 2006). 2. It is easy for Zara to control their suppliers since they amount to 20. These 20 suppliers account for 70% of Zaras production. Other companies for example have 200 suppliers or even more. Logistic 1. Zara have their own distribution centre with an order to delivery time of 24 hours for Europe and 48 hours for USA and Asia (Tokatli, 2007). 2. The shops receive two deliveries from Zaras distribution centre. Which gives the shops the opportunity to have low inventory and a high turnaround within the shop (Lopez Fan, 2009) (Ghemawat Nueno, 2006). Flexible Supply Chain 1.Zara is vertically integrated and controls its entire production chain. An effect of great importance of the control is the re-reducing the bullwhip effect. (Ghemawat Nueno, 2006) 2. Zara has very short lead times. The Agility of their supply chain allows Zara to deliver from product design to the final customer within 2 weeks for repeat models or 5 weeks for new products (Mazaira, Gonzà ¡lez, Avendano, 2003). Environmental Factors Zara tries to help the sustainable growth of the society and the environments which it interplays with. This dedication to the environment is a fragment of the Inditex group corporate social responsibility policy. Objectives and Actions: At the sores: Zara puts a lot of effort on eco efficiency at their shops. Energy saving is one of the key approaches to ecological preservation the company embraces. Another approach is the development of efficient management models for their stores that proposes some restrictions or changes to be carried into effect for all of the companys processes, from the design of the store itself, the lighting and heating or cooling system equipment, to the possible recycling of furniture and decoration. Zara stores offer only paper or biodegradable plastic bags. About 90% of the bags Zara gives out to customers are papermade. 1. Waste reduction and urge to recycling Every year Zara processes millions of hangers and security tags. In addition both the cardboard and plastics used are recycled. 2. Increasing awareness among the team members Zara heightens all their employees awareness of the need for sustainable practices such as trimming energy consumption, using sustainable transport or modifying habits. With the product 1. The company uses mostly ecological fabrics, like organic cotton. Zara Supports ecological agriculture and uses organic cotton in the manufacturing of selected clothing items(100% cotton, completely free of pesticides, chemicals and bleaches). Due to their distinctive label such products can be recognized very easily at the stores. 2. Producing PVC -free footwear Zara does not use any petroleum derivatives or non-biodegradable fabrics for the production of their footwear. In the transportation Zaras fleet of Lorries ship over 200 million pieces of clothing per year and use 5% biodiesel fuel, which results in lowering the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere by over 500 tones Animal welfare policy All of the animal products, including fur and leather sold at Zara stores is supplied only from animals grown in livestock form and never from animas killed by poachers for skin sale. (Zara, 2010) Legal Factors Plagiarism Plagiarism has become a hug problem in the fashion industry. Trends are very often imitated and cheaply as well as illegally sold in the street. Global expansion Since the European has a smoothly operating trade and legal system which facilitates business operations in member countries, other countries around the world do not provide the same reliabilities . In communistic countries loss of a private run business to the local government is highly probable. Conclusion: Zara has had a very successful history from the moment they opened their small Spanish dress shop, and as we can see now the little-known brand has grown into a leader of the apparel market in less than 30 years. Now the footprints of Zara is nearly everywhere. The big design group, unique strategy, environmental management idea and other operational strategies make Zara success. This PESTLE analysis seeks to improve our understanding of the firm. The research has examined the internationalisation process of the firm with a special focus on motives, entry options and international marketing strategies. The main drawback that arises in a single case study is that of limited validity and representativeness which constrains the potential for making generalisations (Creswell, 1998). Another limitation is that the study was based solely on secondary data. However, this case is deemed adequate to provide good insight, and establish the avenue for future studies.

Stages Of Group Development :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Stages Of Group Development Group development is broken down into five stages. These stages are forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. The following is a description of how our group passed through each of these stages. Forming In the first stage our group was formed. Each member of our group introduced themselves. We basically made small talk in an effort to relieve some of the initial awkwardness. We discussed our expectations of the project; we then talked about when and where our meeting would be. We had to figure out when all of the group members were available and to find a convenient place to meet that was accessible by all members. Storming In the storming stage our group members began to take on specific roles. Mandy and Cory seemed equally capable of taking on the leadership role. As we each tried to establish our own identity within the group, we found out what was expected of us from other members. We didn’t have an official leader, but if one person had to be named I’m sure all of the group would agree on Mandy. Norming During this stage are we pooled our individual thoughts and expectations together. We discovered that we were all in agreement on how the project should be executed. Discussions concerning the project went smoothly after this point and more progress was made. In this stage I discovered that I had a higher degree of cohesiveness with Mandy than with other group members. This could be due to the fact that Mandy and I were the only female members in the group. It could also be due to the fact that Mandy was the group â€Å"leader† and I looked to her for information on group meetings. Performing In this stage our group shifted from discussing and establishing objectives to actually taking the actions necessary to accomplish them. We finished our surveys and began to pass them out to be completed. Each member of our group was responsible to carry out the task effectively and within the designated time limit.