Silent destroyer essays

Silent destroyer essays America the Beautiful! So why are we destroying it everyday with the use of pesticides? It has been proven that pesticides have affects on its surrounding, although made to improve earths resources, they typically take there negative effect on the environment in time. Pesticides affect more than the environment; they also affect the animals and humans living in the environment. There are alternative, to this major problem but, we as the caretakers of earth must act fast. In the following paper Im going to share with you what pesticides are. Ill tell you why they are not safe to use and some of the affects of pesticides. Last, I will talk about some new alternatives there are instead of using pesticides. Pesticides are toxic chemicals that poison the earth and its environment. Pesticides main use is to kill pests that destroy food crops. They are also used in forests, lakes, city parks, lawns, hospitals, schools, and homes. There are four types of pesticides; insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and rodenticides. Insecticides kill insects, herbicides manage weeds, fungicides control mold and mildew, and rodenticides kill rodents. Pesticides are also found in a large range of products from shampoo to paper. Pesticides may be found wherever we live and work, in the air we breathe, in the water we drink, and in the food we eat(Mott Why are pesticides not safe to use, and what are there affects? Pesticides have many affects on the world today. Pesticides affect the environment in two different ways, It affects the water we drink and the soils we plant our crops in. Pesticides also affect the food we eat. Not only can pesticides be detected in food they are also found in humans and animals. So why are we moving so slowly to fix the problem? Everyday pesticides are dumped into our environment. Over time most of the pesticides make thier way to a source of water, whether it&...

5 Techniques to Become Fluent in Italian

5 Techniques to Become Fluent in Italian There are a number of academic papers and tips from expert language learners that will help you become fluent in Italian, but you might be surprised to know that while those techniques are great, its really daily commitment that seals the deal on the way to fluency. As you go about your daily studies though, there are five techniques that will help you get ahead  as a student of Italian. 5 Techniques to Become Fluent in Italian 1.) Passively watching or listening doesn’t cut it as practicing the language There is a vast difference between actively listening and benefiting from something in a foreign language and passively listening to it while ironing your button-downs or driving to work. When you listen to something in a foreign language,  like a podcast, you need to have one sole purpose for doing so. For example, if you’re looking to improve your pronunciation,  focus on the way the speakers are pronouncing words, where they pause, and where they put the emphasis. This way you are able to focus on one area and make more progress within it. And speaking of pronunciation†¦ 2.) Rushing through the pronunciation sections of each course is detrimental Pronunciation IS important and taking the time to understand the correct way to say things helps you understand the spoken language and feel more confident when you start producing the language on your own. If you travel to Italy and and start a conversation, an Italian person is more likely to feel comfortable speaking to you and will continue in Italian if she or he can hear that your pronunciation is clear.   Plus, there are added side effects of helping you with sentence structure, grammar and vocabulary. 3.) Dont sip  the immersion Kool-Aid that being in the country is  going to vastly improve your language ability The truth is that  going to Italy at a beginner level  is  lovely, but not as beneficial as if you were  at an intermediate level. At an intermediate level, your capacity to notice details, pick up on patterns within the language, and remember more of what you hear around you expands. Studies have shown that going as a beginner is too soon and that you’re too far along if you go at an advanced level. You’ll make the most progress as an intermediate learner. Im not suggesting that you shouldnt go to Italy as a beginner, but what I am trying to say is that youll have the best experience if you manage your expectations beforehand. 4.) Know how to work with a dictionary Katà ³ Lomb, a Hungarian polyglot, claims that dependence on dictionaries can cripple your ability to produce language on your own. I would agree with her and elaborate that it cripples your trust in yourself. Every time you choose to run to a dictionary instead of giving the word you know you’ve learned thought, you tell yourself that the dictionary is more reliable than what you’ve stored. Don’t do that. You can’t run to dictionaries in live conversations, so learn to trust and rely on yourself while using a dictionary as what it’s meant to be – a study aid. If you want to use something on a regular, the best method would be digital spaced-time repetition flash cards. 5.) Roadblocks are going to plop themselves in your way as if they owned the place Time will  take a vacation and leave you wondering where it went, money will be tight and limit how many classes you  can pay for, and family or school or Netflix will demand your attention. What I want you to do is to  anticipate the roadblocks and plan ways around them. When you don’t, they have a tendency to run your life and will leave you at the airport at the end of another trip wondering why you’re stuck at exactly the same place you were the year before. Youll find that youre more creative in solving problems with your studies before they happen than you realized. Buono studio!

The theories of Organizational Behavior (F. Taylor and E. Mayo) Essay

The theories of Organizational Behavior (F. Taylor and E. Mayo) - Essay Example From the research it can be comprehended that organizational behavior bears wide appliance in management by examining ways in which persons within an organization behaves. Organizational behavior is efficiently realized by use of certain conjectures developed within this field. Organizational behavior can be observed as a multidisciplinary aspect of management, given that it integrates principles, and thoughts from assorted disciplines that correlate with human actions and relations. Organizational behavior seeks to comprehend the activities of members of a selected organization in an effort to generate competencies to envisage the probable ways in which these persons can conduct themselves. The acquired competencies can afterwards be exploited in the management of the envisaged behaviors that may encumber the accomplishment of the organizational goals. The development of organization and management goes along the commencement of conventional school, which afterwards evolved, into be nevolent approaches concerned with organizational resourcefulness. This further interweaved with other approaches of the contemporary school to form a more pronounced approach than the earlier approaches. Currently, the scientific management conjecture gets used as an offshoot of administration development. The performances of the human relations functions as the organizational stimulator to offer the resourcefulness of employees in a conservative manner in order to encourage higher productivity in commerce and industry. F.W Taylor 'scientific management theory' Scientific management conjecture was prefaced in response to a scientific investigation concerning the resourcefulness of employees within a factory. Conversely, the conjecture got evaluated in a cruel way, since the researchers were required to examine the period movement on a sequence of job responsibilities restricted by the employees, which was the grounds of reimbursement (Thompson 2009, 14). The foundation organization al resourcefulness might participate alongside with the reparation and operation productivity of employees. Scientific management conjecture presents four principles, which are the science of management conjecture by substituting the rule-of-thumb occupation methods, practical mannerisms choose workers through scientific methods (Waring 1994, 5). The others are comprehensive instructional supervision on a certain undertaking via scientific edification, and development and proper relations with workers to make certain that they are willing to perform certain activities within the organization (Akrani 2011, 1). In relation to the scientific management conjecture, the initiative of the workers that are their resourcefulness, willingness and inventiveness is acquired with complete consistency. The managers to certain organizations hold the responsibility of assuming new-fangled inflictions, tasks and responsibilities that had never been anticipated in the precedent. These managers have to collect all relevant information on their areas of specialty. The information from previous workforce in the past has to be collected, classified and calculated to offer basis for the creation of rules and regulations that control a certain industry. The rules, regulations and formulae for conducting certain activities appear to be imperative in the functioning of the organization (Savior 2011, 1). According to Taylor, augmenting the efficiency of the workforce viewed in a scientific point of view, would lead to augment in the chances for more effort, and the actual prosperity of global economics (Bolman, Deal & Pfeffer 2004, 4). Consequently, contentment and other general enhancements in the lives of the workforce are realized. This

The Water Babies and Victorian Childhood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

The Water Babies and Victorian Childhood - Essay Example At the outset it is submitted that the diverse nature of Victorian literature highlighted how â€Å"novels became a means through which readers defined their social identity and formed their attitudes to such issues as nationalism, gender differences and the nature of the family† (James 2006, p.xi). To this end, the Victorian novel developed as a realist concept.For example, on the one hand, in Oliver Twist, Dickens utilises dramatic irony and satire within lengthy descriptive sentence paragraphs in order to highlight the situation of many poor homeless children. For example, in the preface to the 1841 edition, Dickens depicts the â€Å"cold, wet, shelterless, midnight streets of London; the foul and frowsy dens, where vice is closely packed and lacks room to turn; the haunts of hunger and disease; the shabby rages that scarcely hold together – where are the attraction of these things?†The paragraph is comprised of a characteristically long sentence, listing the dire circumstances faced by the children. Moreover, the use of alliteration and assonance further highlight the predicament of homeless children and the use of words with reference to â€Å"foul† and â€Å"vice† depicts the reality of lost innocence of children. This is further heightened when Dickens reverses the Victorian puritanical blame back onto the upper echelons of society by creating a pause followed by the rhetorical question â€Å"- where are the attraction of these things?†

Luxury Brands Insights Essay Example for Free

Luxury Brands Insights Essay Over years, India’s tryst with luxury brands has changed gears. With high disposable incomes and a penchant for all things luxury amongst affluent Indians on the rise, the country is emerging as the next stopover for global luxury brands such as Gucci, Christian Dior and Versace. However, we must realize that Luxury marketing is a whole new ball-game altogether, both from the perspective of the marketer as well as the luxury consumer. It therefore becomes important to view it both in relation and isolation from the ‘regular’ goods marketing. To achieve the above objective, we would first look at how luxury goods are different from regular goods and then go on to explore some facets and trends of the luxury goods as well as their market and consumers. This analysis would finally sum up into a SWOT analysis of the luxury goods segment, thereby helping in obtaining a bird’s eye view of the exercise at hand. Considering that the luxury concept has shifted to the ‘new’ meaning, we would further delve into that aspect to understand the drivers for luxury brands presently, as well in the time to come. This is followed by a luxury potential determination of the Indian market both in terms of quantitative growth factors as well as qualitative initiatives. INDEX Abstract5 Objectives Sub Objectives6 Research Design6 Getting To Know Luxury8 Difference Between Regular Luxury Goods10 Luxury In India14 Qualitative Insights15 Quantitative Insights16 The Affluent Indian: Profiling The Indian Luxury Consumers17 Classification Of The Indian Luxury Consumer21 4p Trends24 Consumer Trends29 Strategies For Luxury Marketing In India57 Moving Forward66 References69 Annexure70. â€Å"Why do I need to know how the watch market is doing? I’m in the business of luxury† Partick Heiniger, CEO, Rolex GETTING TO KNOW LUXURY Luxury brands have often been associated with the core competences of creativity, exclusivity, craftsmanship, precision, high quality, innovation and premium pricing. These product attributes give the consumers the satisfaction of not only owning expensive items but the extra-added psychological benefits like esteem, prestige and a sense of a high status that reminds them and others that they belong to an exclusive group of only a select few, who can afford these pricey items. The luxury sector targets its products and services at consumers on the top-end of the wealth spectrum. These self-selected elite are more or less price insensitive and choose to spend their time and money on objects that are plainly opulence rather than necessities. For these reasons, luxury and prestige brands have for centuries commanded an unwavering and often illogical customer loyalty. Luxury, derived from the Latin word luxus, means indulgence of the senses, regardless of cost. Luxury brands are brands whose ratio of functional utility to price is low while that of intangible utility to price is high. Such brands share characteristics like consistent premium quality, a heritage of craftsmanship, a recognisable style or design, a limited production run of any item to ensure exclusivity, an element of uniqueness and an ability to keep coming up with new designs when the category is fashion-intensive. THE market for luxury brands in our country has expanded in recent times. With income levels going up, customers prepared to buy such brands are growing in numbers. According to an NCAER Household Income Survey, in 2001-02, there were 20,000 families in India with annual incomes of more than Rs 1 crore. By 2005, that number increased to almost 53,000. By 2010, India will have some 1, 40,000 crorepatis. Retail management company KSA Technopak estimates the market for luxury and high-end clothing in India at Rs 1,000 crore and for accessories at another Rs 1,000 crore. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LUXURY INDUSTRY 1. Luxury is a product category in itself: This can be best explained by the fact that both an expensive watch and an artwork can be considered to be luxury items. Therefore, all luxury marketers are not just competing in their ‘technically defined’ product categories (like manufacturers of refrigerators compete amongst themselves) but for the wallet share of luxury goods in total. 2. The meaning of luxury had changed Luxury has moved from its ‘old’ meaning of ownership that is also known as conspicuous consumption Conspicuous consumption is a term used to describe the lavish spending on goods and services that are acquired mainly for the purpose of displaying income or wealth rather than to satisfy a real need of the consumer. In the mind of a conspicuous consumer, such display serves as a means of attaining or maintaining social status. Invidious consumption, a necessary corollary, is the term applied to consumption of goods and services for the deliberate purpose of inspiring envy in others has now changed its objects to the ‘new’ meaning of the experience / fulfilment derived from possessing a certain object. 3. Aura is more important than exclusivity Exclusivity is something that cannot be ensured to a great extent and neither is it the prime requirement of a luxury consumer. The consumer bases his decisions on the relevance of the aura of the brand to his fulfilment or actualization needs. 4. Trading up A mass of wealthy people have emerged the world over, give rise to a large section of consumers who are now moving to luxury / premium brands, thereby creating greater business opportunity for luxury marketers. 5. Trading down Today, fashion brands are giving luxury brands competition because of marketing mix and branding strategies, which make it acceptable to pair these two brands. This is something that was not practiced before. eg. Wearing an Armani shirt with a pair of GAP jeans 6. Emergence of luxury brands. Sea of luxury brands have emerged giving a wide choice to consumers, in all segments of luxury goods. 7. Factors at play In luxury marketing there is a subtle interplay between three factors that most strongly influence the luxury consumer to buy: product brand; dealer or store’s brand or service providers’ reputation; and price/value relationship 8. Customer loyalty is more important that brand awareness Rather than focus on measuring the brand awareness of a luxury company, measuring customer loyalty is far more significant a metric regarding the success or failure of corporate strategy to connect with the luxury consumer. CONSUMER PERSPECTIVES TOWARDS LUXURY Consumers can be segregated in 3 groups according to what luxury means to them: Luxury is Functional – these consumers tend to buy luxury products for their superior functionality and quality. Consumers in this segment, the largest of the three, tend to be older and wealthier and are willing to spend more money to buy things that will last and have enduring value. They buy a wide array of luxury goods, from artwork to vacations, and conduct extensive pre-purchase research, making logical decisions rather than emotional or impulsive. Messages that highlight product quality and are information-intensive are powerful with this group. Luxury is Reward – these consumers tend to be younger than the first group but older than the third. They use luxury goods as a status symbol to say â€Å"I’ve made it! † They are motivated by their desire to be successful and demonstrate this to others. Luxury brands that have widespread recognition are popular, however they don’t wish to appear lavish or hedonistic in their appearance. They want to purchase â€Å"smart† luxury that demonstrates importance while not leaving them open to criticism. Marketing messages that communicate acceptable exclusivity resonate with this group. Luxury is Indulgence – this group is the smallest of the three and tends to include younger consumers and slightly more males than the other two groups. Their purpose for luxury goods is to lavish themselves in self-indulgence. They are willing to pay a premium for goods that express their individuality and make others take notice and are not overly concerned with product longevity or possible criticism. They enjoy luxury for the way it makes them feel; therefore they have a more emotional approach to purchases. They respond well to messages that highlight the unique and emotional qualities of a product. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REGULAR LUXURY GOODS Luxury has never been something easy to define, yet this mystery concept is something highly desired by one and all alike. We look at delving deeper into this mystery and aura of luxury goods by way of comparing them against ‘regular goods’ as well as highlighting the characteristics of the luxury industry. Strategies for Luxury Marketing in India There are conventional foundations for ensuring success of a brand and they are listed below in brief: 1. The brand must be â€Å"expansive† Which means it should be full of innovation opportunities for the marketer and in terms of satisfying the divergent needs of the luxury consumer 2. The brand must tell a story It is this story, of either heritage or performance or other aspects that goes on to build the aura of a brand over time. The story always accentuates the identity of the brand. 3. The brand must be relevant to the consumers’ needs Depending upon the mindset of the luxury class, it is imperative for a brand to satisfy those needs, whether they are for recognition or functional use etc. 4. The brand must align with consumers’ values A brand that does not concur with the basic values of a consumer’s society has a small chance of succeeding because luxury items are forms of expression or identification for a luxury consumer. This makes it difficult for the consumer to adopt the brand in such cases. 5. The brand must perform Irrespective of which category the brand belongs to, a performance assurance is a must for the brand if it wishes to be in the evoked set of luxury consumers, considering the price being paid for luxury. INDUSTRY OVERVIEW. In the past, brands like Liz Claiborne and Pierre Cardin tested Indian waters but made a hasty retreat following poor customer response. This led to a general perception that India is still not ready for luxury brands. But now that impression is changing. Many leading global luxury brand marketers have started taking our market seriously. Luxury goods marketing is a different ball game as the type of customers involved fall in a different class altogether. These customers are influenced more by glamour and style and want to stand out in a crowd. They do not bat an eyelid whey they buy a Vuitton bag costing Rs 50,000 or a Mont Blanc diamond-encrusted pen for Rs 50 lakh, Ermenegildo Zegnas top-of the-line, custom-tailored suit costing Rs 6 lakh or a mid-range Louis Vuitton briefcase priced Rs 1. 27 lakh. As these figures suggest, luxury brands are prestige products characterised by high-involvement decision-making that is strongly related to the persons self-concept. Sensory gratification and social approval are the primary factors in selecting a prestige product. Cutting prices or giving discounts can be detrimental in case of luxury brands. A higher price implies a higher level of quality and also suggests a certain degree of prestige. Similarly, distribution should be restricted. Status-sensitive consumers may reject a particular product if the feeling of exclusivity goes away. Managing luxury brands is as much an art as a science. The challenge is to create a demand for something which is not really needed. After all, it looks crazy to spend Rs 50,000 on a handbag or Rs1,27,000 on a briefcase. Creativity plays a key role in creating such a premium image. Many luxury brands achieve legitimacy and fashion authority as a result of the creative talent of their design teams who respect the brand heritage and yet continuously reinvent it. MARKET SIZE AND INDUSTRY GROWTH RATE With the European and American markets reaching a saturation point, leading players are now concentrating on the BRIC countries and the action is expected to shift to India, being the fastest growing luxury market, growing at 25%. , and is expected to maintain these rates for the next 10 years. The Indian Luxury Market is estimated to be to be USD 4. 35 billion and this forms only 2% of the global share. The growth of luxury markets is on the basis of GDP per-capita growth and the High Networth Individuals (HNI’s) in a country. India will be the second largest economy by 2040. Factors like Consumer Attitudes, Real Estate, Regulatory Environment and Ecosystem are important for the growth of luxury market and these are improving in the country. India has 83,000 millionaires and every year 16,000 more are getting added to this. The main trigger behind Indians indulging in luxury is to flaunt status, and the consumers here are becoming aware of leading global brands in the space, but tend to be extremely value conscious. There is a sizeable population engaging in outbound travel and getting exposure to global luxury market. The Indian consumer wants not just to be pampered, but entertained, excited and Inspired by Luxury brands and hence global players will have to look at innovative methods of reaching and engaging customers to succeed in the Indian market. With India emerging as one of the important players in the Luxury Space, the rich and famous across the globe are interested in exploring Indian Luxury products. Also, because of the availability of high disposable income Indians have developed an appetite to live a lavish lifestyle. India is being looked upon by the entire world as an emerging market and a potential Global hub. Hence, considering the potential of the Country many big brands from across the Globe either have set up their base here or are planning to do the same. GDP CONTRIBUTION The Gross Domestic Product or GDP is the indicator of the performance of an economy. According to the estimates of 2008, Indias GDP is $1. 209 trillion and this is slated to make improvement in the coming times. It is estimated that Indias GDP will grow by 6. 5% in the year 2009. In 2008 the countrys GDP was 9%; the slowdown that has been witnessed this year in the estimates is largely due to the slowdown witnessed by the agriculture and the industrial sectors. A look at the India GDP composition sector wise throws up some interesting figures. The agriculture sector contributed 17. 2%; industry contributed 29. 1% while the service sector had a contribution of 52. 7% according to 2008 estimates. FDI LIMITS AN INTERESTING FACT!!! What is the size of US Luxury Market? A) A third of India’s GDP B) Half of India’s GDP C) Equal to India’s GDP D) More than double India’s GDP ANS: D) More than double India’s GDP. While India will certainly not match the US, Japan or China in terms of its domestic market size for luxury goods and services for decades to come, its influence on global luxury business will steadily increase in the coming years. The reasons are many and mostly historical. Unlike Japan or China, India has a history and a tradition of luxury for millennia. It has an influence on textiles and handwork on them, on gems and their setting in jewellery, in food (including ingredients and spices), on natural skin and body care, on fragrances and cosmetics, and even furniture, furnishings, and objects d’art. For centuries, India’s nobility and the wealthy have been used to â€Å"commission† and patron works of luxury and extraordinary human skill. LUXURY MARKET SECTORS SECTORS| KEY PLAYERS| MARKET SHARE %| Jewellery| | 27| Clothing| | 16| Digital Accessories| | 13| Time Wear| | 8| Cosmetics Skin Care| | 8| Foot Ware| | 6| Wine Liquor| | 6| Accessories| | 6| Fragrances| | 4| Crystal Wear| | 2| Others| | 4| The Key Player Analysis The following table summarizes the marketing mix adopted by the 4 leading luxury brands. In order to arrive at successful strategies to market luxury in India, it is pertinent to look at the marketing strategies instituted by the existing luxury players in India. Product| Price| Place| Promotion| Valentino offers a limited assortment due to the nascent demand of gowns in India. This is attributed to Indian women’s preference of sarees over gowns. Because of this trend, Valentino has launched â€Å"saree inspired gowns† in their latest collection. Valentino has also included a few sarees (worn by Elizabeth Hurley) in its trademark red in their collection. | Valentino claims to charge prices same as their western counterparts. | Opened its first store in August ’06 at Delhi’s Shangri La hotel. it is currently looking for space to open a standalone store each in bangalore, Mumbai surprisingly, Ludhiana. Has no plans of opening a store in a luxury mall due to a fear of dilution of identity. The brand owns numerous stores in China. | The brand has little promotional presence. In the west it relies on red carpet events fashion shows to promote its gowns. However due to lack of such events in India, it uses little print advertisements from abroad in India. They predominantly feature Hollywood actresses models. | Product| Price| Place| Promotion| The brand offers a smaller assortment of their products in west in India. This is attributed to the cultural difference the differences fashion trends. | The brand claims to price their products equitably in India when compared to their western counterparts. However, it does admit to the greater taxes. | Launched operations in India in 2005. has only one boutique in India as opposed to 8 boutiques in China. The brand’s only boutique in India is located at The Imperial Hotel in Delhi. | Has no. promotional campaigns targeted exclusively at Indian market. Nicole Kidman, the brand’s leading endorser, recently shot an advertisement with Indian model/actor Arjun Rampal in Rajasthan. However, the advertisement will not be aired in India as Chanel only promotes in print media in India. Came into headlines for dressing up actress Sonam Kapoor for a film premier. | Product| Price| Place| Promotion| Made headlines with their intention to design sarees. However, the brand has shown no signs of actually producing them. Offers limited amount of their product offerings due to limited demand in Indian market. However, is planning to expand their offering in future. | The brand admits to charging a higher price due to the tax structure high infrastructure costs. | Launched operations in India in 2007 with boutiques in Mumbai and Delhi. Murjani Group is the master franchisee of this brand in India. The brand’s store in Delhi is located at The Oberoi’s Hotel. the brand has currently shelved the plans of opening four more stores including one in the Emporio Mall. The brand owns close to 27 stores in almost all leading cities of China. | The brand relies heavily on print advertisements. However, it regrets its recent decision of promotions through newspaper advertisements as it harmed the brand’s exclusive luxe image. Has no specific advertisements promotional material for Indian customers. | Product| Price| Place| Promotion| Armani offers all of their latest collection in their Indian stores. The brand recently made headlines in Indian newspapers for including Sherwanis in the 2009 fall-winter collection. The sherwanis are now sold globally in all their stores. The brand has registered a tremendous growth by selling above 200 items a month and registering a growth of above 50 percent annually. | Armani claims to price their products same as abroad refuses to comment further. | Armani has recently entered the Indian market with a joint venture with DLF. The store currently operates through two exclusive stores in Delhi’s first Luxury Mall DLF Emporio. The is currently in plans of opening four more standalone stores in Delhi and Mumbai. It owns 15 stores in China. | Armani, unlike in west, only relies on print media (in magazines) to promote their products. The brand features its international promotional material in India as well. However, in its latest ad campaign, it featured a model of Indian descent (Vasuki)| DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE MACRO-ENVIRONMENT Political Trends One positive factor for any company entering India is the political stability of the nation as well as democratic style of leadership. Government apart from tariffs has taken a neutral stance towards the luxury stalwarts, FDI and tariffs as only concern which will be strengths in coming future. The implementation of the Free Trade Area, which laid out a comprehensive program of regional tariff reduction, will be continuously implemented in phases through the year 2010. Over the course of the next several years, the programs in tariff reductions will be made broader. Efforts to eliminate non-tariff barriers and develop common product certification standards were initiated. In addition, ASEAN also was able to formulate framework agreements for the intra-regional liberalization of trade in services. Economic Trends Despite the adverse economic trends in the last year, the luxury goods industry as a whole experienced relatively robust economic growth. Many countries have also seen the risk-weighted capital adequacy ratios of their banking systems improve due to government-sponsored bank recapitalization programs, continued progress in financial restructuring, and improvements in financial risk management. Overall Indian economic trend is a silver lining for companies as India is increasingly becoming the hotbed for millionaires and billionaires the new found riches is growing and will continue to be so, hence economic trend which was a challenge will grow as a big advantage. Social / Cultural Trends. There have also been social and cultural trends that have been evident over the last few years in the luxury goods industry. These include: (a) The irreversible rise of civil society (b) The rise of civil society and urbanisation blends perfectly with dreams that luxury brands sell (c) The increase in the roles of intellectuals and social awareness. (d) Indians are a peculiar breed, victims of centuries-old socio-economic oppression. Where each of us is pinned on the social matrix is revealed by our last name or even a stray twist in accent. Money or the display of it can rarely manage to unsettle the hierarchy. Awareness or rather subtle awareness is something which luxury marketers are happy about and aiming at. With more and more urbanisation and globalisation the need to be in parity with the world will fuel the demands for more upmarket and more luxurious lifestyle. Technological Trends It is a common knowledge that the luxury goods industry is still a relatively new industry in the country and is still in its early stages of development. Technology being a important factor still comes as second at times in various luxury categories, though make no mistakes that that second is still way above what a mid level brand can aim at. India being hub of technological development still does not provide luxury brands enough lucrative options as tech advancement are not synchronised and homogeneous, hence it is a dark spot but might be a very significant area in future. Legal Trends. Intellectual property (IP) and IP Rights (IPR) creation, commercialization, and protection have been a significant source of comparative advantage of enterprises and economies and a major driver of their competitive strategies. Indeed, countries all over the world are fully aware of the pressing need for a long-term policy commitment to collectively transform the luxury goods industry into one which is largely based on knowledge, driven by innovation and sustained by life-long learning. Countries all over the world have pledged to work together to help accelerate the pace and scope of IP asset creation, commercialization and protection; to improve the regional framework of policies and institutions relating to IP and IPRs, including the development and harmonization of enabling IPR registration systems; to promote IP cooperation and dialogues within the region as well with the region’s Dialogue Partners and organizations; to strengthen IP-related human and institutional capabilities, including fostering greater public awareness of issues and implications, relating to IP and IPRs. INDIA and IPR are a big problem, just not having the stringent and encompassing laws is not the only issue, and problem also arises due to weak enforcement of laws. Cheap imitation and intellectual property infringement is a common occurrence in the nation. Luxury Goods Industry SWOT Analysis Strengths: †¢Has products that boast of a very powerful retail. This includes a reputation for value of money, convenience and a wide variety of products †¢Has grown significantly over the years, and has experienced global expansion. †¢Main competence lies on the use of information technology (IT) to fully support its international logistics system. Therefore, companies in this industry can see how their individual products perform within the United States for instance, or even at stores at a glance. †¢Is able to deliver good customer care, as the limited amount of work would mean plenty of time to devote to customers. †¢Products have established a strong reputation within the market. †¢Offers little deficits and overheads. Therefore the companies in this industry can offer good value to customers on a consistent basis. Weaknesses: †¢Is one of the worlds largest industries but has a weak control of its empire, despite its IT advantages. This could lead to a decrease in productivity in some areas where it has the least control. †¢Since companies in this industry sell products across many sectors, they may lack the flexibility that some of its more focused competitors possess. †¢Operates globally, but its presence is located in only relatively few countries worldwide. †¢Some luxury goods lack market presence or reputation †¢The company’s cash flow is unreliable especially in the early stages of a new luxury product development. †¢Over flooding doesn’t leave a luxury brand a real luxury brand. Opportunities: †¢Taking over, merging, or forming strategic alliances with other luxury good companies while focusing on strong markets like Europe or the Greater China Region and India. †¢Luxury good companies operate only on trade in a relatively small number of countries all over the world. Thus, this would open the opportunities for future businesses in expanding various consumer markets, such as those in China and India. †¢The opening of new locations and branches offer luxury good companies the opportunities to exploit market development. This could lead to the diversification of the company’s branches from large super centres to local-based sites. †¢Opportunities exist for luxury good companies to continue with their current strategy of establishing large branches worldwide. †¢The industry is continuously expanding, with plenty of future opportunities to exploit for success. †¢AS FOR INDIA IT IS â€Å"THE â€Å"INDUSTRY OF FUTURE maybe 10 more years. Threats: †¢Being number one means that the luxury goods industry is the target of competition, the industry to beat, both locally and globally. †¢Being a global retailer means that luxury goods companies might be exposed to political problems in the countries where the company has operations. †¢The production costs of most luxury products have the tendency to fall because of lower manufacturing costs. Manufacturing costs fall because of outsourcing to low-cost regions around the globe. This phenomenon could lead to competition in prices, which in turn would result in the deflation of prices in various ranges. Intense price competition must definitely be considered a threat. †¢Indian mentality of the masses. †¢REPUTATION, if it goes down company goes down. Detailed Analysis of the Industry Environment The assessment of the industry attractiveness is performed using the Porter’s Five Forces Model. A. Threat of New Entrants New entrants in the luxury goods industry will have to deal with high costs of entry for their latest technologies. Most major competitors in this industry have yet to establish strong distribution channels. This will severely hamper their plans to retaliate with their technological developments as without distribution channels, their products would never be seriously considered in the market by customers. These companies must worry though about certain government laws in some countries that might weaken their competitive position (2002). B. Bargaining Power of Suppliers. Suppliers of luxury goods have relatively lower bargaining power because their products have yet to establish consistency in the market. This is in contrary to ordinary brands where these products have been able to secure the confidence of its customers worldwide. C. Bargaining Power of Buyers A majority of consumers in the luxury goods industry are professionals who rely on mobile and expensive gadgets and expect seamless services every time they use them. For instance, a customer phones in a service request from the New York airport while boarding a plane bound to Paris the same day. The technical people in New York will immediately work on the service ticket of the client. And when that client arrives in Paris, he / she would be able to call the New York service centre and pick up exactly where he / she left off (1999). The bargaining power of buyers in the luxury goods industry is relatively high because there are only few, large players in the industry. D. Threat of Substitutes There are very little threats that could emerge from possible substitutes. This is because product-for-product substitution could not possibly happen especially with luxury goods. Other products cannot simply replace the ingenuity of the established luxury products in the market. Also, the millions of users of these luxury products surely would find it too uncomfortable using other products other than their luxury products CASE STUDY: THE MURJANI GROUP OVERVIEW Murjani Group develops, launches, and builds various designer lifestyle brands. It operates in the United States, India, and internationally. Murjani Group was founded in 1930 and is based in New York, New York. They partner with international luxury brands and retail them in India. KEY EXECUTIVES Managing Director: Mr. Vijay Murjani. Chief Operating Officer: Mr. Pradeep Mansukhani Business Head of French Connection: Mr. Dhiresh Sharma Marketing Head of Luxury Division: Mr. Vikram Raizada Business Head of Gucci: Ms. Ananda Kara JOURNEY 1930: Mr B. K. Murjani found the group in Shanghai, CHINA with it’s first retail store 1950: After the world war Murjani commenced operations in Hong kong with a trading company. 1952: Murjani sets up Hong Kong’s first garment manufacturing factory. 1958: With 6 years, Murjani grew to one of the largest apparel producers in the world, with a production capacity in excess of 10 million units per annum. 1966: The current Chairman, Mohan Murjani, joins the group. 1966: The Group commenced its transition from manufacturing to designer lifestyle brand development and marketing, by launching its first brand in the USA, â€Å" Marco Polo† 1976: Murjani launches the â€Å"First Designer jean† 1980: Murjani sponsors the US Open 1985: Murjani launched Tommy Hilfiger,in 1985. Here again Murjani group re-enforced their panache with ground breaking and ingenious marketing, to ensure that Tommy Hilfiger, would almost immediately, positioned amongst the top designers in the world. The innovative brand marketing and management techniques adopted by Murjani Group over the years, have changed the very paradigm of marketing, merchandising and retailing, as we know it today. 1986: Murjani launches â€Å"Coca-Cola clothes Why India With a luxury boom in India, there are over one million luxury consumers, which is only a fraction of eight million plus consumers who have the disposable incomes but are unfamiliar with the luxury segment. The growth rate is 14. 6 per cent. Target audience is 22-55 year olds. India’s luxury goods market of Rs 717 billion is set to expand with a new firm to facilitate process by bringing together buyers and manufacturers. India’s total retail market has been estimated at $160 billion or Rs 7,170 billion, covering eight million consumers. Of them, one million are considered to be in the luxury brands segment 2000: NAMASTE INDIA The Murjani Group for many years, was very keen to establish a presence in the Indian market, but had to wait for the right time. In 2000 with the rapid growth in the consuming class, Murjani was amongs.

Wal-MArt :: essays research papers

Background Information Ø  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wal-Mart Inc. Corporate Headquarters  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  702 Southwest 8th street Bentonville, Ar 72716-8001 Top Executives  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚    ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  President and CEO: H. Lee Scott  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chairman of the Board: S. Robson Walton  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chairman, Executive Committee of the Board: David D. Glass  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chief Financial officer & Executive Vice President: Thomas M. Schoewe Industry  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  General Merchandise, SIC code: 5399 Divisions  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wal-mart stores  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sam’s Club  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  International Major Products  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hardware  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  House-wares  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Auto Supplies  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Small Appliances  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Domestics  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Grocery  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Candy  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tobacco  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pharmaceuticals  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Electronics  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Health & Beauty Aids  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sporting Goods  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Toys  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stationary  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jewelry  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shoes  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1-hour Photo Major Competitors  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Target  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sears Roebuck & Co.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kmart  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Costco Wholesale Most Successful Wal-mart Brands  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ol’ Roy  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Great ValueÃ’  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  EquateÃ’ Financial Analysis Ø  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Profitability Wal-mart experienced sales growth of 20% in the fiscal year of 2000. This impressive increase is a direct result of the companies expansion program. Wal-mart has also acquired a few international stores, which are doing very well and adding to the companies’ profit. As the table shows wal-mart is no stranger to climbing profits, in fact wal-mart has managed to increase sales by no less than 12% (typically more) each year for 11 consecutive years. Year  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Net Earnings   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Net Sales   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Profitability 2000  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $5,377   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $165,013   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.0326 1999  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $4,430   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $137,634   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.0322 1998  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $3,526   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $117,958   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.0299 1997  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $3,056   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $104,859   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.0291 1996  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $2,740   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $93,627   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.0293 Ø  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Analysis Ø  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Liquidity Wal-marts’ liquidity has been decreasing since 1996, which is a good sign from a growing company. In 2000 wal-marts liquidity dropped off drastically, this is on account of their expansion projects. They are willing to take some short-term risks, because they are very confident it will pay off down the road. A lot of wal-marts’ money is being pumped into the super centers and also financing the over seas expansion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Year  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Current Assets  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Short-term Debt  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Liquidity 2000  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $24,356   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $25,803   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.9439 1999  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $21,132   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $16,762   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.2607 1998  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $19,352   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $14,460   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.3383 1997  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $17,331   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $11,454   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.5131 1996  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $15,338   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $9,973   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.5380 Ø  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Analysis Ø  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Capital Management To say wal-mart is healthy is an under statement, thriving is a bit more fitting. The company has plenty of assets to cover their overall debt. Wal-mart continues to widen the gap between total assets and overall debt, the companies leverage has been increasing for 5 years running. By keeping their assets high and debt low wal-mart is assuring increased profits and happy shareholders for years to come. Year  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Total Assets  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Overall Debt  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Leverage 2000  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $70,349   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $25,803   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.7264 1999  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $49,996   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $16,762   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.9827 1998  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $45,384   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $14,460   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3.1386 1997  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $37,541   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $11,454   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3.2775 1996  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $32,819   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $9,973   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3.2908 Ø  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Analysis Ø  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Asset Management Once again wal-mart demonstrates why it is looked at as the 5th most admired company in the United States. Wal-marts’ inventory ratio has been on the rise for at least five years. As wal-mart grows and gains experience it creates a very strong base for it self. It is one of the few companies today that actually learns from and builds on its mistakes.

Recreation and Wellness Intranet Project Essay

Need to reduce internal costs. MYH, Inc. pays 20% more on healthcare premiums than the industrial average. This project would save $30 per employee per year for the next four years. Employees will benefit from the company sponsored recreational programs. Healhcare Coverage costs Business Model This will reduce internal cost by allowing business modeling of various scenarios as well as tracking past employee expenses. This project would save $20 per employee per year for the next four years and cost about $100,000 to develop. This will help revise policies and help negotiate for lower premiums. Cross-selling System This project will increase sales to current customers. This project will increase profits by $1 million for the next three years. Development and maintenance cost each year is $800,000 This project develops an application to improve cross-selling to current customers when purchasing multiple products/services. Web Enhanced Communication System This project will increase sales to current customers. Will save the company $2 million for the next three years. It will cost $3 million to develop and 20% a year to maintain. Web-based application that will improve development and delivery of products and services. Recreation and Wellness Intranet Project allows employees to register for company-based programs and classes, such as soccer, bowling, jogging, walking, and other sports. This project also allows the employees and employers to track data on the recreational and health management programs.  This will offer incentives for people to join the programs and do well in them. this in return will help to negotiate a lower insurance premium. Health Coverage Costs Business Model Is an application that tracks employees health care expenses and company health care costs. This application allows business modeling of various scenarios as well as tracking and analyzing current and past employee healthcare expenses and company healthcare costs. Cross-Selling System helps improve cross-selling to current customers. The current sales management has separate sections for major products/services categories and different sales based on these products and services sales to the current customers by providing the customer with discounts when purchasing multiple products. Web-Enhanced Communications System is a web-based application to improve development and delivery of products and services. These are currently several incompatible systems related to the development and delivery of products and services. This application allows customers and suppliers to provide suggestions, enter orders, view the status and history of orders. 1.0 Introduction/ Background Manage Your Health, Inc. (MYH) is a Fortune 500 company that provides a variety of healthcare services across the globe. 2.0 Business Objective MYH recently updated its strategic plan, and key goals include reducing internal cost, increasing cross-selling of products, and exploiting new Web-based technologies to help employees, customers, and suppliers work together to improve the development and delivery of health care products and services. 3.0 Current Situation and Problem/Opportunity Statement A recent study found that MYH, Inc. pays 20 percent more than the industry average for employee health care premiums, primarily due to the poor health of its employees. By developing a program to help employee wellness and track employee involvement and progress. This would also offer incentives for employees that join and do well. 4.0 Critical Assumption and Constraints Recreation and Wellness Intranet Project would organize current services and provide easy access to new services. The new system will run on existing hardware and software and will be easily accessible by employees. 5.0 Analysis of Option and Recommendation There are three options for addressing this opportunity: 1. Do nothing. We can continue to operate without the new project 2. Design and implement the new intranet capabilities in-house using existing hardware and software. 3. Require employees to pay a higher rate for insurance. Based on discussions with stakeholders, we believe that option 2 is the best option. 6.0 Preliminary Project Requirements The main feature of the Recreation and Wellness site includes the following: 1. Allow employees to register for company-sponsored recreational programs. 2. Allow employees to register for company classes and programs. 3. Track data and progress of employee involvement in these programs. 4. Offer incentives for employees to join the programs. 7.0 Budget Estimate and Financial Analysis The estimated costs for the project is $200,000 based on the cost to develop the new system. Maintenance costs of $50,000 to update the information and changes. Reducing the insurance cost per employee by $30 each year for four years. Project benefits are about $600,000 per year for four years. 8.0 Schedule Estimate Project completion within six months and the new system will have a lifespan of at least four years. 9.0 Potential Risks Lack of interest in the new system by employees which will hinder lower insurance premiums. putting money in the project and unable to recoup the  costs.

Conflict and Negotiation Essay

Conflict inside organization can be defined as the workplace issue that generates frequent expressions of emotion, frustration and anger. Conflict is fundamental to every functional organization. It is important to realize that conflicts are inevitable in organizational and personal life. Without conflict an organization will become stagnant, some times not productive. Conflict in the workplace is inevitable and occurs because people care about what they are doing. Conflict has good and bad consequences inside organization. Conflict make people or teams grow together, help motivate individuals to do better and work harder, satisfy needs such as dominance, aggression, esteem and ego; provide creative and innovative ideas. On the same time, conflict can slow growth, reduce productivity, waste huge amounts of time, make workplace life miserable, and affect individual and organizational performance. It is very important for the management to be able to identify conflict from the beginning because it’s easier to prevent unnecessary conflict than to manage conflict once it started. The conflict resolution requires great managerial skills. It is important for the executive to be able to reduce or eliminate unnecessary conflict and handle disagreements so they do not become ugly ongoing conflict. Management needs to be able to deal with calm once that conflict started, to remain neutral and judge objective, to apologize to the part that is affected by conflict in order to show that they care, to identify the consequences, request for specific actions that can be implemented right away.

How to Boost Engagement on Your Facebook Page

How to Boost Engagement on Your Facebook Page If you already have a Facebook profile, you may be wondering why you would even need a Facebook author page. Heres my answer: Facebook profiles are for people. They are a venue to connect with friends and acquaintances to share information about your lives. A Facebook profile can’t be used to market businesses or products, such as your books and workshops. On a Facebook author page, you can market your books, promote your readings and workshops, and notify fans about your discounted prices and Goodreads giveaways. In short, this is where you can communicate meaningful content that your fans will want to know as well as promote books and other products and services you may offer. In addition, a Facebook page will help you to build your brand, engage with your readers, and improve your search engine results, which in turn will boost sales of your books and attendance at your workshops. Here are some of my favorite tips for increasing shares and Likes on my page. 1. Focus on producing quality content, writing short posts (80 to 190 characters), and always including images that are colorful, unique, and compelling. 2. Respond quickly to your fans’ comments, promote their publishing successes, and just enjoy the experience. 3. Balance the mundane with the meaningful. Cute kitten pictures are mundane while posts with links to solid content are meaningful status updates. I balance my page 4. Gear your messages towards your audience. If your audience loves YA books, don’t post information about literary fiction. Keep to the topics they care about. 5. Use stellar images. Facebook users love them. 6. Post videos. They are popular on Facebook. 7. Experiment with your posts, study your Insights – Facebook’s free analytical feature – and learn what works best for your audience. What works best on your Facebook page?

How to Form Question Tags in English

How to Form Question Tags in English Basic questions in English are formed using the auxiliary verb followed by the subject which comes before the main verb. Auxiliary Verb Subject Main Verb Do you live in Poland?How long has she worked at that company? Sometimes we dont really want to ask a question but just want to check information. For example, if you are sure that a friend lives in Seattle but want to check to make sure, you might use a question tag. Tom lives in Seattle, doesnt he? In this case, it isnt necessary to ask a question because you already know the information. Using a question tag helps you confirm that the information you know is correct. Question tags can also change meaning based on how you pronounce the tag at the end of the sentence. If you raise your voice on the question tag you are asking if the information you just stated is indeed correct. Using question tags in this manner helps to make sure that you are doing something correctly, or understand a situation accurately. Here are some examples: A mom buying some jeans for her daughter: You wear size 2, dont you?A friend writing a birthday card to a friend: Peter was born on March 2, wasnt he?A job interviewer checking information on a resume: You havent worked at this company before, have you? At other times, you drop the voice at the question tag. When dropping the voice at the question tag, you indicate that you are confirming information. Here are some examples: Young man filling out a form speaking to his wife: We live on Cherry St, dont we?Friend looking at a calendar with a meeting noted: Were meeting later this afternoon, arent we?Friend speaking to her friend as they walk in the rain: The sun wont shine today, will it? Forming question tags is very easy. Remember that the question tag uses the auxiliary verb in the opposite form of the sentence itself. In other words, if the sentence is positive, the question tag takes the negative form of the auxiliary verb. If the sentence is negative, the question tag employs the positive form. Heres a quick review of principle tenses, the auxiliary form they take, and an example of a positive and a negative question tag for each tense: EXAMPLE 1. Tense: Past Continuous Auxiliary Verb: Was / Were (to be) Positive Sentence Question Tag Example: Andy was working when you arrived, wasnt he? Negative Sentence Question Tag Example: They werent waiting for you, were they? EXAMPLE 2. Tense: Present Perfect Auxiliary Verb: Have / Has (to have) Positive Sentence Question Tag Example: Harry has lived in New York for a long time, hasnt he? Negative Sentence Question Tag Example: We havent visited our friends in Chicago this year, have we? EXAMPLE 3. Tense: Past Perfect Auxiliary Verb: Had (to have) Positive Sentence Question Tag Example: They had finished before he arrived, hadnt they? Negative Sentence Question Tag Example: Jason hadnt already finished before you provided the update, had he? EXAMPLE 4. Tense: Future with Will Auxiliary Verb: Will Positive Sentence Question Tag Example: Tom will think about it, wont he? Negative Sentence Question Tag Example: They wont be able to come to the party, will they? EXAMPLE 5. Tense: Future with Going to Auxiliary Verb: Is / Are / Am (to be) Positive Sentence Question Tag Example: Tom is going to study Russian, isnt he? Negative Sentence Question Tag Example: They arent going to be at the meeting, are they?

Measurement of human processes (Project Management) Assignment

Measurement of human processes (Project Management) - Assignment Example Therefore, the development of a good visual system is of tremendous benefit to the project manager. A paper system in binders is a poor way of keeping people informed. This drags the organization behind in progress tracking and reporting (Kerzer, 74). Poor scheduling or resource management (mismanagement) by the project manager often leads increasing your chances of project failure. This is because managing any project is managing a schedule, but a schedule is typically a collection of resources that are being managed on a schedule. There is poor scheduling on elicitation techniques, use cases, user screen design specifications, reports, business rules, functional, and the non-functional requirements (76). Weak requirements definitions which lead to planning inadequacy, this is brought about by the project manager failing to identify his or her target. One way of identifying project requirements is by describing how the end results look like in measurable terms. Requiring of a soft w are that is easy to use is an objective measure of our testing. Poor requirements lead to poor development and design. A software program ends up doing the wrong things for the users resulting in massive re-tests and rework. According to Kerzer (78) he asserts that inadequate planning, risks, resources, and assumptions by the project manager often leads to a failed project. ... This may be attributed to the fact that you may not be trained in the utilization of that software or technology. Ineffective quality controls which make you to deliver what the client does not want. The poor balances and check systems results in these ineffective quality controls. In addition, most of the projects have a system of correcting problems but do not have a system of corrective action Managing multiple projects at the same time or multi-tasking resources goes against, less is more, and focus is power. Multitasking introduces schedule risk and complexity which impacts negatively on all projects involved. Supply chain failures which emanates from contracted work. Managing of contractors is an inherent risk because they may not be having the level of skills required for the job. Contractors also have that tendency to multitask so as to stay busy thus introducing complexity and schedule risk. Scope creep or poor analysis of impacts has an effect on the schedule, budget, and r esources. It means there is an increase in the on what is delivered without a corresponding increase in resources to the project timeline. This can actually be alleviated by performing good impact analysis and clarification of real requirements. Another failure of project is attributed to lack of qualified resources and personnel. This makes you to question your resources thus giving the wrong task to the wrong person (Anderson, 1). Discussion 2 I have the following characteristics; visionary, decisive, a good motivator, technically competent, and support team members. Those that I need to work on are being a good motivator, encouraging new ideas, and standing up to top management when necessary.

Taking Risks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Taking Risks - Essay Example bullies, praying hard and asking for divine intervention so that I could pass the tests and achieve passing marks in classes that I knew I was going to fail due its difficulty, wishing that things would get better for my personal life and asking for the guidance of the spirit in order to see where my path truly lay... these were things that I was told should be left up to my faith to solve. Yet no solutions came my way. Life did not get better. It seemed to just continue to get worse. Until one day, I decided to take charge of my life and throw out my religious beliefs. I said â€Å"I am in charge of my destiny, I will create my own path†. Guess what? Life got better. I took charge of my future and chartered the path I wished to take. The improvements were remarkable. All leading me to question what exactly religious belief is for. All religion does is sell a person of bag of goods, then leaves you holding an empty bag. Life has nothing to do with religion. Religion has no influence over a persons life. That is how what I used to believe was finally changed into something that I continue to question to this very