Homeopathic remedies (argumentative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Homeopathic remedies (argumentative - Essay Example The second principle is that the natural property of homeopathic remedies is maintained and retained even after the repeated dilution and sucussion beyond the Avogadros number. The fundamental theory of Homeopathic remedies is that the micro doses of these materials are used to stimulate the natural protective and healing mechanism of the body resultantly aiding as a remedial system. The interesting part of homeopathy is that this alternative medical branch utilizes diluted doses of such materials which are assumed to cause similar symptoms as that of the actual disease. The basic theory involved is that imparting such foreign materials would cause and prompt the body to formulate a defensive mechanism which ultimately would help the remedy of the actual disease. This possibilities branch of such a remedial system was first explored by Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician in the year 1796 (Jonas, Kaptchuk & Linde 2003, 393-399). The continued dilution of the naturally extracted mater ials is achieved by serial shaking and the dilution is expected to continue till a stage where least of the original ingredient remains. The remedial outcome is assumed to increase with the continued dilution. The general strategy followed by the homeopaths in determining the remedial measure is through the assessment of the disease symptoms with reference to a calibrated index of symptoms (Rite Care, 2009). Along with this, the physical and psychological state of the patients is taken into account while recommending the remedial measure (Rite Care, 2009). In the present scenario of clinical research, homeopathy is increasing growing in importance. A lot number of researches are seriously undertaken so as scientifically to confirm the benefits of homeopathy as an effective remedial branch of medicine. This should be read together with the fact

The Diverse Nature of Psychology Essay Example for Free

The Diverse Nature of Psychology Essay Psychology itself attempts to define people’s behavior through aspects of the human minds ability to process information and stimulants. The diversity of psychology is very evident within the many different branches of the American Psychological Association, each addressing a unique perspective within psychology of understanding human behavior (Plante, 2011). This diversity within psychology, allows psychologists the ability to expand in all areas of explanation, assessment, and diagnoses, which furthers the science of psychology through many different subfield specialties. This paper will discuss the subfields of psychology, the importance of diversity, and the practical applications of psychological principles. The Impact of Diversity in Psychology Each of the major concepts within psychology emphasizes different parts of human behavior, such as the cognitive, social, spiritual, and unconscious factors, which contribute to a person’s behavior. One main defining feature of psychology is that it is a data based scientific study of behavior, in which each step of research used to procure knowledge has contributed to advancements in the development of sound theories within psychology. Three important features related to the science of psychology include the use of systematic empiricism, the production of public awareness, and the examination of problems (Plante, 2011). Psychology attempts to understand and explain psychological phenomenon using empirical techniques to advance scientifically. As the study of psychology progresses, it has further advanced into a diverse field. Subfields within Psychology Some of the major divisions of psychology include clinical psychology, psychotherapy, forensic psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, and environmental psychology. These major fields of psychology then branch off into subfields within psychology. One such example is Abnormal Psychology, which derives itself from roots in psychotherapy, clinical psychology and even neuroscience. Abnormal psychology studies abnormal behavior and psychopathology and emphasizes the research and treatment of mental disorders (Plante, 2011). Within Abnormal psychology there are further subtopics such as each individual mental illness and their implications on behavior, in addition to treatments for such disorders, illnesses and diseases which could also vary based on subtopic. Another good example of a subfield within psychology is Lifespan Development, which derives its roots from developmental psychology, the nature vs nurture psychological debate and behavioral psychology. Lifespan Development devotes it’s time to studying the effects of childhood development on human growth and the lifespan of an individual and their experiences. Lifespan development aids in the popular ideas of raising children and disciplining unruly teens. In addition Lifespan Development seeks to understand and justify adult behavior based on childhood experiences, and then retrain the adult to more practical behavioral practices. This type of theory can be applied in contemporary society through detention and juvenile delinquent facilities (Landrum Davis, 2010). Conclusion Psychology is a scientific study of behavior and mental processes. The discipline is divided into a variety of subfields, each focusing on specific areas of psychological functioning. The diversity of the discipline allows psychologists a broader array of speculation to advance in areas of understanding, prediction, explanation, and intervention measures. Psychological principles can be applied to a wide variety of human functioning including clinical diagnosis, personality measures, legal operations, phobia treatments, and many more. The discipline of psychology focuses on behavior and mental processes advancing the field with scientific techniques to help optimize the lives of others. The diverse character of the psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral perspectives exemplifies the distinct nature of psychological perspectives, although both support the unifying goal of psychology to improve the quality of life for people and resolve human conflict. Although viewpoints and perspectives in the science of psychology sometimes appear different in nature, each attempts to address disease and disorder from its distinct scientific point of reference. Each perspective addresses human behavior from a distinct viewpoint, although none is an all-encompassing. Diversity permeates the major perspectives in psychology as well as their divisions and subtopics, which affects other disciplines as well as secular and popular thought. Abnormal psychology and lifespan development affect thought in education and neuroscience as well as other disciplines and fields of psychology (Plante, 2011).

i Heard The Owl Call My Name And the Black Robe: The Indians :: essays research papers

"I Heard The Owl Call My Name" and "The Black Robe": The Indians Although the Indians in I Heard The Owl Call My Name, and in The Black Robe are primitive in the technological sense, they are neither simple or emotional people. The Indians in both texts could be classed as primitive people - if we take primitive to mean technologically underdeveloped. The level of technology possessed by the white man is far superior to that of the Indians, yet the Indians in The Black Robe are happy to accept and use muskets, and in I Heard The Owl Call My Name they are familiar with motors, washing machines and modern building techniques brought by white man. The Indians display their level of ignorance in regard to modern technology in The Black Robe, when the enemy tribe believed that muskets could only be fired once and once fired, they are useless. The Indians had little knowledge of modern materials or tools. When comparing the Indians in The Black Robe to the Indians in I Heard The Owl Call My Name, we must take into account that The Black Robe was set two hundred and twenty years earlier than I Heard The Owl Call My Name, and white mans influence on the Indians in I Heard The Owl Call My Name was much greater. Technology did not play an important role in the Indian's way of life. Traditionally, the Indians lived off the land taking only what they needed, and their hunting and building methods had served them well for centuries, therefore their need to develop new technology would not have been great. The Indians are not simple or barbaric people. Their complex belief system and folklore related strongly to the environment and gave reasons for the

Mcmaster Children’s Hospital Essay

â€Å"Mcmaster Children’s Hospital is a caring for our future, one child at a time. † It was distinguished as one of the hospitals who provided the best care for patients and is also awarded with Profiling Excellence in Family-Centered Care in 2008. Aside from receiving various awards and recognition for the quality of their services it is also one of the largest pediatric hospital in Canada and ranked second busiest in Ontario. It also has 40 pediatric clinics with diverse specialization which can treat illness of almost any kind. It is like a one stop shop wherein all that you need in child care treatment, child care specialists and medicines are all there. In addition, it has also specialization on child care disorder. Because of its size and specialization a number of clients and patients can be accommodated immediately once they approach the lobby area. Superior care can be given to children because of it advocates the â€Å"inherent worth of youth and children†. Another characteristic of Mcmaster that set it aside from other hospitals is that it does not surpassed the opinion of patients (the youth and the children) as well as their families in deciding for their welfare. Before deciding for a certain treatment and the like they consult first the concern people. As it is best for children it is also recommended for babies because of its newly installed intensive care units for neonatal. It best fits pregnant women for the superior caring of their unborn children because it can give thorough care to the pregnant women beginning from pre-natal stage to post-natal stage. As it advocates innovation, one may experience an extraordinary hospital treatment because of its innovative facilities. As it advocates quality service, a patients, clients, or visitors are surely to experience a comfortable stay in the hospital. The nurses and medical practitioners are all very accommodating and are very helpful in any way possible. For the families, the Mcmaster hospital is an absolute safe alternative haven for your children and relatives who happened to visit or to be confined in the hospital. All of the staff has proper identification and name tags, likewise, the patients, have identification bands. In case that someone needs assistance whether in rooms or bathrooms, call bells are available to inform nurses. As for the hospital’s organization, the structure is formal with moderate degree of bureaucracy. The decision making process is participative, with the patients, clients and residents as partner in decision making. Although, the Mcmaster organization is generally stable and the functions can be considered as highly effective and efficient there are also some improvement that can be done to the organization for superior achievement of goals and better-quality satisfaction of customers. First, the Mcmaster organization may opt to post more and detailed information on their websites regarding their facilities and services. The customers can generate more information and knowledge about their services if this can be done. Another change that can be implemented is the adaptation of modern medical record technology. Several years ago, technology adaptation in medical recording has hailed a tremendous welcome from medical practitioners and health care providers. The goal of this is to ensure a secure exchange of health matter information through out the national system. The basic assumption of the electronic medical record directive is to secure accessibility to patients’ health information, whenever and wherever needed. Improving the quality of service requires a change in the system that will also bring forth efficiency which is the very heart of the so called EMR. The modern way of recording can be more protective for patients’ information. It will serve as a tool in promoting a more secure environment. Even the staff is assigned to l00 patients; he/she will be able to enjoy a hassle free recording because of the automatic commands in computer that will speed up the process unlike the manual recording. The EMR will help decrease errors in medical recording. The medical attendants to patients’ time will be also increase because there is no longer need for checking on the time consuming paper records and correcting on the misreported patients information and diagnoses.

American Tool Works Essay

This course focuses on improving the performance of the firm and its supply chain through coordination among multiple sites, functions, and economic actors (customers and suppliers). Students will know how to design and implement strategies for structure and management, both cross-functionally, with the firm, and across an industry value chain among interacting firms. These strategies include restructuring supply chain facility networks, coordinating information and materials flow, managing supplier relations, and managing customer order fulfillment processes. The theme of the course is that strategies that enhance integration throughout the supply chain can lead to improved performance (in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, quality, customer satisfaction, cost, flexibility, etc. ), providing firms with a source of competitive advantage. TEXTBOOK: D. Simchi-Levi, P. Kaminsky, and E. Simchi-Levi, Designing and Managing the Supply Chain: Concepts, Strategies, and Case Studies, 3rd ed. , McGraw Hill/Irwin, New York, 2008, ISBN 978-0-07-298239-8. READINGS:Additional articles and cases will be made available through WebCT and http://cb. hbsp. harvard. edu/cb/access/5023124 SOFTWARE:The Beer Game simulation software is available on the web and will be used for real-time ordering, planning, forecasting decisions in the supply chain. The Risk Pool Game is available on the CD that comes with the text. The Global Supply Chain Management Simulation is available through harvardbusinessonline. com and allows students to manage product design, procurement, and production for four simulated years. Excel will be used for inventory management, supply contracts, and for optimal resource allocation and distribution network configuration. PREREQUISITES: Second year standing COURSE OBJECTIVES: 1. Recognize salient challenges and opportunities for managing supply chains. 2. Become familiar with supply chain strategies that have been adopted by leading companies. 3. Learn to use several analytical tools to assess tradeoffs and support decision making. METHOD: This course stress those models, concepts, and solutions methods that can be applied to the design, control, operation, and management of supply chain systems. The course includes lectures, case discussions, presentations, and hands-on, practical exercises and games to provide both a sound base of learning and an opportunity to test and develop skill. Students should do all of the assigned readings and cases before coming to class, and prepare for, and contribute to, class discussions. Excel is used to support the quantitatively intensive topics. STUDENT TEAMS: Teams will consist of about five students who will work together as the presenting and questioning teams for cases and articles as described below. The teams may allocate the work as desired, as long as all team members agree with the allocation. The team should let a member know if they are not performing at an appropriate level, and should contact the instructor if problems persist. Each team member will provide the instructor with an evaluation of their team members’ performance at the end of the term by allocating 100 total points (no self-allocation) between the other members. This information will be used to adjust team work grades. CASE PRESENTATIONS: Each student team will have the opportunity of serving as the â€Å"presenting team† for two of the cases and the â€Å"questioning team† for one of the cases that we will discuss in class. The â€Å"presenting team† will provide the background and content of the case, an analysis of what the company did correctly or incorrectly, and suggestions about what the company should do in the future. They should also address any questions given as part of the case write-up or indicated by the instructor. The â€Å"questioning team† will be responsible for questioning the presenting team, offering alternative solutions, and for leading the rest of the class in a discussion of the case. The questioning team will submit a written list of questions prior to the presentation. The members of the class will be asked to assess the performance of both teams. The instructor will incorporate the class evaluations into the presentation grades.

The Treaty of Vienna 1815 Essay Example

The Treaty of Vienna 1815 Essay Example The Treaty of Vienna 1815 Paper The Treaty of Vienna 1815 Paper While the final hectic scenes of Napoleans escapades were still being played out, far broader issues were being discussed by the general diplomatic assembly which had congregated in Vienna. Never before had so many rulers and principal ministers met to hammer out a comprehensive peace settlement. Those men involved in the Congress of Vienna had a monumental task in front of them: that of piecing Europe together once more and of seeking to establish conditions which would give this work of reconstruction a reasonable chance of survival. The principal figures at Vienna included some of the most remarkable everbrought together under one roof. There was the unstable Tsar Alexander I from Russian, the enigmatic Austrian Metternich, the cool, calm Caslereagh representing Britain, the Frenchman Talleyrand and King Frederick William III and his chancellor, Hardenberg leading the Prussian delegation.  All these men wanted what was best for their own country, but they also tried to keep to certain fundamental principles and these determined the overall complexion of the final treaty. In order to prevent another major war, the Vienna peacemakers wished to create a European balance of power, as well as containing the nation regarded as most likely to spark off such a war, France. Another principle, specifically linked to Talleyrand, was that of legitimacy. However, after Talleyrand had ensured the restoration of the Bourbons to France, this principle was on the whole forgotten. Two principles which the delegates at Vienna were strongly criticised for not adhering to more closely were those of liberalism and nationalism, but whether or not these criticisms are entirely justified is an interesting question. The Belgians were one of the first peoples to achieve their liberation from foreigners, only to be placed without their consent, under the rule of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. There was however thought to be no alternative at the time as Belgium was situated perilously close to an aggressive and expansionist France. Independence was by no means a unilateral desire in Belgium itself, and had it not been for the House of Oranges disregard for the terms layed down by the diplomats at Vienna, Belgium might have been content to remain under foreign rule for longer than the fifteen years following the Congress. Nationalist feeling in Germany was slightly stronger than that in Belgium, but the chances of a unified Germany were even more remote than those for an independent Belgium. It is fair to say that the unification of Germany was not in the realm of practical politics in 1815. For the representatives of Austria and Prussia, such a notion would have meant negotiating their countries out of existence, and Talleyrand would have been none too happy at the prospect of a super-power landing on his doorstep. However, what was possible in 1815 was a German Confederation which replaced the Holy Roman Empire and although federalism was accepted as the basis for its organization, the Confederation was, in fact, little more than an alliance of practically sovereign states. The act setting up the Confederation required the rulers of the German states to establish constitutions, a fact which should have pleased the European liberals. The people of the Italian states who wanted a united nation had little reason to be pleased, as Italy was given over more completely to the rule of the foreigner than ever before. It is not too difficult to justify the diplomats at Viennas decision to hand northern Italy over to Austria; after all it was in the Italian campaign that Bonapartism was born and later on, it was in Italy that Napoleon III conducted his only successful European campaign. So, if Italy had been granted independence, it is unlikely that France would have waited too long before taking advantage of the situation. Although a Kingdom of Poland was created at Vienna, it was taken for granted by everyone that this territory would be Russian in all but name. Tsar Alexander wanted to create a client-state which would enable him to extend Russian influence farther into Europe than ever before. Many liberal thinkers throughout the following century felt that the treatment of Poland had been unfair, but at least it saved Alexander the trouble of invading Poland, as he no doubt would have done had not it not been given to him  as a satellite state. Again, the peace-makers at Vienna can be defended in their actions concerning the treatment of Norway, where they transfered the Norwegians from Danish to Swedish rule. Norway was allowed her own government, parliament, army and navy and the fact that this  settlement endured until 1905 and was then ended peaceably, is sufficient evidence that the Norwegians did not feel too hard done by. Indeed the fact that no country felt too hard done by is probably the reason that the settlement is credited by some for keeping the peace for the next forty years and preventing a major conflict for the following century. The Vienna settlement should not be regarded as having of itself prevented a major war in Europe, rather it contained in none of its provisions the seeds of a future war between the major powers. What did prevent a major war until 1914 was the determination of the great powers that there should not be such a war and the fact that the settlement involved no major injustice to any of them made this task easier. At the time that the treaty was signed, nationalist feelings in Germany and Italy were not all that strong and when these two countries did eventually succumb to the nationalists desires, over fifty years had passed. The diplomats in 1815 would most probably have made a big mistake in granting unification to the German states or the Italian states as at the time no one was ready for such a dramatic step, least of all the men signing the settlement. Perhaps the greatest critiscism it is possible to level at the settlement is that it sought to keep the clock stopped at 1815 for the next half-century, many people have argued that it was just a little too unwilling to accept change. The powers at Vienna did not appear to perceive the strength of the rising force of nationalism and Metternich clearly states his views on change when he declared that democracy could only change daylight into darkest night, and referred to the ideas of the French Revolution as the disease which must be cured.

Free Essays on Evolution

Since the dawn of humanity, there has been a single question that has perplexed even the greatest of philosophers and scientists. Humans are, by nature, interested in their past. As a result every civilization through out time has sought to find the origin of life, and answered it to meet their needs. Early civilizations taught that there was a group of gods located on a far off mountain at the edge of the earth. These gods were responsible everything, ranging from the rising and setting of the sun to a young man winning a fair maidens hand in marriage. Civilizations grew more complex and learned more about the world around them. Soon events that were once looked at as magical or supernatural were explained and proven through logic, mathematical reasoning, and the evidence available. In the early to mid nineteenth century a scientist named Charles Darwin proposed a theory that broke the away from the common threads of reasoning that looked to deity or a higher force intervening with humans. Darwin?s proposition was labeled Natural Selection, or more commonly referred to as ?the survival of the fittest?. Darwin proposed that living beings evolve, or change, to meet the needs of the environment around them to allow the species to continue surviving if conditions such as the food source changes. Darwin?s theory was expanded later to a larger scale, to proclaim that live has evolved from a hydrogen that was present at the birth of the universe into all living things currently found on Earth. As with the theories and beliefs of early cultures, Darwin?s ?Theory of Evolution? must meet the same requirements in order to be viewed as plausible and believable. If the theory is logically based, mathematically supported, and there is either evidence promoting the theory, or a lack of evidence contrary to the theory it is accepted as a possible theory that explains life?s origins. However, Darwin?s theory fails to meet any of the regulations... Free Essays on Evolution Free Essays on Evolution Discussion Assignment # 2, Topic 2 Conflicts between scientists and nonscientist’s beliefs of evolution are nothing new to the scientific community. Scientists spend years solely on the research of evolution theories to provide evidence for evolution. This enables them to present facts and defend evolution as a truth. However, showing clear-cut evidence to a nonscientist that evolution exists still presents a major problem. Nonscientists lack the fundamental knowledge of science. They do not understand the chemical makeup of DNA or how cells are the building blocks for organisms. Nonscientists have a hard time comprehending the continuous subtle changes in DNA that occur over millions of years. These small but consistent changes can have dramatic transforming effects for an entire species. The majority of nonscientists draw from non-scientific sources to conclude where about human origins started. Most nonscientists draw from biblical records such as the canonical gospels of Christianity to conclude where our human origins originated. Nonscientists lack the knowledge of science and stick generally with the naà ¯ve acceptance of religious beliefs. These beliefs conclude that God, in his own image, made humans. These first humans were called Adam and Eve. Now, as some nonscientists are becoming more knowledgeable about evolution, a few are accepting the theory that Adam and Eve could have been very primitive humans. Evolving for millions of years, these humans progressed with modification and became the humans we are today. This belief shares common ground between scientists and nonscientists and tends to be a popular theory. However, many arrogant nonscientists will continue to believe only what has been taught by religions for centuries. Saying that a human evolved from primitive humans is very different than saying that humans evolved from an apelike ancestor. Nonscientists who accept religious beliefs conclude t... Free Essays on Evolution Since the dawn of humanity, there has been a single question that has perplexed even the greatest of philosophers and scientists. Humans are, by nature, interested in their past. As a result every civilization through out time has sought to find the origin of life, and answered it to meet their needs. Early civilizations taught that there was a group of gods located on a far off mountain at the edge of the earth. These gods were responsible everything, ranging from the rising and setting of the sun to a young man winning a fair maidens hand in marriage. Civilizations grew more complex and learned more about the world around them. Soon events that were once looked at as magical or supernatural were explained and proven through logic, mathematical reasoning, and the evidence available. In the early to mid nineteenth century a scientist named Charles Darwin proposed a theory that broke the away from the common threads of reasoning that looked to deity or a higher force intervening with humans. Darwin?s proposition was labeled Natural Selection, or more commonly referred to as ?the survival of the fittest?. Darwin proposed that living beings evolve, or change, to meet the needs of the environment around them to allow the species to continue surviving if conditions such as the food source changes. Darwin?s theory was expanded later to a larger scale, to proclaim that live has evolved from a hydrogen that was present at the birth of the universe into all living things currently found on Earth. As with the theories and beliefs of early cultures, Darwin?s ?Theory of Evolution? must meet the same requirements in order to be viewed as plausible and believable. If the theory is logically based, mathematically supported, and there is either evidence promoting the theory, or a lack of evidence contrary to the theory it is accepted as a possible theory that explains life?s origins. However, Darwin?s theory fails to meet any of the regulations...

Words That Evolved from the Latin Term for Turn

Words That Evolved from the Latin Term for Turn Words That Evolved from the Latin Term for Turn Words That Evolved from the Latin Term for Turn By Mark Nichol A small group of words ending in -volve share an etymological origin of the Latin verb volvere, meaning â€Å"turn,† but they have some cousins whose family resemblance is not obvious. Here are some expected and unexpected words with that ancestor in common. The words that obviously stem from -volve include evolve, meaning â€Å"change,† â€Å"develop,† or â€Å"grow† and its noun form, evolution. That word is most familiar in reference to the scientific theory of change by natural processes over long periods of time, but it can also generically apply to any iteration. The antonym of evolution is devolution, though the word also has a neutral or positive connotation of transfer of rights or responsibilities from a central government to local authorities; the verb form is devolve. To involve is to include or envelop (the noun form is involvement), and to revolve is to turn again; revolution can refer to the repeated turning of an object (such as an engine) or to the overturning of one government in favor of another. A revolver, meanwhile, is a handgun with a rotating cylinder that positions each bullet to be fired in turn. Convolve is a rarely used word meaning â€Å"turn together,† though the noun form, convolution, is sometimes employed to refer to something with intricate turns or curves or, figuratively, something complicated, and the adjective form convoluted is common. Another unusual word, circumvolve, means â€Å"wind or wrap around†; its noun form, circumvolution, is also seldom seen. Words that also ultimately (but not obviously) derive from volvere include vault, the word for an arched or domed structure (and, by extension, any underground or similarly protected chamber), and valve, the name for a device that is turned (or, in the case of musical wind instruments, pressed) to produce a desired result. Volume, the word for a measure of sound, mass, or some other quantity (and, by extension, a collection of content), also stems from volvere, as does voluble, an adjective describing someone who speaks quickly and energetically (though it also refers to rotation), and the noun volute refers to something with a spiral or scroll shape. Volte-face is the French translation, adopted into English, of about-face, meaning â€Å"reversal† or â€Å"sudden change in attitude.† Finally, vulva, the name for the external part of female genitalia, may be related to and even descended from volvere in the sense that it appears to roll away from the vagina or to resemble a wrapper. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:5 Uses of Infinitives55 Boxing Idioms150 Foreign Expressions to Inspire You

Developing Management Skills Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Developing Management Skills - Assignment Example The management style may end up frustrating the manager’s efforts in relation to deriving support from employees. Psychological resiliency is the ability to endure psychological risk factors/ stressors without exhibiting psychological dysfunction (such as post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD). On the other hand, social resiliency is the ability to withstand stressors that emanate from the social and environmental spheres. In addition, social resilience is an analytical framework that emanates from the concept of social vulnerability whereas psychological resilience emanates from psychological stressors. Individuals can manage personal stress from the work-life balance by adopting the analytical framework that forms the foundations of social resiliency. The work-life balance entails the coping, adaptive, and transformative capacities that represent social resilience. Stress levels are significantly reduced when the work-life balance is approached with the three ‘pillars’ of social resiliency. Psychological resiliency is the best possible mechanism to respond to an experience of personal failure. For example, an individual may set performance benchmarks in his or her area of expertise. Such benchmarks could be accompanied by rewards. The benchmarks and rewards would act as intrinsic and extrinsic motivators of success in an attempt to erase the previous experience of personal failure. The analytical problem-solving approach commences with defining the problem. This step involves differentiating objective and subjective opinions while specifying the underlying causes of the problem. It is at this step that all the relevant parties are tapped for information to identify whose problem it is. In addition, this step avoids ambiguity on how the problem is presented. On the other hand, the creative problem-solving approach commences with preparation. This stage is simple and is limited by scope.  

Management accounting and financial accounting Essay

Management accounting and financial accounting - Essay Example The capacity to make available this vital fiscal and non-fiscal information for organisation management, has witnessed the development of environmental accounting (Clarke & O'Neill, 2005). Just in moderately modern times has a wide section of societal participants from across the international community started to appreciate the necessity for a sustainable environment. The increasing appreciation of this compound problem has made various communities to look for greener solutions from industrial and business organisations within their social setting. Every organisation consists of those supposed to have awareness sets relevant and apposite to the resolution of the critical environmental subject. The environmental problem covers a number of disciplines, for that reason, a multiplicity of professions counting engineers, scientists and ultimately accountants logically claim some jurisdiction. The suitability of the input of all of these professional clusters will decide how sensational a community will or will not be in solving the ecological sustainability issue. Business and industrial groups conventionally endeavor to cut down compound and shifting societal troubles in to a need that in particular demands for solution kinds that only they can supply; since they subsequently handle the set of knowledge that the supposed solution is found. For a while now accounting has been acknowledged as a traditional profession, typified by the essential blend of technical proficiency and benevolence. Benevolence, in this logic is epitomised by the accountant's duty to give sufficient and purposeful information for the advantage of a wider societal good (Clarke & O'Neill, 2005). The confirmation of the supposed societal significance and thus, influence of professional accounting and its set of knowledge can be quantified in a number of ways. Number of employees it recruits; number and size of its public firms; degree of using and providing education and research resources; the extent of authority it has with regard to the state; and the societal standing and fiscal remunerations enjoyed by its employees are some of the quantifiable ways. Additionally, the significance of accounting acquaintance is reproduced by the number of study materials that materialize in sociological writings as regards its historic service and content. Financial bookkeeping historians have studied the progression of an accountant's prerogatives transversely and inside a number of cultural and societal settings. This writings propose that the elementary knowledge core, which underlines accounting, has barely transformed past one and a half century although it is continually related to a range of societal matters. The adjustments in accounting practice, whereas intermittently drawing censure, they do not indicate a change in the set of accounting knowledge but only the reemployment of the current knowledge into novel and beneficial forums (Schaltegger & Burritt, 2000). The utilisation of the accounting information has stretched out to embrace nearly every business area and therefore considerably broadened the horizons, from its genesis in bookkeeping. Originally, the spreading out of accounting

E-Health Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

E-Health Program - Essay Example Before the internet, if health problems were to arise in an individual, he/she was generally taken care of in the doctor's office or by home remedies. If any questions were to arise about the health of yourself or others, the expertise of a doctor or nurse was generally needed. The WebMD health website is a website that has been designed to answer the questions about anything from medications to illnesses and can easily be obtained in a matter of seconds. Also, being able to communicate with the doctors or order prescriptions online has proved to be a huge advantage. In the next few paragraphs, the advantages of WebMD services and its impact on the health care industry will be discussed. WebMD has been a huge advantage to the health care industry for many reasons, one being the use of the WebMD to research medications. WebMD that contain information on any thing from medications and their uses to finding out about diseases and their causes. Everything about a drug is listed from what illnesses the drug treats down to its structural formula. Studies show that 71.5% of people who used WebMD health care to do research felt more knowledgeable about their illness and the medications they were taking (Paasche-Orlow etal 2005). WebMD.com may be utilized as an extremely resourceful web page to seek illnesses. Any question that the user has regarding an illness or disease is answered. This access to information is very good for people who do not understand their illness and its side effects. For instance, when a doctor informs the patient about their illness, many patients do not understand the doctor's terminology. With WebMD.com, the patient is able to do further research about their illness in words and phrases they can understand. Communicating with Doctors Online The WebMD is becoming an important alternative for patients and health care providers to share information with one another. The patient is now able to email or chat with the doctor about any questions they may have, as well as the doctor being able to inform the patient of any new medications or alternative medicine that will help the healing process. Financial Ramifications The financial ramifications of implementing the planned scope of practice will be more than enough . More than the expected increased costs of training at the complex levels, the likelihood for reimbursement for a number of the new components of the scope of practice in the majority Webmed services do not reimburse for their various services . First Responders cannot attain reimbursement. To make a new level always is in need of huge investment in time as well as cost and then not be capable enough to be reimbursed for Webmed sservices is a major issue . Opportunities for the WebMD in Healthcare Clearly, one of the benefits of the WebMD is its ability to provide real-time communications with doctors without having to transport patients to and from the doctor's office. This also helps with

Least ost solution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Least ost solution - Essay Example Analysis of the Supply Chain Project shows that transfer points is not necessary or justified. The major economic factor which influences the effect of distance on rates is the element of cost. In transportation, certain costs are incurred without regard to the actual movement per se.Products delivered by Canbide are classified as low-risk products. Carriers are required to provide connections and construct sidings for delivery of carload shipments to private sidings and to provide "team" tracks for loading and unloading. Switching service for these tracks must be provided on a reasonable basis. As a matter of practice, railroads often organize subsidiary switching and terminal companies, often on a joint basis, to perform these services. Since the firm is small and often closely held, it is not surprising that the organization of the motor carrier is the typically simple line type with a flow of authority from the owner downward through the organization. The flexibility of the truck s also accounts for another substantial advantage, speed. While there is little or no difference in the absolute speed potential of surface vehicles (i.e., the miles per hour capacity of trucks and locomotives are about the same), the motor truck generally provides the shipper with superior service in regard to elapsed time (transit time), which is the ultimate measure of time for the shipper. Transportation service, like many other services or products, is sometimes produced under conditions of common cost;

Retail Sector in the United Kingdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words - 1

Retail Sector in the United Kingdom - Essay Example The investor companies also believe that Sainsbury share is undervalued and have the potential to show huge growth and reflect on the true price in the long run.   Consequently, the economic conditions of the country are heeling very slowly. The recent spending cuts by the government will impact the non-food sector which will show weak growth in the next few months. But the food sector will still show growth and therefore, Sainsbury and Morrison will still show positive growths.   The aim of this report is to provide the investor with the best company for the investment with sound argument and logical analyses. The report will briefly analyze the retail sector in the United Kingdom as well as the growth prospects in the future. This will be followed by the financial and share price analyses of the two chosen options: Sainsbury and Morrison. It also provides the recent economic and company announcements that are likely to be reflected on the stock investments of the FTSE. Finally, the report provides a concluding statement on the basis of the investor statements and financial analyses.   Ã‚  It also briefly goes into statements of the other market leaders: Tesco and Marks and Spencer, if and when needed. The report also takes into account the BSR-KPMG research on retail spending; also the relevant articles in the Reuters and Independent as well as the Bloomberg analyses.   The investor is looking for fairly small consistent returns in the short run but looks forward to huge capital gains in the long run. He is risk-prone and is not affected by small deviation on the exchange. He already owns Sainsbury shares worth GBP 25,000.   The Retail Sector in the United Kingdom has been flourishing at a rapid pace in the last decade.

Least ost solution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Least ost solution - Essay Example Analysis of the Supply Chain Project shows that transfer points is not necessary or justified. The major economic factor which influences the effect of distance on rates is the element of cost. In transportation, certain costs are incurred without regard to the actual movement per se.Products delivered by Canbide are classified as low-risk products. Carriers are required to provide connections and construct sidings for delivery of carload shipments to private sidings and to provide "team" tracks for loading and unloading. Switching service for these tracks must be provided on a reasonable basis. As a matter of practice, railroads often organize subsidiary switching and terminal companies, often on a joint basis, to perform these services. Since the firm is small and often closely held, it is not surprising that the organization of the motor carrier is the typically simple line type with a flow of authority from the owner downward through the organization. The flexibility of the truck s also accounts for another substantial advantage, speed. While there is little or no difference in the absolute speed potential of surface vehicles (i.e., the miles per hour capacity of trucks and locomotives are about the same), the motor truck generally provides the shipper with superior service in regard to elapsed time (transit time), which is the ultimate measure of time for the shipper. Transportation service, like many other services or products, is sometimes produced under conditions of common cost;

THE GLOBAL TOURISM INDUSTRY Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

THE GLOBAL TOURISM INDUSTRY - Term Paper Example Not only has transportation advanced but also the capacity of many people to buy cars due to more compensated holiday and passive income. This increase in consumers’ income was apparently a positive development for tourism. Moreover, the invention of the Internet and other computer technologies made the booking system easier (Sharpley 2006). For instance, the global distribution systems (GCDs) were recognised in the 1980s as a computer reservation technology (Singh 2008). However, this advances in technology depressed the traditional operations of the travel and tourism industry as well as the importance of human travel agents. The benefits of these developments to the industry are hence relative to one’s point of view. A general differentiation is usually made between the different specialisations of tour operators: first is mass-market or mainstream, and second is specialist or niche. Mass-market or mainstream tour operators, such as My Travel, TUI UK, First Choice, etc., are those that create a substantial fraction of their revenue by selling a popular product such as the 4S product (sex, sand, sea, and sun) to a broad market segment. On the other hand, niche or specialist tour operators serve a smaller market segment with frequently highly specialised products. In an effort to thrive in a highly competitive environment of tourism, tour operators, specifically small independent ones, are incessantly searching for niche markets to develop. From the point of view of the customer, with less leisure time and more severe stress, services offered by tour operators are important for maximising valuable time. Moreover, the operator gains better transactions from the producers by buying in bulk, which enables them to bid low prices for the whole produce and/or service, which are quite difficult to acquire by the individual customer. Due to these factors, price and time, the services of tour

Hunger Games essay Essay Example for Free

Hunger Games essay Essay The Hunger Games is a fictional book, which establishes the relationship between the protagonist Katniss, and the protagonist Peeta. Katniss is a 16 year old girl who lives in District twelve, Panem. She is the sole provider for her family and competes in the Hunger Games, a game where two people from each of the twelve districts are chosen to fight to the death. Peeta is a 16 year old boy who is also from District Twelve who competes in the Hunger Games with Katniss. Throughout the book there is great debate on whether Katniss and Peeta are in love, or not in love. Katniss pretends to be in love with Peeta because it helps her in the Games, and it is an act of survival. Peeta on the other hand is deeply in love with Katniss. Throughout the book Katniss often finds herself making multiple references back to her friend, Gale, who has been her best friend for years. She wonders what life would be like with Gale. Katniss pretends to be in love with Peeta. She sees it as her only way of survival in the Games. When she and Peeta are in an affectionate state, the Capitol audience is entertained. This results in her and Peeta getting both food and messages from their mentor Haymitch and their sponsors. Luckily, they entertain the audience enough to survive the games but towards the end of the book Peeta says to Katniss, â€Å"It was all for the games, how you acted. † (Pg. 372) This is legitimate proof that Katniss only pretended to be in love with Peeta. Based on much evidence from the book, it is revealed that Peeta is deeply in love with Katniss. Prior to the beginning of the Games, both Katniss and Peeta had to take part in a pre-game interview. In Peeta’s interview, he tells the audience how winning the games would not help his situation because he is deeply in love with Katniss. Katniss was not happy with Peeta’s statement, but later in the book calmly asks him, â€Å"Peeta, you said at the interview you’d had a crush on me forever. When did forever start? † (Pg. 300) Peeta responded, â€Å"Oh let’s see. I guess the first day of school. We were five. You had on a red plaid dress and your hair†¦ it was in two braids instead of one. My father pointed your out. † (Pg. 300) This is the most heart-felt moment between the two; however Katniss only asked Peeta the question because she knew she had to keep entertaining the audience. Her strategy to manipulate Peeta’s emotions was a great advantage to her game. Katniss often makes references back to her friend Gale, her long time best friend that is back home in District Twelve. She has mixed feelings about him because when Katniss was about to leave for the games, Gale was saying good bye to Katniss and was cut short with the slamming of a door. There are many misinterpretations about what Gale was trying to say to Katniss. Most people, including Katniss, think that he was about to say â€Å"I love you. † This unfinished sentence disturbs Katniss during the games when she has mixed feelings about Peeta. Katniss thinks to herself, â€Å"Gale’s not my boyfriend, but would he be, if I opened that door? † (Pg. 280) Any person who is truly in love would not be thinking about other men in this way. Throughout the Hunger Games there is great talk on whether Katniss and Peeta are in love, or not. Katniss pretends to be in love with Peeta because it helps her in the Games, and she uses it as an act of survival. Peeta on the other hand, is deeply in love with Katniss. During the book Katniss often finds herself making multiple mentions back to her friend, Gale, who has been her best friend and hunting buddy for years. She wonders what life would be like if she was with him. Too conclude, Katniss and Peeta are not meant to be. They have completely different individualities and although it may seem that their pretend love is mutual, it is not.

A Report on Progress on Building of Leisure Centre Proposal

A Report on Progress on Building of Leisure Centre Proposal REPORT ON PROGRESS ON BUILDING OF LEISURE CENTRE PROPOSAL SHERBURY CONFIDENTIAL To: M. Smith, Head of Analysis of Proposals From: N. Rafie, Proposal AnalystDate: 1st May 2015 BACKGROUND There is dissent in the town of Sherbury, Wealdshre County which has been linked to the apparent lack of leisure amenities and facilities in the town itself. Several social issues have been identified such as an increasing crime rate as well as cases of gangs and alcoholism mostly pertaining to teens of Sherbury which has been blamed on the previously kentioned lack of amenities and activities to do in town. As a countermeasure to the social issues and the lack of facilities, Sherbury has decided to start to look at the possibility of building a Leisure Centre. FINDINGS There is a severe lack of leisure amenities and facilities, in particular those that cater to young people and this has been deemed the root cause to the social issues that are becoming apparent in Shersbury. According to police reports there have been an increase in the amount of criminal cases in Sherbury specifically cases involving vandalism and drunk and disorderly behaviour involving the teenage demographic. They have seen an increase of 32% and 24% respectively. It has to be noted that the increase for teen drunk and disorderly behaviour was seen within the last 12 months. There is growing concern with social workers regarding a surge in teenage alcoholism and roaming teenage gangs present at the town centre and housing estates. The social workers attribute these growing social issues to â€Å"boredom derived from little or nothing to do in the evenings. There are only two youth clubs in the town, both of which are oversubscribed. Denial of entry has been met with attempts to disrupt the youth clubs’ activities by older teenagers. The local weekly newspaper, The Sherbury Chronicle has been campaigning for improvements in leisure facilities over these last 6 weeks. The paper has utilised their medium to campaign with scathing editorials with headlines such as â€Å"Council Fuddy-duddies forget their youth. Readers of the Sherbury Chronicle have changed their views regarding the issue have changed from sympathetic to condemnatory due to the correspondence the readers and the paper have which has been labelled as â€Å"Lively†. Town Councillors of Sherbury have been actively canvassing for the building of a leisure centre in order to provide for they consider the town to be sorely lacking amenities. Sherbury Town Councillor James Hillingdon referred to the current situation as a â€Å"shocking state of affairs† pointing out that Sherbury has nothing to offer its young people in the evenings but violent films in its local cinema and alcoholic beverages from its ten central public houses at a recent council meeting. There have been cases of local sports clubs and associations making representation to councillors and to County Hall officials. Some Sherbury sports enthusiasts are travelling thirty miles or more in order to find the amenities that they seek. There are existing sports facilities in Sherbury however they predominantly provide for outdoor sports. There are also sports facilities that are provided for indoor sports in the community hall however this is reportedly over crowded. There have been several activities that have been suggested for inclusion in any future Leisure Centre include table tennis, badminton, basketball, tennis, swimming, judo, karate, volleyball, ten-pin bowling, snooker and billiards, gymnastics and for older members yoga, relaxation classes and keep fit together with a club room for darts dominoes and quieter activities. A rough projection for the building of the leisure centre has been estimated at  £1.8 million Two sites have been identified as suitable for the leisure centre the first at Charles Bowley Recreation Park in Northern Sherbury and the second in Central Sherbury. There are many options available for the funding of the project, increasing council tax in conjunction with securing government grants as well as funding from the Lottery Commission. There are local sports associations that have suggested possible fund raising activities. The Chief Executive of the Council has formed a working party that is made up of representatives from the Planning Department, Architectural Department, Community Liaison office and Spots Advisory Office due to mounting pressure. The working party is tasked with investigating the need for a leisure centre, make projections regarding building and maintenance costs, make suggestion with regard to location and make proposals concerning the types of activities it should house and the layout of various halls and rooms as well as provide a set of recommendations to be submitted to the Council for debate. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS It is safe to say that the root cause of the social issues that are affecting Sherbury is centred on its young people and the lack of amenities and lack of activities which they can expand their energies on. There are facilities and youth clubs in the town that do provide activities for young people however due to their size and lack of facilities it is not enough to provide for all of them. This often leads to conflict between those who are already involved with the clubs and those who are not. This in turn may exacerbate the increasing crime rate as the disruption of club activities may lead to even less people being involved with the clubs. The only activities to do in town such as watching movies and partaking in the consumption of alcohol are contributing even more to the advent of the social issues in Sherbury such as vandalism, gangs and teenage alcoholism. The lack of facilities is not only facilitating the increase of social issues in Sherbury, it is also making it highly inconvenient for many sports enthusiasts who have to travel a considerable distance in order to access facilities that allow them to partake in their sports. This inconvenience can also be considered a loss to the local economy for Sherbury as these potential consumers now bring their business to other towns as well as a loss of the potential to groom local talent in terms of competitive events. All in all I think that Sherbury should proceed with the building of the leisure centre as this would solve many of Sherbury’s current issues. It has to be noted that while it will help deter the effects of the social issues in Sherbury it has to be used in conjunction with other policies as well as understanding that the project will take time and its effects will take time to be seen. So patience will need to be exercised by the Sherbury council as well as its residents. Although the cost of building of the centre is quite high ( £1.8 million) it has to be understood that the social costs will be even higher with crime rates increasing as well as teens turning to alcoholism and gang behaviour, the social repercussions of not doing anything will be higher than the actual financial costs. The provision of activities will enable the youth to expand their energies on activities that are productive and will hopefully help the youth gain a sense of identity from something positive rather than having to end up in a gang or turning to alcohol. Sherbury needs to ensure that they are able to deal with their social issues directly rather than putting all their hopes on the leisure centre to make the issues go away. Sherbury needs to increase security as well as enforce new laws that make sure that the teens will not have access to alcohol too freely. Maybe something along the lines of increasing police patrols in areas that have been frequented by these gangs as well as restricting the public houses from selling alcoholic beverages past a certain time for those who are below the age of 20. The existing youth clubs need to be nurtured and aided further in order to help reduce the effects of social issues. Considering the fact that there are already established Youth Clubs in Sherbury, the council would not have to do any actual work other than maybe fund the clubs in order to increase their capacity to take in new members. By expanding the capacity of the clubs as well as providing them new operating quarters in the new Leisure Centre, the council would be killing two birds with one stone, providing activities for the youth as well as gaining occupants for the centre. Establishing the Leisure Centre will benefit the local sporting community greatly and they understand this with many local sports associations supporting the proposal as well as offering to help fund the project. The council would do well to remember this as the town will benefit greatly should the local sports associations flourish as this will allow the town to produce talent from youth who now have something productive to be involved with. It also has to be considered that the previous situation where Sherbury sports enthusiast were traveling far in order to access sports facilities, the building of the leisure centre may well attract enthusiast from other towns as well. This will help the not just strengthen the sporting community but aid the local economy as well. Out of the two locations, I would suggest the council build it in the Northern Suburbs as a central location, while good for businesses in the area may not have enough space to include all the possible activities that can be provided by the centre as well as not being able to provide enough parking space for users of the centre. (1587 words) 3. a) Opening The opening of an interview is what will set the tone for the rest of the interview, it is in the opening of an interview where the purpose of the interview is made clear therefore. Once the purpose of the interview is made clear the process is made much more easier as all parties will understand why they are there and what it is expected of them. The opening will establish the tone and atmosphere of the interview as well as indicate the level of formality or informality that the interview will take. By setting the tone of the interview, interviewees can be put at ease, or unease according to what the interviewer wants. It is in the opening where the flow of the interview is decided. Questions – In an interview there are two simple rules of thumb, ask the right questions and listen to the answers. An interviewer should prepare the questions that should be asked in order to elicit information from the interviewee that is desirable and therefore making the interview productive. Pacing of the questions should be controlled carefully as important information may be glossed over or leading to the interviewee digressing. As previously mentioned It is paramount for the interviewer to be able to ask the right questions, however it equally as important for the interviewer to ask at the right time. Closure – Closing the interview is as important as opening it, for it is in the closure where all information should be summarised, leading to an easy confirmation of information and determining whether the objectives of the interview have been met. It has to be noted that the position of both parties are clarified at the closure of the interview. Whether a compromise or agreement has been made or not and clear communication of this from both parties will further enable whether further action should be taken and if so, in what form. It is in the closure that decisions should be made only if one or both parties have the authority and information to make it. Follow Up – Once the interview is finished it is important for the interviewer to proceed to assimilate the information gleaned from the interview. The information should be recorded properly in order to build up a record of the interview and the interviewee thus making any future attempts to locate information regarding the interview or interviewee much easier. A decision needs to be made following the interview, and this is easier done once all in formation is assimilated thus any determination of any decision can be made as a result of the interview will be more concise and easily made. Also any actions that were agreed upon during the interview should be followed up on. b) 4.a) Polite – It is important for those working in customer service to be polite to the parties they are dealing with. Staff members need to be able to talk properly with good manners in order for the calling party to leave the conversation feeling as though they were dealt with in the proper manner. Even when a customer calls to complain it is important that the staff members maintain their composure and still be polite therefore diffusing a potentially explosive situation and having the complaining party leave the conversation without any resent and feeling better. Knowledgeable – Staff members need to have information that pertains to the subjects that calling parties will be inquiring about, whether this be young people, fitness, the facilities or the centre itself and other information that can be considered relevant to these subjects. Therefore being able to provide the right information to the inquiring parties and having answered their questions satisfactorily is exactly what they need to be able to do. Because a lot of inquirers will not have the information or even incomplete information therefore rendering them unable to make an informed decision as to whether or not they should or can utilise the facilities that the centre provides. Informative – As a lot of calling parties will be inquiring to many subjects as well as ask for advice, personnel need to be able to answer the calling parties to the best of their abilities. This would mean that the staff members have to know what they are talking about as well as be able to explain properly and clearly therefore understanding that having the calling parties leave with understanding how to utilise the information given by the staff member is just as important as having the inquiring party leave with the right information. Understanding – As a lot of parties calling in will be complaining it is important that the staff be able to listen and understand exactly what the party is calling to complain about. And although the staff themselves may not agree with what the customer is complaining about, that is beside the point, hey need to be able to make the complaining party feel better about the situation, and being understanding will ensure that the staff member be able to choose the right words in order to do so. However, it is also important for the staff member to follow up with these complaints and not just offer empty apologies should the complaints be valid. Loquacious – As the job involves a lot of answering questions and in general talking, the staff members need to be able to talk well. Therefore being able to keep a conversation going while at the same time ensuring that they are answering the inquiries or listening to complaints is a core requirement for the job, this is because while a good listener will have all the right information, someone who is able to talk to the calling parties will help the calling party feel as though as they are being treated well. (503 words) b) 1

Conflict in Parkers Back Essay -- Literary Analysis

Who can dare say they have never encountered a conflict? No one is without conflict; there will never be a person who says they have never faced a problem. What is a conflict? Most think an opposition or a struggle of some nature. It can be that and more, to state it simply its man vs. anything; that anything can be nature, God, self, and even fellow man. Many of these can be observed in Parker’s Back written by Flannery O’Connor. Parker’s Back is a short story about a man named O.E. Parker who is obsessed with tattoos; the irony is he marries a religious woman who loathes tattoos. In Parker’s Back there are three types of conflict that appear man vs. man, man vs. self, and man vs. God. Man vs. Man is a conflict that can be seen throughout the story. For example, when Parker is telling his wife Sarah Ruth about his tattoos. â€Å" â€Å"I got most of my other ones in foreign parts,† Parker said. â€Å"These here I mostly got in the United States. I got my first one when I was only fifteen years old.† â€Å"Don’t tell me,† the girl said, â€Å"I don’t like it. I ain’t got any use for it.† â€Å"You ought to see the ones you can’t see,† Parker said and winked† (O’Connor 2). Sarah automatically shows her distaste for them, later on even going so far as to call Parker a fool for having them. This particular problem can be witnessed though out the rest of the story. This struggle does not end even when the audience has arrived to the end of the story. For instance, when Parker slams his hand in the hood part of the car. â€Å" â€Å"God dammit!† he hollered, â€Å"Jesus Christ in hell! Jesus God Almighty damn! God dammit to hell!† he went on, flinging out the same few oaths over and over as loud as he could. Without warning a terrible bristly claw slammed the side of his face an... ...n v. self, and man vs. God are all types of conflicts that appear in the short story Parker’s Back. Conflict is a major factor in the plot and structure of Parker’s Back. Works Cited Andrews, Charles. "Colored Man: The Ambiguous White Male Body In "Parker's Back." Flannery O'connor Review 6. (2008): 70-80. Literary Reference Center. Web. 19 Feb. 2012. Cofer, Jordan. "The "All-Demanding Eyes": Following The Old Testament And New Testament Allusions In Flannery O'connor's "Parker's Back." Flannery O'connor Review 6.(2008): 30-39. Literary Reference Center. Web. 19 Feb. 2012. O'Connor, Flannery. Parker's Back. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1965. Everything That Rises Must Converge. Web. 19 Feb. 2012. .

Stolen

Lauren Moore 0150 Ms Clevenger 21 November 2011 Stolen The book, Stolen, by Vivian Vande Velde was found for me at the John Vaughn NSU library. It is a mystery and adventurous book, to which I should mention that mystery, love, and adventurous are my favorite types of books so two out three isn’t bad at all. The author Vivian Vande Velde has written many other books. Most of her books are for children; a couple of them are in the age group of teen and adult. Like for example â€Å"The Conjurer Princess† and â€Å"The Changeling Prince† are both books for early teen and beginning adult ages.There are a lot of characters in my book. There is a little girl who goes by the name Ravyen she leaves with her grandparents which really their not her grandparents they adopted her. Avis and Browley, which are the grandparents of Ravyn. There is Ravyn’s friend Orsen who thinks he is smarter than everybody else and attempts to act tough and big around Rayvn but it never works out the way he had planned on it to. Then there is Isabelle, she is the girl in my book that is lost and wakes up in Ravyn’s grandparent’s house to notice that she remembers nothing including her own name.The main character is my book is the witch, now the witch is a mean old person who according to the village has been stealing everybody’s new born babies. The genre of my story is mystery, a little scary, and adventurous. It’s not to long of a story but it is just long enough that you can read it in one to two days. I’m the same way with my books as I am with my movies. I like my movies a little scary but to scary to where I have nightmares, more mystery then adventurous but to where I have to actually pay attention because if I don’t I’ll get lost really bad!Throughout my book you have to really pay attention to very single detail because if you don’t you will miss a step and then you will just be lost throughout the r est of the book. It starts out telling you about Isabella, she’s running through the woods in her long gown type of dress. She has no idea why she’s running, what she’s running from. Nor where she is running to. She begins to hear dogs barking and running toward her direction. She begins to climb up into a tree but realizes its way to high for the next branch to reach and if she jumps she will fall and who knows what the dogs could do to her.She ends up just laying there the owner of the dogs, Avis, finds her all covered in blood, he gentle picks her up and carries her back to the house where Ravyn, her new born puppies ,and Avis’s wife Browley are. As time goes on they realize that Isabella is blank, she know s nothing, but there is a family that hears about Isabella **You have introduced Rayven and Orson in the beginning paragraphs, but then start talking about Isabella; who is she? You need to introduce your characters.Is the witch really the main char acter or is Rayven, or Isabella? Use the terms protagonist and antagonist. Also, what is the theme? What is the main idea of the book? If you do not know, look it up on Google search. Conclusion goes here: what do you think of the book? How would you rate it? Would you recommend it to everyone? Works Cited Insert the List of Works Cited here. To create your list of Works Cited, use CiteWrite; click Start, Programs, DrPaper4, References – CiteWrite. For help using CiteWrite, click on the Help menu in CiteWrite.If you just have a few works to cite, you can use these examples to type them by hand: Anderson, Frank J. An Illustrated History of the Herbals. New York: Columbia University Press, 1977. Gardener, Edwin D. , Elizabeth Miner, and G. D. Royans. â€Å"Heretics. † 16th Century England. Ed. Samuel Nevins and Lisa Bointer. London: Methaneon, 1988. 327-84. â€Å"Get Fit in Seven Days. † Health and Medicine. 2006. Society of Heart Physicians. 26 Mar. 2006 . Myers, Bethany. â€Å"Public Ritual. † Citizen Forum 8 (1922): 221-29. Delete this text before you turn in your paper!

Book Design Essay

Process of Book Making 1. Idea 2. Manuscript 3. Contract/ Agreement 4. Editing 5. Proofreading 6. Typesetting 7. Editing 8. Correction (book layout) 9. Page Layout 10. Editing and correction 11. Film making 12. Plat Making 13. Printing 14. Binding 15. Packaging 16. Distribution THE IMPORTANT OF BOOK DESIGN 1. Poor design can hurt sales: ‘ People Do Judge a book by its cover’ 2. Book design size of books body copy headings or titles running head chapter numbers 3. Book Design Approach (Marshall Lee Transparent Approach Mood approach. DISTRIBUTION & BOOK FEATURE Book stores; attractive jacket, thick and hefty bulky) appearance and colorful Gift book; large, expensive and exclusive Mail order; light weight paper Library; strong binding Design unusual format: Die-Cut (Children Books) LINEUP OF NON-FICTION BOOK Preliminary Page/ Front-matter Half-title page Full title page Advertising card Copy right page and catalog number Dedication Acknowledgment Preface or forward Table of content List of illustration, list of abbreviation etc Introduction BINDING Stitching binding. Adhesive binding Mechanical binding STITCHING BINDING Side and saddle stitching 1. Simple binding method 2. Inserting one or more wires through the fold line 3. Suitable for thinner book and publication; brochure, booklets, newsletters and magazines. ADVANTAGES OF STITCHING BINDING 1. Flatter than perfect binding 2. Quicker turnaround 3. Lower cost DISADVANTAGES OF STITCHING BINDING 1. Working in signatures in four pages or panels 2. Not durable (heavy duty) and inappropriate for heavy use 3. Spine forms a blunt point 4.Thick and small-format have a tendency spring open ADHESIVE BINDING: LAY-FLAT & OTABIND Uses glue to hold pages together Appropriate for thickness book Stacking up assembly Backbone is roughened for glue Trimming side; head, foot and face ADVANTAGES OF ADHESIVE BINDING 1. Strong binding 2. Heavy use and heavy duty 3. Signatures in single leaves DISADVANTAGES OF ADHESIVE BINDING 1. Costly than stitching binding 2. Spine for thick publication 3. Do not lay-flatter MECHANICAL BINDING Spiral Binding 1. Manual and workbooks 2. Single loop/ metal or plastic wire ADVANTAGES OF SPIRAL BINDING 1. Lay-flatter 2. Turnaround 3. Ease of use DISADVANTAGES OF SPIRAL BINDING 1. No printable spine 2. Not appropriate for books that to display at library and bookstore 3. Facing pages steps up when open 4. Require greater margin. WIRE-O Binding 1. Double looped wire with interlocking (join together) that run through holes punched in the binding edge. 2. Sturdy and attractive 3. Calendars, cookbooks etc ADVANTAGES OF WIRE-O BINDING 1. Lay-flatter 2. Turnaround 3. Ease of use DISADVANTAGES OF WIRE-O BINDING 1. No printable spine 2. Not appropriate for books that to display at library and bookstore 3. Facing pages steps up when open 4. Require greater margin. Plastic Comb Binding 1. Punching slots or holes through the binding edge and inserting formed of plastic material 2. Does not allow 360 degree 3. Easy to insert and removed papers with proper materials ADVANTAGES OF PLASTIC COMB BINDING 1. Suitable for reports and materials that need frequent updating 2. Available in many colors DISADVANTAGES OF PLASTIC COMB BINDING 1. No printable spine 2. Not appropriate for publications that to display at library and bookstore 3. Require greater margin. PUBLISHING ON DEMAND 1. On-demand printing can be defined as short notice and economical print runs 2. By using POD technology, book original is stored in digital and is not printed until it is ordered 3. With such innovative approach, no books are printed unnecessarily, avoiding the problem of a storage costs and safeguard backlist titles. 4. Sometimes it called custom publishing but that is usually associated with book that is assembled from different bits and pieces. ADVANTAGES PUBLISHING ON DEMAND 1. On-demand printing can be defined as short notice and economical print runs 2. By using POD technology, book original is stored in digital and is not printed until it is ordered 3. With such innovative approach, no books are printed unnecessarily, avoiding the problem of a storage costs and safeguard backlist titles. 4. Sometimes it called custom publishing but that is usually associated with book that is assembled from different bits and pieces.

Koutons Retail India Limited Essay

The company went public in early 2006 and thereby became Koutons Retail India Limited (KRIL) with effect from June27, 2006. KRIL is primarily an integrated apparel manufacturing and retail company in India. They are in the business of designing, manufacturing and retailing under the brand names Koutons and Charlie Outlaw. Their main target customers are middle class consumers who are keen to trying out new fashions falling in the age group of 22 – 45 years. Find below a brief timeline of Koutons. 1991- Started as Charlie denim jeans showroom 1994 – Incorporated as Charlie Creations Pvt. Ltd 1997 – Diversified in non-denim apparel, awarded with Best Menswear Collection 1998 – Brand Koutons was launched 2002 – First exclusive brand outlet of Koutons opened 2006 – IPO. Name changed to Koutons Retail India ltd in June 27, 2006 2007 – Listed on BSE and NSE Koutons Financials Koutons has reported the fastest growth in its sales and profits among its listed and closest peers partly due to a smaller base. The Company’s restated total income and profit after tax were Rs 4036. 17 million and Rs 344. 87 million respectively as of and for the year ended March 31, 2007 compared to Rs 1583. 85 million and Rs 131. 8 million respectively as of and for the year ended March 31, 2006. (Exhibit 1). Koutons do not have any stock option scheme or stock purchase scheme for the employees of the company. Industry Overview The Indian retail sector, which is believed to be at an inflexion point, is valued at USD 270 billion (2006) with Food and Grocery being the dominant sector followed by clothing, textiles and fashion accessories which contributes nearly 9. 5%. The organized retail sector on the other hand has grown with a CAGR of 30% and stands at about USD 12. 4 billion (2006) which is only 4. 6% of the total retail market thus demonstrating its huge future otential. In the organized retail sector the major share is held by the clothing and accessories sector (39%) growing at a rate of 30. 3% during 2005-06, followed by food and grocery (11%). The Indian apparel retail industry(which mainly consists of sale of all menswear, womenswear and infantswear) grew by 12. 3% in 2006 to reach a value of $20 billion (INR 880. 9 billion); the CAGR growth for the period 2002-06 being 11%(Exhibit 2). The share of the organized apparel retail has grown steadily to reach 18. 9% in 2006. Considering an anticipated CAGR of 10%, the apparel retail industry in India is expected to reach USD 32. billion by end of 2011. Fuelled by strong economic growth, favorable demographics, easy availability of credits, availability of retail space, rising level of disposable income, rise in dual income families and shift of life style pattern, organized retail in India is expected to grow tremendously in the next few years. The emergence of the mall culture in India acts as catalyst in this growth story. By the end of 2007 approximately 68 million sqft of mall space is expected to come in India, majority being equally shared between North Zone (39%) and West Zone (33%). According to a 2005 KPMG retail survey report, the Specialty and Super Market format have the highest potential for growth (45%) followed by Hypermarkets(36%) and Discount Stores (27%). In terms of opening up of new retail outlets, the apparel retailers and brands attained a growth of 113% in 2006 compared to 84% in 2005. As on 2006, major share in the Indian apparel retail market is accounted for by Menswear (45%), followed by Womenswear (36. 1%), Infantswear (18. 8%). While the Menswear has witnessed a growth of 12% by value and 3. 9% by volume, Womenswear has grown 14. 9% by value and 5. 4% by volume. Almost comparable growth has also happened in the Infantswear sector (11. 5% by value and 3. 8% by volume). Competitive Landscape in Apparel Retail Porter’s Five Forces Model The competitive nature of the Indian apparel retail sector can be very well analyzed using the famous Five Forces Model as suggested by Michael Porter. Fig: Porter’s Five Force Model Bargaining Power of Buyers The bargaining power of buyers becomes weak because of three main reasons. First, majority of the buyers are individual consumers and hence has limited purchasing power. Second, the retailers can very easily differentiate their products. Third, only the retailers can provide the consumers with a wide variety of quality products. On the other hand, the fact that buyers have very low switching cost and retailers are obliged to act according to buyer needs provides the buyer with some bargaining power. Infact, it is believed that in Indian apparel retail, brand loyalty exists mostly for the brands and less for the retailers. Bargaining Power of Suppliers The sourcing happens mostly from the clothing manufacturers and the wholesalers. The manufacturing industry is highly fragmented in nature inducing a price war. Low product diversity on the part of the suppliers reduces the switching cost for the retailers. However, the only drawback of moving to a low cost supplier might be the threat of not being able to live up to the highly volatile trend of changing fashion. Entry Barrier Entry barrier is comparatively low, like any other retail sector. The industry itself is highly fragmented and requires low capital investment. The policy taken by the Government to open up the retail sector to foreign investments will definitely encourage entry of other foreign players. Threat of Substitutes We can identify three major threats to the apparel retail. First, with e-buying becoming popular with every passing day there may be an opportunity of buying directly from the manufacturers. Homemade apparels though can be a substitute has a very low threat mainly because of the ever changing fashion needs of the generation and the substantial increase in disposable income. The last and the biggest threat for substitute come from the sale of counterfeit apparels. Competitors The Indian apparel retail industry is highly fragmented in nature. Within the readymade segment there are both branded and unbranded players. There are many foreign brands that have established themselves successfully in the Indian apparel retail market using different channels. While brands like Allen Solly and Arrow have taken the licensing route, Benetton have entered the market through tie-up with domestic players. Again brands like Tommy Hilfliger, Mark’s and Spencers and Speedo have taken up the franchisee channel. On the other hand, Metro entered the market through cash and carry wholesale trading route. The private labels, by virtue of providing higher margins to the retailer and lower cost to the customers have also become extreme popular. Some of the well known private labels are John Miller, Bare and Stop. Although competition in the retail apparel segment is heating up, the inherent advantage of Koutons model – backward integration, positioning and first mover advantage – is not easy to replicate within a short period of time. On the back of the company? s aggressive rollout plan and diversification to high-margin segments, the company enjoys better valuations than its peers like Kewal Kiran and Zodiac Clothing, although not strictly comparable. There are approximately 23 major players in the branded apparel retail segment in India with Koutons coming next to Raymond Ltd. Exhibit 3 ; 4). Pentagon-Triangle Model Koutons mainly works on pentagon model. The key attributes of the pentagon model fit as follows: Place Size and Location: Out of 999 exclusive brand outlets (EBOs as Aug 20, 2007) 531 EBOs were present in northern region. West and east India has about 29 and 38 stores respectively. Koutons has o ver 1000 company managed stores and 18 manufacturing units. By August 2007 they owned 14 warehouse facilities spread around Gurgaon. They are present mainly in northern and north western region. By March 2006, there was no presence of Koutons in southern region. They have started slowly moving into southern region. Layout and Design: Koutons generally operate through a franchisee model. Traditionally, Koutons outlets used to store men? s apparel. But recently they have extended their product portfolio to include women? s and kid wear as well. Generally, the size of a Koutons outlet ranges from 1000 sq feet to 2000 sq feet; variations happening depending on the location, real estate rates and host of other factors as well. Their flagship stores have a size of 3000-5000 sqft. Koutons outlets may be single storied or multi storied. The outlets are generally spacious and display caters to need of middle class Indian customer segment. (Exhibit 5: Koutons EBO, Calicut). Product Style and Fashion: Go with latest fashion trends. Mainly target high fashion aspirants of the age group 22-45 years. If any type of fashion becomes obsolete, still Koutons tries to attract customers, but ultimately if situation does not improve they also stop keeping such fashioned garments and go with new trends and fashions. Assortment: Wide variety of men? s wear including shirts, trousers, jeans, jackets, T-shirts. Limited variety of kids and women? s wear. The assortment also depends on region. An EBO in north India might have little different assortment compared to one in south. Value Price: Low brand value. It sometimes offers 70% discounts which have diminished its brand value to a large extent causing a barrier in the way of moving up the value chain. Koutons follows a unique discounting policy wherein they claim to give a discount of x% + y% which is often criticized as a marketing gimmick and a way to mislead the customer. For example, a discount of 50%+40% often gives the customer the impression of availing a 90% discount – whereas effectively it means a 70% discount. Quality: Mixed conception among customers. Most people think its product quality goes down with increase in discounts. It has failed to maintain same quality of products throughout its EBOs across all regions. People Service: Koutons mainly deal with men? s apparels. But recently have started making garments for women also. Knowledge: For managerial position they mainly look for experienced people (at least 2-3 years of experience in apparel business). Climate: Koutons generally stocks apparel which are all-weather. Few varieties differ with region, e. g. sweaters are stocked in north EBOs but not in south. But most of the stock can be sold in all weathers. Communication Positional: Koutons have positioned themselves as „„value for money, but high on fashion†. They mainly target pro-fashion customers who are very much willing to try new fashion trends at nominal prices. They often offer attractive discount policies to attract middle class fashion minded customers. T heir target customers belong to age group 22 to 45 years. Promotional: Koutons mainly advertise through newspapers and they have a well designed website. They incur minimum advertising expense and rarely goes for any celebrity endorsement. Their presence in 450 cities of India is believed to have created an automatic brand visibility. Business Processes The two major business processes at Koutons are Manufacturing and Sales operations. The diagram below shows the processes involved in manufacturing. Some of the key differentiating factors involved in the business processes are : Procurement of raw materials: Procurement of raw material from India, China, Taiwan and Italy using third party suppliers. Third party manufacturers: To cater to the growing demand for outsourcing of manufacturing is also done. For this, the Company has executed 211 agreements with 211 fabricators. Manufacture of production sample: A product sample is produced in house according to the specifications provided for the range of products for a particular season. The first production report is prepared on the basis of this sample. All apparent and intricate corrections are made in the sample so as to make it error free. Accordingly, a detailed production plan is devised. Fabric cutting and stitching: A layout for cutting the respective products is done with the help of CAD plotter machines. Sales and distribution The company has a dedicated â€Å"Sales and Marketing† team which consists of 90 employees. Competitive Strengths The key strengths of Koutons are: ? Exclusive brand outlets ? Wide network of retail stores ? Low-cost sourcing capabilities (diminishing the cost of material as well as that of the final products hence resulting in low cost products) ? Proper brand positioning (identifying the proper target customer segment and meeting their requirements) ? Expertise in designing and merchandise (core competency) ? Efficient management ? Wide apparel range (customers can choose their required things from a well chosen stock) ? Efficient utilization of IT and making it a differentiating factor compared to other retailers. Koutons always follows proper strategic planning before taking any business decision. They are planning to increase their geographic penetration by increasing the number of brand outlets to distant areas, enhancing manufacturing capabilities, targeting new customer segments. Positioning the Koutons brand strongly (exporting apparels under the brand name), making potential mergers and acquisitions and most importantly constantly improving the cost structure. Some of the key differentiating strengths of Koutons are described in detail. Exclusive Brand Outlets: The majority of the apparel manufacturers cum retailers in India operate through a combination of retailing through exclusive outlets, national chain stores and multi brand outlets. This entails supplies being managed directly and through distribution agents. Koutons operate on a model of marketing apparel directly through a chain of exclusive brand outlets and thus are independent of external marketing pressures attributable to the national chain stores, multi brand outlets and other intermediaries. This enables them to focus quality maintenance and customer satisfaction without the interference of any external agency. This model also enhances the brand equity and recall as the shelf space on each of the exclusive brand outlets is controlled by company. In the process, Koutons has developed a greater brand visibility and an identity of its own and has thus reduced the chances of brand dilution. As of August, 2007, the â€Å"Koutons† brand was sold through 566 exclusive brand outlets and the â€Å"Charlie Outlaw† brand was sold through 433 exclusive brand outlets. The wide coverage of exclusive brand outlets from metros to tier II towns and through the various regions in India, allows them the flexibility to hedge against fashion changes given the general time lag in fashion trends between metro and tier II towns. The table below shows the growth in number of Koutons EBOs. The company? s brands are marketed through three outlet models ? Company owned / leased and company operated (COCO) ? Company owned / leased and franchisee operated (COFO) ? Franchisee owned / leased and franchisee operated (FOFO) The company had 17 outlets, 124 outlets and 858 outlets under COCO, COFO and FOFO models, respectively, on 20 August 2007. To accommodate all EBOs (Exclusive Brand Outlets) the company is also looking for spaces for extension. It has been allotted a manufacturing facility in Gurgaon at a total project cost of Rs 301. 85 million. Koutons has benefitted heavily by following a franchisee model as often large scale operation as theirs often becomes tough to be controlled by themselves alone. Also it helps Koutons in availing real estate easily. Besides, the franchisee owners bring in entreprenual energy to the business. This model has also helped Koutons in tackling to some extent the inherent attrition problem in the retail sector and cut down on loses happening due to staff related pilferage. Koutons, in the process, has also realized cost cutting by relieving themselves of the responsibility of bearing the social security liability of the employees. Koutons franchisee model is different from its peers as it offers its franchisee minimum guaranteed payments covering lease rentals, employee costs, and other establishment costs apart from incentivized sales. Products are consigned to the franchisees, who do not bear the inventory risk except for pilferage–the risk of unsold stock remains with Koutons. The company collects a security deposit (bearing nominal interest rate) from the franchisee towards the apparels that the latter stocks at the outlet. This model is highly attractive for franchisees who seek security and low investment, which is reflected in the rapid ramp up as well as the fact that franchisee churn rate has cumulatively been less than 1. 5 per cent since inception. Koutons has planned to expand their franchisee retail model to other products like home linen and furnishing and toys. Integrated player with low-cost sourcing capabilities: Koutons is an integrated apparel manufacturing and retail company with capabilities across the entire value chain of manufacturing and retailing. One of the major strengths includes in-house finishing facilities and rigid quality controls. Extensive logistics and supply chain management systems is put in place to maintain maximum flexibility, which enables them to meet needs in an efficient manner without relying on any one vendor, factory or country. The centralized purchasing system helps in achieving the standardization in quality control systems. Their involvement at every stage of the value chain has helped them successfully cut down on the intermediary costs. Unique brand positioning: Koutons positions itself as a „High Fashion Value for Money? brand. The â€Å"Koutons† brand is positioned in the middle to high fashion segment, offering a complete range of man? wardrobe (in the age group of 22 to 45 years). The â€Å"Charlie Outlaw† brand is a casual brand targeted at fashion conscious youngsters in the age group of 14 to 25 years. Foreign brands mostly target a niche market while Koutons cater to mass market. Koutons score over foreign brands in terms of fit and size they offer to Indian cons umers. Design and merchandising expertise, with a pulse on fashion: A team of designers and merchandisers who are supported by a staff of 40 professionals, including assistant designers and technical designers. Specialized design teams for each apparel categories are formed. Wide apparel range: A wide apparel portfolio which ranges from shirts, non denim trousers, denims, suits, blazers, T- shirts, cargos, capris, sweaters etc. It has also recently launched a range of apparel for women and children. IT Infrastructure: Until now Koutons has been using a specially developed computerized system (customized) to keep all records related to sales and inventories. To keep pace with the market competition and to make its operations more efficient, it has recently started using an enterprise resource planning system using advanced computer systems with the help of Ramco systems. This advanced system will help them to reduce inventory related problems (such as decreasing the inventory lead time, planning delivery schedules better), improving transparency and reducing redundancy. State of the art information flow system to maintain records relating to sales and inventory and integrate key work flows. In 2006 the company also installed a state of the art enterprise resource planning system. The company has been working on enhancing its IT capabilities for better management. This has helped it to bring down the average inventory days from 213 in FY07 to 202 in FY08. Huge sales per store due to hefty discounts offered by the stores. Weaknesses ? COFO model problems: Opening up manufacturing as well as retail outlets needs huge capital investments and hence limits the company? s ability to expand fast, as well as react to the changing market scenario. ? The company is not able to distribute from the multibrand shops and malls. This shuts it off from a major business opportunity and capitalizes on the retail revolution. ? Inventory problem: 340 days of inventory in an apparel industry where demand is seasonal. (Poor inventory turnover) ? Low Brand Value: Koutons stores only stock their own brands and perennial 70% discounts have completely eroded its brand value. This will prevent the company to move up the value chain. ? Concerns due to the nature of its business, Koutons finds large sum of money blocked up in the form of working capital. In FY08, working capital amounted to almost 68 per cent of annual sales which is on the higher side in retail sector. Acquisitions On January 2008, the Board of Directors decided to acquire 51% or more share in Touchwood International Pvt Ltd. , a Rs. 5 crore company and the owner of the brand „Upper Class?. The company has its presence in the ladies segments. „Upper Class? has its major presence in Delhi and has a strong foothold in the ladies garments segment. The brand specializes in casual bottom wear for women and has its presence in Multi brand outlets (MBOs) like Shoppers Stop, Pantaloons and Globus. Besides, it has its presence in the European market as well. Wh ile the acquisition will definitely give Koutons an exposure to the European market, it will help „Upper Class? gain a retail presence in the domestic retail market. Koutons has planned to open up 400 outlets of „Upper Class? by 2010. Expansion Koutons earlier was exporting Koutons and Charlie brand apparels to the Middle East. But it was halted in 2004 in 2004 as a part of the management strategy to focus more on the domestic market. But now that it has made its mark in the domestic market, it is actively trying to tap the exports market by 2008 with a view to target the Indian population in the Middle East region. It has initiated talks with large retail networks based in West Asia, whereby it plans to open 30 EBOs each of Koutons and Charlie brand by 2009. Koutons plans to enter the market through the route of Joint Venture wherein the majority stake will be retained by Koutons. While the designing, branding and production will be done by Koutons, their local partners will manage the supply chain and logistics. Koutons has already earmarked Rs 40 crores for rolling out the stores. Their first outlet is planned to come up in Dubai by 2008. The other cities under consideration are Abu Dhabi, Sarjah, Doha and Qatar. They also have plans to enter the Chinese market by 2008 and enter the European market very soon. All these would definitely provide the company with immense global visibility. Going Forward The company is aggressively rolling out its EBOs in southern India. Koutons would be enlarging its product portfolio in FY09 by adding categories like accessories and handbags for women along with belts for men and footwear collection for both men and kids by 2008. It is being done with a view to increase the footfalls in the outlets and thereby assist cross-selling and also to make it a one-stop-shop. The company has plans to introduce a new line of women? wear (Les Femme brand) and kids? wear. Koutons plans to open up 150 Koutons Junior and 200 Les Femme stores by 2009-10. To lessen the risk of stock obsolescence, the company has been deploying the strategy of shifting the unsold stock from metros to tier III towns to leverage the time lag in fashion trends between metros and tier III towns. For the year 2008-09, Koutons has planned to grow through the ladies wear and kids wear segments whi ch though being high margin segments are currently being dominated mostly by the regional players. Koutons plans to revolutionize these two segments by providing value for money products – which all throughout have been their core competency. The entry of foreign players in the Indian apparel market has one hand brought the threat the increased competition and on the other hand has increased the fashion awareness amongst the Indian population. However, which target mostly target the mass market can avoid direct confrontation with the foreign players who are more into niche segments. With the rising inflation and increasing cotton price, Koutons definitely has a challenge in their hands in the years to come.