Implementation of Public Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Implementation of Public Policy - Essay Example There present study has been conducted to understand the loopholes of the present education system and provide some recommended solutions. The education system is one of the support pillars for economic prosperity for any economy. Therefore the administrative bodies try to cement the pillars which will bring future prospects for the society. In this paper the focus of attention will rest upon the tuition policy practices and the effective policies that might improve the policy. Countries generally tend to follow the combination of tuition as well as the student aid programs with the aim to regulate the enrolment rate which will open up the opportunities for higher education. In this fashion proper education can be provided towards all income groups. Identifying ineffective public policy A good education is worth investing and this has always been true. Providing quality education to the citizens of the country is all about turning vision into reality. At this point of time, one of th e major problems faced by the people of the country as far as the education system is concerned actually lies at the very grass root level, i.e. with the schools. The tuition fees imposed by the schools are actually quite high which is difficult to bear for parents belonging to different financial backgrounds. Again the problem is higher fees do not guarantee quality education. In fact the tuition policies followed by some of the schools are not advanced. The teacher student ratio is alarming and signifies the fact that major portion of students literally lacks caring. The American kids are devoid of getting quality or great schools simply because at this point of time there is not enough clarity around the ultimate objective of schooling. Here lies the concern. USA being a developed country will have to maintain sustainable economic policies. Children, being the future the society must be provided with quality education and they are the ones who will take the responsibility of the country in times to come. At an ideal school the educational professionals would understand that the mission is to help the children from a cognitive as well as social point of view. Also the physical, emotional and ethical perspectives should also be kept in mind. However, right now in USA it is all about cognitive growth. The American Schools are failing because the schools are looking to suppress the students into a compliance based educational model. Children are natural learners and are actually at the young age the children tend to have a lot of creativity, curiosity and intrinsic motivation. But various research studies have shown that the American public schools resemble that of prisons and as a result after certain years of formal schooling the inherent qualities of the students are dying. The willingness to learn of the students is an important aspect. The American schools are failing to provide the right environment and the right policies that keep the willingness to lear n alive. There have been various educational reform movements that have focused one side of the coin, i.e. the problem of educational inequality. There is very little doubt that educational inequality is a very serious problem. However, that is the not the only core issue. Such movements for some reason have totally undermined other important issues like support for underachieving students, improvements of the skills set of the teachers,

Consumer Buying Behaviour: The Cosmetics Industry

Consumer Buying Behaviour: The Cosmetics Industry Abstract Women have an inherent love of beauty. The rapid economic growth, coupled with the huge development of cosmetics industry in China, contributes to the significant changes of cosmetics consumer behavior. Cosmetics have become a routine tool to make women more presentable. Understanding behaviour of consumers is a key to the success of business. As a huge potential consumer group, understanding of their attitudes and buying behavior towards cosmetics seems to be necessary. This study focused on investigating and analysing the purchasing patterns for female college students. Via the systemic study, companies will be beneficial to have a better understanding of college females in terms of cosmetics purchasing. The survey was conducted with focus group and questionnaires. The results of questionnaires will be analyzed by using SPSS and data were analysed by frequency analysis, cross-tab analysis and multi-respond analysis. Introduction 1.1 Research background With the expansion of social group and rising incomes, beauty consciousness among women has changed. Cosmetics entered into womens lives on a daily basis. The act of beautifying physical appearance not only becomes a distinct way to express ones image but also a pattern to show respect to other people (Choi, Kim, Kim, 2007). Following decade of years tremendous economic development, the Chinese cosmetics industry is undergoing fast changes and advancement. It further enhances the consumption level of urban and rural residents, improve the consumption environment, optimize consumption structures, and contribute to expansion of the fields of consumption (Tao, 2005). Consumer categories such as cosmetics benefited from the rapid growth in consumer spending, and have become a huge money maker. Meanwhile, the increasing fashion and beauty consciousness, as a natural outgrowth of rising incomes, diversify consumers demands. Obviously, this potential has not only attracted international cosmetics companies, but also led to more domestic cosmetics producers trying to enter the market. As a consequence, competition will be further intensified among foreign and domestic companies. Previous research indicated that females spending on cosmetics still making up of the main income for the entire cosmetics market. An increasing number of female college students starting to show strong interest in enhancing their appearance through make-up (Huang, 2003). With a high level of interests in appearance, they have revealed a great potential. College students represent not only the remarkable consumption potential but also the future mainstream. Thus, the female college students patterns of consumption gradually become a major concern (Choi, Kim, Kim, 2007). Studying consumer behavior enables companies to understand why consumers make the purchase decision and predict how they will react to promotional messages. On the purpose of maintaining and expanding market share, understanding of consumer behavior will be required to suit their changing needs. Therefore, research need to be conducted to provide cosmetic companies with basic data required in establishing marketing s trategies for advancement into Chinese market to tailor consumption patterns of female college students. 1.2 Scope and objectives of study When reviewing the literatures on the cosmetic and toiletry industry, the existing research related to Chinese cosmetic consumer is typically concerned with the entire market. Not many studies are available specifically focus on college students buying behavior. In the regard, considering the massive size of China, the present study limits itself to the female college students. By and large, this dissertation makes an attempt to investigate and analyse purchasing pattern of female college cosmetic consumers. In particular, this study aims to achieve the following objectives: To pinpoint and obtain a general picture of the cosmetics industry in China. On completion of this objective, the intention would be to get an insight into the cosmetics environment and the rapid growth trend of the industry so as to have a good knowledge base that can support the study throughout the dissertation. To investigate and analyse cosmetics buying behavior of female college students in China. The intention of this objective would be to a) understand how college student perceive cosmetics, b) identify their characteristics in terms of cosmetics purchase, and c) develop a greater understanding of motivation for purchasing, different factors involved in purchase decision of cosmetics and how product attribute, such as price, quality etc, effects buying patterns, thereby mapping out a model for female college students purchasing behavior. Based on the analysis of the research carried out, briefly propose a number of key recommendations enable companies in the industry to target their marketing strategies at college cosmetics consumers. The data that plan to be gathered for this research will be obtained from both primary and secondary resources. The secondary sources of data will be derived from published articles from internet database, journals and magazines, theses, and related studies on cosmetics. On the other hand, the primary source of information regarding the study will be gathered from focus groups and questionnaires, prepared by the researcher, which will be delivered to the respondents of the research. 1.3 Significance of study The boom of cosmetics industry in China has brought about changes in consumer behavior. The importance of the study cannot be understated. It is anticipated that the outcome of this study will certainly contribute towards a better understanding of the changing perception and behaviour of cosmetics buyers. Furthermore, there are a number of literatures that have discussed the female consumer behavior with regards to the purchase of cosmetics. This study will combine the relevant literature with own findings from primary research to provide an in-depth discussion. Therefore, the study will be significant in terms of better positioning of products and more effective marketing communication to tailor the demand of college females. This means that the findings will not only be able to benefit both foreign and domestic companies who have the willingness to enter the market but also various retailers who want to expand sales. Literature review Many theories have been proposed to explain consumer behaviors within certain industry area. Understanding todays consumer is the key to realising the future needs and expectations of beauty consumers, and is potentially relevant to improving marketing effectiveness (Tang, 2008). Previous studies hold that knowing the psychological process by which consumers make purchasing decisions enables marketers to grasp opportunities and even predict the shifts and future development trend of the consumer markets. Additionally, it exerts positive impact on improving cosmetics sales (Yau, 1994). Previous studies regarding the patterns of purchasing cosmetics à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ ©Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã‹â€ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ °Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ °Ã¢â‚¬  displayà §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¹ à §Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ®Ã‚ µÃƒ ¨Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ Ã‚ ¼Ã‚  2.1 Relationships between cosmetics and females à §Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã…’-à ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬Å" Ãƒ ¨Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤-à ¨Ã‚ ²Ã…’ à ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã‹Å"à ¦Ã‹Å" ¯Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ ²Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ´Ãƒ ¦Ã… ½Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â€ž ¢ à ¦Ã…“†°Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ³consumer behaviorà §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ §Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ®Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¼Ã… ¸Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¥Ã†â€™Ã‚ keralaà ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã…’à ©Ã‚ Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ £Ãƒ ¦Ã‚  Ã‚ ·Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ª300à ¥Ã‚ ­-à §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ °Ã‚ Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬Å" ºÃƒ ¥Ã… ¾Ã‚ « Few systematic studies have examined that à ¦Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ ´Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ »Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã‹â€  à ¥Ã…’-à ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬Å" Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ©Ã‹Å" ¿ à ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ §Ã‚ ±Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ §Ã‚ ±Ã‚ »Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ à ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â€š ¬ à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ºÃƒ ¤Ã‚ »Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã‹â€ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ´Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ °Ãƒ ¥Ã…’-à ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬Å" Ãƒ ©Ã‹Å" ¿ In this generation, cosmetics are used by women of practically all walks of life High-end cosmetics The desire to be beautiful could be considered a human tendency, as it is exhibited by almost every culture all around the world. KIRARA(PDF) Research suggests that beauty consciousness among people in general is changing. Vigneron and Johnson (1999) reported that peoples needs for appearances and materialism were increasing. That is human beings wanted to satisfy the need to look and feel good. This created a boom in the cosmetic and toiletries sector across the world. Chambers Encyclopedia defines cosmetics as (a) articles intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled or sprayed on, introduced into or otherwise applied to the human body or any part thereof for cleaning, beautifying, promoting attractiveness or altering the appearance and (b) articles intended for use as a component of such articles. Now a variety of cosmetic and toiletries ranging from natural to sophisticated items are available in the market. The pattern and preference of use of these items vary according to different segments of gender, age and socio-economic class. When we review the literature on the cosmetic and toiletry industry, not many studies are available especially about Indian scenario. 2.2 Patterns of women purchasing cosmetics Most early theories of consumer behavior were concerned with the purchasing characteristics and influential factors. Schutte and Ciarlante (Schutte Ciarlante, 1998)argued that in China the purchase decision is typically based on the usefulness of the product such as its physical characteristics and price value. However, recent studies outlined by Liang (Liang, 2008) suggested that womens purchasing pattern differs with men. Their buying decision tend to influenced easily by the purchasing environment, and have more impulse purchase. Besides, generally speaking, females have strong self-awareness when purchasing, which means majority of the decisions were made on the basis of personal preference or subjective impression, sensation. 2.2.1 Characteristics of purchasing cosmetics In general, female invest more money on various cosmetic products and even spared no expense because they pay more attention to appearance than men (Huang, 2003). The characteristics of modern Chinese females regarding cosmetics purchase can be summed up in three points: Easily affected by market atmosphere Normally, products promotion, advertising and other factors can easily tempt young females to make irrational purchases. In a research by Cong (Cong, 2008), results showed that 56% of females bought unneeded or unexpected cosmetics products as a result of discount, followed by the purchase due to interests aroused by shop environment and sales exhibition (40.8%). Accounts for 22.8% of females who bought useless products or had irrational consumption were affected by advertisement. Thus, compare with men, female is prone to be encouraged over-consumption by commercial appeals. Mood consumption Female tend to have more generous sentiments in the process of purchase. Their certain desires are prone to be roused and affected by mental activities. Oliver Yau (Yau, 1994) contended that mood consumption normally occurs in two situations. One of which might be triggered by delusion under particular circumstance. For example, lots of females had encountered situation that unexpected spending happens after being paid out the salary. Another circumstance that contributes to mood consumption is likely to happen in the case of that female with unusual mood. Such as, a considerable number of female go shopping when they feel frustrated and happy. Relatively low loyalty to brands Chinese cosmetics consumers show less passion on being loyal to brands. They would like to try several brands to compare them rather than be from the same brand (Labbrand, 2009). Besides, another reason that contributes to low brand loyalty is seasonal consumption of Chinese consumers due to the significant difference in climate between summer and winter (Mo, 2008). Customers have to change their purchase habit to suit the season. For instance, customer tends to use more sunscreen to protect their skin and less oily cream in summer than they do in winter. 2.2.2 Purchasing influences As established by Access Asia Limited (Access Asia Limited, 2008), Chinese consumers heavily rely on products, stores and services they know and trust. The same philosophy is applicable equally to product brands, with word-of-mouth communication proving to be a pervasive reason for consumers to change brands and most potent marketing tools in China. This is supported by Xuecai Liang (Liang, 2008) who claimed that among the females, friends group plays a very important role on information communicating about different brands of cosmetics. Some people will only buy products that they have been recommended by friends. However, the increasing effects of advertising on the urban and younger Chinese buyer cannot be neglected as their media exposure increases (Yang, 2004). In addition, the physical characteristics like reliability, innovative technology and high brand profile are the important factors when make a cosmetic purchase, a study by Yuyuan Huang suggested that (Huang, 2003). Taking different attitudes towards local and foreign brands as example, Huang explained that foreign brand represent high quality and status at the Chinese consumers view, while local brand are perceived as shortage of these selling advantages, even both product sold at the same price. Besides, it worth to notice that local cosmetics consumers now are prepared to pay more for better quality, service, and convenience. The variety of choice is seen as another factor. According to Shen, Liu and Huang (Shen, Liu, Huang, 2005), majority of the consumers will prefer to shop in large stores when they can easily reach such places, whereas finding the lack of product choice in smaller stores (especially in terms of range of price) to be embarrassed. It can be argued that larger stores will provide more bargains, which means the products tend to have higher price value. Such stores are also considered as being more convenient to shop in, contributing to the flourishing development of the discount retailing sector over recent years (Access Asia Limited, 2008). Moreover, in the eyes of Chinese consumer, the depth of communication brands had with their customers is vital. According to survey conducted by Labbrand (Labbrand, 2009), Chinese consumers have a strong demand to communicate with brands. For instance, they would like to receive inquiry from brand concerning their feeling about the products they use, or to be informed in time when brand have special events. Besides, consumers considered that from communicating with brand they can better compare and finally find the most suitable cosmetics for their specific needs and desires. Thus, it can be argued that companies who kept contact with consumers tend to have higher sales and brand loyalty. Industry review The huge advances witnessed over the past two decades have improved the living standards of millions of Chinese citizens. With the upgrade of living standards, private consumption among expenses has reached a higher level. The rise in private consumption translated into greater spending on personal care products in the booming cosmetics industry (Tao, 2005). In China, the development of the cosmetic industry has been to a new stage and it shows a sound momentum of growth. Market potential: Chinese cosmetic market continues to surge In recent year, the continuous rapid economic growth generates good environment and favorable development space for cosmetics industry maintaining a rapid rate of growth. In 2003, china had become the second-largest cosmetics market in Asia after Japan, and was the eighth largest in the world (Li, 2005). According to National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of China, the Chinese cosmetics market generated total revenues of RMB ¿Ã‚ ¥488.3 billion in 2007, representing annual sales grew by 26.3 percent over the same period last year. In 2008 and 2009, the sales grew by 22.2% and 17.2%, respectively, over the same period, to reach respective values of RMB ¿Ã‚ ¥596.5 and RMB ¿Ã‚ ¥348.2 billion in 2008 (HKTDC, 2009). At the same time, it has also been taken note that the performance of the market is forecast to decelerate, but still increase by approximately 13% annually (Datamonitor, 2009). Overall, the cosmetics industry is surely faster than the economic growth which means the long te rm potential of the Chinese cosmetic market is fairly vast. Additionally, given its population of approximately 1.3 billion, China has the largest market potential. Chinas share of the global cosmetic market may seem small compared to huge markets like the US and Japan, but with a population of over a billion people, the growth potential there is staggering, said Lenka Contreras, vice president and head of the Consumer Products practice for Klines research division (Pitman, 2005). Chinas cosmetics market is still far from saturation.à ¨Ã¢â€š ¬Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ¾Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¡Ã‚ ¨Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ HKTDCà ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã…’à ©Ã‚ Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ¾Ãƒ ¦Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¦- ¥Ã‚ ¼Ã…’xx ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °!!!!à ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã‹Å"à ¦Ã‹Å" ¯Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ¨datamonitorà §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸!!!!!!! Characteristics of chinas cosmetics market The consumer market development is vigorous With economy expanding and mass livelihood improving, awareness of personal well-being prompts strong and continuous growth in the consumer market. It not only reforms the consumption pattern but also drive the sales (Asia consulting, 2008). In that sense, it is predicted that the Chinese cosmetic consumer market is dynamic. Women stimulating the market growth Female is still an essential part of Chinese cosmetics market, especially those office ladies. As Chinese women are now increasingly beauty consciousness and awareness, the use of cosmetics has become a part of their daily routine (Fung, 2005). Accordingly, the rising proportion of young females in white-collar jobs has formed the loyal customer basis for this market, and the cosmetics sales have been driven. Their spending on cosmetic is outgrowing over other areas. National Bureau of Statistics has come up with data that shows women ages from 20-54 account for 27.21% of the total population. Being more economically independent, the enormous number of consumers in the group will generate huge demands than ever (HKTDC, 2009). The famous-brand effect appears day by day on the market The rising sales of famous-brand products reflected that customers attitudes concerning cosmetics have changed (Chen Xue, 2005). As the improving residents consumption level, people are willing to pay more attentions to those well-know cosmetic products which were considered with high grade, quality assurance and harmlessness. For example, customers will be highly delighted with brand-name products that can prevent wrinkles or keep moisture balance in the skin. Due to the impression lifted in mind, its sales increased dramatically and gradually become the main growth point of the entire market. Instead, few shows interest in low-end cosmetic products (China Consulting, 2008). Consumer In Chinese cosmetics market, consumers ways of spending are undergoing a significant change. Dianyi Zhang, president of China Cosmetics Association, claimed that modern customers behave more independently on consumption. Consumers tend to utilize different channels and rely on various measuring standard to get a pleasing cosmetics, rather than dependent on advertising. In addition, changes also occur on consumer group. Depending on the difference in requests on brand, quality, price and personal affordability, consumers were divided into low, middle and high classes. And, every class has a great number of loyal customers (HKTDC, 2009). Women of all ages were concerned with their lifestyle. The rising purchasing ability of women helped them to spend more on personal grooming. This grooming consciousness was encouraged by womens active participation in advertisement or fashion shows, such as the popular Fashion TV program (Pitman Simon, 2009). In china, consumption pattern of consumers is changing. The consumers have become globalized in their thinking and are ready to enjoy with some impulsive shopping. Access to various brands and products give them better knowledge towards cosmetics, due to fast-flowing information (Tang, 2008). Therefore, as a cosmetics producer, motivations and type of products purchased should be different depending upon the segment of consumer targeted. Competitive situation The business environment in China has been improving, especially since 2001, when the country joined the World Trade Organization. The commitment to opening its market in compliance with the WTO rules has further stimulated the market, with greater participation from international and domestic player. Consequently, competition between multinationals and local players is heating up across the country (Utsunomiya, 2003). 3.4.1 Foreign Brands Continue to Dominate in the Chinese Market International brands play a dominant role in the upper-end cosmetics market, such as PG (Olay), Unilever (Ponds), Shiseido, LOreal and Estee Lauder etc (See Table 1) , due to young womens pursuit of well-known brands in literary. These large multinational cosmetic players have entered the mainland market one after another to build their own manufacturing basis and sales network (Sunfaith China Ltd, 2005) and many of those players have been operating successfully in the China market, making their brands well-known and occupy about 80% of the total market share. According to certain statistics, the world top 15 brand of cosmetics had set up own specialty stores (HKTDC, 2002). Even so, those cosmetics magnates have accelerated expansion into low-end products. For example, Avon and LOreal launched low-end cosmetics one after another to suit the changing customers needs and purchasing behavior, and expand the market share (HKTDC, 2009). Table 1 Top Ten Preferred Colour Cosmetics Products, 2006 (Access Asia Limited, 2008) Brand % Share Maybelline 10.3 LOreal 9.9 Shisiedo 8.0 Lancà ´me 7.3 Avon 6.6 Està ©e Lauder 5.5 Yue Sai 5.1 Revlon 4.7 Amway 3.8 H2O 3.2 Others 35.6 TOTAL 100.0 3.4.2 Transformation of local Chinese companies is under way Compared with foreign companies domestic players have smaller market share due to several weaknesses. For instance, weak financial ability, lack of research and development capability, and lack of experience in brand management and marketing. Therefore, most of those players produce low-end product with only a small number making high-end product that can compete with foreign players (Li, 2005). Nonetheless, as the economic growth domestic companies has undertaken a transformation, gradually changed the impression with low quality and price, and entered into high-end market so as to become more competitive (Ocn, 2008). Facing with the open markets and trade liberalization in China, the previous mentioned increasingly fierce competition is inevitable. On the purpose of responding to the changing customer demands, market players have devised a variety of marketing strategies so as to create impressive product image in customers mind and drive them to spend more money on their own products. Distribution channel SWOT analysis of the female market Future develop trend http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com/Products-Markets/Asian-cosmetics-players-opt-for-natural-and-organic-standards Cosmetics players opt for natural and organic standards In karara (PDF) the main reasons for boom in cosmetic industry as increasing fashion and beauty consciousness coupled with rising incomes and focus on health and fitness. A natural and holistic approach attracts these women, especially where there is an interest in complementary health and in overall well being. Key issues à ¦Ã‹Å" ¯Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã‹Å" ¯Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¦Ã…  Ã…   SWOT analysis à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ ¥Ã…“ ¨Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã…’à ©Ã‚ Ã‚ ¢Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸ Summary of key issues related to your literature and industry review The key issues section is where you, having completed the situation analysis consider what are the key issues facing the company and the market. So in a sense it is a summary chapter at the end of the first section of your report. In this chapter you should give an indication of what you think are the most important issues facing the company and the market. à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ½Ãƒ ¥Ã…’-à ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬Å" Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¶Ã‹â€ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ´Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ ¥Ã…“ ºÃƒ §Ã… ½Ã‚ °Ãƒ ¥Ã…“ ¨Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ­Ã‹Å"à ¥Ã…“ ¨Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ©- ®Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¢Ã‹Å" ¼Ã…’à ©Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ £ à ¦Ã‚ ¶Ã‹â€ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ´Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¡Ã…’à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ºÃƒ ¥Ã… ½Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ £Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬  Ã‚ ³ Consumer à §Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ²Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ®Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ±Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ à ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã…’à ¥Ã…’-à ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬Å" Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸ Company à ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ½Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ ¥Ã…“ ºÃƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚  Ãƒ ¦Ã…“†°Ãƒ §Ã… ½Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ½Ã… ½Ã‚ ¼Ã…’ à ©Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ´Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ £Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¶Ã‹â€ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ´Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ £Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬  Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ªÃƒ ©- ®Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¢Ã‹Å" ¼Ã… ¸Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸ Research methods 5.1 Approach 5.2 Data gathering method 5.3 Data Processing http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/sample_dissertation_research_problem_and_objectives/ In this study, the self-administered semi-structured questionnaires will be used to collect quantitative data and the interviews will be used to provide qualitative insights into the data collected. The data will then be presented by means of graphical representations and illustration and the difference would be highlighted. à §Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ §Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¦- ¹Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ³Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ 38 à §Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬ à §Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ §Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¦Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¹ à §Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ…’à §Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬ à §Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ §Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ °Ã‚ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ±Ã‚ ¡ à §Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬ à §Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ §Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ·Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ · à §Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ¢â‚¬ ºÃƒ §Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬ à §Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ §Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ µÃ‚ Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¹ à §Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬ Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬ à ¨Ã‚ ³Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¦-â„ ¢Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ãƒ §Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¨Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¦Ã… ¾Ã‚  Research question Secondary research: The following information could be considered using desk research to give a general review and help to assist analysis of primary researches: Cosmetics industry review The purpose of this part is to find out important information concerning the entire cosmetics markets in china. Main issues that need to investigate include: Main characteristics of Cosmetics Industry in china What current market development trend is What Competitive situation is within cosmetics market Development opportunities of the cosmetics market within china This information will be helpful to better understand and form general perceptions of industry situation in china. There are several ways to obtain required information above. Data sources: Internet Databases Go to college library website and use its databases, such as: Marketline Academic Search Premier Business Insights Access Asia Series Business Source Premier To look for industry reports and e-journals those contain information regarding the Chinese cosmetic market. Find out information about the current cosmetics market and even see what demographics suit Shiseido to introduce the product to. Applying databases is a good way to get information due to its huge information storage volume and reliability. Most of them are academic-based, and have a comprehensive understanding on specific field. Websites: Look up necessary websites such as www.shiseidochina.com where might be possible to get some internal data sources. The use of this data is to define the competitive position of the firm, an evaluation of a marketing strategy the firm has used in the past, or gaining a better understanding of the company. Even, their past researches on consumer behaviors. The internal data sources might be sales marketing reports and accounting financial reports of the company. Magazines Newspapers It is also possible to look at some Chinese cosmetics industry magazines so that to acquire valuable industry information and some current cosmetic issues happened in china. Quantitative Qualitative methods In order to ascertain consumers cosmetics buying patterns and product satisfactions, quantitative and qualitative researches are both required to be implemented. It should be noticed that the understandings of consumers would exert significant impacts on companys marketing strategies. Besides, it is valuable for coming up with comments and suggestions to Client Company after analyzing Chinese customer. The main objectives of quantitative and qualitative research falls into several parts as followed: Motive of Purchasing Cosmetic Product Motives are defined as general drives that direct a consumers behavior toward attaining his or her need and the motivational drive directly affects the specific benefit criteria consumers use to evaluate products. Thus, understand buying motivations will provide evidences to Client Company to better position its products. Information Sources There are differences in using information sources among various age groups. Knowing customers through what kinds of channels to get products information could help Shiseido sell products more effectively to target audiences. Evaluative Criteria for Purchasing Cosmetics As for criteria for purchasing cosmetics, the responses will be in order of quality, price and volume of content. It is crucial to see what element is more important to customers when buying cosmetics. This will do company a favor to develop products or marketing strategies. Place of Purchasing Cosmetics In terms of the place of purchase, primary research should focus on finding out the reasons for selecting these places of purchase. Then, company can identify the perfect place to sell its products on the basis of information provided by survey. Satisfactions and dissatisfactions It is well known that satisfactions with a product will perform huge influences on its sales volume. This primary research should identify the level of satisfactions towards Shiseido and try to find out any aspects that consumers wish to see changes. Quantitative research Questionnaires As the measuring tools of this study, questionnaire based on previous studies and results of preliminary research were used. In this case, this study was carried out in the country of China. Therefore, questionnaire in English should be translated into Chinese. To reach a variety of different customers, questionnaires are supposed to carry out at different city within china so that to get as many points of views as possible. Questionnaire is consisted of 3 main sections: Section 1 is simply some questions on demographical characteristics of respondents like gender, age and occupation etc. to profile consumers. Section 2 emphasizes on customers buying behavior on cosmetics. As objectives mentioned above. For instance, purchase motivation information sources, evaluative criteria for purchasing basic skin care items and color make-up products, store type of purchasing cosmetic product and reasons for store selection persons to exert influence upon purchasing and satisfaction/dissatisfaction on cosmetics purchased. Section 3 focuses more on investigating customers perceptions concerning Shiseido products. Such as, customers brand awareness of Shiseido, brand image and brand position in customers mind. Additionally, the results of questionnaires will be analyzed by using SPSS. The analysis conducted in the study with SPSS statistics package includes frequency analysis, cross-tab analysis, analysis of variance and Multiple Range test. Survey In order to keep questionnaire short enough to maintain respondents interests, there must be some questions cannot be asked. Thus in this project, I will also consider conductin

The Mirror of Time and Memory. :: Essays Papers

The Mirror of Time and Memory. Live in the house-and the house will stand. I will call up any century, Go into it and build myself a house†¦ With shoulder blades like timber props I help up every day that made the past, With a surveyor’s chain I measure time And traveled through as if across the Urals. I only need my immortality For my blood to go on flowing from age to age. I would readily pay with my life For a safe place with constant warmth Were it not that life’s flying needle leads me on Through the world like a thread. Arseniy Tarkovsky The films of Andrey Arsen’evitch Tarkovsky fall into the separate genre of cinematic creations: they are more than drama or psychological thriller, more than philosophical cinema. Although Tarkovsky’s work has been deeply influenced with such prominent film directors as Kurosawa, Bunuel or Antonioni, the poetry of his father, Arseniy Tarkovsky, Boris Pasternak and many other Russian poets and writers, his films manage to form something completely unique to the mind of their director, convey a diaphanous psychological message. His cinematography is a celebration, a theatre of â€Å"imprinted time,† trapped with the skillful techniques of the plot-creating and camera usage of the director. As if in the ‘Zone’ of his Staler the art of Andrey Tarkovsky freezes the moment, the gasp of time, enclosed into almost sculpture-like solid creation that opens up to the viewer its nostalgic breeze. The time exists, it crystallizes in form of faerie, elfish ara besque figures and characters and yet it evaporates filling the space with a sense of solitude and sorrow for the past. Tarkovsky’s film Zerkalo or otherwise known as Mirror is a story of the human life; it is not quite a celebration of it; but rather a depiction of the web of the human senses. It is an autobiographic tribute to his abandoned by her husband during the war years mother, filled with the feelings of grief and amusement with her zealous self-sacrifice for the sake of her children. The narrator, or perhaps Tarkovsky himself, is trying to appease his guilty with indifference and scorn conscience with the memories of his childhood and attempts to relive or even incarnate the experiences of his past. The problems of the past are reflected and repeated in the present. Remembering Proust, Tarkovsky describes the effect of finishing Mirror:† Childhood memories which for years had given me no peace suddenly vanished, as if they had melted away, and at last I stopped dreaming about the house where I had lived so many years before .

The portrait of a real man in modern society

The portrait ofa real man in modern society Life has always made great demands on man and these demands change unrecognizably as years go by. For instance, all that was required of a primitive man was the ability to hunt well, whereas modern people have to combine different complicated roles. We live in a dynamically developing world where everything Is planned down to the minute. All the systems of todays society function together and men are just â€Å"cogs in the machine†. And yet these â€Å"cogs† must be flexible, intelligent and active. But on the other hand, our lifestyle offers some benefits as well.For example, meeting numerous challenges gives you the sense of achievement and raises your self-esteem. But If our world today Is so diverse, Is there a unified Image of the real man? This question troubles many people and a great number of them try to find an answer to it. To my mind, one of the most valuable qualities today is intelligence, which allows one to ful fil one's duties, get and analyse information and come up with effective solutions. But Intelligence alone Isn't enough to make a successful person. creativity and Imagination are quite Important qualltles ppreciated by todays employers.In such a highly-developed world as ours man should be capable of inventing new methods of doing routine things. That's why discovering your talents Is becoming more vital nowadays than ever before. Having an activity that you are good at can brighten up your life and, what's more, protect you from all the temptations which can attract idlers so much. Furthermore, they say, â€Å"A sound mind in sound body'. That's why all the qualities listed above are Inseparable from physical fitness. Many people nowadays attend gyms or work out by hemselves In order to stay fit and healthy.Another pastime which Is gaining popularity is extreme sports. Daring people go in for mountaineering, surfing, bungee jumping or other risky activities to see how far their l imits may go. However, this tendency isnt as admirable as It may seem, for many people put their lives at risk lust to fill the emptiness In their souls or minds with adrenaline. Speaking frankly, I'd rather they took up something useful for the society instead. Everybody knows that our world today is full of problems – global and local, major and minor, and people ith an active life position cant but think about the poor, the homeless and the disabled.The majority of us have understood the importance of charity, volunteer work and fighting against such social evils as alcoholism and drug addiction. To sum up, a real man should possess all the qualities which I have mentioned. In my opinion, one of the examples ofa real man of the 21 st century is Chulpan Khamatova, a gifted actress whose talent Is unique and lustrous. She Is also known for her unprecedented social activity which draws public attention to the problems of children with cancer.In the year 2006 Chulpan became a co-founder of a charity fund â€Å"Gift of life† which helps children suffering from oncological diseases. She manages to find time for charity work although the actress's profession Is extremely hard and , besides, she has three children of her own to take care of. Of course, not everyone can live up to todays expectations and it has always been a hard task to meet the demands of the society. No one is perfect, but we can try to develop all tnese good qualltles In ourselves, as ellow once put It, â€Å"All are arcnltects 0T Fate working in these walls of Time†¦ â€Å"

Atlantic Computer: a Bundle of Pricing Options

[Case Write-Up #5, 2011-11-14] Case 6. Atlantic Computer Group 11 2010123281 Lim, Min A 2010123380 Lee, Yoon Ji 2010101026 Na, Hyeon Jung 2010123031 Park, Jae Eon ?. Executive Summary At the present, with the growth of the Internet, the basic server market is growing rapidly and the Atlantic computer, which is aimed at producing the high performance server, is ready to sell the basic server. It launches the Tronn loaded with PESA. PESA, the software increases the speed of file sharing and web servers, two of the most used application for the consumers, so it should be sold with the Tronn, the hardware.At first year, if we assume that the firm will be able to sell all of the Tronn servers it can produce, Atlantic’s resulting share of the basic server segment will be 4%. We suggest that possibility as our goal to pursue. But the basic market is already full with the competitor, Ontario with the Zink and the company has a tendency to stick to the traditional marketing approach. T o overcome these impediments, we suggest to set the price based on the calculation of cost-based pricing and to abandon the original direct marketing methods and accept the indirect ways like online-marketing and the advertisement through diverse media. . Problem Analysis (Goal & Impediments) Goal As new-comer of the basic server market, Atlantic’s computer begins from the scratch. If Atlantic’s computer can sell all of its product, the Tronn, it can occupy 4% in basic server market. But the thing is, it is a ground stone to enlarge the market share in the long run, so it would better not to harm the revenue to reach that figure. The targeted consumers is people who have demand for basic server, especially who are interested in one application, especially either of file sharing and web servers, and who seeks the way to inimize the initial purchase costs and subsequent possession costs. Impediments We have two main impediments for our goal, strong competitor and Atlanti c computer’s traditional marketing strategy. Our strong competitor, Ontario, has already half of the market share in basic server segment. Also their product Zink has similar spec with Tronn. So we have to compete with Zink in price or innovative supply chain strategy. It is hard to appeal to consumers that we have not technological superiority but fall behind Zink in market share very much. Another main impediment is Atlantic Computer’s existing traditional marketing strategy.Atlantic Computer already won success in high performance segment, so many people in the company tend to think that it’s just right to apply existing marketing strategy to basic segment. Atlantic’s computer is interested in making intimate relationship with customers and maintaining its post-sales assistance service level in high performance segment. But situation in basic segment and high performance segment is different, we have to apply different marketing strategy each other. As mentioned above, there is specific situation where Zink and Tronn is very similar in technological aspect.Therefore, there should be some unique marketing strategy in basic segment. ?. Solution Analysis Solution To boost market share in basic segment, Atlantic Company should develop proper the pricing strategy. The company should consider four strategies: status-quo pricing, competition-based pricing, cost-based pricing and value-based pricing. ? Status-quo pricing cost of Server only and PESA for free Price of one Tronn Server = $2000 2 Tronn Servers + PESA software free = 2*2000 = $4000 Total Price of 2 Atlantic Bundles to Daytradejournal. com = $4000 Price of 1 Atlantic Bundle = $2000 ? Competition-based pricingPricing the Tronn servers based on price of competitor server (Zink by Ontario) and PESA for free. Since 2 Tronn Server with PESA software is equivalent to 4 Zink servers Price of one Zink Server = $1700 / 2 Tronn Servers + PESA software free=4*1700= $6800 Total Price of 2 Atlantic Bundles = $6800 Price of 1 Atlantic Bundle = $3400 ? Cost-based pricing (figure1, figure2) Cost incurred in PESA software development = $2000000 / Cost of Tronn Server = $1538 Price of 1 Atlantic Bundle = $ 2245 ?Value-based Pricing (figure3) Considering 4 Zink server is equivalent to 2 Tronn server and 2 PESA software. Price of 1 Atlantic Bundle = $ 4200Above diagram, we can know that fourth pricing strategy get high profit, but price is also high. If price is too high, customers are reluctant to buy Atlantic Bundle, and this harms the market share. So, the company should avoid to select Value-based pricing and Competition-based pricing. Status-quo pricing could be an effective way for increasing market share because of its cheap price, but it will not give benefit in the long-run. Cost-based pricing is the best choice for Atlantic Company, because its moderate price makes company get high market share in the beginning and moderate profit for first year.There could be an argument that status-quo pricing is more appropriate way to reach our goal of reaching the 4% of the market share in basic server field. But as mentioned above our goal is a ground stone to grow in the long run, it is better to choose the price making more profit with similar figure market share basis. Moreover to boost market share in basic segment the company should use indirect mass marketing. In high performance server market, it was efficient to use expensive direct marketing to the giant and few consumers. But it is non-matching to basic segment where the company should put its great effort to lower the price.So the company should use the indirect and comparatively cheaper way to connect with the smaller and much consumers of the basic server market. The Atlantic’s computer can use online-marketing like its competitor, Ontario, or it can use mass market advertising through mass media. It could affect to more consumers easily. Although this method the product could affe ct each consumer less, the total quantity of influence on the targeted consumers should increase assuming the number of the customers in this market, figure 1 figure 2 figure 3

Lady Or The Tiger Essay Essays

Lady Or The Tiger Essay Essays Lady Or The Tiger Essay Paper Lady Or The Tiger Essay Paper The Princesss Jealousy Love or jealousy, which overcomes the other? Can love be so strong that you are willing to make sacrifices for your lover just to keep them alive? Or can jealousy be s o powerful that you are willing to murder your lover? In Frank Stockpots short story, The Lady or the Tiger, he ends the story with a question, leaving the readers to decide which door the p eeriness chose for her lover. The clues given in this story shows that jealousy can overpower love e, which means that the princess chose the door with the tiger. While the princess loved the commoner clearly, she was not able to control h re jealousy and anger. The lady was the fairest and loveliest of the damsels, and she felt t hat her soul would have burned in agony (150) if the lady and the commoner were to have a we adding. She obviously wanted him for herself, and she did not want the lady to interfere in her relationship with her lover. In addition, the Story says, Often she had seen, or imagined SSH e had seen, this fair creature throwing glances of admiration upon the person of her lover, an sometimes she thought these glances were perceived and even returned (149). This meant t hat the princess already believed that the lady and her lover might be having an affair and she could not handle the fact that they could end up getting married. Young 1 Furthermore, due to her selfish and semicircular behavior, it led her to choose e the door with the tiger. She hated the lady, which the story states itself, It was one oft he fairest and loveliest of the damsels of the court who had been selected as the award oft he accused youth, would he be proved innocent of the crime of aspiring to one so far above hi m; and the princess hated her (149). Because she hated the lady, the princess wanted to cause ha arm to her. If killing her lover will harm the lady in any way, I feel that the princess will be willing t o do it because of her semicircular nature. Also, no one can have him besides the princess, hi chi means that she thought the lady was a threat to her and the commoner. Lastly, the princess chose the door with the tiger because she was imperious I eke her father. The story states that the king had a daughter ND with a soul as fever .NET and imperious as his own (147). This meant that she wanted things her way, and she believe d that it was easier to let her lover die. A s the princess questions, Would it not be better for him to die at once, and go to wait for her in the blessed regions of semicircular futurity? The princes s would not have to see the lady With the commoner, and she could wait for him later on in the afterlife. Obviously, the princess chose the door with the tiger despite the fact that she loved him, because she was too selfish and jealous. She mainly did it for herself, so she would not have to see him with the lady, and it would have hurt the damsel in some way. Also, t he princess would have met him in the afterlife, so it is easier than having to deal with seeing hi m alive with Young 2 another woman instead of her. This shows that jealousy indeed can overpower re love. However, is it truly love when you are so jealous that you are not willing to make sacrifices for your own lover? Sacrifices, such as letting them live and watch your lover marry another woman just to make them happy?

Barefoot in the Park, Neil Simons 1963 Romantic Comedy

Barefoot in the Park, Neil Simon's 1963 Romantic Comedy Barefoot in the Park is a romantic comedy written by Neil Simon. It premiered on Broadway in 1963, featuring leading man Robert Redford. The play was a smash hit, running for over 1,500 performances.​​​ The Basic Plot Corie and Paul are newlyweds, fresh from their honeymoon. Corie is still enthralled by her recent sexual awakening and the adventure that comes with youth and marriage. She wants their passionate romantic life to continue at full speed. Paul, however, feels it is time to focus on his burgeoning career as an up-and-coming lawyer. When they dont see eye-to-eye about their apartment, their neighbors, and their sex drive, the new marriage experiences its first patch of rough weather. The Setting Choose a good location for your play, and the rest will write itself. Thats what seems to happen in Barefoot in the Park. The entire play takes place on the fifth floor of a New York apartment building, one without an elevator. In Act One, the walls are bare, the floor is vacant of furniture, and the skylight is broken, allowing it to snow in the middle of their apartment at the most inopportune of moments. Walking up the stairs completely exhausts the characters, granting hilarious, out-of-breath entrances for telephone repairmen, delivery men, and mother-in-laws alike. Corie loves everything about their new, dysfunctional home, even if one must turn the heat off to warm up the place and flush down in order to make the toilet work. Paul, however, does not feel at home, and with the mounting demands of his career, the apartment becomes a catalyst for stress and anxiety. The setting initially creates the conflict between the two lovebirds, but it is the neighbor character who furthers the tension. The Crazy Neighbor Victor Velasco wins the award for the most colorful character in the play, even outdoing the bright, adventuresome Corie. Mr. Velasco prides himself on his eccentricity. He shamelessly sneaks through his neighbors apartments in order to break into his own. He climbs out  five-story windows and travels daringly across the buildings ledges. He loves exotic food and even more exotic conversation. When he meets Corie for the first time, he happily admits to being a dirty old man. Although, he does note that he is only in his fifties and therefore still in that awkward phase. Corie is charmed by him, even going as far as covertly arranging a date between Victor Velasco and her prudish mother. Paul distrusts the neighbor. Velasco represents everything Paul does not want to become: spontaneous, provocative, silly. Of course, those are all traits which Corie values. Neil Simons Women If Neil Simons late wife was anything like Corie, he was a lucky man. Corie embraces life as a series of exciting quests, one more exciting than the next. She is passionate, funny, and optimistic. However, if life becomes dull or tedious, then she shuts down and loses her temper. For the most part, she is the complete opposite of her husband. (Until he learns to compromise and actually walk barefoot in the park... while intoxicated.) In some ways, she is comparable to Julie the deceased wife featured in Simons 1992 Jakes Women. In both comedies, the women are vibrant, youthful, naà ¯ve, and adored by the male leads. Neil Simons first wife, Joan Baim, may have exhibited some of those traits seen in Corie. At the very least, Simon seemed to have been head-over-heels in love with Baim, as indicated in this excellent New York Times article, The Last of the Red Hot Playwrights written by David Richards: The first time I saw Joan she was pitching softball, Simon remembers. I couldnt get a hit off her because I couldnt stop looking at her. By September, writer and counselor were married. In retrospect, it strikes Simon as a period of great innocence, green and summery and gone forever. I noticed one thing almost as soon as Joan and Neil were married, says Joans mother, Helen Baim. It was almost like he drew an invisible circle around the two of them. And nobody went inside that circle. Nobody! A Happy Ending, Of Course What ensues is a light-hearted, predictable final act, in which tensions mount between the newlyweds, culminating with a brief decision to separate (Paul sleeps on the couch for a spell), followed by the realization that both husband and wife should compromise. Its yet another simple (but useful) lesson on moderation. Is Barefoot Funny to Todays Audience? In the sixties and seventies, Neil Simon was the hitmaker of Broadway. Even throughout the eighties and nineties, he was creating plays that were vibrant crowd-pleasers. Plays such as Lost in Yonkers and his autobiographic trilogy pleased the critics as well. Although by todays media-frenzied standards, plays such as Barefoot in the Park may feel like the pilot episode of a slow-paced sitcom; yet there is still a lot to love about his work. When it was written, the play was a comedic look at a modern young couple who learn to live together. Now, enough time has gone by, enough changes in our culture and relationships have occurred, that Barefoot feels like a time capsule, a glimpse into a nostalgic past when the worst thing couples could argue about is a broken skylight, and all conflicts could be resolved simply by making a fool of oneself.

How to Develop and Organize a Classification Essay

How to Develop and Organize a Classification Essay Classification is a method of developing an essay by arranging people, objects, or ideas with shared characteristics into particular classes or groups. After you have settled on a topic for a classification essay*  and explored it through various prewriting strategies, you should be ready to attempt a first draft. Here is how to develop and organize a five-paragraph classification essay. Introductory Paragraph In your introduction, clearly identify your subject - in this case, the group you are classifying. If you have narrowed your subject in any way (for example, types of bad drivers, rock guitarists, or annoying moviegoers), make this clear from the start. You may also want to provide some specific descriptive or informative details to attract the interest of your readers and suggest the purpose of the essay. Finally, include a thesis sentence (usually at the end of the introduction) that briefly identifies the main types or approaches that youre about to examine.   Heres an example of a short but effective introductory paragraph to a classification essay: Its a warm evening in July, and all across the country Americans are gathering to watch a game of professional baseball. Armed with hot dogs and cold drinks, they stroll to their seats, some in grand stadiums, others in cozy minor-league parks. But no matter where the game is played, you will find the same three types of baseball fan: the Party Rooter, the Sunshine Supporter, and the Diehard Fan. Notice how this introduction creates certain expectations. The specific details provide a setting (a ballpark on a warm evening in July) in which we expect to see the various fans described. In addition, the labels assigned to these fans (the Party Rooter, the Sunshine Supporter, and the Diehard Fan) lead us to expect descriptions of each type in the order theyre given. A good writer will go on to fulfill these expectations in the body of the essay. Body Paragraphs Begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence that identifies a particular type of approach. Then  illustrate each type with specific details. Arrange your body paragraphs in whatever order strikes you as clear and logical - say, from the least effective approach to the most effective, or from the most common type to the least familiar (or the other way around). Just make sure that the order of your body paragraphs matches the arrangement promised in your thesis sentence. Here, in the body of the essay on baseball fans, you can see that the writer has fulfilled the expectations set up in the introduction. (In each body paragraph, the topic sentence is in italics.) The Party Rooter goes to games for the hot dogs, the gimmicks, the giveaways, and the companionship; hes not really that interested in the ballgame itself. The Party Rooter is the sort of fan who shows up on Buck-a-Brew Night, often with a gang of fellow partiers. He cracks jokes, hurls peanuts at the team mascot, applauds the exploding scoreboard, blasts an electronic horn whenever he pleases- and occasionally nudges a companion and asks, Hey, whos winning? The Party Rooter often wanders out of the park in the sixth or seventh inning to continue his celebrations in the car on the way home.The Sunshine Supporter, usually a more common type than the Party Rooter, goes to the park to cheer on a winning team and bask in its glory. When the home side is on a winning streak and still in contention for a playoff spot, the stadium will be packed with this sort of fan. As long as her team is winning, the Sunshine Supporter will be roaring at every play, waving her pennant and shouting out th e names of her heroes. However, as the name implies, the Sunshine Supporter is a fickle fan, and her cheers quickly turn to boos when a hero strikes out or drops a line drive. She will stay around until the end of the game to celebrate a victory, but should her team fall a few runs behind, shes likely to slip out to the parking lot during the seventh-inning stretch.​Diehard Fans are also strong supporters of the local team, but they go to the park to watch good baseball, not just to root for a winner.  More attentive to the game than other fans, Diehards will study the stance of a power hitter, note the finesse of a quick fielder, and anticipate the strategy of a pitcher who has fallen behind in the count. While the Party Rooter is chugging a beer or dropping wisecracks, Diehards may be filling in a scorecard or commenting on a players RBI tally over the past few months. And when a Sunshine Supporter boos an opposing player for tagging out a local hero, Diehards may be quie tly applauding the expert moves of this enemy infielder. No matter what the score is, Diehard Fans remain in their seats until the last batter is out, and they may still be talking about the game long after its over.​ Notice how the writer uses comparisons to ensure cohesion in the body of the essay. The topic sentence in both  the second and third paragraphs refers to the preceding paragraph. Likewise, in the third body paragraph, the writer draws explicit contrasts between the Diehards and the other two types of baseball fans. Such comparisons not only provide smooth transitions from one paragraph to the next but also reveal the sympathies of the writer. He begins with the type of fan he likes the least and ends with the one he most admires. We now expect the writer to justify his attitudes in the conclusion. Concluding Paragraph The concluding paragraph gives you an opportunity to draw together the various types and approaches you have been examining in the body of the essay. You may choose to offer a final brief comment on each one, summarizing its value or its limitations. Or you may want to recommend one approach over the others and explain why. In any case, make sure that your conclusion clearly emphasizes the purpose of your classification. In the concluding paragraph to Baseball Fans, consider whether the author has been successful in his effort to tie his observations together. Professional baseball would have trouble surviving without all three types of fans. The Party Rooters provide much of the money that owners need to hire talented players. The Sunshine Supporters bring a stadium to life and help boost the morale of the home team. But only the Diehard Fans maintain their support all season long, year in and year out. By late September in most ballparks, enduring chilly winds, rain delays, and sometimes humiliating losses, only the Diehards remain. Notice how the writer hooks his conclusion back to the introduction by contrasting the chilly night in September with the warm evening in July. Connections such as this help to unify an essay and give it a sense of completeness. As you develop and organize your draft, experiment with various strategies, but keep this basic format in mind: an introduction that identifies your subject and the different types of approaches; three (or more) body paragraphs that rely on specific details to describe or illustrate the types; and a conclusion that draws your points together and makes the overall purpose of the classification clear.

China Airlines Flight 642 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

China Airlines Flight 642 - Essay Example This essay will examine the Threat and Error Management where it will look into detail on the threat of typhoons as an aviation problem. There are three components of Threat and Error management, and they include threats are defined as anything that by itself or combined with another element causes adverse effects on the outcome of the flight. There are various causes of threats such as like weather, a complex procedure and an aircraft malfunction (Flexman, 2012, P. 32). Threats such as the weather require a lot of attention from the management to ensure that safety is maintained. Errors are said to be pilot’s actions or inactions that cause the deviation of the plane in some kind. Lastly, there are undesired states that are defined as operational states where an unintended situation happens in lessening in limits of safety. It has been established that undesired states that are as a result of ineffective threat or error controlling may lead to bargained situations; hence, reducing the limits of safety in flight operations Threat and Error Management accepts that human error will occur, which is a shift from what was believed previous by the airline safety belief. Therefore, TEM is a predominant safety concept that relates to flight operations and human actions. Although not a revolutionary concept, it has evolved gradually because of the continuous drive to develop the boundaries of safety in flight operations through convenient incorporation of Human facets of knowledge. The framework of the TEM is a theoretical model that helps in the indulgent from an operational viewpoint, the inter-relationship amid safety and human performance in perplexing and dynamic operational contexts. The framework focuses concurrently on the operative context and the individuals discharging operational duties. Therefore, the framework of the TEM is diagnostic and descriptive of both system and human performance. The

Childhood Obesity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Childhood Obesity - Assignment Example Obesity not only brings concern about health but it adds to the financial burden too. Obesity augments the health care costs. Estimates reveal that obesity accounts for approximately 10% of yearly medical expenses, increasing the obesity-associated medical costs to $147 billion in 2008. Obesity has reached an alarming position in USA, and two well distinguished categories have been demonstrated namely obese and extreme obese. Findings disclose that over one-third adults of United States adults were found to be obese during the year 2007–2008 (Flegal, 2010). According to The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the incidence of obesity in the United States could be estimated by means of data for height to weight ratio. The prevalence rate of obesity display that there was a steady increase in obesity equally in both the sexes belonging to all ages from 1976 -1980 to 1988-1994. On the other hand the trend in obesity augmentation between 1988-1994 and 1999-2 000 was significant in other ages except for the males belonging to the age between 40 to 59 years. While data analysis from 2001-2002 to 2003-2004 recommended escalating trends since 1999-2000 in males and not in females (Flegal, 2006).? Complications of Childhood Obesity Reports illustrate that around 7 million American children and teenagers are supposed to have elevated cholesterol concentrations. If LDL concentration rises at young age and when these kids grow as adults they are bound to have prominent LDL cholesterol intensities. Such overweight kids are likely to develop cardiovascular disease and diabetes, these diseases are otherwise associated with adults in their middle-age. A drastic rise in type 2 diabetes have been reported by pediatricians among the children and adolescents (Web: Child Obesity In America). Type 2 diabetes is associated with obesity. Reports reveal that almost 40% of the children are associated with this condition. Beside, the obese child also witnesse s physical health issues and social troubles. Morbidly obese children also suffer from emotional distress as a result they develop profuse eating habits. Observation reveals, obese children are delighted if they get eatables they wish for, thereby develop a tendency to eat constantly and still are not satisfied even after consuming a large full meal. Research reports highlight that that eating behavior of children have considerably altered over the past twenty years or so. Children are consuming greater percentage of their calories from junk food items and snacks, containing high proportion of fat, salt and sugar contributing to the obesity of the child (Ludwig & Ebbeling, 2001). Eating Habits The most favorite food items for kids of present epoch are ice creams, soda pop, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, pizza, French fries made of potatoes that is full of starch, milk shakes that are sugar syrups, chips, and candy bars. These food items are devoid of fibers and are rich in fats and chol esterol. Children find raw fruits and salads icky, as they are

Individual Business proposal for electronic and communications Essay

Individual Business proposal for electronic and communications engineering - Essay Example Hospitals are busy places where people are on call all the time. Hospitals have a number of paging systems today which attempt to reach doctors and staff. These range from pagers, which are based on walkie-talkie and two-way communications technologies from the 1960’s, overhead sound signals, which use a public address system, and even lights which send a coded page to specific people or departments. In answering a page or a summons, a staff member must normally call a number or look at a short paging message; usually, the message is â€Å"call your paging service.† There are several problems with the current systems in place. First, it requires too much work on the part of the staff member. If he/she is in the midst of tending to a patient, she must stop and look at the pager, or go to a phone to follow up on the page. He or she must then talk with a dispatcher or listen to a message. The communication is one-way; if he/she has questions about the page, there is no way to get an immediate answer. Each staff member in a hospital needs to be able to communicate with everyone else in a way that does not interrupt their workflow. If a nurse is tending to a patient, for example, he/she must be able to talk to someone without having to step away from the bedside, or use one or two hands for communication. In addition, the person must be able to reach a ‘live’ person on the other end when something is needed, in order to request immediate information or action. The communications system must be transparent to the user, and take little or no training. It should be applicable throughout the institution, but also offsite. If, for example, a physician is visiting with a patient in his offices, and would like to enquire about the availability of a bed at a local hospital, he/she should be able to immediately contact the appropriate hospital staff

Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 24

Report - Essay Example He provides examples of early studies such as the Technology Acceptance Model developed by Davis in 1989 meant to provide explanations of the behavioral intention of a potential user in technological innovation (He and Lee, 2012). They continue to provide the example of the 1991 study by Compeau and Higgins who based their investigation of people’s perspectives on technology adoption on diffusion of innovations (He and Lee, 2012). Despite previous studies, the authors indicate that a solid conclusion concerning the different attitudes between the male and female use of information technology systems remains elusive. Most studies only offer significant and insignificant conclusions about the matter. The article insists that gender is a significant demographic factor that influences an individual’s reaction to technology. The study in the article utilizes self-efficacy as the main dependent variable for two reasons. Self-efficacy is a core element of social cognitive theory and is recognized as a major factor that regulates an individual’s computer habits. Secondly, fundamental state of psychology directs the attitude and decisions made in IT adoption by influencing factors like the perception of ease of use. The study then uses the variable to test the impact of the learning process on gender and the formation of attitudes that affects an individual’s confidence in the use of computers. Self-efficacy defines the personal belief of an individual in his ability to complete a task. The findings indicate that women’s self-efficacy in the use of computers in less than that of men. The female students in the study had limited computer knowledge and fewer computing interactions. Additionally, they were more likely to have high anxiety levels about computer usage compared to the male st udents. Finally, compared to male students,

Sustainable Enterprise Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sustainable Enterprise - Assignment Example There are important reasons why this could be substantially true. Monsanto was able to make a strong point that agriculture is a remarkable sustainability driver in the 21st century. The reasons are simple. There are continuing problems about decreasing yield in agriculture, population and income growth, urbanization and even the environment in general which face the society in reality. In the case of environment for instance, as a chemical company, Monsanto has considerable ideas regarding on how chemicals could create diversified environmental pollutions. Applying the concept of sustainability, Monsanto was finally able to create genetically engineered plants which have resistance to pests and diseases, which would make application of chemicals in farming obsolete in the future. In general, Monsanto created a need out of the ongoing reality in the world and from that a significant business surfaced which was in a form of life science strategy of food, health and hope. For some Europeans, genetically modified foods or plants are not actually integral components of exact science. In other words, they are quite hesitant about the issue of safety and control regarding on foods or plants that have undergone the process of genetic engineering in the field of biotechnology. Europeans are not actually oblivious about the significant promises of genetic engineering and biotechnology. However, European backlash is just a reminder that people should also consider the issue of safety and control. After all, integrating genetic materials with the original plant is not the usual or natural process of food production, so probable issues of safety are what the Europeans would like to emphasize, prior to acceptance of Monsanto’s life science strategy of food, health and hope. However, in developing world, concerns were on feeding a hungry stomach, ensuring high production or yield and advancement in agriculture. In other words, compared to safety

Godfather Death and Rappaccini's Daughter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Godfather Death and Rappaccini's Daughter - Essay Example According to him, Death was the best choice because it did not discriminate on any person. Similarly, in ‘Rappaccini's Daughter’, there Giovanni is fascinated about nature’s flowers and them that he gets wing of Beatrice â€Å"Rappaccini's Daughter†. Therefore, the two works above shows or portrays the elements that are found within nature and how they would be handled. â€Å"Godfather Death" makes death as its evidence while whereas â€Å"Rappaccini's Daughter† makes use of the beautiful flowers. The two evidences used are a representative of nature (Smith). This article gives an account of two men who are determined to change the wrong things that are within their society. They feel that some people are being mistreated and that this needs change. This is shown by their actions that serve to facilitate administration of fairness and elimination of mistreatments. Part two The selected works look at a natural aspect that is found within the two sett ings. In finding a godfather for his son, the father has three choices form which he must come up with one. This is in relation to the knowledge of father on the three aspects that are found within nature. Similarly, in â€Å"Rappaccini's Daughter† the flowers and the garden represent nature and the flowers that are found with it. Therefore, this is a reflection of nature and the views of two men about nature aspects. Giovanni marvels at the garden and all its vegetation and as he goes on further into the garden, he notices that doctor Rappaccini is focusing on some flowers. He finds out that Beatrice is watching over the flowers, and he decides to change this aspect. According to him, Beatrice had been blessed with beauty and needed to be treated with care (Smith). Giovanni compared Beatrice with a flower that needed care in regard to treatment. For instance, she needed glove and a mask when being handled. Contrary, to this, her father made her watch over the flowers that he adored so much within the garden. He goes to her and leads her to the house. On the other hand, the father of the son had three aspects that qualified to be candidates for the position of a godfather for the son. The father goes on to look at all the three aspects in details by looking at their negative sides. On the aspect of God, the father says that God cannot be chosen as a Godfather because he brought poverty to the world. God created poverty for the world, and as a result, many people are suffering. The other aspect that was looked at was the acts of the devil on earth. Likewise, the devil did not qualify because of the evil things and actions that were associated with him. Finally, the father settles for death because it did not discriminate people in its actions. Death would befall the poor and even the rich without considering their status in the society. The son follows all that death required him to do until when he felt that something was not going right, and because of that, he decided to go against those requirements of Godfather Death. This is in relation to the sickness that he saw within people. According to him, this was unacceptable, and that is the reason that made him disobey orders given out by death. The paragraphs above gives an account of two men who go against forces of nature because they feel that their actions are unfair to people. In the case of Beatrice, Rappaccini's Daughter, it was not right to keep her outside to watch over flowers as her father made h

Sustainable Enterprise Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sustainable Enterprise - Assignment Example There are important reasons why this could be substantially true. Monsanto was able to make a strong point that agriculture is a remarkable sustainability driver in the 21st century. The reasons are simple. There are continuing problems about decreasing yield in agriculture, population and income growth, urbanization and even the environment in general which face the society in reality. In the case of environment for instance, as a chemical company, Monsanto has considerable ideas regarding on how chemicals could create diversified environmental pollutions. Applying the concept of sustainability, Monsanto was finally able to create genetically engineered plants which have resistance to pests and diseases, which would make application of chemicals in farming obsolete in the future. In general, Monsanto created a need out of the ongoing reality in the world and from that a significant business surfaced which was in a form of life science strategy of food, health and hope. For some Europeans, genetically modified foods or plants are not actually integral components of exact science. In other words, they are quite hesitant about the issue of safety and control regarding on foods or plants that have undergone the process of genetic engineering in the field of biotechnology. Europeans are not actually oblivious about the significant promises of genetic engineering and biotechnology. However, European backlash is just a reminder that people should also consider the issue of safety and control. After all, integrating genetic materials with the original plant is not the usual or natural process of food production, so probable issues of safety are what the Europeans would like to emphasize, prior to acceptance of Monsanto’s life science strategy of food, health and hope. However, in developing world, concerns were on feeding a hungry stomach, ensuring high production or yield and advancement in agriculture. In other words, compared to safety

Strategic Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Strategic Management - Research Paper Example Thus, according to Balanced Scorecard Institute (2014), strategic planning refers to the organizational management activities which set priorities, focus resources and energy and ensure that stakeholders work towards attaining the organizational goals. On the other hand, strategic management is described as a comprehensive set of continuous activities and processes which an organization uses for systematic coordination and alignment of resources and actions to the vision, mission and values of the organization. Thus, planning typically describes a time-bound practice while strategic management is an ongoing engagement. Furthermore, the institute observes that strategic management would be used to define the procedures, policies and themes of an organization as opposed to planning which entails the organization of how resources would be allocated to various business operations so as to achieve its objectives. Thus, strategic management is different from planning. Evaluating the process of strategic management gives further insights into how better to define strategic management. Thus, Dess, Lumpkin and Taylor (2005) define it as both an art and science of formulation, implementation, and evaluation of functional decisions that make an organization achieve its objectives. With this regard, Clayton (n.d.) gives the 5-step strategic management process in organizations. Goal setting involves clarifying the organizational vision eventually leading to the development of a mission statement which succinctly communicates goals to employees and shareholders. The second stage is analysis where the organization gathers relevant information and data for accomplishing the vision. It involves conducting the SWOT (strengthens, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of the organization. This would then be followed by strategic formulation which involves the determination of strategy, reflecting upon and making decisions to design plans and strategi es to address the

Research Methodology for Director Elections Analysis

Research Methodology for Director Elections Analysis The director and board performance from the perspectives of voting shareholders, the implementation of majority-approved shareholder proposals provide a more specific and tighter measure for the actions boards take to do their jobs. For this comprehensive exam paper, I will focus on votes withheld for director elections because implementation of majority-approved shareholder proposals requires non-trivial hand collection and might decrease the sample size significantly. This measure has several important merits in multiple directorships setting compared with commonly used measures. First, it has been well documented that reputational concerns from the director labor market, the increasing prevalence of vote-no campaigns, and increased prevalence of corporates voluntary adoption of Majority Voting standards makes votes withheld from director elections a good proxy for shareholder general evaluation of director, committee, and board performance. (Georgeson 2000-2016). Second, while uncontested shareholder voting rarely remove specific directors, the voting outcomes of director elections are associated with subsequent board conduct, governance changes and firm performance (Del Guercio, Seery, and Woidtke [2008], Cai, Garner, and Walkling [2009], Fischer, Gramlich, Miller, and White [2009], Ertimur, Ferri, and Muslu [2011], Ertimur, et al. [2015]). Third, academics and practitioners have consensus that the threshold of 20% of votes withheld represents s ubstantial shareholder dissatisfaction. (Del Guercio et al. [2008], Cai et al. [2009], Fischer et al. [2009], Ertimur, et al. [2011], Ertimur et al. [2015]). Fourth, data for this measure on individual director level is directly available, and can be easily aggregated to get measures on committee level and board level. For the aggregate level, I can use either the average percentage of votes withheld per director, or the percentage of directors with substantial shareholder dissatisfaction (at least 20 % votes withheld) of committees, or boards. In sum, to better measure the effort exerted by directors and the value added by boards, I use a comprehensive list of complementary performance metrics: voting outcome of director election, serving on committees and attendance rate at board meetings on individual director level; voting outcome, CEO turnover sensitivity to performance, excessive CEO pay, and financial reporting misstatement on committee level, and voting outcome, market-to-book ratio (M/B) and return on sales (ROS) on firm level. 3. Sample, data, empirical results, and additional analyses 3.1. Sample and data To answer these questions, I study the multiple directorships policies for SP 1500 firms for the period from 2000 to 2016. First, I construct a dataset of director-level data for SP 1500 firms from the Institutional Shareholder Services ((formerly MSI, IRRC, and RiskMetrics) Directors Database from 2000-2016. I restrict my sample to SP 1500 firms to make the data collection manageable. This dataset contains information on director attendance and a range of other director characteristics (e.g., name, age, tenure, gender, committee memberships, independence classification, primary employer and title, number of other public company boards serving on, shares owned, etc.) which are collected by ISS from company proxy statements, annual reports or company websites. My first multiple directorships measure, Multiple Directorships_traditional, are retrieved from this database directly.ÂÂ   Based on the directors total number of meetings required to attend and whether they attended fewer than 75%, I also construct a measure, Current Distraction, to better capture the time demand and the distraction effect of multiple directorships. To test H1 and H2, we need to know director attendance immediately before and immediately after firms adopt overboarding rules. However, only annual attendance data is publicly available. In addition, many overboarding policies set grace periods explicitly or implicitly. Therefore, I use the director attendance the year before adoption year to test H1, and the director attendance the year after adoption year to test H2. Next, I require these firms to have accounting data from Compustat, stock return and pricing data from CRSP, corporate-governance provisions data from ISS Governance database, director elections voting data from ISS Voting Analytics (VA) database, and financial reporting restatement data from AuditAnalytics database. (access?) For firm performance, I measure the market-to-book ratio (M/B) and return on sales (ROS), measured at the lagged fiscal year-end, to compare with previous literature (Fich and Shivdasani [2006], Field, et al. [2013]). Then I use BoardEx database, which includes profiles of executives and directors (demographics, education and career history, compensation, board and committee memberships, etc.) and the connections among them, to construct my second sets of measures of multiple directorships, Multiple Directorships_public, Multiple Directorships_private, and Multiple Directorships_total. Using BoardEx database, I also construct two measures of director qualification, Accumulated Directorships Experience and General Qualification, which reflect director qualification but are not necessarily associated with their current busyness. BoardExs coverage of U.S. public companies is extremely limited prior to 2000, causing serious survivorship bias (see, Fracassi and Tate [2012], Engelberg, Gao, and Parsons, [2013]). Similar to previous literature which also uses the BoardEx database, I focus on the period after 2000 to mitigate these concerns. It needs to be noted that while BoardEx database suffers survivo rship bias and some other issues, using BoardEx provides several important merits for my research. First, it provides information about directors seats on significant private firms and gives a better measure of directors total workload. Second, it allows me to test directors seats choices between public firms and private firms. Third, it provides information to construct a measure of directors resources/talent which is not necessarily connect with their current busyness. Finally, I hand-collect information on firms overboarding policies for this sample. Normally, firms overboarding policies are disclosed in their governance principles/governance guidelines. I retrieve firms current overboarding policies from their websites, and their historical overboarding policies from the Internet Archive library, which archives over hundreds of billion historical web pages on the Internet. ( https://archive.org/web/)

Leaning Pine Arboretum Essays -- Place Essays

Leaning Pine Arboretum The Leaning Pine Arboretum, named for a tree which blew down during a storm several years ago, is a tranquil horticultural display garden on the outskirts of the Cal Poly campus. The main purpose of the five-acre arboretum is to educate students about different species of plants in their natural settings. This arboretum emphasizes Cal Poly’s motto of â€Å"Learn by doing.† Students in the Horticulture and Crop Science Department are the force behind the garden and keep it functioning year-round. The horticulture unit was built in the 1970’s when it only included a lawn and some trees. Two decades later, work was underway to create an arboretum showcasing plants from the five mediterranean regions of the world. These regions are: the Mediterranean basin, southwestern Australia, southwestern South Africa, much of California, and much of Chile. A mediterranean region is defined as a region with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Only two percent of the world’s landform can be characterized as mediterranean. The plants at the arboretum flourish in California’s central coast weather. The Leaning Pine Arboretum is entirely student-managed. Six student workers work at the arboretum ten hours per week and there is one garden manager. Each of the six students has their own garden to maintain. They water, weed, and plant in their garden as well as make decisions on what plants will be planted there next. This gives the students a sense of pride and ownership in the arboretum. The arboretum is located at the north end of campus, past the beef unit and across the street from the equine unit on Via Carta Road. It may be difficult to locate since a visitor needs... ...use the arboretum as their classroom. Several students choose to conduct their senior projects at the arboretum as well. Rock walls and benches, wooden decks, and the gazebo were all created by senior students. The Leaning Pine Arboretum remains one of Cal Poly’s best-keep secrets. It is an isolated, unique, and diverse oasis far away from the commotion of the main campus. It is an excellent place to learn about flora, conduct a school-sponsored activity, or simply to relax and stroll through the gardens admiring nature’s beauty. The horticulture and crop science students feel a huge sense of pride and accomplishment when they see others enjoying their student-run sanctuary. While the arboretum is just one distinctive element of Cal Poly land, it is one that can be enjoyed by every member of the community and it helps make Cal Poly a superb institution.

Transition of the Bulgarian Economy: 1990-1997 :: Essays Papers

Transition of the Bulgarian Economy: 1990-1997 The immense political and economic changes in Central and Eastern Europe have created a variety of unique transition economies. Each country controlling its own development without fully understanding the implications of the monetary and fiscal macroeconomic policies it yields. Bulgaria in particular has had mixed results. A 1992 OECD Economic Assessment of Bulgaria described â€Å"shock therapeitic† reform programs that included the abolition of central planning, the liberalization of most prices, and opening more markets to foreign trade. While the survey concluded that â€Å"much has been achieved in extremely difficult circumstances,† by 1997, economic stability had not been realized. Since 1989, several governments have presided, the banking system has virtually collapsed, GDP has significantly declined along with the lev, inflation is rampant, and economic policies fail to generate confidence. However, Bulgaria’s economic performance is decidedly â€Å"middle of the road† when compared to other transitioning economies. Declines in output and average real income are much greater and unemployment and inflation much higher than the Visegrad group and Baltic Republics though often better than Ukraine, Belarus, and the Russian Republics. Many of Bulgaria’s current economic problems can be traced to economic conditions at the start of its transition. Heavy reliance on CMEA markets devastated the country , more so than any other country. Compared to GDP, over 60% of its imports and exports were orientated to the CMEA market. COMECON’s collapsed devastated Bulgaria, causing large initial declines in GDP and increases in unemployment. This event necessitated the complete restructuring of the modes of production. The complete upheaval of the Bulgarian economy forced a suspension of payments to foreign debts making it practically impossible to attract foreign/western investment to restructure the economy. Current economic instability is due to the lack of decisive economic policy from the seven successive governments following the fall of Todor Zhivkiv the former Communist Party leader in 1989. While each succeeding government has remained committed to economic transition, their policies have lacked cohesion over important controversies such as privatization, subsidies, co-operation with IFIs, and foreign investment. The result of the different policies have resulted in much change but little progress with measures dealing with â€Å"soft budget† enterprises and banks, privitisation of state assets, and attraction of foreign investment. Ripples from the discontinuity of Bulgarian economic policy are evident in the rapidly accumulating domestic debt, payment arrears, and the continual refinancing of inefficiently run commercial banks.

Sterling Marking Products Case Study

I recommend that Sterling should consider a fully owned subsidiary as an entry mode into the U. K. market. However, we need to ensure U. K. laws permits 100 percent ownership and understand tax incentives applicability. In addition, as an organization we would need to internally develop a strategic road map in terms of our approach to international markets. The objective of the roadmap is to provide Sterling with some guidance and a broad approach to how we conduct business on a global scale, considering recent interest in our product from firms in other countries and possibility of pursuing those opportunities.As an organization, this is much needed to prevent some of the issues we experienced domestically while establishing our branches in Toronto and Windsor, as well as our recent challenges in the U. S. market with Julius Blumberg Inc.My recommendation for a fully owned subsidiary in the U. K. is based on the following: In Europe, U. K. is the only European country where seals ar e legally required for corporations, and the most populous country in that region (exhibit 1), this continues to make U. K.  the most attractive market in Europe for sales, regardless of whether seals might no longer be required in the future. Also, establishing a presence in the U. K. will place Sterling in a position to easily penetrate other European market for future expansion. Based on a qualitative cost & benefit analysis (exhibit 2), a wholly owned subsidiary provides the most advantage to Sterling. Although this requires the most capital and management commitment, the benefits it offers offsets such costs including full profitability as opposed to a shared profit in case of a joint venture (exhibit 3).Also, in terms of the goals, strategy, resources and organizational structure of Sterling, a subsidiary best enables the firm to reach its objectives (exhibit 4). Options open to Sterling with a subsidiary is either to purchase a U. K. seal producer (Jordan) or build a branch as a Greenfield project. Buying out a local producer will allow a speedy market entry and access to local workers. This will also give Sterling access to current customers of the local seal producer. For this reasons, a â€Å"buy-out’’ subsidiary will be preferred over building a new branch.The U.S. market is also one that is in need of a ‘turn around’ in terms of sales and profitability. Once our seven-month contract with Julius Blumberg Inc. is completed, I will suggest we change our method of entry into the U. S. Market. Our trial with Bloomberg sales force shows that a direct sales approach dramatically increases sales in this market, therefore we should continue to export and invest in a sales and distribution team locally in the U. S. to drive sales. This will also allow us to penetrate the market faster and minimize any additional capital cost.In terms of interest shown in our product by other countries, I will suggest we research into sales oppor tunities in Japan for the reasons that Japan has a high population and number of lawyers compared to most of the other countries, geographically Japan also allows us to establish a hub in Asia so that we can establish a footprint in this region. However, deciding on a method of entry into this market will require gathering special information and understanding the Japan market. This research will need to be done prior to deciding a similar method of entry as was suggested for the U. K. market.