Girl X – Black and Red

For our colour unit in drama, one of the colour combinations we studied was black and red. For this task, our teacher was in a role of a physiatrist, was telling us the case of a 7 year old girl found on the streets that refused to speak. To get the girl communicating, the girl was told to draw a picture. She drew a red circle in the center of the page, engulfed in a sea of black scribbles. Our task was to analyse the image, and stream our thoughts and ideas about the picture into an abstract piece of drama. In my group, we decided that the red circle was the girl, and that the blackness around her was the girl being trapped. We also asserted that the blackness is an older male related to the girl in someway, that has abused her and she is trapped because of the events. We used an array of techniques; the first being characterisation. The girl was named Emily, which to me seems like an innocent name, which would help build the sympathy the audience has towards her and also create anxiety in her situation. We performed with the audience being scattered and with no lights. This is very effective as it makes the audience feel as if they are there alongside the girl. We would have members of our group stationed around different positions in the stage, and in turn they would each be running on the spot. This is to create the impression that there is someone running, and it would be dangerous for one person to be running around the stage as it is in thee dark. Suddenly the running would stop and a voice starts to pant. This is then where we incorporate another technique, the silence. The silence would be for 10 seconds. This is heavily effective, as its in the dark and the audience do not know what is going on after the fact they heard someone running. Suddenly a scream would come out form nowhere, which breaks the silence. Then another silence is used, for around 7 seconds. During the whole scene I was in the center of the stage. After the silence, I turn on a lighter and say, â€Å"I am watching you. † This is striking, as someone appearing from nowhere in the middle of a dark stage was not anticipated by the audience. This task helped me understand a lot of things. It made me understand many positions that people can be in, and how colour can express emotions such as: anger, fear, helplessness.

Abstract on Marketing Intelligence System for a Media Company

Marketing Intelligence Database Management at Manipal Media Network Limited A project by * Abhishek Gupta * Aishwarya Shetty * Nikhil Modi * Nikita Patel * Pritish Prabhu * Rahul Dara * Reshma R * Rishi Gupta * Sudip Ray * Vaibhav Goswami OVERVIEW OF MMNL Manipal Media Network Limited is a subsidiary of Manipal Group which specializes in printing and publications. Udayavani, the flagship publication of the MMNL is a leading daily Kannada newspaper. Its subscriptions reach most cities of Karnataka including Mangalore, Bangalore and Gulbarga.Its first issue was in 1971 and it continues to grow daily reaching more than 300,000 houses. BUSINESS STRATEGY MMNL has always tried to maintain the values of its shareholders and customers against its competition. MMNL strives to be a Multi-media Corporation, making its presence felt across several platforms including print, e-papers among others delivering local news and entertainment solutions. IT STRATEGY The strategy of the IT team of MMNL is consistently aligned with the overall strategy of the company.This is done by the higher management who believe that IT plays an integral part in proving a competitive advantage. The IT team has provided MMNL with various solutions ahead of its time such as iTunes’ first Kannada Application, the first Kannada News Android App and has entered into partnerships with media leaders such as Yahoo and Newshunt. The IT team has also ensured that MMNL is a leader in delivering news on online platforms such as Android, IOS and Web. Along with this, it has developed internal MIS systems and also worked hand in hand with companies like 4CPlus for successful ERP implementations in numerous areas.By implementing Market Intelligence Database System which will help us in storing the data in a structured format and providing management with quality information which will give them a better insight for efficient decision making. Strategic Alignment Model * Alignment of business and IT strate gy: * The overall business strategy of MMNL is to be a multi media corporation with presence across platforms delivering hyper local news and entertainment solutions. The IT team works in alignment with this overall strategy and strives to provide cutting edge technology solutions that are ahead in time, however keeping the cost aspect in perspective. Some of the results of their effort is – ITunes first Kannada App, First Kannada News App on Android, Partnership with global leaders like Yahoo and Newshunt. Since many readers today have access to internet and spend a lot of time on it, the industry feels that there might be a shift from traditional newspaper to online platforms. * However, this should take a decade's time or so. MMNL being a leader in coastal in Karnataka sees this as an opportunity to be leader on online platforms as well like Android, IOS, Web. Alignment of business and IT capabilities: * In order to align the business capabilities with IT capabilities, we have provided a suggestion to use IT capabilities in order to improve business processes and using IT tools to promote customer loyalty. The marketing intelligence system proposed by us is a step towards accomplishing this objective. * Alignment of business strategy and business capabilities: * In order to align the business strategy with business capabilities, social architecture tools can be formulated.The existing resources and capabilities should be fully utilized in order to implement the business strategy. * Training and motivating the workforce and incentivizing the workforce on successful completion of strategic objectives and goals are the means towards achieving it. * Alignment of IT strategy and IT capabilities: * When it comes to internal strategy, the IT team has developed internal MIS system and also engaged with an external agency for ERP implementation which has been done successfully in many areas.This proves that the current IT capabilities are quite robust and can be further utilized to drive business growth. * Alignment of IT strategy and capabilities can be achieved by having a cross-functional team of managers with expertise is IT knowledge and business knowledge so as to leverage the full potential of its IT capabilities. COMPETITION The major competitors to Udayavani are Prajavani, Vijay Karnataka, Kannada Prabha, Sanjevani among others. This leads to major emphasis being placed on gathering and use of market intelligence as the competition is cut throat.MARKET INTELLIGENCE Marketing Intelligence includes everyday information relevant to a company, collate and analyze the obtained information for subsequent decision making in determining market opportunities, risks and strategies. The system is to be designed for usage by the management of the company and can be viewed by all the employees of the company. This specifically enables the management to see current key performance factors in real time and analyze trends, rather than wait for analysts to deliver periodic reports.Market Intelligence is a subset of Business Intelligence which is a set of methodologies, processes, architectures, and technologies that transform raw data into meaningful and useful information. INFORMATION GATHERING Market related data reaches the company through various sources. The lower level of the organisation consists of executives and trainees who visit distributors on a daily basis. The sources of information could be by a company employees or special agents and the mode of information is mainly through phone calls, SMS, email or through other market sources.The bulk of the information is however gathered by these lower level executives from the distributors and hawkers usually during the early hours of the morning. The information consists of competitors strategies with respect to: * Advertising space, * Insertions of pamphlets, * Change of content in existing publications (page design) * Emergence of new newspapers (VRL publication) * Distributors margins * Expansion by competitors in new territories * Subscription rateManipal Institute of Communication conducts yearly market research on behalf of MMNL which gives them insight into the new trends and expectations from customers and distributors. STORAGE OF DATA MMNL presently maintains individual excel sheets for each of its competitors. The assistant managers are tasked with collating and compiling the data given to them by the executives. This data is maintained according to: * Date and division * Edition * Geographic area and edition * Source of information and context * Findings * Employee entering data and * Employee validating the dataThe data is validated through multiple sources in different regions and also through cross verification. Example: Data collected in Mangalore will be cross checked with similar repeating data from Udupi and Manipal. Due to such disparate sources, data comes in various formats, due to which collation of data is very difficul t. Also, it is difficult to comprehend this data and bringing it into a common platform may distort it. Since information is not properly structured, it may get distorted while sharing between various departments and its interpretation could be different by different people.PROBLEM The problem faced by MMNL is on three levels. 1. Lack of structure- Data reaching the company is unstructured and in fragmented form. It makes the data difficult to comprehend. Since data is of strategic importance, it could have high impact on company’s future strategy or decision. 2. Transfer of data – The data leakage during the transfer of data is the biggest problem faced by MMNL. The executives at the lower level who pass the data to the managerial level use their discretion and pass the data what they feel is important instead of all the data gathered.This leads to loss of data which may turn out to be important. 3. Accessibility – MMNL has data of the past 8-9 years which is s tored using excel sheets. A separate excel sheet is maintained for every company. Whenever the company has to check some data it has to go through all the files which is a cumbersome process. 4. Acceptance – When a new system is implemented people may not be ready to accept it. They may be anxious about what the change may lead to. RECOMMENDATIONS Few options that are present to address the issue of data leakage faced by MMNL are: 1.Toll-free number – The company can acquire a toll free number on which the executives will call and/or SMS the data which will be recorded through an automated system. If this is implemented the executives will not have to take extra efforts to pass on the data to their managers which in turn it will minimize any data leakage. The costs associated are: * BSNL – Cost is Rs. 1. 60/minute. * Initial Cost: Rs. 13000 (Rs. 10000 refundable) * Fixed monthly cost: Rs. 1000 * Tata – Cost is Rs. 2. 39/minute * Initial Cost: Rs. 30000 (R s. 25000 refundable) Fixed monthly cost: Rs. 3000 * Reliance – Cost is Rs. 2. 20/minute * Initial Cost: Rs 13000 (Rs. 10000 refundable) * Fixed monthly cost: Depends on usage 2. Incentives – Keeping the existing system of personally reporting the data to managers in place, incentives can be provided periodically based on quantity and quality of data. This will ensure that executives are encouraged to pass on every piece of available information. If the toll-free system is implemented by MMNL then it can provide incentives to executives who report the data.The problem of unreliable data will not arise as the data will be validated from sources in different regions. 3. Training and development – MMNL can perform training and development programs which are imperative to mould the staff in accordance with the company’s strategy. A company’s sales force is very crucial for the intelligence gathering activity as they can provide excellent data about the current trends in the market. They are also a very credible source for acquiring confidential data about competitors, consumers, suppliers etc.For sales force outside Manipal and Udupi, a trainer can be made to tour different parts of the country. 4. Network Externally – In order to keep a tab on its competitors, measures should be taken to track how competitors are performing. For this, purchasing the competitor's products, checking their advertising campaigns, the press media coverage, reading their published reports, etc can be done. This process is called Competitive intelligence which is the broader discipline of researching, analyzing and formulating data and information from the entire competitive environment of any organization. . Collect Competitive Intelligence through customer feedback – Customer feedback is an important aspect for any company as it is the customer who purchases the product. Online platforms like chat rooms, blogs, discussion forums, custome r review boards etc can be used to generate customer feedback. This enables the company to understand its customer’s view about the product. For this, a structured system can be applied by the company to obtain the relevant data. Manipal Institute of Communications does yearly surveys to find out changing customer perceptions regarding MMNL. . For the issue of accessibility MMNL can implement a database. * The centralised database will be in the following format: * The basic cost for a database system is around Rs. 1. 5 lakhs but depending on the different features needed by MMNL the cost can vary. * The database form can be opened at any time by the employees. A static link will be provided. * Our centralized database system will be decided into 2 main categories: * Internal Data * External Data * Internal Data * The employees can enter the intelligence acquired on internal matters in this section. The data entered here will be like delivery problems, supply chain problems e tc. * There will be a form asking them what are the issues and the department it relates to. * External Data * This section will again be divided into 2 parts: * Competitor data * Advertising Data * Competitor Data * In this form the employee will have to enter intelligence pertaining to: * Name of the company * News Acquired * Source of News * Advertising Data * In this form the employee will have to enter intelligence pertaining to: * Name of the company * News Acquired Source of News * The database will also have a verification code. * Every employee will be given a unique code which he has to enter before submitting the intelligence data. * This will secure the database and will also eliminate the possibility of anyone entering data wrongly under the name of any other person. * The problem of acceptance can be addressed in the following manner: a) Involvement of employees (i) Executives: Involving them in regards to the various incentives on offer will help reduce the anxiety to change; this will also help in building loyalty. ii) Employees: The employees can be involved through inputs about the functions needed by them in the database system. b) Workshops – MMNL can conduct workshops in the initial months after the implementation of the database system and the toll free number. * Representation through GRIDS QUICK WIN SUSTAINABILITY RISK IMPLEMENTATION RISK DUMB IDEA NEW SYSTEM at MMNL SIZE OF OPPORTUNITY ABILITY TO EXECUTE (PG. NO. 34, CHAPTER 1,CORPORATE INFORMATION & STRATEGY MANAGEMENT) MMNL has a very good track record in implementation of new technological systems.Whenever the company has implemented a new technology system the implementation took place glitch free. The company has implemented Kannada news app on android and also it has tie-ups with Yahoo and Newshunt. The company is also in the process of implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The implementation of this is going smoothly. This leads us to believe that abi lity to execute a new system will be high at MMNL and thus the new system will fall in sustainability risk. But, whenever a new IT system is implemented there is always an implementation risk ecause there might be social and technological problems. Social problems which can arise are that employees may be anxious about the new system. They may be anxious about the fact whether they will be able to use that system properly or not and if not then will they be fired from their jobs. Technological problems that may arise are compatibility problems with the legacy systems and maintenance problems. Thus, we say that the new system will be in the implementation risk of the strategic grid. PROBABLE IMPACT ON STRATEGY PROBABLE IMPACT ON BUSINESS OPERATIONSCurrent position Position after implementation (pg. no. 37,chapter 1,Corporate Information & Strategy Management) The marketing intelligence gathered from various sources is currently passed around in the office informally through Word of M outh and excel sheets. This leads to the data being fragmented, lost and getting distorted. As a result of this it is not accessible to everyone and does not provide the correct point of view. Due to this lack of accessibility, management is not able to take any timely strategic decisions.This also does not help the company much in its business operations. We can say that current system of MMNL is in the SUPPORT quadrant of the McFarlan’s Grid. This is because the system does not impact the business operations as well as its strategic decisions. After the Marketing Intelligence database system is implemented, the data will be stored in one centralized location. This will help in easy accessibility of the data. The company officials can then access this data at anytime and use it to take strategic decisions.Since the data is about competitors and the market which will help in taking important strategic decisions. The implementation of the system will not lead to any change in the business operations of the company. Thus, the system, once implemented should move from the current support position to the TURNAROUND quadrant of the McFarlan’s Grid. * BENEFITS FROM DATABASE Implementation of Market Intelligence Database System at MMNL will not lead to any tangible benefits as the decisions taken by management on the market intelligence acquired cannot be known at the moment.The implementation of the system at MMNL will only lead to intangible benefits. The benefits that arise will be: 1. The data will all be present in one place which will help the management to take better decisions. 2. The company employees will save a lot of time if the data is present in one place with options of search. 3. It will give company a competitive advantage as very few media networks have such a system present at the moment. 4. The storage of data will help the company in making a wide database which can be used for analytics in the future.

Writing Assignment - Model in Action Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writing Assignment - Model in Action - Essay Example Trinity College of Management was in the process of formulating a business proposal to attract funds from a funding agency. The project was the continuation of a public welfare program.. However the College fell short on the target of the number of beneficiaries in the previous year’s implementation. Though this short fall was quantitatively less, it was limiting the chance of the college getting continued funds. The ethical decision making process involved in the scenario was the analysis of the alternatives proposed to solve the problem. Three alternates were suggested, of which the first was to have relentless efforts in order to achieve the shortfall in the number of beneficiaries by the time the proposal was submitted. Another possible option was to hype figures in the proposal than the actual achievements and the last alternative was to keep the proposal going with the actual figures. These alternates were evaluated in the ethical decision making process. Though no ethical issue was realized in the first and the third alternatives, the suggestion to hype the figures involved an ethical issue and had to be evaluated for its intensity. The hype in the number of beneficiaries was found to be miniscule in comparison with the total achievement and the total cost involved. The moral cause of the project was not affected hugely due to the shortfall and thus the hype was found not to be a major ethical concern. The individual factors for alternative evaluation include Quantitative factors and Qualitative factors. (Nair & Oommen, 1994).The proposal for the trial to achieve the shortfall failed in this evaluation process as the quantitative factor of operational cost for its implementation could not be afforded. A minor qualitative factor of the inter-organizational relationships was realized in the second option but the success of the project implementation and the resultant improvisation in the relationships with the

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Global diversity - Essay Example Diversity is becoming popular around the world and as it is increasingly gaining recognition as it influences the outcomes of organizations for example the global knowledge creation as well as increased employee engagement. In addition, it is important for individuals and employees to how to differentiate diversity socially, politically and legally. Moreover, employees should be able to manage multicultural teams, develop cultural competencies, and ensure smooth operations across global employees. Employees should be involved in global development that encourages cross cultural awareness as well as training. The advantages of diversity include, people from different backgrounds coming together to bring their unique cultural experiences and share in providing broader perspectives for a better ultimate resolution. In addition, there is increased creativity and an improvement in the overall in the performance of a diverse workforce. It also brings about broader coverage where employees from different backgrounds that provide organizations with a wider coverage in the global marketplace. Populating the workforce aids in effective interaction with customers from different cultures. However, there is a disadvantage in communication where employees that come from different cultures and speak different languages may find it a challenge to engage in communication. In addition, it is expensive and time consuming to train on building relationships and solving conflicts with colleagues from different cultures.

Climate change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Climate change - Essay Example Researchers have the view that the temperature has risen by 0.8 -1o on the Celsius scale globally. The increase in the temperature may look small but it may bring a bigger difference in some of the temperature sensitive environments. The melting of the Atlantic Glaciers and glaciers at some other regions depicts the situation due to the climate change. Ecosystems and Climate Change Ecosystem plays a significant role in shaping the livelihood of the earth. However, the observed effects of the climate change are not such adverse that are estimated, as some of the organisms have the capability to adjust with the climate change. Some of the organisms within the island ecosystem such as coral reefs are much influenced with the little degree rise in the temperature (FAO 3-79). Like the Pacific Island’s mangrove area may decline from 1% to 13% as the temperature increases from 2o to 4o. In the Islands at higher altitudes, the temperature increase is causing the show to melt and thus endangering some species by increasing the amount of invasive species. Moreover, the increase in the level of the sea water might become a reason for the bleaching of the coral reef and effecting the reproduction of the coral reefs and thus lessening the life of the coral reefs. Coral reefs are important in becoming a reason for providing the other species like fish, shelter and food. Biodiversity can be influenced by the events such as the cyclones, where the repetitions of the cyclones are increased. With just an increase of 2% in the temperature, the intensities of the cyclones are increased by 12 or 15% (IFAD, n.pag.). Moreover, the climate change impacted the generation of ice over the... Natural processes have a set impact on the earth’s climate; however, the utilization of the fossil fuel sources to produce energy has produced many problems. The most distinguished problem of the burning of the fossil fuel is the emission of the green house gases. The green house gases are named due to having the ability to trap the solar radiations inside the earth’s atmosphere in the presence of water vapors in the atmosphere. In this way, the solar radiation never go back to the space and constantly warm up the earth’s atmosphere. The green house effect is created artificially in the green houses to develop certain plant species. Human activity is the major cause of the climate change. The utilization of the fossil fuel resources to attain energy is highly impacting the earth’s climate. There is a need reduce the utilization of the fossil fuel resources, as fossil fuels produce green house gas emissions that are capable of trapping the solar radiations. It is recommended to utilize the sustainable and renewable resources to produce energy like solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, etc. as sustainable and renewable resources produce no or little green house gas emissions. If it is not feasible to utilize the renewable resources, the fossil fuel resources that lave lower percentage of emission must be utilized like natural gas is better than both coal and oil, as it has lower quantity of emissions. There is need to control the climate change for the existence of the human life and for the existence of our planet.

Company financial accounting and reporting is regulated by a variety Essay

Company financial accounting and reporting is regulated by a variety of sources - Essay Example All the listed companies were asked to follow these accounting standards for maintaining their accounting transaction and developing financial reports. These accounting standards were introduced to enhance credibility and reliability of the financial statement developed by the listed companies of a nation. These accounting standards assisted the accountants and auditors to resolve different controversies related to different accounting practices. Even the managers consider these accounting policies while developing various strategies and policies to be followed by the company. Like other developed nation, the accounting standards were formulated in UK in early 1980s. People identified the necessity of a well structured accounting standard that assures â€Å"relevance, reliability, comparability and understand-ability† in the financial report that is developed by the listed companies (Kirk, 2005, p.9). In UK, the accounting standards are popularly known as Financial Reporting Standards (FRS). These FRS were developed by Accounting Standards Boards (ASB) and all the listed companies are required to adhere to these standards so that a true and fair picture of the companies’ financial condition can be represented. Prior to 1990, the accounting standards were developed by Accounting Standards Committee (ASC) which was later replaced with Accounting Standards Boards (ASB). In the first meeting of ASB, it formally accepted all the accounting standards prevailing in UK GAAP. With time, this board introduced few new standards and modified many existing standards. In UK, the four main constituents responsible for development and maintenance of accounting standards are Financial Reporting council (FRC), The Accounting Standards Board (ASB), Urgent Issues Task Force (UITF) and The Financial Reporting Review Panel (FRRP). FRC is

Quantitative methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Quantitative methods - Essay Example For a method to qualify as a scientific method, anchorage of its assertions should be on empirical and measurable evidence, which is subject to specific principles of reasoning. In science, quantitative methods often measure results of qualitative research such as making an analysis of certain observations, patterns and relationships made. Measurements start with collecting data, and making the use of statistics in analysing this data. Accordingly, quantitative methods use information dealing with numbers and measurements, through tables and graphs, to show results, experiments as well as research. Through quantitative research, it is possible to relate the collected data to a larger population analyse the numerical data and use statistics to draw conclusions and recommendations. As such, if used properly, quantitative research can produce valuable scientific research. In communication studies, quantitative research can provide essential information on the impact of communication stu dies on students’ overall communication ability. Further, they can provide information on the effects of communication media to the quality of information or the different communication barriers and their effect in the communication process. 2. Validity is the extent to which a research instrument successfully measures what it should measure and perform what it is supposed to perform. Although no instrument has the capacity to produce 100% results, and be termed as fully valid, measurement of the validity of an instrument mostly is on degrees. Validation of an instrument is a process that involves collecting and analysing data, then subjecting it through statistical tests, which generally involves pilot testing. There are two methods of testing the validity of an instrument; external validity and content validity. External validity is the extent to which a study’s results can be generalized from a sample to a population. Content validity on the other hand refers to the appropriateness of the content of a particular measuring instrument, especially by answering questions whether the questions, observations or logos assess or major reason for conducting the study. Reliability of an instrument on the other hand in general is consistency. With consistency, we seek to answer the question as to whether the instrument consistently measures what it is intended to measure. Examples of communications applications valid measurement variables include the speed of sending or receiving information, the quality of information received, the likelihood of breakdown and finally the compatibility with the media. 3. There is a direct relationship between reliability and validity of measure. A study can be highly valid but have low validity qualities. This is because information contained in a study could be reliable but not valid in its context. Findings may be reliable or consistent across all studies but may not be valid, i.e. accurate and true statements about re lationships among the different variables. However, findings there is no way that findings could be valid if they are not reliable. To describe a communication instrument as reliable, it should produce consistent results every time it is performed. For instance, we can consider a communication variable such as communication climate. Some organizations may consider this as a reliable variable, but necessarily a valid measure of

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Marketing - Essay Example These impacts have proven to be found on the cost and availability of credit; household budgets, mortgages, pensions, big and small company financing and other related funding issues (QFinance, 2010). Thus, the current trend is to substantially create a good financial market for banking and financial services that aim at stimulating market needs. However, it is not only one organisation that tries to play or compete in this type of market. There are many of them which eventually create competitive rivalry. According to Porter (1998; 1984), there are new market entrants, supplier power, buyer power and product and technology development that together create a certain force for competitive rivalry. This same scenario is certainly part of the banking and financial market. In fact, this is visible because of the presence of some policies. For instance, economic policy measures are very important because they can essentially remove barriers to outside competition (Maudos and de Guevara, 2 007). Building societies versus banks There are major differences between banks and building societies even though they both belong to one category of banking and financial market. These differences are tantamount to the level of advantages and disadvantages an individual can possibly get. According to Building Societies Association (2011), there are three major differences between banks and building societies. One of these major differences is the emphasis that the building societies are mutual institutions. This gives certain rights and privileges to members who have savings account or mortgage to vote and acquire information. The second major difference is the fact that building societies are not companies which are successfully run by their shareholders. The good thing about this is that there are no external pressures from shareholders which normally on the point of maximising profits to pay away as dividends. Thus, this ensures operating the business at a lower cost, cheaper m ortgages, and other better opportunities such as rates on savings compared to other competitors. Considering that there are different types of shareholders, it is important to understand that companies are always subject to different motives of shareholders in order for them to get substantial benefits to satisfy their needs. The third difference is in line with the limit of proportion of funds raise by building societies from wholesale money markets. This is a sort of giving much more security and in return it gives substantial opportunity for investors. Current Harpenden Building Society trends Based on its company website, the following are important information about Harpenden Building Society that can help trace its current trends (Harpenden Building Society, 2010). It can be noted that Harpenden is one of the active 52 UK building societies which primarily consists of 20,000 members with 25,000 accounts. Harpenden is amazingly having no borrowings on the money market. Starting in 2008, Harpenden’s deposits increased by over 11% and its mortgages increased by more than 9%. Not only that, Harpenden was highly commended for its mortgaged for SVR. From Best Children’s Account Provider, Harpenden won the Moneyfacts award. All of these only substantially illustrate the fact that the business for Harpenden is significantly increasing to the fullest as it substantially targets the right segment, moves and

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Counterterrorism and Public Perception - Essay Example Since the September 11 tragedy, the federal government of the U.S. has been on the watch out for any suspicious activities that may be a security threat to the state and the general public at large. This process of ensuring public and national security is sometimes made even harder in cases where the information is leaked or made available to the public. Presently, information sharing is handled by multiple sharing environments that are intended at serving a handful of agencies: defense, intelligence, foreign affairs, law enforcement and homeland security (Homeland Security Council, 2007). The role of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) in the Federal Government is to analyze all information and intelligence related to terror activities and to provide support to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This includes other agencies in the same field to fulfill their tasks to disseminate information that is related to terrorism (Homeland Security Council, 2007). Through a secure network, NCTC Online, the information is shared by NCTC and the whole federal community by producing comprehensive analytical products that are federally coordinated; thus the information reaches numerous users in the whole Federal Counterterrorism community. The Interagency Threat Assessment and Coordination Group formed within NCTC is aimed at facilitating the production of information related to terrorism that is federally coordinated with intention to disseminate it to the State, local, tribal and the private sector (Magumi, Wood, Mileti, and Bourque, 2008). In order to stop or warn about an impending terror attack, information has to be available about the action. According to Homeland Security Policy (2009), this type of information is usually gathered by the State, local and tribal government officials during their normal law enforcement duties. These governments perform their counterterrorism duties within a broader context

Testing jumps for individual stock Dissertation

Testing jumps for individual stock - Dissertation Example In this test, emphasis is placed in the comparison of two measures of variance: the Bipower Variation which is robust to jump contribution and the Realized Variance which includes the contribution of jumps to the total variance. And based on a high frequency data set of exchange rates, a statistically significant test of the difference between these two measures of variance provides evidence on the presence of jumps. ... e the joint asymptotic distribution of BVt and RVt as M Where And using It can be seen that there is no coincidence of the fact that asymptotically similar to a situation encountered in Hausman’s test in 1978. Asymptotically, RVt is the most efficient estimate of the integrated variance and under the no jumps assumption, BVt is less efficient estimator, therefore the difference of RVt – BVt is independent of RVt on the volatility path following of the Hausman (1978) test. According on Huang and Tauchen (2005), the power of each absolute return should be less than 2 to be robust to jumps for the statistics. With the results from Barndorff-Nielsen and Shephard (2006), Andersen, Bollerslev and Diebold in 2004 used time series to test for daily jumps: Where on the assumption of no jumps: Another test for daily jumps is: The results of research conducted by Andersen, Bollerslev, Diebold and Labys (2001, 2003) and Barndorff-Nielsen and Shephard (2004a) show that the sample pe rformance is improved by basing the test on the logarithm of the variation measures. Therefore the test is: And the maximum adjustment: The logarithmic adjustment to is: And the maximum adjustment is: The OP-versions of these tests are equivalent to the ratio jump of Barndorff-Nielsen and Shephard’s results in 2006. A simple t-test on the Relative Jump measure is: Where the classical estimate of the variance of the mean Another form is: Where : a HAC estimator of the variance of the mean. A bootstrap version is: Where : a bootstrap estimate of the variance of the mean. The Relative Jump can get a bootstrap confidence interval (tlow, tup) for the t test. b) Empirical results: The Monte Carlo findings developed z-tests for performing the jumps in a fairly realistic scenario and analyzed on daily

Elizabeth Johnson-Revisonist Method of Theology Essay Example for Free

Elizabeth Johnson-Revisonist Method of Theology Essay Elizabeth Johnson is perhaps one of the most preeminent Catholic theologians of the new millennium. The fact that she is a woman religious who writes from a feminist perspective adds to her unique and distinguished career. This paper will examine the revisionist method espoused by Elizabeth Johnson, in an effort to understand her approach to Christian feminism. An overview of revisionist methodology will be presented so as to understand the framework in which Johnson works. References to some of Johnson! s writings will then be presented in an effort to illustrate her revisionist method. Finally a survey of various critics will then be presented in an effort to determine what has made her method, approach and style groundbreaking in the area of feminist theology. In its simplest form, revisionist methodology involves looking back at one! s tradition in an effort to gain new insights into the situation at hand or to uncover what has been lost. In a more elaborate definition, David Tracey states that, †In its briefest expression, the revisionist model holds that a contemporary fundamental Christian theology can best be described as philosophical reflection upon meanings present in common human experience and language, and upon the meanings present in the Christian fact. †1 Tracy then outlines five theses that are intended to explicate this particular model: The first thesis defends the proposition that there are two sources for theology, common human experience and language, and Christian texts. The second thesis argues for the necessity of correlating the results of the investigations of these two sources. The third and fourth theses attempt to specify the most helpful methods of investigation employed for studying these two sources 1 David Tracy, Blessed Rage for Order: The New Pluralism in Theology (New York: The Seabury Press, 1975) 43. 1 (methods include phenomenology of religious dimension for human experience and language and historical and hermeneutical investigations for Christian texts). The fifth and final thesis further specifies the final mode of critical correlation of these investigations as an explicitly metaphysically and transcendental one. 2 If we apply the aforementioned description to our area of interest, then revisionist Christian feminism can be seen as seeking,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦to mutually and critically correlate the central and liberating themes of biblical and Christian tradition with the experience of women in the contemporary situation. 3 In one of her most noted works, She Who Is, Johnson captures the essence of her revisionist Christian feminism in the metaphor of a braided footbridge,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦between the ledges of classical and feminist Christian tradition. Throwing a hermeneutical span from side to side may enable some to cross over to the paradigm of women! s coequal humanity without leaving behind all the riches of the tradition that had been their intellectual and spiritual home. †4 It clear already from this brief introduction, that Johnson employs the revisionist model of theology. Tradition is key to anyone employing the revisionist model and Johnson is no exception to this. Tradition is important for Johnson, but not necessarily in the sense that one should mindlessly adhere to every aspect of what we inherit. On the other hand, we cannot put our heads the sand and deny the existence of tradition or avoid learning about it. We are all part of a tradition and it becomes part of our shared history and allows us ,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦to see far thanks to the stature of those who have handed on the 2 3 Tracy, Blessed Rage for Order: The New Pluralism in Theology , 43. Shannon Schrein, Quilting and Braiding: The Feminist Christologies of Sallie McFague and Elizabeth Johnson in Conversation (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1998) 2. 4 Elizabeth Johnson, She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse (New York: Crossroad Publishing, 1992) 12. 2 tradition to us. †5 Johnson is respectful of tradition, with the understanding that it often needs to be analyzed to determine if is contributing to pain and suffering. In her book, Consider Jesus, the emphasis is not just on tradition, but on a â€Å"living tradition†.

Brand alliance Essay Example for Free

Brand alliance Essay The desired outcome of a brand alliance is to increase each other brands equity. Some of the examples could be as follows: Two companies pool their resources to co-brand, with the idea that the new product can enjoy a unique positioning or two manufacturers pool resources to develop a promotional campaign featuring both brands. (Samu, Krishnan ; Smith, 1999, p. 57). In general, brand alliances carry along great benefits but at same time ome inevitable risk. Well-established alliance is a powerful tool that can help to promote, to specify, to enrich, and to increase the brand value. Good example for increasing the brand value is brand alliance of PorscheDesign and Adidas, where PorscheDesign clearly raises the image of Adidas and on other hand PorscheDesign has more presence and can sell its products in many lucrative locations. (Adidas Annual report, 2009). Brand alliances are used at times of prosperity as well as in times when the brand suffers; they may serve as a driver for a brand to regain its market position. Wrong arketing strategies can ruin the attractiveness and image of a brand and successful brand alliance can revitalize them. According to (Samu et al. , 1999, p. 57) A new brand might partner with an established brand to build a stronger presence for a specific usage occasion. If one of the brands has very good image and brand equity, it is likely that customers will perceive the partner brand with similar attitude. This strategy is risky and can harm the stronger company. The risk factor can be lowered by extensive market analysis that can reveal some of the unfavourable issues for the xact brand alliance. A common practice for possible alliance partners is creation of an exit strategy. That allows companies react quickly if some of the planned outcomes goes wrong or in other direction than planned. (Melvin Prince ; Mark Davies, 2002) Very common reason for creation of brand alliance is a launch of a new product. It serves as a great advertising tool because it drags attention. New product is associated with some extraordinary brand, which creates a message for consumers. A successful example of brand alliances to promote new product launch where two trong brands allied and which worked perfectly was Range Rover and Victoria Beckham. The outcome was the new model line of Range Rover, Evoque. Targeted mainly at female customers, sales growth rose significantly after the introduction of Victoria Beckhams special luxury edition. Even though the actual limited edition was produced only in small volumes, it created great deal of exclusivity for the new product. Associating the new model with Victoria Backham and creating a well- managed advertising campaign led to a successful launch of the new model line crowned by many design awards. About Land Rover, 2012). . Analysis of Successful Factors in Brand Alliance 3. 1 Successful Factors Before going deeply in the analysis, it is important to understand in theory the successful factors behind a brand alliance and their effects on consumer attitudes. while the effects they produce are the independent variables. While engaging in an alliance, it is fundamental for companies to work on the successful factors in order to produce and maintain the positive effects while reducin g the negative ones

Analysis of impulse buying

Analysis of impulse buying Impulse buying is defined as a buying action undertaken without the problem having been previously recognized or a buying intention formed prior to entering the store. Operational Definition Shoppers are asked upon exiting the store what items they purchased. For each item, they are then asked some variant of the question when they decided to buy; before or after entering the store. The items purchased whose decisions were made after entering the store are impulse purchases. Problems identified with impulse buying studies: There are three main problems with the earlier research on impulse buying Prior studies conducted were based on a taxonomical research approach which classified products into impulse and non-impulse categories. This tends to ignore that fact that almost anything can be bought on an impulse. This approach is ineffective because it divert attention from the internally triggered motivations and their expression which is crucial to understand impulse purchase. At the end of the day, it is people, not products that show impulse consumption behaviour. Not all impulse buying can be categorized as unplanned purchase and vice versa. A lot of purchase which are not planned can be a result of stimulation in the minds of the consumer inside the store which leads to recall of the purchase which they planned long before but had been delayed or postponed. It is incorrect to classify such behaviour under impulse. Impulse buying drops down to a much narrow and specific range of phenomenon than may come under unplanned purchase. To clarify it can be said that impulse buying occurs when a consumer experiences a sudden, often powerful and persistent urge to buy something immediately (Hoch Loewenstein,1991) There hardly exist any theoretical models or framework on impulse buying behaviour. Previous work has not offered any behavioural model to explain impulse buying in totality. Especially if we look at the functional or implementation level for the marketers, there hardly exist any organized reference models to use impulse purchase as a tool to improve sales. Many models link arousal and purchase indirectly linked by some external variable. But they have no mention of phenomena where arousal leads directly to purchase. Five factors that affect impulse purchase: 1. Navigating through categories lead to impulse buying: I found this paper on e-Commerce that had a very interesting study on impulse buying and what causes it. The paper studied habits of consumers shopping online, and found that people browsing through products by clicking categories were more likely to buy something on impulse than people searching for stuff online. The rationale is that people navigating through categories get exposed to a much greater breadth of products than people looking for products through search. 2. Power Distance Belief (PDB): I found this research paper that discusses the concept of Power Distance Belief (PDB) and its impact on impulse buying. I am not sure if I fully agree with it, or even understand it, but its a really interesting and novel take on the subject. Power -distance belief is the degree of power disparity that the people of a culture expect and accept. Higher the PDB, the more a person expects and accepts disparity in power. Eastern cultures like China and India have a high PDB and western cultures like America have a low PDB. A low PDB results in greater impulse buying, and a high PDB results in lower impulse buying. The reason for that people is eastern cultures who expect more power disparity, are also brought up to practice self restraint much more than people in western cultures who dont expect so much power disparity. 3. Prosperity: I really dont need research to tell me that prosperity leads to impulse buying. During the peak of the recession impulse buying was not even something I thought about, let alone engage in. Now, that the situation has markedly improved, a lot of people are engaging in it, including myself. 4. Shiny stuff causes impulse buys: According to this piece, things that are sparkly, noisy, jiggly, furry, fuzzy, or have any other feature that makes them draw attention will sell well on impulse. This makes sense too, because the more attention something draws, the more likely it is that you will think about it and end up buying it. 5. Price: This factor is the most talked about when it comes to impulse buying. A lot of people say that they indulged in impulse buying just because something was on a discount. I am sure deals and discounts contribute to impulse buying, and when we see something priced much lower than what we are used, that triggers a desire to get that thing and save money. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3374/is_n13_v12/ai_9204083/?tag=content;col1 Visual aid to trigger impulse purchase: Emotions are at heart of impulse buying decisions Todays retail stores are almost universal in their reliance on self-service merchandising and a high rate of impulse buying. Self-service merchandising is facilitated by store design and careful attention to traffic flow, while impulse buying is enhanced by the use of special displays. Estimates shows that at least 5 percent of total sales are the result of special displays. Impulse sales are created not by persuasive reasoning, but by striking an emotion that the customer can act upon quickly. There appear to be three mechanisms by which the impulse buying response can be triggered. First, the special display cues the customer to respond to an external advertising campaign. The display creates impulse sales by reminding customers about the extensive advertising to which they have (hopefully) been exposed. Second, the display can serve to break the consumers conditioned reflex to buy a particular product. If the consumer buys Brand A because it has become a habit, then it will be necessary for them to have a reason to break this conditioned purchase behavior. Special displays provide a way to accomplish this because the consumer is responding emotionally, not through a reasoned process. Finally, special displays create impulse sales for new or novel products by instigating the desire to try something new! The salient feature to remember about impulse sales is that they are a response to an emotional appeal. A successful appeal may take many forms, but those most universal and easiest to communicate are identified by simple phrases such as: low price, new, free, extra, etc. A special display is used to get the customers attention for each of these messages. To be successful in creating sales, each of the special displays must meet two objectives. The first and most basic is to get noticed. This is accomplished by positioning the display, where it is easily seen (either on an end cap, or sticking out from a shelf). However, given the competition for customer attention, this often is not enough. Methods of increasing visibility include bright colors, maximizing separation from the shelf or general merchandise, and massive size. Using special displays to increase impulse sales. To be successful in creating sales, each of the special displays must meet two objectives. The first and most basic is to get noticed. This is accomplished by positioning the display, where it is easily seen (either on an end cap, or sticking out from a shelf). However, given the competition for customer attention, this often is not enough. Methods of increasing visibility include bright colors, maximizing separation from the shelf or general merchandise, and massive size. The space and situation will dictate which method is appropriate. If, for example, the objective is to increase soft drink sales, this most likely is best accomplished by creating a large display with prominent signing. You also would want to increase impulse sales by creating a display of related merchandise such as snack foods and barbecue supplies. However, if less space is available, then the traditional `shelf-talkers and checkout counter displays are more useful approaches. Another excellent method for attracting attention is the use of special lighting. Lighting not only attracts attention to products, but also communicates a message. Incandescent light creates a softer, warmer image associated with quality. Coloured lighting can be used to achieve other effects. The second objective of a special display is to create an impulse to buy. The message must be clear, immediate, and the action required, unambiguous. Of course, the trick is knowing how to communicate an emotional appeal that translates into the `buy me now message. For chain drug stores, the messages that are most likely to be consistent with the merchandising mix and business policy are price and convenience (Ted Gladson Emotions are at heart of impulse buying decisions.) Model to explain purchase behaviour: Any visual contact with the product or product related communication produces a stimulus or need to look at the product and try it. This leads to development of an attitude towards the product stimulus and leads to three situations: Affect This leads to Behaviour Cognition Reliance martC:UsersnimishDesktopRelianceMart at Ahmedabad.JPG Spread across 165,000 square feet of shopping area, RelainceMart will provide the shoppers a never before experience shopping delight. The hypermarket will carry a range of over 95,000 products catering to the entire family. Shoppers will have the option to choose from a wide array of products in every category ranging from Fresh Produce, Food Grocery, Home Care Products, Apparel and Accessories, Lifestyle Product, Footwear and much more. RelianceMart offers some unique services to the shoppers like tailoring, shoe repair, watch repair, a photo shop, gift services and laundry services all within the store. The store also houses its own fresh bakery serving hot off the oven bread and bread products throughout the day and local savories, an ice-cream train for the kids, a chakki, ready-made batter and loose tea and pickle for the housewives. RelianceMart will also sell fine jewellery and fashion jewellery as a part of its Lifestyle section. RelianceMart will also house a health and wellness store providing pharmaceutical drugs and other wellness products. For the shoppers convenience, the store has a cafeteria providing quality food and beverages for ready consumption, an ATM machine and a consumer service / membership desk to provide the customer a truly international shopping experience. RelianceMart with 61 check-out counters has for the first time in India introduced the Mobile POS system for faster check outs. This is aimed at reducing the customer wait time. The store planning, atmospheries and layout has been designed specifically to provide a complete solution to the customer. RelianceMart will remain open from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. seven days a week. The store has over 400 highly skilled and trained customer sales representatives. STAR BAZAAR The uniqueness of each Star Bazaar store lies in the size and spread of its merchandise range. Shoppers can select from a large range of staples, fresh goods, apparel, luggage, consumer durables, household products and much more and also enjoy the benefit of generous reductions on the market rate.C:UsersnimishDesktopimages.jpg The stores stock goods according to regional customer preferences, as customers in different regions favour different essentials. For instance, in Gujarat, people tend to stock up on their pulses whereas in northern India, basmati rice is a big item. Star Bazaar is aware that people today look at value as a critical component while shopping. And that the first visit may be put down to curiosity, but customers will keep coming back only if they are satisfied with the choices, the quality and the value of the products on sale. So the big focus is on understanding its customers who they are, what they want, what is relevant to them, and how to package it in a manner that makes the store more attractive to them. PRIMARY RESEARCH FINDINGS (All the information used below is taken from the quantitative and qualitative study done for this dissertation) The figure shows the percentage of respondents ever visited one of these stores. 97% of the respondents said that they have visited Big Bazaar at least once, followed by reliance mart, Star Bazaar and Vishal mega mart in the respective order. Factors leading to choice of a hypermarket store Quantitative research shows that the factors affecting the choice of hypermarket store can be broadly classified into three categories: Category Factors Most important Location Variety Discounts Average importance Brand name Quick billing Ease of finding product Quality Experience Least important Size of store Assistance in shopping Shopper Behaviour Trends Pre Planning of purchase From the research it is evident that majority of the shoppers prefer planning their purchase before going to shopping. Research says almost two third (74%) of the respondents pre plan their purchase. This may include everything from the written plan to the mental plan the shopper has. More expenditure than planned Even when a majority plans their purchase, most of the time shoppers end up spending more than planned in a hypermarket. From the above graph it is evident that almost 60% spend more than planned almost every time they go out shopping in a hypermarket. This extra amount can be attributed to the impulse purchase of the shoppers, which means that even when the shopper plans the purchase before entering a hypermarket they still end up purchasing products out of the list. Relationship between preplanning of the purchases and actual impulse behaviour The above figure shows how impulse purchase varies with pre planning of the purchase by the shopper in a hypermarket. It shows some relation between the two: Among the people who end up spending more every time, 61% are the ones who plan their purchase and rest 39% are the ones who dont plan. Among the people who hardly ever spend more than planned, 86% plan their purchase and 14% do not plan. Hence, pre planning of purchase can affect the overall impulse purchase but the impact is very less and consumers planning of purchase dont really influence to their impulse behaviour. It clearly suggests that a good number of purchase decisions are actually taken inside the store. Thus, opens a huge window of opportunity for marketers to influence their behaviour in favour of their product. Mode of payment preferred The number of credit and debit card users in India is climbing fast, and rising affluence is likely to erode Indians lingering reluctance to spend on credit. Indians have traditionally valued thrift and frugality. But the spread of affluence in the wake of rapid economic growth is challenging these values, at least for many middle-class and high-income families. One sign of this is the phenomenal growth in the number of credit and debit cards in India-in the past three years, the number of credit cards has more than doubled and the number of debit cards has almost quadrupled. It has been observed that the mode of payment can influence pain of payment. Since paying by the card will feel less painful than paying in cash, participants will spend more with card. Similar trend is observed in the above pie chart, which says almost 60% of the shoppers today prefer using their credit/debit cards in place of cash. Relationship between mode of payment and impulse purchase From the above figure it is clear that people who end up spending more in form of impulse purchase are the ones who prefer card over cash. On the other hand people using cash hardly ever spend more than planned. Thus, mode of payment can be very significant in influencing the purchase behaviour, especially impulse purchase, since the pain of spending is much less in card payment. Purchase from attractive kiosk The above pie chart shows how product placement and point of purchase communication influence the shopper behaviour. Retail Communication helps the retailers generate sales by using any one or a mix of these outputs and inform, persuade and remind customers about the retailer and its offers. Stores use tools such as visual merchandising, signage and graphics, and other forms of point-of-purchase communication (PoP) to achieve an effective in-store strategy. The consumer response from the above figure shows that 61% of the total respondents show an intention to purchase from an attractive kiosk for product launch or promotion. The above graph shows the trend of actual purchase from such kiosks. It clearly suggests that shopper may try it at times but it depends on various factors such as (findings from depth interviews): Price When it comes to picking up product on impulse from a promotional kiosk, price matters a lot. People would not want to risk buying an expensive product, which they dont have a prior experience with. At low price the risk associated with the purchase gets reduced a lot and results in high trial rate. Category openness to new product depends a lot on the importance of that product in our daily lives. For example, women are very particular about the cosmetic products that they use and are not open to experiment much on the other hand product category like snacks and chocolates does not pose any such risk. Thus, product category also influence this impulse purchase behaviour. Brand Brand name brings with it trust and reliability, which reduces the risk associated with a product trial and shoppers are more open to buy such products. For example, Apple launches its new products and even before the reviews comes out, brand loyalist buys them, because of the trust Apple has built over the years. Packaging Visual appeal plays a very important role in differentiating the product from hundreds of other products kept in a hypermarket. Packaging cannot just attract the customer but can also lead to final purchase because it is the first POP communication by the product. Brands like Parle Agros Hippo took this insight and launched the product in almost all hypermarkets and have been very successful. Discounts / offers Most of the time trial can be triggered by offering discount or some promotional scheme. In this way marketers can reduce the risk by adding more value to their offering. Also, it catches eye and the psyche of Indian customer is such that it looks for higher value at lower cost. It also creates a sense of urgency because even when customer does not need the product he/she may buy thinking that the discount may or may not be available in future. This result in impulse purchase for the purpose to stock. Purchase near billing area Billing counter is the most strategic location to trigger impulse buying behaviour in the shopper. Few factors that affect are: Time Most of the times in Indian hypermarkets people have to stand in queues before billing, this extra bit of time is when they actually think of other things they wanted to buy but may have forgotten. Presence of products around Area near the billing counter is full of products that are high on impulse purchase. These products are not the low priced and mostly eatables. For example, chocolates, toffees, chewing gums, chips, etc. Presence of such products generally tempts the shopper to pick them. The whole experience of shopping happening all around them leads to such behaviour. Influence of others purchase There is a saying that grass on the other side is always green, which holds true with Indians, while shopping too. Every person carrying a product in its shopping cart is marketing for the product. We also tend to look at other peoples shopping cart when we are waiting in the queue and that is the time when we recall most of the items that we need but forgot to buy. This is a major reason of impulse purchase in a hypermarket as compared to that of traditional retail format. Fear of loss Section wise unplanned visit The movement of the shopper inside a hypermarket is the most important thing to study for a marketer because it is very important for any manufacturer to place the product in such a way that it is visible enough to the shopper so that they can make up their mind and buy it. Impulse purchase is hugely dependent on the way the shopper move inside the store. From the research, the above graph shows what sections of the hypermarket witness highest unplanned visit. Most of the times shopper just walk through the section even when there is no intention of buying any product. Looking broadly at the various sections the hypermarket is divided, I listed down the major ones. From the above figure it is clear that: Highest unplanned visit happens in Snacks section that includes chips, biscuits, wafers, chocolates and other packaged snacks. Research shows 71% of the total respondents visit these sections even when they had no plan of buying anything from these sections initially. This is because of the following reasons: Price: Temptation: After snacks comes apparel and personal care section. Here Category bought on impulse QUALITATIVE findings Factors affecting the purchase behaviour and specifically impulse purchase in a hypermarket: Time Hypermarket is a retail format which offers a wide variety of products and practically all the consumer needs can be met at that very place. In such a situation it becomes important for them to spend time inside and take a look at every section of the hypermarket. During the depth interviews, there has been a significant change in the shopper movement and behaviour when given a situation where they have some extra bit of time to spend in the store. For example, they were given a situation where they came for a movie but got tickets of the show that is 2 hours late. Now, they have these 2 hours and they enter a hypermarket when they had no intention to visit the store initially. The response shows that now there movement would not be driven by the pre planned intention but the choice they unconsciously make. Sections they prefer to visit now are the ones which will witness maximum impulse behaviour. During the interviews it was evident that in such a situation maximum number of shoppers would want to visit the apparel and footwear section. Below table shows how the behaviour vary with different age groups. This is an important indicator for marketers and retailers to generate impulse purchase by placing their products at the entry or exit of these category sections. Disposable money (amount willing to spend on different categories) The amount a shopper carrying is also a very significant factor that influence his/her movement inside the store and hence impulse purchase. During the depth interviews, the respondents were given a situation where they were asked to imagine a situation where they are having some extra money and they wont mind spending it that days shopping. There was again a significant change in the behaviour in this situation as this extra amount psychologically give them the freedom to wander in sections that earlier they avoided because lack of money not lack of interest or time. This behaviour is again is important for marketers and retailers to generate impulse purchase by placing their products at the entry or exit of these category sections. In this case, there is a higher chance of impulse behaviour due to availability of extra cash and high intention of purchase. Payment mode Mode of payment is also a very important factor which came into light by observing shoppers at the store and depth interviews. To conduct this study I traced shopper movement inside the store and their purchase trends. If was evident that people end up spending more when they dont pay in cash because the pain of payment is very low in card as compared to that of cash. In store design Billing Counter From the above research it is quite evident that products kept near billing counter have a high probability to stimulate impulse buying behaviour. Various factors like time of queue, access to others shopping cart and the mental satisfaction of buying products contributes to this behaviour. It is designed in such a manner that while waiting in the queue you cannot avoid the sight of the products. Most of the times the products found are low priced and discounted like chewing gums, chocolates, chips, soft toys etc. Shelf placement Shopper movement Entrance Exit Shopping frequency and impulse The above graph explains the relation between shopping frequency and impulse purchase behaviour. Generally, people going for shopping everyday do not spend more than planned. It is evident from the higher number of respondents in the last three categories of everyday shoppers. On the other hand people going shopping less often tends to spend more than planned most of the time which is clear from the fact that first three categories are high on once in 3 months purchasers. Recommendations Promoting impulse buying behaviour Businesses who wish to promote their products and focus on impulse buying should create an environment where shoppers can be comforted and relieved of their negative perceptions of impulse. They should focus on the relative reasoning of impulse buying in their marketing efforts. Similarly, they should also focus on the non-economic rewards of impulse buying. Additionally, businesses can make the environment more complex, further straining consumers abilities to process information accurately. Such techniques as stocking more merchandise, creating stimulating atmospherics, and increasing information may be useful to stimulate impulse buying. Businesses have to make impulse purchasing more risk-free, through convenient return policies, or increase enablers such as credit and store hours. Importantly, this model also offers options for consumers to control their buying impulses, if they choose to, or feel better about their impulse buying, by relieving their negative evaluations of impulse. How to promote impulsive buying Emphasise needs versus wants Highlight that it will not impact on their shopping budgets over time Create a store environment which dazzles them and where they lose control Provide flexible payment methods. Some people have less cash in your wallet and sometimes leave credit cards at home Avoid making the customer wait 24 hours before making an unplanned purchase Demonstrate that this deal/offer will not last tomorrow before they realize that such deals occur on a regular basis Stress on the emotional aspect of owning the product. Good amount of effort should be put into messages which should make consumers recognize that buying on impulse is not bad. Once consumers recognize that products are more than commodities and that they are buying to please their desires, they will feel more comfortable with the impulse buying decision. Product trial There is a wide gap between the points where the product visual generates the stimulus to final purchase. To minimize this gap and to convert all stimuli into action product trial can prove very effective. This helps customers check the quality of the product and its utility, such an experience can reinforce the buying impulse and the need to buy starts dominating. Some well known things about impulse buying Traditionally impulse buying is defined as Unplanned buying refers to all purchases made without such advance planning and includes impulse buying, which is distinguished by the relative speed with which buying decisions occur. Impulse buying occurs when a consumer experiences a sudden, often powerful and persistent urge to buy something immediately. The impulse to buy is hedonically complex and may stimulate emotional conflict. Also, impulse buying is prone to occur with diminished regard for its consequences. Why people buy impulsively? Some say that it acts as a stress reliever Perceive it as the best buy of that time People are captivated as an audience Consumers have extra money in their budget These are some of the characteristics of impulsive buying Unplanned, Spontaneous and intense urge to buy the purchaser often ignoring the consequences Without much prior knowledge of the product or intension to buy A kind of emotional and irrational purchase often for reasons like fun, fantasy and social and economic pleasure Consumer often regret their purchase after purchasing Internal factors affecting impulsive buying Depends on the mood of the individual, positive mood triggers impulsive buying Impulsive buying is more a need than a want Potential entertainment and emotional worth of shopping Cognitive/affective External factors affecting impulsive buying Windows display Visual merchandising In-store form display Promotional signage Word of mouth messages E-commerce Impact of impulsive buying on the consumer Disturbs the overall financial budget Often gives product dissatisfaction and less alternatives are considered People who go for impulsive buying often have post purchase regret Irrational decision making being more emotional http://www.focus.com/briefs/marketing/impulse-buying-boosting-your-bottom-line/ Limitations People in the city are not used to research hence they were not very responsive or had less idea on how to answer certain questions. As a student, I had limited amount of resources (money, time, contacts etc) to spend on this research. This research has been conducted in two hypermarkets (Reliance mart and star bazaar), the research findings cannot be extended to all hypermarkets in India. This restricts the scope of applying the findings. There are various psychological factors driving impulse behaviour which cannot be covered in this study due to knowledge limitation. Hence the findings cannot be extended to these areas.

Product Layouts and Group Technologies Essay -- Operations Management

Product Layouts and Group Technologies In today’s world of operations management, layouts of manufacturing processes play a key role in achieving and maintaining long term goals. These layouts need to be well thought out and carefully planned for they can effect the cost or producing goods and delivering services for many years into the future. Layouts are dependent on the technology utilized and product type manufactured. There are four typical layouts: process layout, product layout, fixed position layout and combination layout. A combination layout is a layout that shares properties of two or more layouts. Such as a group technology layout that shares characteristics of a process layout and a product layout. They’re similar in that the cells are designed to perform a specific set of processes, and it is similar to product layout in that the cells are dedicated to a limited range of products. Each layout usually involves compromise and balancing of the process variables and it’s always debatable whether the perfect layout actually exists. â€Å"The purpose of layout planning is: to maximize the efficiency and profitability of a manufacturing operation to allow consistency and quality in products to be produced to allow flexibility and ease of adaptation for machinery and production personnel to products as required by the market†(Anonymous 2). Some characteristics of a good layout would be minimum material movement, workstations close together, easily adjustable to changing conditions and one plant floor so that everyone can see what’s going on. To define and explain, a product layout is a product-orientated layout that is appropriate for producing one standardized product in typically large volumes. Each unit being produced requires the same sequence of operations from beginning till end. During times when product demand is high enough and sustainable over a long period of time, it is usually cost effective to rearrange resources from a process layout to a product layout. In certain cases the equipment layouts are arranged so that the product in manufactured in a sequential and continuous arrangement. A good example would be an assembly line. Assembly lines can vary widely either they can be virtually 100 percent parts assembly by workers or by a transfer line where all the work being done is by machine. An assembly line is ... ...erformance. For example the decision to adopt a process layout which often groups workers according to skills may not be compatible with an operation requiring some persons of all skills to produce a variety of different products. For process and product layouts, the design begins with a statement of the goals and facility. Preliminary layouts are then designed to meet these goals. After initial designs have been developed, improved designs are sought through numerical analysis and discussion with the users. The development of a layout should involve everyone that it is effecting. Computer based models can be used for preliminary estimations to create some preliminary layouts using CAD or similar drawing software. The layouts then can be analyzed against the goals of the facility and improvement made if necessary. In summary while there are a lot of tools for good layout planning and each layout are dependent on the type of products and external variables impacting on the manufacturing process. A skilled layout planner working with manufacturing staff and management should work through objectives and options to determine the optimal solution for a given facility. Product Layouts and Group Technologies Essay -- Operations Management Product Layouts and Group Technologies In today’s world of operations management, layouts of manufacturing processes play a key role in achieving and maintaining long term goals. These layouts need to be well thought out and carefully planned for they can effect the cost or producing goods and delivering services for many years into the future. Layouts are dependent on the technology utilized and product type manufactured. There are four typical layouts: process layout, product layout, fixed position layout and combination layout. A combination layout is a layout that shares properties of two or more layouts. Such as a group technology layout that shares characteristics of a process layout and a product layout. They’re similar in that the cells are designed to perform a specific set of processes, and it is similar to product layout in that the cells are dedicated to a limited range of products. Each layout usually involves compromise and balancing of the process variables and it’s always debatable whether the perfect layout actually exists. â€Å"The purpose of layout planning is: to maximize the efficiency and profitability of a manufacturing operation to allow consistency and quality in products to be produced to allow flexibility and ease of adaptation for machinery and production personnel to products as required by the market†(Anonymous 2). Some characteristics of a good layout would be minimum material movement, workstations close together, easily adjustable to changing conditions and one plant floor so that everyone can see what’s going on. To define and explain, a product layout is a product-orientated layout that is appropriate for producing one standardized product in typically large volumes. Each unit being produced requires the same sequence of operations from beginning till end. During times when product demand is high enough and sustainable over a long period of time, it is usually cost effective to rearrange resources from a process layout to a product layout. In certain cases the equipment layouts are arranged so that the product in manufactured in a sequential and continuous arrangement. A good example would be an assembly line. Assembly lines can vary widely either they can be virtually 100 percent parts assembly by workers or by a transfer line where all the work being done is by machine. An assembly line is ... ...erformance. For example the decision to adopt a process layout which often groups workers according to skills may not be compatible with an operation requiring some persons of all skills to produce a variety of different products. For process and product layouts, the design begins with a statement of the goals and facility. Preliminary layouts are then designed to meet these goals. After initial designs have been developed, improved designs are sought through numerical analysis and discussion with the users. The development of a layout should involve everyone that it is effecting. Computer based models can be used for preliminary estimations to create some preliminary layouts using CAD or similar drawing software. The layouts then can be analyzed against the goals of the facility and improvement made if necessary. In summary while there are a lot of tools for good layout planning and each layout are dependent on the type of products and external variables impacting on the manufacturing process. A skilled layout planner working with manufacturing staff and management should work through objectives and options to determine the optimal solution for a given facility.

Does Competition Benefit in Business? Essay -- Business, Competition

Does Competition Benefit in Business? Do businesses want to grow and advance, or remain at a standstill with production? Most say they want to grow and advance. This topic is important in the business standpoint. Shall business managers promote competition or not? â€Å"Smart business professionals use competition to their advantage† (Pearson 1). Businesses who use competition notice the positive effects later down the road. Seeking to thrive and grow, businesses need to promote competition and compete against the other firms in their business. â€Å"There’s nothing like a little competition to suddenly boost productivity† (qtd. in Penn 1). Although some critics argue that competition may develop a negative atmosphere in the workplace, businesses should promote competition in order to function in a changing society, establish efficient performance, and enhance their customer’s satisfaction. Businesses should promote competition in order to function in a changing society. America seems to grow bigger structurally and technologically everyday. Businesses need to keep up with these advancements. Designing and selling top quality products for America, competition challenges businesses to create a better future. When competition arises between two industries, the sight of competing drives consumer business to the industry that successfully lowers the prices on their products. Successful industries remain up-to-date with society becoming top-notch in the field they compete in. Competition teaches businesses what will work in their market and what will not work. The consumer demand for products always appear no matter what. How industries produce that product determines how successful the business operation becomes. â€Å"Compet... ...ometimes goes another route and leads to productivity decrease. If business professionals enforce competition in their business, the aspect of getting the job done efficiently reappears almost instantly. In this day and age, the human society with the will to win is absent. People are lazy and avoid the competition. If employers employ the right people for the job with the right mindset who are willing to work diligently and efficiently through all struggles involving business, then they want competition in and around their firm. Competition, tough and non-regrettable, is not for the lazy worker, so if employees want to see productivity in their business then they find the right people who know how to work hard. So if a business wants to see itself grow and establish, then the right answer to see these gains involves a little bit of external competition.

Human Necessity :: Religion Christianity Papers

Human Necessity Today, we live in a world where the question, "why?" proceeds nearly every statement or action. We live in a society where faith alone, for most, is not enough to justify belief. In her novel Regeneration, Pat Barker shows us this need to question by referring to the Gospel of Saint Luke. On page 106, Dr. Rivers recites Luke 4:23 to himself: "Ye will sure say unto me this proverb. Physician heal thyself." Barker uses this Biblical reference to develop a theme concurrent with the entire novel: our innate human need to seek justification for actions. The phrase, "Ye will surely say unto me this proverb. Physician heal thyself," is spoken by Jesus in the Gospel of Saint Luke. Saint Luke tells us that at the age of 30 Jesus began his public ministry. Prior to his preaching, he had worked as a simple carpenter in the city of Nazareth (New International Version Bible, Luke 3:23). Upon hearing about the arrest of John the Baptist, Jesus left Nazareth and went to Capernaum, a city close to the Jordan River. In Capernaum, Jesus began his teachings. Jesus would preach in synagogues and perform miracles: casting out demons, making the paralyzed walk, and relieving deadly fevers from the sick ("Capernaum"). News of the coming of a Messiah spread all over Galilee, including to Jesus' hometown of Nazareth, where the residents had never known Jesus as the Messiah, or as a man who could perform miracles. To the residents of Nazareth, Jesus was merely a simple carpenter. For thirty years, the people of Nazareth had referred to Jesus as "The Perfect Man," but never had witnessed a miracle or anything that would prompt them to think more highly of Jesus (Gledenhuys 167). The residents of Nazareth had heard of Jesus' miracles at Capernaum and were eager to see if this man, whom they had known since birth, was what he claimed to be. Jesus began preaching to the Nazarenes, but as he spoke the residents began to grumble and question each other: "Isn't this Joseph's son?" (New International Version Bible, Luke 4:22). They did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, because they had not seen any physical evidence; they had not witnessed a miracle. Jesus, sensing their lack of faith, says to them, "Y e will surely say unto me this proverb. Physician heal thyself" (New International Version Bible, Luke 4:23).

Nursing in Alabama

The focal point of this paper is to look into the aspects of nursing profession in Alabama. Nursing profession in Alabama could be regarded as a profession that is on a high note lately. In 2000 it was reported that there are about 41,500 nurses in Alabama who are legally licensed as RN or registered nurses. It is also reported that at current date there are about 85% of these nurses who are actively on the go with their profession and are employed with different agencies and institutions. This number is about 34,000 as on 2000. One interesting observation about the profession of nursing in Alabama is that the population per 100000 consist 765 registered nurses. This is lower than the national rate as it is 780 per 100000 people. (Sen, 2001) In the same year, 2000, the state of Alabama ranked quite well at 10 under the parameter of employment of vocational or licensed practical nurses among other states.   However, it should also be looked after that out of a population per 100000 individuals the total number of licensed practical nurses was 330. This was much higher than the national rate of licensed practical nurse at it stands at 240 per 100000 individuals. But when it comes to total number of licensed practical nurses Alabama scores average at 19th with the sum total being 15000 workers.   However, it should be mentioned that the number of nurse practitioners in 2000 in the state of Alabama was 1400 which is almost at par with the national index of nurse practitioners. . (Sen, 2001) Though it is true that Nursing salaries, like physician salaries, vary by experience, location and specialization it should be noted that on an average a nurse can earn $10-$20 per hour in Alabama, with an additional housing subsidy and this pay can get even higher in areas of high living like Chicago San Francisco or New York. It has been estimated that this amount can rise for traveling nurses to $24-$35 per hour and is almost double the amount of the average stationary nurse. For records, California offers the most number of jobs for traveling nurses. However, it should also be mentioned that the profession of traveling nurse is short termed and a part time job. Usually sums up to 3-4 months in a year or for 45 days on an average out of a year of 365 days. (Mukherjee, 2004) Education is a vital aspect in the field of nursing. MSN or Master of Science in Nursing Program follows a well formulated Terminal Objectives that is very relevant in both medical and administrative level. In general sense the MSN Terminal Objectives includes a general Administration-MSN Track followed by an Education or MSN Track. The next MSN Terminal Objectives that follow after these are The RN-MSN Degree and The Coordinated MSN or MBA Option followed by a Nursing Education Certificate Program. Next there is the UT Southwester Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner MSN Completion and The MSN-NP Degree. Shortly after this there is Admission to UT Tyler MSN, MSN or MBA, MSN or NP Programs. There is also a Policy for Non-Degree Seeking Students Procedure for Course Equivalency Determination. Last phase comes with the inclusion of MSN Progression, Thesis and Thesis or Professional Scholarship. (Roberts, 2005) The current workforce analysis of Nurses in Alabama as on 2005 was around 48,000 and at a national level this figure sums up to 1200000. In the same context it could be mentioned that the average salary of a regular nurse in Alabama is about $2500-$3000 which is practically at par with the national index of salary rate of nurses in the US. However, working conditions vary from state to state and Alabama ranks quite high in this respect positioned only second to California. Alabama provides a 7 hour per day shift with any one day in the week as off day for a nurse with free lodging available. (Anand, 2006) Training and education requirement for a nurse in Alabama include the MSN schedule and is regarded as the most essential aspect for getting a license. For sustaining this license or continuing education requirements are essential and there is always room for updated activity and a 3 week semester is available for the registered nurses per year. This semester in the on an average ranges around 2.5 weeks nationwide. However it should be noted that licenses are issued by the Alabama Authority for Care for nurses residing in Alabama whereas the central board of nursing is in based in New York under the name National Board of Registered Nurses. The licenses issued by NBRS-NY are valid all over the US. (Anand, 2006) In the context of Alabama the supply and demand curve of nurses is extremely favorable. At present there is a shortage of about 15% nurses in Alabama alone in respect to the license issued and active workforce. However, in the national context this data is more marginal as the difference between demand and supply of registered nurses is only 3.43%. (Anand, 2006) It should be remembered that the profession of nursing is a noble profession and to excel in it requires hard works with compassion and a favorable state would help this profession to flourish. The state of Alabama could be regarded as an ideal venue for nursing with its high demands.   (Podolski, 2006) References: Anand, M; (2006); US HealthCare Forum: Current Data & Analysis; IBL & Alliance Ltd. 452-461 Mukherjee, Sachin D; (2004); Thought Strategies; IBL & Alliance Ltd. 327 Podolski, V; (2006); Public Perception of Perceptions: An Approach Towards well being; IBL & Alliance Ltd. 87 Roberts, O M; (2005); Outline of Social care; National Book Trust 43 Sen, S; (2001); USA: Nursing Data; ABP Ltd. 98-101   

The History of Affirmative Action

The taradiddle of assentient serve has its roots in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. claim septette of the Civil Rights Act provided the initial reasoned arse for assentient natural challenge for wo hands in the swear out go under. affirmatory natural process is a constitution to encourage live opportunity and to wee-wee the playing field for groups of mess who live with been and be discriminated against. According to the be trans carry out probability Commission, favourable accomplishment, Is considered essential to chequer that rail lines argon genuinely and friction matchly sociable to serve persons, without regard to their put forward, racial, or hea wherefore characteristics.Over the past few decades roles for wo men in the workplace go increase. M whatsoever of the predominately potent occupations decl atomic number 18 increasingly change state to a greater extent respective(a). favorable serve process oneselfs to promote conversion in h abit and mateity between sexual activitys. The effectiveness of favourable action and Equal Employment Opportunity legislation has been sprucely debated for years, with advocates citing gains made by women and flock of wring in pay, organisational representation, and organizational status.Women, in general, study been the main beneficiaries of plausive action and will be the biggest losers if it is overturned. The number of women submission the professions, including medicine, law and accounting, has increased substantially in 30 years. Women of all pelt a persistents consume increased their shargon of professional personates in corporations. However, women exhaust hitherto to achieve equality in the workplace as the gap in wages continues. Nationally, women earn 74 cents for some(prenominal) dollar earned by men.A National Academy of Science decl are found that a significant counterbalance of these wage gaps could non be explained by factors such(prenominal) as e ducation or work experience. favorable exploit promotes the hiring of fitted people. It does non mean people should be leased retri notwithstandingory because they are minorities. It helps to reach out the range of people to be considered for employment in hopes of creating a much than different applicant pool from which to choose. Groups of people are often stereotyped. In the case of sex stereotypes, these are attri alonees that are imparted to psyche men and women simply by virtue of their sex.The involve of affirmatory action on women whitethorn cause them to suffer the stigma of economy class citizenship as a result of discriminatory treatment, because they will be subjected to the presumption that they were drived not because of their qualifications but because of their gender. favorable action may therefore lead to the evidence that the women hired under affirmative action are incompetent. If someone is eyeshot to be hired or placed as a result of affirma tive action efforts, then that supplies onlookers with a plausible and obligate explanation for the survival of the fittest decision ndependent of the job incumbents qualifications for the position.Then the individual may be rentd to hire been hired totally because of her sex, with qualifications irrelevant to the selection process. Sex bias to a fault has been exhibit in decisions about pay raises, promotions, and employee custom and education opportunities. Although sex may wholly be taken into consideration later hiring a person for their qualifications, it may only be assumed that they received their position because of affirmative action. to a greater extent than or lesstimes, affirmative action may create rather than alleviate problems for women by causing people to perceive them as possessing fewer of the characteristics deemed necessary for success in a traditionally male work context. If affirmative action promotes these damaging conceptions, then there is a dis tinct chess opening that rather than being a vivify for sex contrariety, it can be yet an frameer(a) contributor to the problem. Often, sex divergence can be viewed through the meth Ceiling.The Glass Ceiling refers to invisible, man-made barriers that prevent commensurate individuals from advancing at bottom their organization and reaching full potential. The status describes the point beyond which women managers and executives are not promoted. Although the barriers exist, it is hard to imagine how anyone can imagine that treating people differently, or not promoting someone base on their sex is chastely acceptable or financially responsible. positive action policies are instrumental in providing women and minorities with the tools to help break through the blur ceiling, and create a more diverse workforce.Affirmative action policies provide equal opportunity to those groups who apply been systematically denied it. Affirmative action is not the source of dissimilit ude, but the vehicle for removing the effects of discrimination. Affirmative Action plans do not discriminate against anyone competing for any position. They actually increase the pool of qualified applicants by using aggressive enlisting and outreach techniques. The policies developed from the Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action legislation do make a difference and are salvage necessary to assure a more equitable workforce.Title septette of the Civil Rights Act, prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Title VII is presumed to promote the hiring it is designed to protect. The logic underlying this presumption is simple by making employers liable for failures to hire found on gender, the law raises the price of such discriminatory activity and produces less of it than would return if employers were left completely free to hire whomever they wished.Women are more likely to be promoted in organizations with human resource programs that consume affirmative action policies that consider the demographics of employees. Affirmative action in employment encompasses a broad range of actions and programs intend to cover a fair chance at job opportunities for all Americans. Although it is suppose to go on discrimination, affirmative action is sometimes thought to be a source of flip-flop discrimination. When affirmative action was first implemented it was designed to be temporary, and now more than 30 years later it is silence being used.The definition of it has grown and get far more intrusive than its designers could have imagined. Opponents of affirmative action deal no government law, program, or policy that makes distinctions based on race or gender can be beneficial. Government mandated cabbage discrimination, under the politically correct pretence of affirmative action, has failed to help minorities in a positive manner and has succeeded in inveterate the trend of racially divisive policy. The legal age group in an organization may sometimes feel threatened by diversity, because it means sharing their space with people who are different from them.Many people, both men and women, are opposed to affirmative action standards. Often, men do not like it because they think it will take a instruction from their opportunities for employment or development within the organization. Some men also feel that they are being discriminated against just because they are men. Although affirmative action has been roaring in helping women, they may still be opposed to the stigma habituated to it if they are thought to be promoted overdue to the affirmative action standards, regardless of their qualifications.Some critics believe that affirmative action overcrowds the workforce with minorities or women with substantially lower qualifications. In the last several years misanthropical forces have tried to use race and ethnicity to divide America by claiming that affi rmative action is detrimental and unfair to the bulk because the programs contain quotas and preferences for people of color and women. later all, it is often assumed that if women were as qualified, as men were, they would not need help from affirmative action.This is a very negative connotation describing the womens work value-system and the reason women have the need for affirmative action policies in the first place. Affirmative action is only in place to allow the opportunity for a more diverse applicant pool the qualifications required to perform the jobs remain the same. Both men and women can be equally qualified for a job, but the one that receives the head should have an edge over the other candidate. Although some people view affirmative action as a form of reverse discrimination, it was originally conceived with good intentions.It has helped nightspot to create a more diverse workforce. Affirmative action strengthens the nation by helping to provide equal opportunit ies to those who have been excluded unfairly. Affirmative action programs were never intended to last forever, however they are expect to remain in place so long as discrimination continues to get across equal opportunity to women and people of color. Affirmative action in employment encompasses a broad range of actions and programs intended to ensure a fair chance at job opportunities for all Americans.Affirmative action programs seek to remedy past discrimination against women, minorities, and others by increasing the recruitment, promotion, retention, and on-the-job training opportunities in employment and by removing barriers to entrance money to educational institutions. Because of the long history of discrimination based on sex and race, almost affirmative action programs have been tell towards improving employment and education opportunities for women and minorities. Race, ethnicity, or gender may be but one factor considered among many a(prenominal) others in evaluating qualified candidates.Discrimination continues to permeate American society and results in too many lost opportunities for everyone. The simple reality is that we have not reached the day where an individuals gender, race or ethnicity is no more important than the color of their eyes or hair. As General Colin Powell noted when talk about the current state of discrimination, Were not where we want to be- We are where we gotta be. trim the nations commitment to equal opportunity by eliminating affirmative action programs for women and other minorities does not move us in the right direction.Until everyone is truly considered equal, affirmative action policies are needed to help ensure equality among genders. Affirmative action has been successful in promoting the advancements of minorities in the workplace. When affirmative action is used correctly, it is helpful by promoting equality for all. When it is abused, it has bad effects on society. Affirmative action may trademark or ca ll into question the enfranchisement of the qualified minorities. I believe that affirmative action was necessary to get where we are today in terms of equality.We have come a long way since the 1960s. Although, I think that if we were to do absent with affirmative action, we would still continue to become a more diverse society. With women and minorities in the management positions of companies it is more likely that this diversification would continue even if we didnt have affirmative action policies in place. This would plausibly eliminate some of the doubt people have when it comes to women being hired or promoted just because of affirmative action. It would totally be based on her qualifications.As of now, we cannot break down affirmative action and other organizational initiatives aimed at promoting equality in the workplace, and assume that sex discrimination will not occur. Sex discrimination has a long history and has proved highly unsusceptible to efforts to eliminat e it. But it is equally unfastened that Affirmative action as it is presently constructed, creates its own set of problems for those it intends to help. I believe that affirmative action policies will presently not exist, and everyone will be considered equal regardless of race, origin, or gender.Perhaps more than any other sentence in our rich written political heritage, these talking to from the Declaration of Independence embody the highest ideals of American democracy. We should remember these words and realize they are meant for every person in society. We assume these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their motive with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, independence and the pursuit of Happiness.