The Fight Against Essay Topics on Health and Fitness

The Fight Against Essay Topics on Health and Fitness Using Essay Topics on Health and Fitness To help you recognize which issues to discuss, we've listed the very best health care essay topics below. Some students utilize the very first idea that arrives in their head and work on it, but the outcome isn't successful. Should you look around, you are going to observe social troubles that affect society each day. Several facets, the salary being probably the most essential one, motivate plenty of young folks to select a career in healthcare. Otherwise one you could do more damage than good and set your self in danger. All you will need is an excellent example which is going to be a good starting point for your writing. Somebody gets essential wisdom and experience there. Teen pregnancy prevention should be raised. Patients with anorexia nervosa ought to be asked to find palliative care. People with autism aren't mad! Teen suicide awareness should be raised. The title of your paper will demonstrate the audience what they should anticipate from the remainder of the assignment. Okay, now you have the fundamentals about how to go for an informative essay topic, let's dig into some wonderful ideas! Hiring someone to write a college essay is such a very good way to acquire a superb result when you speak about a customized essay. Be conscious of the size it must be and get started writing the narrative essay outline. Don't neglect to get a Kibin editor review your final paper to be certain it's on the right path. You've got to compose an informative essay. Our example essay may also help you to understand how to use various style of writing. Once you have decided on a topic that appeals to you, you should concentrate on essay writing. You may have to pick a suitable topic for your essay paper and you're running short of ideas. Here's What I Know About Essay Topics on Health and Fitness Several have tried to find out the factors for mental illnesses. You may also think about focusing on several different methods to take care of either disorder. Nonetheless, there are lots of diseases which are far too complicated and continue being irremediable. There are a number of factors that may give rise to an individual to come up with a mental disorder. To me the book was somewhat dull. There is an abundance of information that can be found on the internet that you're able to research and gather for such a topic. The list of ideas is given below. Thousands of students visit our websites to create use of our example essays on account of the standing of our site. By tackling stigma, improving public mental well-being, and providing high excellent recovery focussed mental health solutions, you can begin to find out what is and ought to be possible. Most importantly is how customer satisfactory should always be our very first priority. Morality has a collection of unsolved problems, the solution on which usually presents a decision. There are lots of problems, even on your own campus, which need to be resolved. Essay Topics on Health and Fitness for Dummies Today best college admission essays give a significant competitive edge for high school graduates seeking to become freshmen in the majority of prestigious and reliable universities in the usa and UK. One of several advantages of public schooling is it is a distinctly distinct setting from house in which studying topics in your home helps make it hard to continue being disciplined sometimes. Anyway, it's particularly interesting to study in forensic mental wellness counseling because th e study gives you abundant opportunities to address very intriguing or extreme cases can hardly be encountered in traditional mental wellness counseling. You're going to be surprised about how simple it is to be fit, even in college. A Secret Weapon for Essay Topics on Health and Fitness Advanced interpersonal and communication skills impact the attribute of medicare too. There are hundreds and hundreds of topics to select from and come up with when you sit and consider it. Moreover, you will by default begin to get notifications of further maturation of the website. You can also locate short answers to every question. Key Pieces of Essay Topics on Health and Fitness In several scenarios, mental sickness is ignored or not given the appropriate remedy punctually, therefore, causing critical consequences. For review by many others that are in on the care of the individual. Mentally ill patients wind up in prison and stay longer because the majority of them cannot comply with the strict rules because of the nature of their condition in contrast to other prisoners. The disorder may persist several months or longerand may recurbut it's generally reversible in the brief run.

The Issue Of Horse Slaughter - 1656 Words

In today’s world dogs may very well be considered man’s best friend, but in the days of old horses weren’t just man’s best friend, they were the most important tool in his possession. From being a form transportation to being used in competitions and battles to even being a source of food, horses have always been an iconic figure in American history. Movies such as The Horse Whisperer, Dreamer, and Flicka portray horses as majestic and powerful creatures full of grace and beauty that are much more of a companion than a tool. This is quite possibly why the topic of horse slaughter has been such a taboo in today’s culture. While in many countries around the world horsemeat is considered a type of delicacy, to most American’s the idea of eating these exquisite creatures is hard to stomach. There are people who see no wrong in slaughtering horses just like any other livestock animal, though others find it inhumane and cruel. Those who are pro-sla ughter have many practical and economic reasons for supporting it, while those opposed have ethical issues against it. Proponents of the horse slaughter industry suggest it creates a source of income for many horse owners. Horses are very expensive to own with the average annual cost of a horse being approximately $3,876 per horse (Williams). Many horses are unwanted for several reasons, either they don’t have the potential the owner originally thought or they have gotten too old for work or the horse may even be dangerous to beShow MoreRelatedLegalizing Horse Slaughter949 Words   |  4 Pagesbest friend. Maybe your horse, perhaps. What is this horse slaughter that people are speaking of? Should it be legal? Yes. It should be legal with limits. It is most likely that anyone you ask about horse slaughter will have an opinion. Some strongly believe it is cruel, and inhumane, some believe it is for a good cause, or helping the world. Others just don’t know their facts, or don’t care either way. â€Å" Horse slaughter is the practice of killing and butchering horses for human co nsumption orRead MoreThe Ban On Horse Processing Should No Longer Stand1548 Words   |  7 Pagesactivists, enacted a ban on the United States horse slaughter industry. This left ranchers, farmers, and horses to face the consequences. While lobbyists meant to help the horses of America, they have negatively impacted these animals in many ways. The ban on horse processing should no longer stand because of what has become of the horse industry, and the life of American horses. It has led to more animal abuse than previously existed, negatively affected the horse industry and economy, and let the AmericanRead MoreThe Slaughter of Horses1149 Words   |  5 PagesSlaughtering horses for human consumption in the United States started in the early 1970s. Americans do not eat horsemeat; we consider horses to be favored animals, just like dogs and cats. The idea of eating a horse, a cat, or a dog just goes against our very culture. It was foreign interests that brought the horse slaughter industry to the United States and built equine slaughterhouses here. By the 1990s, there were at least sixteen equine slaughterhouses operating all across the United StatesRead MoreThe Fall in Economy and Horse Slaughter Essay1080 Words   |  5 Pagespopulation of horses, this has been a reoccurring issue for a couple years now. There are a lot of reasons why people may not want a horse anymore; it may be old, hurt or even crazy. There are many ways of fixing this problem throughout the equine world, one has their breeders, horse dealers, trainers and more that all want to solve this problem. The recent down fall in the economy has made horse owners not want their horses anymore. The cost of maintaining a horse has greatly increased; horses are notRead MoreEssay about Slaughtering for the Humanness of Horses1165 Words   |  5 PagesSlaughtering for the Humanness of Horses The closing of slaughterhouses in the United States for horses has resulted in inhumane treatment and gross neglect for thousands of horses. Congressmen, lobbyists, activists, actors, and every day people have petitioned for these death traps to be destroyed, all for the benefit of the horse. The horse, who cannot speak, can only react to his surroundings. The ones to be benefited are the people who see this as cruel, and inhumane; to give them a clearRead MoreHorse Meat Is A Great Substitute For Popular Meats1783 Words   |  8 Pagesever. Horse meat is a great substitute for popular meats that are socially accepted today. Horse meat is characterized as a red meat like beef, pork, sheep, and goat. While horse meat is like beef in appearance, it has more protein and vitamins, and a less fat percentage. Horse meat is also calorically lower than beef, veal, pork, lamb, and sheep, making it ideal for the rising concern in the United States about a healthy food supply (Stanciu, 2015) . If eventually socially acceptable, horse meat couldRead MoreLiving Conditions, Diet And Reproduction Is Not The Only Problems Associated With Commercial Farming897 Words   |  4 Pagesconditions, diet and reproduction is not the only problems associated with commercial farming. Hamburgers and hot dogs these are American foods but how does it get there on our plate. Do people know how the animals are slaughtered or do they even care. Slaughter this means killing of animals for human consumption. When it comes to the slaughtering of animals I think the majority of people don’t care that the animals are being killed to be eaten. The thing that causes the controversy is how are they beingRead MoreThe Horse After The Kentucky Derby By Heidi Van De Motter847 Words   |  4 Pagesever wonder what happens to the horses after the Kentucky Derby? Some retire peacefully after a life on the track, some are rehomed but many are sold to slaughter for the sake of a paycheck. Luckily, t here are activists in the equestrian world standing ready to take these in these helpless athletes. Gallop On, a non-profit thoroughbred rescue located in northern Ohio, was founded to do just that. Heidi Van De Motter, the owner of Gallop On, currently has 15 horses in her care. Her goal is to haveRead MoreHorse Slaughter : The Inhumane Murder Of Innocent Horses2187 Words   |  9 PagesHorse slaughter is just exactly as it sounds. It is the inhumane murder of innocent horses. I will never understand how someone can sit and actually enjoy a meal consisting of horse meat knowing how that horse came to be served for dinner. It’s a cruel and heartbreaking process that starts from the moment the poor horse is loaded on a transport trailer. These horse suffer in worst fashion from abuse and neglect until they are unfortunately killed and severed for a meal. This is not okay. The practiceRead MoreEssay On Australia Export Live Cattle For Slaughter707 Words   |  3 PagesA) Should Australia export live cattle for slaughter? Arguments for: †¢ Benefits the economy, supports thousands of Australian jobs and is helping to provide protein to some of the world’s poorest people across Asia and the Middle East. Australia’s beef cattle exports are wroth $1.35 billion and the sector employs more than 10,000 people, including many Indigenous Australians. †¢ Animal welfare conditions overseas would decline if Australian stopped exporting livestock. Australia is the only country

Facebook Case Study free essay sample

Some might even use it to spy on their partners, triggered possibly by romantic jealousy (Darvell, Walsh and White, 2011; Elphinston and Noller 2011, 631). Others use it as a platform to advance various social and political causes by creating public Facebook pages. Lynas is an Australian listed company with ambitions to process rare earths in Malaysia. Concerned about the carcinogenic effects of the post production waste, multiple Stop Lynas Save Malaysia (SLSM in short) Facebook pages have been created by various Malaysian green groups (Stop Lynas, Save Malaysia Facebook page, 2013). The resultant groundswell and widespread publicity on mainstream media could have well contributed to the share price slide over the last two years (Lynas Corporation Price Quotes, 2013). This case as well as the iconic Arab spring uprising in Egypt Tunisia has clearly demonstrated the edge that Facebook has given to the small man on the street by conferring them a voice for their cause, even with limited cash (Chokoshvili 2011, 22-23). In a nutshell, Facebook is one of the top 4 new social media platforms (the thers being Youtube, Twitter and LinkedIn) that allows for users to interact, influence 2 and exchange information, with the aim to increase their social capital (Dutta and Fraser 2009, 2; Macnamara 2010, 7). The implications of Facebook users behaviour Millions of users are susceptible to potential data abuse by cybercriminals, identify fraud as well as identify thefts should their accounts be hacked (Richmond, 2010). Loss of privacy and bad publicity are also key issues when individuals tap on the social media highway. The recent cash-for-tweet saga by the South Australia Tourisms paid tweets to generate publicity for Kangaroo Island backfired, is a case in point (Ward, 2012, 39). Facebook addictions (Griffiths 2012, 518) seems to be a growing concern many have gone on digital breaks, Some users have even decided to flick the click permanently as life priorities changes (Kippist, 2013), while some users have complained about cyber bullying (Walker, Sockman and Koehn 2011, 35; Widdup 2010, 62). Facebook has somewhat returned some power to consumers as the millions of users brag, bag and promote brands voluntarily, acting like being a brand ambassador on a pro bono basis. Leveraging on this consumer to consumer power to influence purchasing decisions meant businesses need to rethink their 3 branding and marketing exercise to include a hybrid of brick and mortar and the click-and-Like mediums (Edelman 2010, 2; Mangold and Faulds 2009, 358). Its a paradigm shift where consumers are co-creators of the brand and hard selling shifts into two-way conversational selling. All these changes create opportunity for positive electronic word of mouth (also known as eWOM) to go viral very quickly (Chu 2011, 39). This can lead to a loss of control by businesses over the branding and marketing efforts. This lost of control is also a concern amongst government and private companies trying to control their employees access to SNS during their working hours (Bhagwat and Goutam 2013). Facebook will need to ensure that the privacy of users are not compromised as there are lots of data on its hands (Bhagwat Goutam 2013). This vast amount of data is rich pickings for potential hackers like the Comment Group from China who mines data from social networking site. It then sends out innocent looking emails to unsuspecting end-users for commercial espionage and sabotage intent (Lee 2013). Leverage Facebook for commercial returns (and the issue of company Facebook effectiveness). This blending of brick and click mixture (Mangold and Faulds 2009, 359) has created new platforms for businesses to channel resources and finances to ensure they are also seen, heard and accepted (Lusch 2011, 263). Corporations that know how to do it right (not necessarily the first time around) gets a bigger 4 piece of the share of voice, which hopefully will lead to greater electronic word of mouth (also known as eWOM) (Chu and Kim 2011, 48). Some have suggested an approach known as hypertargeting (Shih, 2009, 12), where companies can sharpen their customer centricity through specific targeting of potentials customers by personalizing marketing and CRM efforts as user generated data and data is matched to potential service offering and marketing campaigns (Shih 2009, 12). To monetize, some early adopter companies are setting up full scale versions of their brick and mortar business within Facebook. These companies, like the English cloth trading company , ASOS (which stand for as seen on screen) are targeting the moppers, a term used for shoppers with a mobile smart phone device that are now able to shop and pay online without leaving the SNS platform. Its a strategy that has yielded ASOS a healthy twelve percent pre-tax profit of $44. 5 million from a total sale of $371 million (Shannon and Kharif 2011, 22). Even traditional corporate bulwarks in the brick and mortar space are partnering Facebook to set up virtual SNS-based shopping experience – these include JC Penney, Delta Airlines as well as Tesco (Shannon and Kharif 2011, 22). Tescos approach goes a few steps extra in this click battle – customers are able to add to their virtual shopping basket simply by photographing a barcode of a specific product. Two other companies with fully integrated stores within the Facebook platform include British Young Designers and French Connection, whilst others like Dove is subcontracting their check out functions with the Facebook platform to third party sites like Bestbuy and Easyjet (McEleny 2011, 1). Even non profit outfits like the Australian Salvo have much success with their recently concluded I like Salvo Facebook campaign through a combo of paid and unpaid fan likes support that was executed by DGM Advertising. The bottom line too has increased, year on year by 6. 6 percent ( Marketing, May 2012, 4951). The role that FACEBOOK Platform play for both INDIVIDUALS and ORGANIZATIONS As seen from the examples from the paragraphs before this, Facebook Platform has been a cornucopia of opportunities for businesses. It has also been a boon to savvy apps and game developers to earn real bucks directly through micro transactions as well as indirectly through placements of advertisements into those apps/games environment (De Prato and Paul Simon 2011, 14). The improved version of Platform and Facebook Connect drives traffic to website and encourage other users to attract even more users to their websites. A clever third party cookie embedded through the Like button enables organizations and businesses to trace and track consumer behaviours, even if they dont click on the Like button (Roosendaal 2011, 7). With another 75 percent of website (Piskorski, Eisenmann and Smith 2012, 8) yet to implement the Like button on their websites, this could generate limitless opportunities for businesses to tap on 6 this one giant online ecosystem of consumer intelligence gathering in the months and years to come (Edelman, 2010, 6). With opportunities comes threats of litigation Facebook is being sued by Rembrandt Social Media whos claims that the Like button uses two patents from a dead Dutch IT programmer by the name of Joannes Jozef Everardus van Der Meer (BBC News, February 11, 2013). Arresting revenue fall in Facebook stock price – options to boost revenue Strategy 1- Continual market penetration and Augmentation There are plenty of opportunities to increase revenue through social advertising for Facebook. 31 percent of Australian companies, big and small, still do not have any online social media presence at all (Paterson 2012, 40). Through a more personalized algorithms of consumers psychographics and demographics, Facebook can offer their corporate customers like Telstra, Virgin, Qantas and Optus (Paterson 2012, 40) a more personalized marketing and selling messages. To monetize revenue from users traffic, Facebook is already implementing Facebook Exchange, a tool that tracks users web habits when they visit nonFacebook websites, and then customized ads once they return to the Facebook page (Sengupta, 2012). Facebook could perhaps also monetize non-US markets 7 like Indonesia, Brazil India as these countries have some of the highest number of users outside of America (Piskorski, Eisenmann and Smith 2012, 14). Strategy 2 – Monetizing through mobile technology as in smart phones and tablets The mobile smart phone and tablet platform is where the money is for Facebook as consumers go mobile (Kim, 2012; Hogue 2013). Facebook could leverage on the many mobile platform-based companies it has acquired, for instance Instagram (mobile photo sharing, Tagtile (mobile customer loyalty service), and Karma (mobile gift-giving application) (Kim 2012). Tagtile, in particular has much potential to be a potential game changer think of it as a frequent flyer for retail consumers on steroids (Baxter 2012, 38; Bhagwat and Goutam 2013). Its a mobile based retail loyalty that rewards customers with free deals in exchange for their checking in, whilst the merchants get to know more about their customers through an electronic cube, similar to a Foursquare initiative (Adams 2012, 35; Vega 2011). Considering also that revenue from mobile advertisement for Facebook was zero two quarters ago, the current fourth quarters 23 percent of total advertising revenue in 2012 is an achievement, and should be leveraged for further growth in 2013 (Oreskovic, 2013). Facebook might even make a takeover bid on smaller operators like ExactTarget, a company with proprietary enabling technologies thats critical in helping the mobile advertisement to be even more profitable for Facebook (Hogue 2013). Strategy 3 –Monetizing through merchandizing and gifting 8 In the United States, Facebook is gradually rolling out actual gift cards that users can give to their friends. This, along with the ability to buy a gift to a friend on their friends special occasion like birthdays/anniversaries could help boost earnings (Weber, 2013). 9 References Adams, Yvette. 2012. 10 Digital Strategies for Aussie Tourism Marketers. Marketing April: 34-35. Baxter, Andrew 2012. Has Foursquare missed the retail boat, and will Facebook miss it to? Marketing June 2012, 38. Bhagwat, Shree, and Ankur Goutam. 2013. Development of Social Networking Sites and Their Role in Business with Special Reference to Facebook. Journal of Business and Management 6(5): 15-28. http://iosrjournals. org/iosrjbm/papers/Vol6-issue5/B0651528. pdf Chokoshvili, David. 2011. The role of the internet in democratic transition: Case study of the Arab Spring. Master’s thesis, Central European University. Chu, Shu-Chuan. 2011. Viral advertising in social media: participation in Facebook groups and responses among college-aged users. Journal of Interactive Advertising 12(1): 30-43. Darvell, Millie J. , Shari P. Walsh, and Katherine M. White. 2011. Facebook Tells Me So: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to Understand PartnerMonitoring Behavior on Facebook. Cy berpsychology, Behavior Social Networking 14 (12): 717-722. De Prato, Giuditta, and Jean Paul Simon. 2011. Paving the way to e-services: Innovation through online games. Paper presented at 22nd European Regional ITS Conference Budapest, Budapest, 18-21 September. http://www. econstor. eu/bitstream/10419/52209/1/672464470. pdf Edelman, David C. 2010. Four ways to get more value from digital marketing. McKinsey Quarterly March: 1-8. https://www. mckinseyquarterly. com/Four_ways_to_get_more_value_from_dig ital_marketing_2556 Elphinston, Rachel A. , and Patricia Noller. 2011. Time to Face It! Facebook Intrusion and the Implications for Romantic Jealousy and Relationship Satisfaction. Cyberpsychology, Behavior Social Networking 14 (11): 631635. Griffiths, Mark D. 2012. Facebook addiction: Concerns, criticism, and recommendations—A response to Andreassen and colleagues 1. Psychological Reports 110 (2): 518-520. http://www. amsciepub. com/doi/abs/10. 2466/01. 07. 18. PR0. 110. 2. 518-520 10 Hogue, Joseph. 2013. This company is doing what Facebook cant. Street Authority, February 9. http://www. streetauthority. com/growthinvesting/company-doing-what-facebook-cant-460424 Kim, JinBae. 2012, June 8. Facebook: In desperate need for a change. Capital Traders Instablog. http://seekingalpha. om/instablog/1016506-capitaltraders-group/685501-facebook-in-desperate-need-for-a-change Kippist, Lucy. 2013. Why I decided to quite Facebook. The Australian, February 8. http://www. theaustralian. com. au/news/i-quit-facebook/story-e6frg6n61226573612540 Lee, Dave. 2013. The Comment Group: The hackers hunting clues about you. BBC News, February 12. Lin, Nan. 1999. Building a network theory of social capital. Connections 22 (1): 2851. Lusch, Robert 2007. Marketings Evolving Identity: Defining our Future. Journal of Public Policy Marketing 26 (2): 261- 268. Lynas Corporation Price Quotes. 2013. Quotes and Research. Comsec website. Accessed February 9. https://www2. comsec. com. au/Private/MarketPrices/Charts/Charts. aspx? stock Code=LYC Macnamara, Jim. 2010. Electioneering 2010: Social media in the Australian federal election. paper produced for the Australian Centre for Public Communication, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, http://www. fass. uts. edu. au/communication/centres/acpc/docs/eelectioneering-2010-acoc-report. pdf Mangold, W. G. and Faulds, D. J. 2009. Social media: The new hybrid element of the promotion mix. Business Horizons 52 (4): 357-65. McEleny, Charlotte. 2011. French Connection and Dove start selling on Facebook. (cover story). New Media Age, 01-03. Oreskovic, Alexei. 2013. Facebooks mobile ad revenue doubles in fourth quarter. Yahoo! Finance, January 30. http://finance. yahoo. com/news/facebook-growsrevenue-40-percent-211444541. html Paterson, P. 2011. How Australias Top 500 companies are using social media. Marketing June 2012, 40. Roosendaal, Arnold. 2011. Facebook tracks and tracers everyone: Like this! Tilburg Law

Zara Company Analysis

Introduction Background Zara is among the leading textile and apparel companies in the world. The company was founded in 1963 by Amancio Ortega Gaona and was later joined by Jose Maria Castellano in 1985. Zara is a force to reckon with in the global textile and apparel market (Thomas, 2006, p. 47). Locally, it is considered to be among the biggest success story in the history of Spain.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Zara Company Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Zara’s success is a lesson on how to develop and maintain a groundbreaking strategy (Ferdows, Lewis Machuca, 2003, p. 62). The consumer is always at the centre of the company’s business model. The two founders shared the belief that swift response to consumers, the use of IT (Information Technology), and decentralized decision-making were important for the success of the business (McAfee, Dessain, Sjoman, 2007, p. 5). Inditex own s more than 2000 stores across the globe out of which 600 stores are exclusively part of Zara chain. The largest share of Inditex’s sales is generated by Zara. Zara offers a variety of clothes for people of all walks of life at a reasonable price. However, the major portion of Zara’s revenue is from the female clothing (McAfee, Dessain, Sjoman, 2007, p. 7). Zara developed a marketing model which relies entirely on trends and styles, with minimal advertising. The vertically integrated marketing model emphasizes on swiftness, efficiency and the global fashion trend. However, the company’s approach to IT is not in-line with its marketing model. In addition, its websites are only for display and not for sales purpose (Ferdows, Lewis Machuca, 2003, p. 64). According to Azuma and Fernie (2003, p. 413), Zara’s success in the apparel industry can be linked to the application of successful competitive marketing strategies, which encourages global expansion. Zara ’s successful entry into the global apparel market was a result of their spirited marketing strategies, for instance, promotional techniques which increased the contents of their fashion line. Zara classifies its products into three fundamental groups namely: gentlemen, ladies, and young ones. The company’s low priced products attract and retain customers, thus creating sustainable growth of their value chain in the apparel market (Azuma Fernie, 2003, p. 415).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Report Purpose The general purpose of this report is to explore the problems and challenges facing Zara Textile Company. Our study will be narrowed to the company’s ICT which has been criticized by a number of authors for being outdated. The study will explore the extent of the problem and the risks it poses to the company. The study will also evaluate strategies t hat the company can take to arrest this problem. In addition, the paper will look at other alternatives that the organization can pursue. Nature of the problem In the last two decades, the company has been developing its own applications rather than purchasing the commercial ones. The company has an outdated operating system known as P-O-S. Zara entirely depends on P-O-S, which lacks full-time network for its store terminals. P-O-S (Point of Sale) runs on DOS which is not compatible with Microsoft applications (Bhagwat, 2011, p. 3). The company’s management argues that the operating system is easy to maintain and operate. On the other hand, experts feel that it’s time for the company to upgrade the current system or risk reliability. They argue that the current system will not be attuned to the future changes in the fashion industry (McAfee, Dessain Sjoman, 2007, p. 6). Zara’s use of IT is not in line with its goal of swiftness and autonomy in decision-making. The company has spent very little on IT and does have any definite budget for it. It has more confidence on individual brainpower than on the machines in decision-making (McAfee, Dessain Sjoman, 2007, p. 6). The company prefers to develop its own system than purchasing the commercial software. Zara’s IT department is separated into three sections: data storage solutions, logistic support and management system. This department has witnessed a very low turnover since its inception (Bhagwat, 2011, p. 5). Analysis of the Problem Before moving to the problem, the study will make use of the conventional model designed by Michael Porter to get a grasp of the company’s operations. Porter came up with a set of activities that can be used to assess a company’s competitive advantage.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Zara Company Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is important to model a comp any as a string of value-adding activities. The value chain helps to identify areas of weaknesses and strengthens (Porter, 2008, p. 83). The model is important in determining the best strategies to be adopted by the company. The value chain categorizes company’s operations into crucial and secondary operations. The crucial activities are company’s operations that are linked directly to the production of goods and services, whereas the secondary activities comprises of operations that support and facilitate the crucial activities (Porter, 1980, p. 12). The company’s ability to survive in the industry depends on its efficiency in performing these activities (Kroenke, 2012, p. 51). The figure below shows porter’s value chain model for Zara. Source: Bhagwat (2011, p. 7) The figure above shows the various activities performed by the company. The crucial activities include ordering, completion, designing and manufacturing. Among these activities, ordering is t he most popular, specifically defined, and consistent around the globe (Bhagwat, 2011, p. 7). Zara’s competitive advantage lies in its value addition in every stage right from production to marketing. The company has a decentralized structure and therefore the store managers are allowed to make decisions on behalf of the company (Ferdows, Lewis Machuca, 2003, p. 63).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Inbound logistics, warehousing and stock control are done at the distribution centres (DC).Zara’s DC receives large volumes of inventory and distribute them to company’s stores all over the globe (Waarts van Everdingen 2006, p. 645). IT helps the company to keep track of the stock keeping units (SKU). The company’s distribution centres and the stock keeping unit control the outbound logistics (Ferdows, Lewis Machuca, 2003, p. 65). As mentioned earlier, the company has an internal IT department which is mandated to develop applications used in different operations. This department is managed by the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) instead of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) (Bhagwat, 2011, p. 8). IT is used both in the functional areas and in decision-making. Zara’s operating system is outdated, and as a result primary activities such as ordering, design and production are inefficient (Bhagwat, 2011, p. 9). The PDAs are used for ordering , handling returns and conveying information to the headquarters (McAfee, Dessain Sjoman, 2007, p. 9). The P-O-S terminals make it so hard for the staff to monitor incoming inventories, to verify stock in other stores, and share information among the stores. In most cases, the store managers have to make a phone call to verify stock, which consumes a lot of time given the large volume of inventories handled by the company (Bhagwat, 2011, p. 9). In addition, Zara has not taken advantage of the internet to market its products. The company has been criticized for using its website for display purpose only. The company is believed to rely too much on the word of mouth to market its products instead of advertisement (McAfee, Dessain Sjoman, 2007, p. 9). The company’s decentralized structure, where store managers make decisions on behalf of the CEO, deserves the best IT system to enhance efficiency and productivity. For this reason, the company has to invest heavily in a suitable IT infrastructure to enhance its value chain operations (Brà ¯dson Jody, 2004, 404). Current position of the company The company has maintained the use of P-O-S terminals based on DOS system up to date. The management argues that the current system is cost effective compared to other systems, for instance, it requires minimal maintenance and generally costs less. Besides, the company has an internal IT department which develops applications that are compatible with the system. This IT department has less than 50 staff, which account for less than 0.45 percent of the total number of employees. They also argue that managing operations using the commercially available software is not easy (Bhagwat, 2011, p. 3). Previously, the company used to make orders using a fax machine. At the moment they are using PDA which they consider effective (Capell, 2008, 66). Zara’s stores are not interconnected and therefore the employees have to make phone calls to check on the stocks. This no t only increases phone costs and time wastage but also decreases the company’s productivity. In addition, the lack of interconnectivity translates to lack of numerical data that can be used to make a comprehensive evaluation. In a nutshell, the current outdated IT infrastructure hinders the growth of the company through countless inefficiencies and information loss (Ferdows, Lewis Machuca, 2003, p. 64; Bhagwat, 2011, p. 13). Alternative Approaches The company has two major alternatives for improving the current system and at the same time maintaining lower cost. First, the company can upgrade its system using the latest operating systems. Examples of the latest operating systems include UNIX, Linux (Ubuntu) or Windows 8. According to McAfee, Dessain and Sjoman (2007, p. 10), the best option among the new operating systems with regard to cost is Linux since it has no one-time license cost. Both Windows and UNIX have one-time license costs of $145 and $160 respectively, theref ore are relatively expensive. However, Linux has a relatively high ongoing cost, for instance cost of servicing contract. Nonetheless, this cost depends on the knowledge of the company’s IT staff in the operating system. These costs are very important and must be considered by a company, especially Zara which has massive numbers of computers (McAfee, 2004, p. 19). To improve the current system the company will also have to install latest hardware and replace the outdated P-O-S terminals (McAfee, 2004, p. 20). The cost of outdated P-O-S is currently above $6000, whereas the cost of wireless routers and Ethernet plus associated expenses per store connectivity will not cost more than $240. Even though this somewhat expensive in the short-term, the cost will go down with time. The overall system upgrade will have tangible benefits to the company. It will enable the company to minimize general expenses, minimize operational expenses and enhance efficiency. In addition, the company can continue developing its own applications. System upgrade will also mean less IT staff and IT expenses (Bhagwat, 2011, p. 13). The second and most recommended approach is the use of cloud computing. Cloud computing is a novel term in the computing world, but it is not a new concept (Catteddu Hogben, 2009, p. 3). Cloud computing is an IT infrastructure delivered as a public utility where companies are allowed to pay for what they use. Computers and data can be accessed from any corner of the world. In other words, the company does not have to install state of the art system or develop applications they only have to hire it at an affordable fee (Williams, 2010, p. 6). Cloud computing can be delivered as a platform, infrastructure or software depending on the client’s needs. The three categories can be delivered in four deployment forms namely: private cloud, public cloud, hybrid cloud and community cloud. Cloud computing has no definite architecture and depends on the mode ls used by the provider and the needs of the consumer (Catteddu Hogben, 2009, p. 3). According to Khajeh-Hosseini et al. (2010), the third party infrastructure presents numerous prospects for businesses to enhance the management of their revenues and information exchange. Cloud computing improves cash-flow management given the fact that it reduces the overall costs and periodical billings as well as minimizing the inconsistency of expenditure on energy. It also assists companies to reduce administrative costs. According to Miller (2009, p. 15), the pricing methods for data storage service depend on three distinctive characteristics namely: durability, accessibility and speed. Therefore, according to him the cost of cloud computing decreases with the number of the service groups. He also argues that the cost of cloud computing is twice less than that of the in-house data centres. Williams (2010, p. 6) stress that small and medium businesses are the most suitable for cloud computing services. He argues that these businesses are incapable of developing huge data centres. Catteddu and Hogben (2009, p. 6) add that changes in the cloud computing cost variables come with new opportunities. As said by Khajeh-Hosseini et al. (2010), cloud computing offers easy access to an organization’s computing and storage infrastructure via the web. They also assert that cloud computing conceals the intricacy of information technology infrastructure management from the consumers and offers increased flexibility, steadfastness, soaring performance and specific configuration. All the above capabilities of cloud computing are offered at less cost in comparison to in-house data centres. As already been mentioned, many businesses are migrating to cloud computing to save cost. Cloud computing provides cheaper and scalable data storage for these businesses; however, the biggest question that lingers in the mind of many people is whether the data stored in the cloud are secure. Thu s, the most imminent task for businesses is the security of data. In accordance with the survey conducted by Catteddu and Hogben (2009, p. 65), the biggest concern of many organizations is the security of cloud computing. Security controls for cloud computing are almost similar to security controls in a conventional IT environment. However, cloud computing uses a divergent service model, functional model and technologies which present new types of risks (Cloud Security Alliance (2009, p. 19). The business IT security is normally tackled in different faces ranging from physical security, network security, system security, and application security. The security responsibility of the cloud computing service providers and users depends on the type of model used. In most cases the cloud provider is responsible for physical security, environmental security and virtualization Security (Cloud Security Alliance (2009, p. 20). On the other hand, at the lower levels of the platform consumers a re tactically responsible for the security, especially of the application and data. Besides the architecture, there are other areas that must be taken into account when tackling security issues in cloud computing. Cloud Security Alliance (2009) divides these areas into two namely: governance domain and operational domain. Governance domain encompasses strategic and procedural issues, while the operational domain tackles technical aspects of the security and implementation within the architecture. Governance domain takes in into account business risks caused by cloud computing, legal and electronic risks, and data management. On the other hand, operation domain consists of operational procedures used to tackle security, operations of data centres, incident handling and forensics, application security, encryption and scalability management, and virtualization (Cloud Security Alliance (2009). Given the fact that cloud computing is generally implemented in large scale they are cheaper t han other alternatives. Therefore, by embracing cloud computing Zara will enjoy better protection at an affordable rate (Catteddu and Hogben (2009, p. 17). Cloud computing also enhances the network effect of collaboration among different businesses using the service. Other security benefits include multiple locations, edge networks, instant response, and improved risk management (Cloud Security Alliance (2009. With multiple locations the cloud computing providers have adequate resources to avert system failures and data recovery. The edge networks avert the problems associated with local networks. Lastly, cloud providers have a large scale system that is able to respond to incidences in time. Conclusion and Recommendation Zara is among the leading brands in the globe and from a general point of view one would expect it to have the best management practices and state of the art IT system. However, this is not the case. The company has one of the oldest IT/IS infrastructure which is b elieved to have contributed to its slow rate of growth and inefficiencies. Some experts believe the company could have been number one in the globe if it had had an upgraded IT system. The company’s management argues that the current system is cost effective compared to other systems, for instance, it requires minimal maintenance and generally costs less. However, in the real sense this is far from the truth. Indeed, Zara has no alternative but to upgrade the current system. Their focus should be on the operating system and the terminals. Nonetheless, the best alternative is cloud computing which has been covered comprehensively in the report. References Azuma N, Fernie J 2003, ‘Fashion in the globalized world and the role of virtual ne ­tworks in Intrinsic fashion design’, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, vol.7, no.4, pp. 413-42. Bhagwat, S 2011, Zara: IT for Fast Fashion Case Analysis, University of Houston, Victoria. Brà ¯dson, K, Jody, E 2004 , ‘The secret to a fashion advantage is brand orientation’, International Journal of Retail Distribu ­tion Management, vol. 32, no. 8, pp. 403-411. Capell, K 2008,’ Zara thrives by breaking all rules’, Business Week, 20 October, pp. 66. Catteddu, D, Hogben, G 2009, Cloud Computing: benefits, risks and recommendations for information security, European Network and Information Security Agency New York. Cloud Security Alliance 2009, Security Guidance for Critical Areas of Focus in Cloud Computing, Cloud Security Alliance Inc, New Jersey. Ferdows, K, Lewis, M, Machuca, JAD 2003, ‘Zara Supply Chain Forum’, International  Journal, vol.4, no. 2, pp.62-66. Khajeh-Hosseini, A, Sommerville, I, Greenwood, D, Sriram, I 2010, Research Challenges for Enterprise Cloud Computing, Submitted to the 1st ACM Symposium on Cloud Computing November 2010. Kroenke, D M 2012, Experiencing MIS (3rd ed.), In Organizational strategy, Information Systems, and Compe titive advantage, Pearson Education, Inc, Upper Saddle River. McAfee, A 2004, ‘Do you have too much IT?’ MIT Sloan Management Review, vol.45, no. 3, pp.18-22. McAfee, A, Dessain, V, Sjoman, A 2007, ‘Zara: IT for Fast Fashion’, Harvard Business School, 1-23. Miller, M 2009, Cloud computing: Web-based applications that change the way you work and collaborate online, Que, Indianapolis. Porter, M E1980, Competitive strategy: Techniques for analyzing industries and competitors, Free Press, New York. Porter, M E 2008, ‘The five competitive forces that shape strategy’, Harvard business review, vol.5, pp.78-93. Thomas, RJ 2006, ‘Uncovering Zara’, Apparel Magazine, 27 January, p. 47. Waarts E, van Everdingen Y M 2006, ‘Fashion retailers rolling out across Europe, Inter ­national,’ Journal of Retail Distribution Management, vol. 348, pp. 645-657. Williams, M I 2010, A quick start guide to cloud computing moving your busines s into the cloud, Kogan Page, London. This report on Zara Company Analysis was written and submitted by user Beetle to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Zara Company Analysis Introduction The product under analysis is a Zara tulip Dress; it is red, pleated and has a jewelled collar. The garment is available in size XS and costs approximately  £40. The company sells it in most retail outlets around the world. Clients can also get it from the internet through the firm’s website or e-bay.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Zara Company Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More An analysis of the production process of the commodity illuminates the intricacies of innovation and creativity within the fashion industry. Main results and findings Retailer Background and analysis Zara is a public company headquartered in Spain. Its founder –Amancio Ortego –has presided over the rapid growth of a small business into a multinational conglomerate known as Inditex. The latter organization is among the top three fashion companies of the world. It started in 1975, and by 1985 had made $ 0.086 billion in sales. This increased to $0.8 billion and $8.2 billion in 1995 and 2005 billion respectively. Currently, the organisation has over sixty thousand employees and over 4000 stores around the world (Ferdows et. al. 2010). For a graphic explanation of the financials in the company, refer to the appendix. Brand/retailer positioning Zara is a clothing retailer that created and perfected the fast fashion model. Unlike other clothing retailers who persuade clients to like and buy their designs, Zara does it in reverse. It prefers to study consumer demand in order to use it as a basis for its designs. The company’s approach has been so successful that other organizations are imitating components of their model. When a product becomes available in Zara’s retail outlets, it only stays there for a few days. This creates scarcity in the minds of consumers who must purchase the item or miss it altogether.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The firm has also positioned itself as one that does not advertise. It relies on impressive in-store displays, low prices and central locations in fashion districts. Rarely does this organisation hire well-known designers or use complicated technologies for production. As such, competitors must struggle to keep up with their prices. The corporation sells affordable and trendy garments. Collections are not elaborate as the company focuses on selling all items within two weeks (Crofton Dopico 2007). Consumer focus This organisation prioritises consumer needs over and above any other factor of production. Zara has chosen to integrate the production processes vertically in order to accommodate customer needs. The length, size, colour, fabric and methods of construction represent 2013 spring trends. The company’s employees have training on how to get information from buyers about how they feel about a certain product. For instance, some buyers will state that they do not like straight collars or they prefer zippers on heavy garments. Employees will note this information; convey it to store managers who then transfer the information to their headquarters in Spain daily (Pearson 2009). Customers’ reactions determine how the company carries out its business. The organisation realised that fashion clients want a firm that responds to their needs in the fastest way possible. Price was less essential to their buyers than flexibility. Description of the product Seamstresses made the garment from polyester fabric, and it is red in colour. The dress has a round collar that covers most of the chest area. It also has embroidered jewellery that blends perfectly with the colour of the outfit. At the waistline, the dress has modest pleats that give it the shape of a tulip.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Zara Company Analysis specifically fo r you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The garment spreads out into an A-shape at the bottom and its fabric is linen. Since it is available in a small size, then ladies with small frames are well-suited to the piece. Furthermore, those with pale skin would look good in the outfit. The item is a few inches above the knees thus giving it a youthful and flirtatious feel. It is something that can be worn to a cocktail party, wedding, outdoor event or any other daytime festivity. However, because of the boldness of the colour, one should only select the item if one wants to stand out from the crowd. Mood board influences fabric Following the need to keep things formal and subtle, the designers chose fabric that went with such a design. The collection consisted of a lot of woollen items as many of them match with grey. There was a healthy dose of polyester in the collection as well as linen and cotton. A few dashes of silk and leather were prevalent; for inspir ation one can use furniture and hair respectively. However, because the latter are salient fabrics, then it was essential to make the products in black and other neutral items. The red tulip dress was mostly linen, which resembles the balls shown below. Mood board colour In this design, the concerned team members drew inspiration from nature. A grey cloud would be the ideal example. This would be accentuated through the presence of metallic machines as seen through the craft in the Mood board below. The woods would also capture the colour essence of the collection if sparsely populated by vegetation. Black and red dresses in the collection stem from red tulips and the night sky respectively. The design process – from concept to consumer Research Designers of the red, tulip dress sought information from a myriad of sources. First, they analysed their current customers’ tastes through in-store purchases. Sales information of items sold by colour and size gave the designers information on consumer preferences.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Store managers furnished these designers with the information. The other sources of inspiration for the creation were magazines, celebrity trends, runways shows in fashion capitals as well as trends in social and recreational centres like restaurants (Crofton Dopico 2007). Colour Palettes The above combination represents the inspiration for the entire collection. The palette contains saturated neutrals. Since the combination consists of three versions of grey, it is not surprising that a number of the dresses in the collection belonged to this category. The first was ribbon red while the last is ultramarine green. Bright white and blue (sodalite) also form part of this colour scheme. The team drew inspiration from flags as most of them contain these kinds of colours. As it can be seen, the colours above are quite subtle. International designers have moved away from bright colours and are using more neutrals this year. Yarn and fabric fairs Workers thread fabrics for this company f rom scratch in Spanish factories. Yard fairs are, therefore, crucial to the organisation because they assist in the development and enhancement of existing colour and fabric palettes. The organisation’s representatives often attend fairs in production capitals of the world so as to gain knowledge on new production techniques, as well. The red dress was not pure linen as it contains small percentages of synthetic yarn. It would not have been possible for the organisation to develop this hybrid without input from industry experts. Presentation of trends – mood boards This season-Spring 2013- short dresses are in and most designers are experimenting with short lengths. The trend explains why most of the garments in their collection were above the knees. Additionally, grey is the go-to colour as the public is moving away from the bold colours of 2012. Most of the outfits in Zara’s collection reflected this pattern. Stripes are also in; many designers have found new ways of experimenting with the patterns. The striped green and white dress in the company’s collection epitomised this style. Leather is here to stay thus proving that Zara is well in tune with consumers’ tastes. Garment design The design of the garment occurred through creative teams at Inditex. Unlike other fashion retailers who focus on groups of designers, Zara combines several professionals under one team. For instance, designers will work alongside product development experts as well as raw material specialists (Pearson 2009). All of them are keenly aware of the time constraints, so they avoid making too many product alterations. While making the red, tulip dress, the creative team also worked on a number of other samples that belonged to the collection. They used information from the earlier mentioned research sources (in-store information, magazines etc) to make the dress. The group consisted of young designers who did not get penalised for making po or decisions. However, they tried as much as possible to make the products quickly. Sampling Several fashion retailers in the fashion retailers often decide on certain fabrics and then look for those fabrics before making their products. However, this pattern is not applicable to Zara. The organisation realises that it has a lot to lose if it waits for the lengthy process of fabric formation (Ferdows et. al. 2010). Therefore, it makes it garments using available fabrics. When creating the red dress, Zara selected fabrics that were already there. The sampling process proceeded on the basis of available fabric selections so as to save on time. Construction Machines did most construction of the garment. There were a number of similar red, tulip dresses in the firm’s premises. The company trimmed and assembled them using automated processes. Machinists were responsible only for one aspect of the dress; for instance, some of them made collars while others focused on hems, shoulder s and pleats. In essence, the construction of the dress followed the following process. After the design, workers assembled sample fabrics. They made trims, which came after pattern making. Cutters then worked on the garment and machinists handled the assembly of the dress. Large scale construction of the garment meant that most of the processes had to be done through the use machines (Crofton Dopico 2007). Manufacture supply chain and critical path As mentioned earlier, Zara’s supply chain is vertically integrated thus implying that employees made the red Tulip dress within its facilities. The diagram illustrates the critical path for the manufacturing process. Sometimes the company chooses to outsource non value adding activities like sewing. The company handled all the above processes aside from sewing. The firm’s manufacturers are in Spain, Portugal and Turkey. However, the primary production site is Spain. For the red dress, the fabric probably came from Italy, Germany, Turkey, India or China. Employees in the firm’s subsidiary then dyed, printed and marked the fabric after obtaining the raw materials. These activities precede the cutting process in which a seamstress follows designers’ patterns concerning the garment. In certain circumstances, Zara may contract its sewing process to cooperatives in Portugal. If this happened to the garment, then the product was in the hands of third parties for a short period. Thereafter, the garment came back to Zara’s intermediaries where it carried out quality checks, packaging as well as finishing. The final aspect is distribution and logistics control (Crofton Dopico 2007). Range building – what is its function within the range The red tulip dress is part of a collection of garments for spring 2013. The collection includes a series of other dresses in different colours and designs. Most of the items in the collection are not as brightly-coloured as the red dress. This ye ar, they range from white and green, grey, and black. In fact, the garment is the only one that pops out in the collection. Most dresses in the collection are subtle. Furthermore, the accessories at the collar are also unique because most items in the collection make use of conventional accessories like buttons. In this regard, this item was the classiest piece in the collection. The designers wanted to respond to a unique need among its clientele for a dominant fashion item. Sample collection When creating the sample collection, neutral colours, like grey and black, inspired the company’s designers. As seen above, the red garment was the exception rather than the rule. Machinists made one garment from the beginning to the end. Initially, the team rejected some of the samples and had to refine them. For instance, the third last dress had grey sleeves. It was after taking certain suggestions that the product was altered to its present status. Delivery The time it takes for Zara to procure material for fabric and deliver a product to a retail outlet is roughly five weeks. Competitors’ lead times pale in comparison to Zara’s because most of them take half a year to finish a garment. After completing the dress, the company shipped it to its respective retail outlets in the UK within 24 hours. Since the latter is in the European continent but not in Spain, the company had to use air transport to meet the 24-hour window. Zara entered into partnerships with Air France and Emirates Airlines because it values flexibility and speed during delivery. The company shipped the dress to the Middle East and certain parts of Europe through this arrangement. The same platform shipped back raw materials from Asia. Zara is willing to do whatever it takes to reduce delivery times (Cecilie 2008). Visual Merchandising in-store Most Zara stores are famous for their uniformity and uniqueness. They are white, spacious and modern. Mirrors cover the wall s, and they are quite attractive. Since the Tulip dress is one of the latest fashions, sales assistants hanged it on store racks. The organisation selected prime locations in stores for the dress. They also put it directly under a light to as to illuminate it and attract it to its clients. This dress can be found in similar locations around fashion capitals around the world. Therefore, international visitors could learn about the dress on the internet but find it on display in Milan or Paris. Even in-store designs reflect these patterns. A team of designers normally decide on window displays as well as store layouts. Therefore, the red, tulip dress was a central piece of the collection, so placement in the middle of the store was appropriate. The designers tried out this display from their headquarters in Spain and then photographed it. They then sent the photos to all fashion capitals with Zara’s retail outlets. Monitor and response to sales One of the most dramatic ways in which Zara has curved a niche for itself as a top fashion retailer is its fast response to sales figures. About 40% of the products sold in the company represent costly new designs. Other products reflect trends in cuts, fabrics and colours. The red Tulip dress happens to fall in the latter category. An analysis of sales figures within the company’s stores led to the design. As mentioned earlier, Zara keeps its costs down by avoiding massive investments in technology. To obtain sales information from retail stores, the company uses personal digital assistants for its store managers. Store managers must rely on sales rankings to reorder existing garments (Ferdows et. al. 2010). Prior to the development of the red Tulip garment, sales managers at the headquarters monitored the performance of similar dresses, colours and sizes on their basic computer systems. They immediately conveyed the information to designers in the same building so as to facilitate new designs, including th e red dress. After the placement of the outfit in retail outlets, the organisation also used similar methods to convey information concerning its performance in order to use it for new designs. Since clothes only stay in Zara’s retail outlets for a short time, then sales figures on the performance of the dress do not contribute to the continued display of the same piece. Designers use them to make similar items instead. Factors affecting the design of the dress The most significant factor affecting the design of the dress is the need to keep inventories fresh. This explains why employees designed the product within a relatively short time. Zara considers geographical preference, as well. Persons in Brazil prefer bolder colours to those in a place like Paris. However, when trends go global, they do so simultaneously in almost all parts of the world. Cost cutting is also another factor that affects the design of the garment as few adjustments imply low costs. Consumer needs are a critical parameter in dress design, and so is availability of fabrics. The organisation considers the length of time that a trend has been in season in order to know the colour, patterns and fabric that is most preferable (Pearson 2009). Media coverage and impact No advertisements take place at Zara. It does not even employ public relations tactics or celebrity endorsements to push products. When launching new products, the company will place basic announcements on local newspapers. The organisation’s founder and chairman are all extremely private individuals. Therefore, media stories dwell on the organisation’s successful production, distribution, merchandising or logistical strategies. The media covers Zara’s stories when the company delivers impressive results. As such, customers have come to perceive it as a credible retailer that delivers on its promises. Conversely, many fashion magazines and newspapers have fashion analysts and commentators. A number o f them have criticised Zara for imitating top designers. These comments have hurt the company’s brand to a small extent (Cecilie 2008). Conclusion Plenty of lessons can be learnt from the production process of the red tulip dress. First, fashion organisations must have a clear vision of their brand. They should stick to this strategy even during international expansion as it is a source of differentiation. Zara’s production process is highly efficient because it has streamlined communication processes between different members of the supply chain. Sales personnel, store managers, designers, suppliers and specialists all exchange information seamlessly. Furthermore, the company prioritises consumer needs over any other issues in the business. Its leaders were not afraid to try something different in production. Instead of outsourcing manufacture, they brought it closer to consumers. Additionally, instead of stocking various trends, the company only sold small collection s so as to create scarcity. Fashion companies must be willing to go against the tide in order to become industry leaders. This organisation used the just-in-time model of the automobile industry and vertically integrated production to create its competitive advantage. Such bold decisions are what make the firm an example for other fashion retailers to follow. References Cecilie, R 2008, ‘Pace-Setting Zara Seeks more speed to fight its rising cheap-chic rivals’, The Wall Street Journal, 10 September, p. 15. Crofton, S Dopico, L 2007, ‘Zara-Inditex and the growth of fast fashion’, Economic and Business History, vol. 25 no.3, pp.41-54. Ferdows, K, Lewis, M Machuca, J 2010,‘Rapid fire fulfilment’, Harvard Business Review, vol. 82 no. 11, pp. 59. Pearson, A 2009, The story of Zara – The speeding bullet. Web. Appendix Turnover (in millions of euros) Sales 13,793 12,527 11,048 10,407 9,435 Results and cash flow (in millions of euros) Operating profit (EBITDA) 3,258 2,966 2,374 2,187 2,149 Operating profit (EBIT) 2,522 2,290 1,729 1,609 1,652 Net income 1,946 1,741 1,322 1,262 1,258 Net income attributable to the parent company 1,932 1,732 1,314 1,253 1,250 Cash flow 2,613 2,540 2,060 1,864 1,747 Financial structure (in millions of euros) Net Assets attributed to the parent company 7,415 6,386 5,329 4,722 4,193 Net financial position 3,465 3,427 2,380 1,219 1,052 Other relevant information Number of stores 5,527 5,044 4,607 4,264 3,691 Net openings 483 437 343 573 560 Number of markets with commercial presence 82 77 74 73 68 Number of employees 109,512 100,138 92,301 89,112 79,517 Financial and management ratios ROE 28% 30% 26% 28% 33% ROCE 37% 39% 34% 36% 43% This coursework on Zara Company Analysis was written and submitted by user Guillermo Y. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

How to Write a Description Essay on Business Communication

How to Write a Description Essay on Business Communication When you write a description essay you want to recognize that the piece of writing you are tackling is something intended to describe a person or thing, something that appeals to all five senses. You want to first pick your subject. Then you want to look for the most dominant details involved in that subject. You want to make sure that you select supporting details that can help you review for the reader that one key idea. Once this is done you want to organize the details in whatever organizational method seems most appropriate to you. You might want to focus on details from specific to general, from general to specific, or in a chronological order. The choice is yours. You want to incorporate description words that help you to be specific and to explore the senses. You never want to just say that something was beautiful. Beautiful is a word that might conjure different ideas in the minds of different readers. In order for your final work to be most effective, you need to be able to describe things with such specific senses and details that every reader who stumbles upon your work will read it and have the exact same image pop into their head. This is the real goal. The Five Senses When you sit down to write a description, you should aim to utilize all five senses. By using all given senses you can guarantee that your reader will be put into the exact place you want. If you are writing about a specific location, use all five senses to place the reader’s imagination in that location. If you are writing about a specific food, plant, person, or landscape, use all five senses to place the reader exactly where you want them. Remember that people have vivid imaginations and what someone else images may not be what you imagine. The more details you include, the better it will be for the reader and their experience. Your goal here is to incorporate as many of the sensory details as you can to give your reader a comprehensive mental image. How to List Information If you are unsure whether or not you’ve included enough sensory details, you can use an outline. If you are not sure whether or not you adequately covered the different senses you need to include for your writing assignment, you can also rely on an organizational planning method. To do this, begin by listing the senses you want to cover in your paper. Pick either a Roman numeral, letter, bullet point, or number and then make a list for each of the senses with that. Beneath the different senses, you should use a lower case Roman numeral, lower case letter, different bullet point, or different number to denote each of your supporting details, the insight you want to include, or the adjectives you will highlight in your paper. **Note: There is not necessarily a right or wrong way to organize your paper. This means that you should feel free to use the outline as a tool to move around the organization, to play with various styles, and to work with different orders of information until you find the one which best suits the purpose of your paper. You want the organizational method which helps you best present your thoughts. ** Isn’t this guide fantastic? Hope it will provide sufficient help for you to complete your assignment. Don’t forget to check our 10 facts on business communication for a description essay as well as 20 topics and 1 sample for paper of this kind of an essay.

Couric Family Tree - Ancestry of Katie Couric

Couric Family Tree - Ancestry of Katie Couric 1. Katherine Anne (Katie) COURIC was born on 7 Jan 1957 in Arlington, Va. Second Generation 2. John Martin COURIC Jr.  was born on 28 Aug 1920 in Brunswick, Glynn Co., Ga. He married Elinor HENE married on 26 Jan 1944 in Chicago, Cook Co., Ill. 3. Elinor HENE  was born on 30 Jun 1923 in Omaha, Douglas Co., Nebr. John Martin COURIC Jr. and Elinor HENE had the following children: i. Emily COURIC was born on 5 Jun 1947 in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, and died of pancreatic cancer on 18 Oct 2001 in Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virginia. ii. Clara (Kiki) COURIC (living) iii. John Martin COURIC III (living) 1 iv. Katherine Anne (Katie) COURIC Third Generation 4. John Martin COURIC  was born on 19 Jan 1886 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  and died on 13 Apr 1947 in Laurens Co., Ga.  He married Wildie Churchill HIBBLER on 11 Jan 1912  and is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. 5. Wildie Churchill HIBBLER  was born on 5 Jul 1886 in Miss.  and died in Apr 1974 in Arlington, Va.  She was buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. John Martin COURIC and Wildie Churchill HIBBLER had the following children: i. Charlotte COURIC  was born about 1914 in Georgia.2 ii. John Martin COURIC Jr. 6. Berthold B. (Bert) HENE  was born on 18 Jun 1890 in Burlington, Des Moines Co., Iowa.  He worked as an architect  and described himself as medium height and build, with grey eyes and black hair.  He married Clara L. FROHSIN. 7. Clara L. FROHSIN  was born on 8 Jan 1898 in Alexander City, Tallapoosa Co., Ala. and died on 20 Nov 1987 in Atlanta, Fulton Co., Ga. Berthold B. (Bert) HENE and Clara L. FROHSIN had the following children: 3 i. Elinor HENEii. Bert HENE Jr.  was born about 1926 in Nebraska. Explore More of the Couric Family Tree First Generation Second Generation Third Generation Fourth Generation Fifth Generation Sixth Generation Back to Generations 1-3 8. Alfred Alexis COURIC was born on 20 Feb 1843 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  and died on 17 Dec 1917 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  He married Sarah Sophia (Sallie) MCKLEROY on 20 Dec 1871 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  and is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. 9. Sarah Sophia (Sallie) MCKLEROY was born on 18 Apr 1850 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  and died on 9 Jan 1900 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  She is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour County, Alabama. Alfred Alexis COURIC and Sarah Sophia (Sallie) MCKLEROY had the following children: i. Mollie Shorter COURIC was born on 2 May 1873 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  and died on 24 Apr 1947 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  She is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.ii. Alfred Alexis (Lex) COURIC was born on 11 May 1876 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  and died on 23 May 1941 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  He is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.iii. Katherine Kolb COURIC was born on 18 Jan 1878 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  and died on 6 May 1936.iv. William McKleroy (Roy) COURIC was born on 25 Jun 1880 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  and died on 12 Sep 1918 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  He is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.v. Sarah Pauline COURIC was born on 3 Feb 1882 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  and died on 11 Sep 1954 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  She is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.vi. Charles Mathuron COURIC was born in 1884 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. an d died in 1934 in Dawson, Ga.4 vii. John Martin COURICviii. Junius Battle COURIC was born on 28 Jun 1889 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. and died on 3 Nov 1968 in Miami, Dade Co., Fla.ix. Edmonson Shorter COURIC was born on 5 Jan 1891 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. and died on 23 Aug 1953 in Miami, Dade Co., Fla.x. Martha Gill COURIC died at the age of 7 months, 1 day  and is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. 10. James Edmund HIBBLER  was born on 20 Sep 1847 in Alabama and died on 25 Feb 1921. He married Ida Hill IVY on 2 Mar 1871 in Noxubee Co., Miss. 11. Ida Hill IVY  was born on 5 Dec 1849 in Mississippi and died on 5 May 1927. James Edmund HIBBLER and Ida Hill IVY had the following children: i. Carrie B. HIBBLER  was born about 1871 in Noxubee Co., Miss. ii. Fannie HIBBLER  was born about Apr 1873 in Mississippi. iii. James S. HIBBLER  was born about 1874 in Noxubee Co., Miss. iv. Robert HIBBLER  was born about 1876 in Noxubee Co., Miss. v. Mary A. HIBBLER  was born about 1879 in Noxubee Co., Miss. vi. Lottie J. HIBBLER  was born about Mar 1882 in Mississippi. 5 vii. Wildie Churchill HIBBLER viii. Laura HIBBLER  was born about Oct 1890 in Mississippi. 12. Aaron HENE  was born about Oct 1848 in Bavaria.  He immigrated about 1864-1865 to the United States  and was naturalized in 1893.  He worked as a cigar maker  and married Matilda MEYER about 1883. 13. Matilda MEYER  was born about Aug 1862 in Germany.  She immigrated in 1874  or 1889  to the United States and was naturalized in 1893. Aaron HENE and Matilda MEYER had the following children: 6 i. Berthold B. (Bert) HENEii. Robert D. HENE  was born about Mar 1899 in Nebraska. 14. Isaac FROHSIN was born on 2 Aug 1865 in Brakel, Hoxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany and died on 26 Dec 1922 in Alexander City, Tallapoosa Co., Ala. He is buried on 28 Dec 1922 in West Point, Troup Co., Ga. Isaac married Emma HAGEDORN on 10 Feb 1897 in West Point, Troup Co., Ga. 15. Emma HAGEDORN was born on 4 Aug 1865 in Giershagen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany and died on 13 Apr 1946 in Alexander City, Tallapoosa Co., Ala. She is buried in West Point, Troup Co., Ga. Isaac FROHSIN and Emma HAGEDORN had the following children: 7 i. Clara L. FROHSINii. Leon FROHSIN was born on 5 Jan 1899 in Alexander City, Tallapoosa Co., Ala. and died on 6 Nov 1973 in Fulton Co., Ga.iii. Ralph FROHSIN was born on 24 Aug 1902 in Alexander City, Tallapoosa Co., Ala. and died on 13 Oct 1994 in Alexander City, Tallapoosa Co., Ala.iv. Lewis FROHSIN was born on 16 Apr 1906 in Alexander City, Tallapoosa Co., Ala. and died on 8 Aug 1977 in Fulton Co., Ga. Explore More of the Couric Family Tree First Generation Second Generation Third Generation Fourth Generation Fifth Generation Sixth Generation Back to Generations 1-3 16. Charles Mathuron COURIC was born on 24 Nov 1817 in Laurient, France  and died on 19 May 1861 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  He married Henrietta Francoise Farier DOUTRE about 1839 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. and is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. 17. Henrietta Francoise Farier DOUTRE was born on 10 Aug 1805 in Saintes, France  and died on 22 Nov 1873 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  She is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. Charles Mathuron COURIC and Henrietta Francoise Farier DOUTRE had the following children: i. Lucien COURIC was born about 1841 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. and died about 1898 in Wetumka, Ala.8 ii. Alfred Alexis COURICiii. Frances Elizabeth COURIC was born about 1845 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. and died on 1 Jan 1900 in Union Springs, Ala.iv. Alida Mathilde COURIC was born on 25 Oct 1847 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. and died on 14 Mar 1933 in Mobile, Ala. 18. Captain William Henry MCKLEROY was born unknown. He married Martha Gill SHORTER. 19. Martha Gill SHORTER was born about 21 Sep 1821 in Pass Christian, La.  and died on 6 Sep 1855. Captain William Henry MCKLEROY and Martha Gill SHORTER had the following children: i. Emily Francis MCKLEROYii. John Martin MCKLEROYiii. William Henry MCKLEROY IIiv. Mittie MCKLEROYv. Mary MCKLEROY9 vi. Sarah Sophia (Sallie) MCKLEROYvii. Reuben S. MCKLEROY died in Sep 1855 in Pass Christian, La. 20. James Lawrence HIBBLER was born on 24 Nov 1812 in Edgefield Co., S.C. and died on 20 Mar 1880. He married Mary Ann AMASON on 9 Feb 1838 in Sumter Co., Ala. 21. Mary Ann AMASON was born on 19 Aug 1819 in N.C. James Lawrence HIBBLER and Mary Ann AMASON had the following children: i. Laura Jane HIBBLER was born on 10 Dec 1838 in Sumter Co., Ala.ii. Infant HIBBLER was born in 1840 in Sumter Co., Ala. and died in 1840 in Sumter Co., Ala.iii. Thomas William HIBBLER was born on 15 Aug 1842 in Sumter Co., Ala. and died on 3 Oct 1857 in Sumter Co., Ala.iv. Robert HIBBLER was born on 10 Nov 1845 in Sumter Co., Ala.10 v. James Edmund HIBBLERvi. Infant HIBBLER was born on 10 Dec 1849 in Sumter Co., Ala. and died on 10 Dec 1849 in Sumter Co., Ala.vii. Infant HIBBLER was born on 15 Dec 1851 in Sumter Co., Ala. and died on 15 Dec 1851 in Sumter Co., Ala.viii. Mary Frances HIBBLER was born on 11 Aug 1852 in Sumter Co., Ala. 22. Bird IVY  was born on 5 Mar 1812 in Warrenton Co., Ga. and died on 8 May 1884 in Pickens Co., Ala. He married Caroline Jemima COCKRELL and is buried in 1884 in Old Memphis Cemetery, Cochrane, Pickens Co., Ala. 23. Caroline Jemima COCKRELL  was born on 5 Oct 1827 in S.C. and died on 30 Nov 1895 in Noxubee Co., Miss. She is buried in 1895 in Odd Fellows Cemetery, Macon, Noxubee Co., Miss. Bird IVY and Caroline Jemima COCKRELL had the following children: i. Thomas William IVY was born about 1846 in Noxubee Co., Miss.11 ii. Ida Hill IVYiii. Charlotte Gibson IVY was born about 1851 in Ala.iv. Jesse Churchill IVY23 was born about 1854 in Miss.v. Jeremiah A. IVY was born about 1856 in Miss.vi. Carrie Moore IVY was born on 15 Jun 1860 in Noxubee Co., Miss.vii. Fannie Barrett IVY was born on 18 Sep 1861 in Miss. 24. Wolfgang HENE was born about 1814 in Geinsheim, Germany He married Mahle (Mable?) UNKNOWN. 25. Mahle (Mable?) UNKNOWN  was born about 1813 in Bavaria. Wolfgang HENE and Mahle (Mable?) had the following children: i. Isaac HENE  was born about Mar 1838 in Geinsheim, Germany and died on 14 Mar 1905 in Cook Co., Illinois.  He immigrated in 1863 to the United States  and worked as a vegetable peddler in Chicago.ii. Simon HENE was born on 15 Feb 1843 in Geinsheim, Rhein Pfalz, Germany  and died on 25 Mar 1895.  He is buried in the Jewish Cemetery, Burlington, Des Moines Co., Iowa.iii. Charles HENE  was born on 12 Dec 1844 in Geinsheim, Germany  and died on 3 Jun 1901 in Colorado.  He was a cigar manufacturer in Chicago, Cook Co., Ill.  and is buried in Fairmount Cemetery, Denver, Colo. 12 iv. Aaron HENE v. Bertha HENE  was born about 1854 in Bavaria.vi. Blondiso (Blondie) HENE  was born about Jul 1873 in Germany. She immigrated in 1885 to the United States. 26. MEYER was born and had the following children: 13 i. Matilda MEYERii. Freda MEYER  was born about 1873 in Germany. Fifth Generation Continued Explore More of the Couric Family Tree First Generation Second Generation Third Generation Fourth Generation Fifth Generation Sixth Generation Back to Fifth Generation, Part One Fifth Generation, Continued 28. Solomon FROHSIN was born about 1838 in Brakel, Hoxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. He married Julia LEVINSOHN. 29. Julia LEVINSOHN was born. Solomon FROHSIN and Julia LEVINSOHN had the following children: i. Jonas FROHSIN was born on 27 Aug 1856 in Brakel, Hoxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany and died on 23 Apr 1949 in New York, N.Y. He is buried in Atlanta, Fulton Co., Ga.ii. Ida FROHSIN was born on 27 Aug 1857 in Brakel, Hoxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany and died in 1938.iii. Abraham FROHSIN was born on 20 May 1864 in Brakel, Hoxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany and died on 14 Apr 1942 in New York, N.Y. He is buried on 17 Apr 1942 in Mt. Sinai Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pa.14 iv. Isaac FROHSINv. Cecelia FROHSIN was born on 28 Sep 1869 in Brakel, Hoxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany and died on 15 Jun 1949 in Philadelphia, Pa. She is buried on 17 Jun 1949 in Mt. Sinai Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pa. 30. Abraham HAGEDORN was born on 26 Oct 1819 and died on 15 May 1908. He married Clara ROSENBAUM. 31. Clara ROSENBAUM was born on 10 May 1825 and died on 19 Apr 1897. She is buried in Giershagen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Abraham HAGEDORN and Clara ROSENBAUM had the following children: 15 i. Emma HAGEDORN Sixth Generation 38. Reuben Clarke SHORTER Sr was born on 13 Feb 1787 in Culpepper Co., Va.  and died on 14 Jul 1853 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.  He married Mary Butler GILL on 31 May 1812 in Jasper Co., Ga. 39. Mary Butler GILL was buried in Shorter Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala. Reuben Clarke SHORTER Sr and Mary Butler GILL had the following children: i. Sarah Elizabeth SHORTERii. Emily Frances SHORTER was born on 15 Aug 1816  and died on 13 May 1839.iii. John Gill SHORTER was born on 23 Apr 1818 in Monticello, Jasper Co., Ga.  and died on 29 May 1872.  He was the Alabama Civil War Governor.19 iv. Martha Gill SHORTERv. Eli Sims SHORTER was born on 15 Mar 1823 in Monticello, Jasper Co., Ga.  and died on 29 Apr 1879 in Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.vi. Reuben Clark SHORTER Jr. was born on 22 Jan 1825 in Monticello, Jasper Co., Ga. and died on 14 May 1853 in Montgomery, Montgomery Co., Ala. He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Montgomery, Montgomery Co., Ala.vii. William James SHORTER was born on 28 Oct 1826  and died on 2 Oct 1839.viii. Mary Butler SHORTER was born about 1828.ix. Sophia Herndon SHORTER was born on 22 May 1830  and died on 18 Mar 1850.  She is buried in Shorter Cemetery, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.x. Sampson Slaughter SHORTER was born on 23 Sep 1834  and died on 29 Oct 1840.  He is buried in Shorter Cemeter y, Eufaula, Barbour Co., Ala.xi. Henry Russell SHORTER was born about 1833 in Jasper Co., Ga. and died in 1898.xii. Laura Maria SHORTER 40. Jacob HIBBLER was born in 1762 and died in 1835. He married Virginia BELCHER. 41. Virginia BELCHER was born on 26 Aug 1774 in Greenwich, Sussex Co., N.J. and died in 1824. Jacob HIBBLER and Virginia BELCHER had the following children: 20 i. James Lawrence HIBBLER 56. Louis FROHSIN married UNKNOWN. Louis FROHSIN had the following children: 28 i. Solomon FROHSIN Prepared by Kimberly Powell, January 2006 Explore More of the Couric Family Tree First Generation Second Generation Third Generation Fourth Generation Fifth Generation Sixth Generation

Dissertation Weekly Progress Report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dissertation Weekly Progress Report - Coursework Example The article by Pairavinta & Saebo (2008) explained on how a form of e-governance, the electronic voting system, had supported democracy in 1970 in the US in an â€Å"electronic town hall meeting†. I spent 3 hours reading on Oman’s e-government systems. After having 2 hours of wild goose chase, I landed on material detailing Oman’s progress towards e-governance. The article â€Å"Use and Impact of ICT on SMEs in Oman† by Ashrafi and Murtaza (2008) from Emerald database gave me a relief as it was spot on. This article details the country’s investment in ICT infrastructure and the developments made thus far in establishing e-government systems in Oman. I spent 4 hours writing up the introduction to chapter 1, 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3. I feel the information covered in these sections is satisfactory but I will evaluate the content covered when I compile the report. I spent the next 6 hours formulating and writing up sections 1.4, 1.5 and 1.6. I knew the research questions determined the direction of the whole project and I took my time in framing these questions. Moreover, I observed great detail in formulating my objectives to ensure complete objectivity, and this part consumed a third of the time. Finally, I wrote up the sections to complete chapter 1. I spent 3 hours reading on various applications of e-government systems. I obtain two articles, â€Å"International Technical Standards for e-Government† by Borra (2004) from Emerald database; and the other, â€Å"Critical Factors in the Adoption and Diffusion of E-government Initiatives in Oman† by Alshihi (2006) from Victoria university database. Borras (2004, pp. 75 – 76), and AlShihi (2006, pp. 8 – 15) articles explain the various transactions that governments engage. They explain that Transactions for e-government may take the form of citizen-to-government (C2G), government-to-business (G2B), government-to-employee (G2E) or government-to-government (G2G) transactions. Al

Complexities of the U. s financial system Assignment

Complexities of the U. s financial system - Assignment Example Efficiently operating financial markets play a part in the health of the economy (Fabozzi, Modigliani & Ferri, 1994). Economic growth is underpinned by financial market development. Financial markets guide the flow of individual and business savings and investments, within the economy to improve the buildup of capital and enhance effective production of products and services. The price of returns on investments and credit plays a part in signaling financial market participants such as consumers and producers to channel funds, particularly from businesses and households to investors, governments, consumers and businesses. Financial markets link those who need the funds with willing lenders (Demirguc-Kunt & Ross, 2001). Strong financial markets and institutions and a wide array of financial instruments and products, meets the needs of both lenders and borrowers, therefore, the entire economy. Moreover, strong financial markets enhance the flow of funds among countries, thereby enhancin g the economies. Additionally, financial markets also reduce transaction and search costs within the economy. Through the provision of a wide array of financial products with differing pricing and risk structures and maturities, financial systems provide products to participants, which offer borrowers and lenders with close matches for their needs. Persons, businesses, as well as governments that need funds can effortlessly discover which financial markets or institutions offer funding and the costs imposed on the borrower (Pryor, 1996). This enables investors to compare financing costs to their anticipated returns on investment hence making the most effective investment choices suited to their needs. Therefore, financial markets influence the allocation of credit within the economy, facilitating production of products and services. The key rationale for creating the Federal Reserve was to deal with banking panics. Other roles are provided in the Federal Reserve Act. The Federal Res erve furnishes an elastic currency, allowing for the rediscounting of commercial paper and establishes an effective supervision system of banking in the US. The Chairman of the Federal Reserve serves as the head of the country’s central banking system and is the executive officer of the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors (Demirguc-Kunt & Ross, 2001). Conversely, the Federal Reserve Board, conducts the country’s monetary policy, supervises and standardizes banking institutions and protects consumers’ credit rights. The Board also ensures the financial system’s stability and offers financial services to the government, official foreign institutions and the public. Today, the Federal Reserve serves as the country’s central bank, striking a balance between the government’s role as a centralized institution and banks’ private interests. It also monitors and regulates banking institutions and protects consumers’ rights. Thro ugh a monetary policy, the Federal Reserve manages the country’s money supply in order to attain stable prices by deterring deflation and inflation, maximum employment and minimal long-term interest rates. Moreover, the Federal Reserve maintains the US financial system’s stability and acts as a banker and lender of last resort to commercial banks and the US government (Pryor, 1996). The reserve

Berlin Wall Essay Example for Free

Berlin Wall Essay [] A few decades ago, before the beginning of the 21st century, the world was divided between the East and the West: US Capitalism and USSR Communism. Indeed, after World War II, two of the world’s superpowers fought each other indirectly; developing the idea of a silent war which later came to be known as the Cold War. During the Cold War, the world’s division was symbolically represented by the Berlin Wall – the iconic divide that separated East Germany from West Germany. With this division came the idea of a divided world separated by political paranoia, hegemonic supremacy and ideological dominance – all of which played a role in masking the other side of world with darkness and misinformation. Truly, the world was not integrated at that time. To a person living during that time, it may have seemed hopeless to dream of a world where everything is connected; where neither political, economical nor cultural (ideological) forces and agendas shaped and determined, not only international affairs, but also the internal affairs of other countries. Fortunately, history has its ways. In 1989, the Berlin Wall met its utter destruction. The USSR â€Å"lost† the Cold War and the United States was left as the only surviving hegemonic state that was fortunate enough to enter the 21st century with victorious colors. With its supposed â€Å"victory† at hand, the United States was left with no other choice but to encourage other countries to adopt their own policy of capitalism and free trade. As such, with the world’s entrance to the 21st century, a new field of study was conceptualized and disseminated: Globalization. Though controversially dubbed as Americanization by some, Globalization is, indeed, a force of free trade that is augmented by the United States’ idea of Capitalism. As more and more countries began to adopt the concept of Capitalism, free trade grew in the International Community; thus, sparking a phenomenal revolution – a revolution where goods, services, labor and, most important of all, information moved unprecedentedly across borders and sovereignties. In fact, this revolution was so intense that academics and economists alike began talking about the notion of a â€Å"shrinking† world. Indeed, with the advent of globalization came the shrinking of the world – shrinking simply because people and goods can now move across countries without hindrance. Furthermore, communication took new heights into allowing individuals from a certain country to communicate with another person from a different that is largely opposite of his/her side of the world’s hemisphere. Truly, for the first time in the history of the world, the International Community became almost completely integrated. Though detrimental to some countries, it cannot be denied that this form of integration caused by the powerful force globalization has benefited almost every country in the world. For one thing, it has allowed consumers from different countries to experience having different choices when it comes to buying goods. Another is that every country in the International Community today have begun to realize that economic interdependence is the key to immense growth and development. In other words, trading with other countries may seem a better option than conquering them. Truly, such economic integration brought about by Capitalism has made the world less likely to enter into a Third World War. Though not the first of its kind in the history of humankind, this form of integration in the 21st century is undoubtedly one of the most comprehensive and most beneficial of all. It has allowed different cultures to flourish, not only within each country’s respective societies, but also within other countries’ societies as well.

Reflective Essay: Alice in Wonderland -- Charles Lutwidge Dodgson Lewi

There and back again with Alice I gasp my hands on my knees, bent over, out of breath. I can feel my lungs compressing and pushing hard against my chest in an effort to fit just a little more air. My palms are wet, beads of sweat trickle down my forehead, making my hair feel wet and sticky. My shirt is drenched in sweat. I stare at the ground and see the stalks of grass, standing tall like trees to the tiny ants that scurry among them. What I must look like to those minuscule creatures, like a giant, so big that I block the blazing sun and give them shade. I wonder if they are afraid of me? I lift my eyes and glance ahead. I’m almost there, only a couple more meters. I hear footsteps behind me, they’re catching up quickly. It’s now or never. I push off with my back foot and go into a sprint. My heart speeds up, almost as fast as I’m running and I can hear its pounding in my head, like a prisoner beating on locked doors, wanting to be free. If it had feet of it’s own it might run alongside me and race me to the fort, but that’s silly, hearts don’t have feet. I swing my arms back and forth to help me run faster and I try to take longer strides. I’m running so fast now, I feel like everything around me is standing still, as if I’m the only thing in the world that is moving. I don’t want to stop running, I want to keep going, faster and faster, forever. Now I understand why my heart pounds so hard, why it tries to push out of my chest and run on its little feet and never stop, never look back. But I canno t keep on running forever, I have to stop. My legs finally give in and I plop onto the stiff ground. The dust sticks to my sweaty clothes and turns into mud. I take big, loud breaths but I cannot hear myself because my heart is sti... ...in a scientific experiment. Everything is set to provide you with the perfect living conditions, the right amount of food, water, the right temperature, etc. And while you’re in that perfect, controlled environment you feel safe, you feel happy and yet, somewhere lingering in the depths of your mind is the gnawing sensation that at any given moment someone will unscrew the lid on your jar and let in the wrong air, that you will be forced to wake up from your perfect world and dragged, kicking and screaming into the world that everyone else lives in. That is my fear. That I will wake up one day and not be able to return to the world in my dreams but that I will have to learn to survive in the real world. Much like the adventuresome Alice, my wish is to live somewhere between the non fiction and fantasy of daily life, to allow the lines to be blurry. But how blurry?

Case Study of H.B. Fuller Essay

Question No 1: Is H.B.Fuller responsible for the addiction of street children to its Resistol products? Do you agree or disagree with the statement that the social conditions in Honduras and Guatemala are ultimately responsible for misuse of H.B. Fuller products and that neither the product nor the company is to blame? Do you agree or disagree that a parent company is not responsible for the activities of its subsidiaries? Explain your answers full. a) I don’t think that H.B.Fuller is responsible. Because the thing is that they’re just doing their business and nothing else. It’s their right to do whatever business they want. It is just like that when you go to the well, if the dog fell into the well so what we can do then? The company is just concerned with the business of producing glue. To maintain the status of the company, they need to use best chemicals out of best. It is the duty of the company to maintain the quality. If there isn’t any substitute o f that glue then they’re helpless. They can’t hang their company. b) If we talk about the children who were affected by the habit of sniffing the glue, children can understand what is right and what is wrong if they’re the part of the company. If they’re sniffing the glue, it is up to them. Company never said about that. To sniff the glue is their action why the company should be blame? c) Of course! I’m agreeing with the statement that H.B.Fuller is not responsible for the activities of its subsidiary. To let the children know about the duties and precaution is the responsibility of the company. If the children are habitual of this thing, then I just want to say that it’s very hard to get rid of any type addiction. One more thing that I want to discuss is that when I’m drinker then what’s the problem with you? I know about the side effects of this thing. So in this case, company is parent it is right but they’re not taking work from the children for the sake of Allah. Company is paying for what they are doing for the business. Question No 2: In your judgment did H.B.Fuller conduct itself in a morally appropriate manner? Explain your answer. In my point of view, It’s I think a good step which the company taken that they stopped selling of that glue in small jars. If the glue is available in small jars, children have the maximum chance to buy that glue because it is affordable for them. When the company is selling that glue in large size of containers, it becomes much easier to protect the children from using the glue. Because large size of containers must not be in reach of children. We’ll not go for utilitarianism because life is the only thing which is priceless. Company should care about the health of children. They did a good job but it costs the company very much. After all they are running their business in a very large scale having revenue more than $1 Billion (1995). They have found the safe way to protect themselves from winding up the company. Question No 3: What, if anything, should the company have done that it did not do? After considering the whole case, we have got something which is not done by the company but the company should do. The company should advice the children about the use of this glue and also aware the government about this product. I think, after advising the children there might be less chances of spreading disease. Children could be protected from the harmful outcomes. There are some more points which should be taken into the account by the company: †¢ Company should mention the precautions on their product about the usage of the product. †¢ Company should start the campaign regarding the usage of the product. †¢ Company should advice the children time to time about the usage and drawbacks of the product.