Inflation and Pestle Analysis

Pestle Analysis A pestle analysis is one of the most popular and effective methods of analysing the external macroeconomic factors that could impact on a business within a specific industry. Commonly, a pestle analysis will be used alongside other analyses that focus on internal factors. The combination of the pestle analysis with other factors will allow a company to create a strategic management plan of how to move its business forward in a way that maximises the opportunities available to it, externally.A pestle analysis comprises of six factors, namely political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, legal and environmental. The latter two have been recent additions to the pestle analysis (formerly known as pest) and reflect the growing importance of the environment and regulation to companies across all industries. Pestle Analysis – Political Political issues as part of the pestle analysis include all sorts of factors that normally derive from the government in the for m of policies or legislation.For the purposes of the pestle analysis of a self-employed beautician, there is little in the way of trade restrictions and tariffs to be concerned about. With the government currently encouraging parents (and specifically single parents) back to work the beauty industry should see a growing number of workers available. As peak times generally evenings and weekends, this could certainly fall in line with the political drive to encourage mothers back to work as this would be the times where alternative childcare would not be available.Pestle Analysis – Economic The pestle analysis then goes on to look at the economic impact on beauty industry. Key areas for the pestle analysis include inflation rates, interest rates and general economic conditions. The Beauty therapies are usually considered luxury products; therefore, when there is an economic downturn, the number of customers is likely to reduce. Where individuals have less disposable income due to high inflation levels, they will be less inclined to spend money on luxuries.The current economic climate is relatively weak and individuals are not feeling sufficiently wealthy to spend large amounts of their income on beauty treatments. As the pestle analysis has indicated, this to be a particular threat to the beauty industry and this should be something that management looks at mitigating. Typically, this could include reduction in costs and enhanced services for clients. Pestle Analysis – Social When conducting a pestle analysis on beauty therapy, the area of socio-culture presents a much more positive outlook.This part of the pestle analysis considers demographics such as age and wealth as well as issues including career aspirations and general interest in beauty issues. In this case, the beauty industry is doing extremely well. With a growing number of young women carving lucrative careers, there is an increasing demand for beauty therapy. Not only are greater numbe rs of younger individuals earning good wages, but the grey pound is also increasing in strength. There is a growing demand from older people for beauty treatments and an increasing ability by these individuals to be able to afford such treatments.These changing demands have led to substantial diversification and new opportunities within the beauty industry. Pestle Analysis – Technological On the face of it, technological developments may not appear to be particularly relevant to a beauty business. However, in conducting a more detailed pestle analysis, it becomes clear that the beauty industry as it stands has relatively high barriers to entry by virtue of the level of expertise and technology required. As established in the earlier part of the pestle analysis, consumers are becoming more demanding and experimental in the area of beauty therapy.As such, there is a growing need for beauty treatments to ensure not only that they have the latest technology, but also that beautic ians are trained to use such equipment. Whilst basic beauticians may find that they are not prohibited from entering the market by virtue of their lack of technology, the pestle analysis in relation to socio-cultural issues has shown that in order to establish a truly competitive position, companies will have to offer the latest technology and a wide range of options.Pestle Analysis – Legal When looking at the beauty industry from a pestle point of view, it is not surprising that health and safety legislation is both plentiful and restrictive. It is necessary for all beauticians to comply with the basic health and safety regulations, but they should also pay attention to treatment specific requirements. All beauticians will have to be suitably qualified. Insurance will have to be maintained and all necessary employment law provisions complied with.As the workforce is likely to be largely part time and possibly even self-employed, attention will have to be paid to ensure that the correct taxes and paperwork requirements are complied with. Pestle Analysis – Environmental The issue of environmental factors has only just been added to the pestle analysis in a bid to recognise how important this factor can be to the success of a business. Traditionally, in the pestle analysis, a company would consider the environmental issues with which it must comply.In the case of a beauty therapy, this is largely likely to be in relation to dangerous substances such as massage oils and cleaning chemicals. However, a slightly different approach which the pestle analysis reveals is that the environment could, in fact, bring opportunities to a beauty therapy with a growing demand for organic and natural products. Many consumers (as previously analysed in the pestle analysis) will pay a premium for natural products and, as such, being seen to be environmentally friendly will not only ensure regulatory compliance, but may also encourage more customers at a higher value.

Mysteries in Life

Mystery In Life Mystery of Life Elite is a wonderful gift tot God that given to us, even elite on earth or in heaven. Elite is the source of existence of every living creature. Life Is almost close to perfect as I have seen but you cannot deny the fact that life is not perfect. However. Life has its own mystery and mystery is Just unknown truth that we do not know yet or perhaps truth that will remain undiscovered forever. It is the domain responsible for man's curiosity and stupidity. Our life becomes more mysterious because of man's questions and lies, The curiosity of a man can lead him into his own stupidity.Many people wonder about the beginning of something or the destination of it but no one wonders about the purpose of existing something. Man starts to wonder when he does not know why those things happen, when he has an unanswered question or unsolved problems. We wonder because our minds are not capable enough to understand such thing called mystery. We are living now to the world that has a great number of secrets around us. Even though some of the questions before are answered now there are still mysteries that continue to reproduce.As time goes by, people still encounter those enigmatic facts, which make them curious and most of the time it makes them weird especially when they started to feel it and to tell it with somebody that close to them. It is very unusual to meet something that Is unique or a thing that hard to explain precisely and difficult for anyone to believe in It. Because of this, It may remain forever a mystery†¦ Origin of Humans For centuries, rolling of human Is soul a big question mark In our society. In fact, there are many theories and legends about the origin of man.The religion and the science have a rivalry about the derivation of humanity. Religion especially Christianity lamed that man was create by God (Heehaw). Scriptures say that man was create out tot mud and Adam and Eve were the great ancestor of mankind. However , science opposed It. According to Charles Darwin, a scientist, man Is actually comes from the apes and eventually evolved Into man, but this theory does not have a strong evidence because there is a missing link that Charles Darwin is not able to figure out. One more evidence that religion and science is not really agreeing each other is the origin of the universe.Based on bible, universe was create by God on the first day of His creation. While science has many theories about the creation of universe but they all contribute that universe isn't made by God. This phenomenon has been the main reason of man's maze. The conflict between the religion and science became the mystery of origin of life. They don't know which statement they will believe because some people do not really know which is really true. But the worst of all, ignorant people believe on the lies about human. Religion is like a bridge where the other side of it is you God, waiting for you.It is like a road to your fin al destination, a paradise, which is so beautiful and peaceful; all round you was cover with love. Humans were not much different from the other humans, but their beliefs made the most of their difference. In fact, because of these differences they declare a war from each other, thus it produces anger, sadness longing for someone, hatred, hindrances, and new that is why love is being vanished. Christianity is the one of the major religion in the world that believes in Jesus- Christ, Christianity is actually derived from Judaism but they are not the same.Islam the religion of the Muslims and has a great number of believer. It is also the religion he dominating the world in terms of followers. Hinduism is the religion that believes in the three Gods, (Brahmas, Shiva, and Vishnu). It is the dominant religion in India. Buddhism is the dominant religion in South-East Asia, however Philippines is the only Christian country in South-East Asia. In China, there were three religions, which ar e Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism. There are actually some religions but they were not embrace by the other people. Nevertheless, some people do not have a religion.The Atheist is the non-believer people they believe only in humanity. I think religion is Just only geography. For example, if you will born in a Christian country probably you are a Christian and if you are born in a Muslim country you are probably a Muslim. People were so confused and hungry for the truth because of these differences. Meaning of Love According to the dictionary, the literal meaning of love is an emotion of a strong affection and personal attachment. Love is also said to be a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection.Love may describe compassionate and affectionate actions towards other humans. If I ask someone who's in love they would say this words. But if I ask someone who's heartbroken and I say, What's love? Do you think his/her answer is different now? What if I ask y ou what's love? What would be your answer? To love someone unconditionally meaner that you love the person exactly as they are, exactly as they were before, and exactly as they will be in the future because people change all the time, so if you love the person, you will love them even if they become something you disagree with. Love is not about you, your pleasure, or your amusement.It is not about what you get out of it or what the other person can give to you. It's not about having a trophy you can show off with and tell people This is my girlfriend, boyfriend, wife, husband, son, daughter, whatever. You do not own anyone. It's not about you feeling proud to be with someone who always agrees with everything you say and do and never does anything you disagree with. Unconditional love meaner that the person can Just live their life exactly as they choose and you will always be there for them no matter what. Beyond Death No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorro w.We must do things final stage of life. It is the absence of life. If you are afraid to faced death, it meaner you do not want to see God then. Death is the only way to see God. After you die you will not leave home, you are now going home. The ‘Near Death Experience' is phenomenon where people rose from the death after they have declared dead. There is a story about NEED; a woman, who is suffering from certain disease, is schedule to operate. As the operation goes by the woman felt that there was unidentified force that lift her up in to the top of the hospital, and then she saw a shoe on the rooftop.Woman serves as a spectator when she saw the operation of her win body on the bed, trying to revive her, but it wasn't end successful. The doctor proclaimed her death, suddenly the woman grabbed the doctor's hand and the doctor was shocked because the woman came back to life , then the woman started to tell what she had experienced. The woman precisely explained about the operat ion and the tools that had use to her. The woman also, mention about the shoe on the rooftop, then the doctor goes up trying to find the shoe. Suddenly, he saw a shoe, and then he asks to the woman if the shoe she saw is the shoe he is holding on.The woman replied yes. All of the staff in that hospital was amazed of what was happen to the woman and how the woman cheated death. There are really mysteries in our life and beyond death that cannot be explained by anyone. Heaven and Hell The heaven and the hell are the two final destination of a man. They are the two choices of eternity. Life there is both eternal. Heaven is a place or a condition of supreme happiness and peace where good people are believe to go after death, and especially in Christianity, where God and the angels are believed to dwell.Heaven is he sky and the universe as seen from earth or the place where God, divine beings, and saved souls live. On the other hand, Hell is the place of eternal punishment for the wicked after death, presided over by Satan. If a soul is in hell, it can never go to heaven. People are so confused because they don't know where they are heading to. They say, they want to go in heaven but their act like hell and they also saying that they do not want to go in hell, but their action are still the same. The real question is there really a heaven or hell. If there, where is it?Why it is hidden or why we have to go here? These two places affect the destiny of a man together with his way of living. However, some people do not believe in this place. They Just believe that death is the final destination of man and nothing else would be. They have some points on what they are saying if you Just believed in you and yourself alone. However, for me, death is not the final destination of humanity it is whether heaven or hell. Moreover, if you really want to saved, have faith in Him; change now the way of your living. If not now, when would it be? Life is too short don't waste it.Yo u must hurry up before all things messed up. Surprises of Future Wicked you be surprised if the future has a plan for you? Maybe you will be happy or sad of what future will bring unto you. We are all busy now trying to ensure our future. We do a lot of works and we consume our time Just to accomplish it. We are We do not know yet our future or rather no one knows what is going to be in the future. If someone already knows his future, it would Just be a disadvantage for him because he is cheating his own destiny and cheating is a sin. All we can do is to live our life with perseverance and love.

Affirmative Action Essays - Social Inequality, Free Essays

Affirmative Action The state shall not discriminate, or grant preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting. The previous statement is the unedited text of the operative part of Proposition 209, the California Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI), that passed November fifth by a percentage of 54 to 46. Though the initiative does not actually mention affirmative action, Californians feel affirmative action may be coming to an end. Will the decision of Proposition 209 have a great impact on colleges and universities? We will soon find out. We do know that affirmative action in colleges and universities has a long history of controversy sparked by the 1978 Bakke case and seems to be far from over with the recent vote on proposition 209. The Supreme Courts 1978 decision in the Regents of the University of California v. Bakke has been the basis for most college affirmative action programs. The case involved a white man, Allen Bakke, who applied for admission to, and was rejected by California University at Davis Medical School in 1973 and 1974. The university had an affirmative action program to accept sixteen Black, Hispanic, and Asian students for every 100 entering. Allen Bakke objected when he found out that he had been turned down while minorities students with lower college grades and MCAT scores had been admitted under the universitys affirmative action program. The court then had been divided between four justices in favor of admitting Bakke on the basis that the quota affirmative Maloney 2 action plan had violated Title Four of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, four Justices against admitting Bakke, and Justice Powell, the swing vote. Justice Powell declared that Allen Bakke would be admitted to the medical school because the University of Californias affirmative action plan had violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. In Justice Powells opinion, the Fourteenth Amendment must be interpreted to protect everyone (McWhirter). The Bakke decision has sparked many anti-affirmative action movements, the latest being Proposition 209. Backing the California Civil Rights Initiative, proponents feel it is time to end race and sex-based quotas, preferences and set-asides now governing state employment, contracts and education. Launching a two million dollar television campaign to support the ballot measure, Robert Dole and the Republican Party made proposition 209 the centerpiece in their push for Californias 54 electoral votes (Lesher). Bob Dole states, If affirmative action means quotas, set- asides and other preferences that favor individuals simply because they happen to belong to certain groups, thats were I draw the line (qtd. in What Theyre Saying About Quotas and the California Civil Rights Initiative). Agreeing with Dole, Governor Pete Wilson states that Mandating and practicing inequality cannot bring equality (qtd. in What Theyre Saying About Quotas and the California Civil Rights ! Initiative). Another defender of proposition 209 and affirmative action is House Speaker Newt Gingrich. In a interview with Gingrich, he boldly states that people who want some kind of quota based on racial background should be forced to debate in public their version of America. I would make clear that I oppose Maloney 3 quotas explicitly because I favor an integrated America (qtd. in What Theyre Saying About Quotas and the California Civil Rights Initiative). United States Senator, Phil Gramm, also opposes affirmative action resolutely declaring that if I become President, quotas and set-asides are finished in America (qtd. in What Theyre Saying About Quotas and the California Civil Rights Initiative). Opposing the measure, California college students and other affirmative action supporters protest to sustain variety and diversity. The first incident occurred when 500 students from University of California Berkeley met on Sprous Hall steps, the evening after the election and seized the Campanile clock tower. Some students chained themselves inside. The same day as the as the Berkeley incident, 300 students from the University of California Santa Cruz surrounded and picketed the Student Service Building, effectively closing the financial aid and registrars office. Police made no arrests. On November seventh, 100 students from San Francisco State caused a commotion by blocking 19th Avenue, a main thoroughfare (WALLACE and MARCUM ).

Palestine israeli conflict for international relations class Research Paper

Palestine israeli conflict for international relations class - Research Paper Example The common thing in both perspectives of the Israeli and Palestinian conflict is that the main reason is on the issue of land and there are serious consequences that accompany the conflict. There has been loss of land, loss of lives and immigration of the people from their ancestral lands in order to obtain safety in other countries. The research on international relations relate to the Palestinian Israeli conflict. The research paper examines the conflict from a Palestinian perspective. The research will conduct an analysis of the cause of the conflict, which constitute the factors that led to the start of the fight. The history of the conflict helps in understanding the causes, effects, interventions, and future of the conflict. The two parties could just have easily settled their conflicts amicably, but this has not been the case. Both territories have seen the need for continuing to fight a war that started way before they existed. The help from outside parties in trying to arbitrate the conflict have further pushed the countries into further and more serious measures of dealing with the conflict. There are several impacts that have resulted from the conflict. Israel, for example, has become a highly militarized country, with every gender from the teenage years becoming full soldiers. It is a rite of passage for the children to become soldiers when they reach a certain age. For the Palestinians, the oppression they have suffered at the hands of the Israelis has made them have a lot of hate and distrust for the Israelites. The Palestinians also do not have trust in the external parties who have had a history of favoring the Israelites over them when it came to the conflict. The Palestinians further blame outside forces for heavily contributing to the fight. From the Palestinian perspective, the Palestinians are the wronged party, and they would not concede to the Israelites. They want revenge and

Long-Term Investment Decisions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Long-Term Investment Decisions - Research Paper Example Internal factors are the factors that are influenced by the business establishment internally while external factors are factors that affect an investment where the business establishment has no control over. An example of such factors is government involvement. Why Government Regulation is or is not needed Normally, market structures and systems are formed by the various aspects of demand and supply. However, governments intervene in the market systems in various ways. Such ways include taxation, subsidies, allocation of rights, and rules and regulations among others. One reason why the United States of America government intervenes in the market economy is to ensure that there is free and fair competition. This, it does in various ways the notable one being putting various rules and regulation in the market economy. This is especially done to allow new business establishments entry into the market. Major corporations are known to merge or acquire another business establishment in o rder to ensure that they maintain their control over the market. This makes it hard for small business establishments especially new ones to enter the market thus discouraging entrepreneurship which repels investments. Another reason why there is the need for government intervention in the market economy is to ensure that indigenous companies and business establishments are safeguarded. This is especially the case when it comes to the farming industry where the United States of America government offers help to farmers through subsidies and tax exemptions to farmers in order for them to compete with International Corporation, which has an advantage of the farmers in terms of various factors such as availability of cheap labor. There is the need for government’s intervention in the market economy when it comes to goods and services which are sensitive to nature. For example, the government must control the production, sale, and buying of firearms and ammunition since this is a n issue which is sensitive. Another sector that the government intervenes as a necessity due to sensitivity is the provision of public services such as health, water, education, security, and electricity. There is need of government intervention is such instances due to the fact that these are human needs that when left to the private-sector control they might lead to chaos due to various factors. Finally, yet importantly, the government intervenes in a market economy to ensure that it has access to enough revenue to meet the country's needs. This is usually done through taxation where the government influences the market economy in order to generate its revenue. The rationale for the Intervention of Government in the Market Process in the U.S The need for government intervention in economic markets in the United States of America provides the rationale for the government’s involvement in the market process in the country. Firstly, the fact that government intervention in the market process in the United States of America results in social equity is a major motivator for the government to regulate the business processes in America.  Ã‚  

PLANNING IN THE BUSINESS CONTEXT MHR-1-PBC Essay

PLANNING IN THE BUSINESS CONTEXT MHR-1-PBC - Essay Example Your palms are sweaty and your legs are shaking but you try to appear calm and composed. The clock seems to have slowed down, on one hand you want the time to pass slowly, while on the other hand, you want to fast forward everything and just get the interview over and done with. But one must always keep in mind that the interview is the initial place where you can prove to the interviewer that you are the finest person for the job and outshine all your competitors by being confident and giving the right answers. Tips: There are a lot of tips which could help in polishing your interview skills but in my mind the most important one is â€Å"Practice†, for I believe that practicing time and again is the key to success, as it does wonders for your confidence level. One should try to think of possible questions and then practice after developing precise answers for each one. These are the three prime things which can lead you to triumph. You should be passionate and self-assured wh ile giving answers and not be in a rush to complete your response. Where it’s important that you don’t rush with your answers, it’s also extremely important that you don’t go on with unnecessary details. ... (Best-Interview-Strategies, 2003) While preparing for the interview, you should get to know a little bit about the company, for instance the major people and functions including heads of key departments, the product line, services they provide, where their various branches are, chief competitors, and the most recent news on the industry in which the company under question lies. The easiest way is to start with the company’s website, and furthermore the newspapers etc. (Hochkeppel n.d) In relation to dressing for the interview, it is very important that the dress should be appropriate as well as impressive. Not only the dressing, but the overall look should spell class. You should look well groomed. Get a haircut if necessary and go to bed early the night before so that you wake up fresh the next morning. Wake up a little early than usual the next morning and start your day with a fresh shower, wear clean classy clothes, groom yourself and you are all set to go. (Carr n.d) Inte rview Schedule: Interview Schedule Applicant Name: Aaron William Date: 12.2.11 Position Applied for: Assistant Sales Manager for the brand Kellogg`s Frosties Recruiter’s Name: Ben Richard Recruiter’s Phone: ( 004477984570142 ) Start Time End Time Interviewer Location 9:00 AM 10:30 AM James Henry 93- Thorton Heath, Surrey The Interview and Questions: Precisely at 9:00 A.M, Mr. Aaron’s name was called. He walked into the room and was asked to take a seat. The interview started off just fine but after a couple of questions he started fumbling with his hands and kept readjusting his position in the chair. He was very confused but still tried to remain calm. Either he had not prepared for the interview or his

Nickel and Dimed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nickel and Dimed - Essay Example There is a lot of harsh dialogue thrown around about welfare and welfare reform. But according to this author, the fault is not with the poor individuals themselves—it is with the system that is keeping them down and oppressed. In terms of specific challenges faced by those in poverty, poverty is sometimes a situation in which a population’s perceptions about what is healthy become different from the outside society’s, and then the outside society is brought down further in their estimation in whatever form it takes and they become more proud and insulated from it. The most important part to keep in mind is that people have moved from welfare into the workforce over the last few years, but many remain who face significant challenges in the system (perhaps the most challenges). Diet, housing, and healthcare are basic human needs. In terms of diet, poor people face obstacles because of a lack of education about nutrition, combined with an over-abundance of unhealthy and fast food places in poor socio-economic areas. Housing is a problem, with public housing opportunities existing, but within a sea of red tape and paperwork. The same description also works for healthcare; there are problems of opportunity and access. Improving a situation of poverty means working to change the system that keeps people within poverty. These poor people exposed by the author are not monsters; in fact, they have less, so that others can have more. They â€Å"neglect their own children so that the children of others will be cared for; they live in substandard housing so that other homes will be shiny and perfect; they endure privation so that inflation will be low and stock prices high† (Ehrenreich, 2001). Without a change in the overall system of the country, there can be little individual improvement. There are many obstacles against escaping poverty. There is also the issue of the conflation of poverty and lower

A Vanished World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

A Vanished World - Essay Example Visigoths had swept over the old Roman Hispania in the fifth century and similarly Islamic Arabs led by Tarriq stormed over Iberian Peninsula just as Carthaginians conquered centuries earlier. The Christian kingdom of Visigoth’s fall was dramatic, swift and complete that it appeared no reversal could be brought about for several centuries later. Conquest of Spain by Muslims started in July 710 when Tariq ibn Ziyad, the governor of Tangier was deputed by the Governor of the whole Maghrib (presently Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) to invade the Christianized Visigoth kingdom ruled by the Visigoth king Rodrigo (Roderic) whose forces were defeated at the Battle of Barbate (Wadi Lago) on 19 July 1971. Visigoth lost to Tariq forces because of their loosely administered kingdom. King Rodrigo who had clashed with Basques rushed to Cordoba where he kept his army in the waiting to oppose Tariq’s forces. Tariq chose to wait at Algeciras instead and by then strength of his army incre ased to 12,000 men. While the war was on, Witza’s sons Sisbert and Oppa who had been commanding Visigoth’s army abandoned the king owing to some secret arrangement with the enemy and allowed themselves to be routed. King Rodrigo disappeared and only his white horse and a golden saddle were found by the victors. Tariq’s original intention was only to reconnoiter but he could easily take over the kingdom. Surviving Christians attributed the fall of Visigothic kingdom due to the vices of Witiza or Rodrigo. Still others felt that the fall of Spain to Muslim rulers was a divine punishment for the sins committed by Visigoths. The last thirty years of Visigothic Empire had been characterized by warring factions. As there was no hereditary monarchy, the kingdom had been subjected to constant conspiracy and civil war. At the time of Tariq’s invasions, Visigoth king had not cared to settle the consequences of rivalries within the kingdom at the time of Tariqâ€℠¢s invasion. Visigoths had not cared to secure control of ports and adjacent regions. It emerges therefore that minority Muslims could take over majority Visigoths (Christians) dominated Spain by their sheer brilliance and because of the inefficient administration and preoccupation in worldly pleasures by the Christians (O'Callaghan),(Lowney 29-42). Christian Martyrdoms Christian martyrdom began with the beheading of Euologius who was a martyr activist. He denounced Islam and harbored a Muslim apostate in 859. Islamic culture flourished in Cordoba and some Cordoban Christians violently reacted to the situation. Eulogius and his co-activists wanted to awaken the conscience of their fellow Christians who were attracted to Islam. Lowney draws a parallel to the present situation of Muslims embracing martyrdom against Christians. Isaac, a Christian scholar who was mediating between majority Christians and minority Muslims and in a prestigious Government job for tax collections suddenly r esigned for unknown reasons and pursued Christianity more vigorously. In that connection, in 851 he deliberately blasphemed

Hamilton's Role as the Secretary of Treasury Research Paper

Hamilton's Role as the Secretary of Treasury - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that â€Å"The most practical nation builder of the Founding Fathers, Hamilton (1755-1804) fought tirelessly for ratification of the Constitution, played a pivotal role in creating a centralized and powerful nation-state, and argued persuasively for a strong presidency and an independent judiciary. It was Hamilton, at the beginning of the nation's history, who provided a prophetic vision of the United States as a global power stabilized by capitalism and with a military second to none.† While Hamilton contributed to all aspects of government formulation, he is best remembered for his role in designing the young nations economic system. During and after his lifetime Hamilton was overshadowed by his more popular adversary Thomas Jefferson. While Jefferson's dominant image persists today, â€Å"the irony is that Hamilton's concept of the federal government, not Jeffersons, is what has evolved and endures†. This is particularly valid with respect to t he country's economic system and the organization of its constituent agencies such as the U.S. Treasury. Hamilton could rightly be considered a visionary, who saw the importance of economic growth and technological innovation. His state papers on the subject of the economy are considered by modern scholars to be a monumental effort â€Å"toward establishing a rational basis for planning and legislation; his Report on Manufacturers and his advocacy of federal public works are remarkably modern descriptions of the relationship between government and technology†. As the first Secretary of the Treasury and the unofficial aide to George Washington, Hamilton was instrumental in designing the American bureaucracy, which prevails even to this day. In this unofficial capacity as the confidante and aide of the first President, Hamilton also wrote many of the Presidential addresses, most notable of which is the Farewell Address delivered by Washington at the end of his second term.  

Web develop report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Web develop report - Essay Example First, the website lacks the repetition of visual elements, which is important for the interactivity of a website. In terms of contrast, there are very few blocks of text that contract with the website’s background. Several texts are almost illegible and one would struggle to understand the words put across by the website. ‘Barry Tebb’s Mental Health Blog Website’ link and the whole of ‘Feature Articles’ section give such examples. This is shown below. In terms of proximity, related items are near each other as they should be. The issue arising here is that nearly everything is at this same proximity. While ‘Review’ and ‘E Magazine’ are two separate sections, they have been spaced the same distance as the line breaks in the paragraphs! The fourth item I need to criticize is the alignment of elements to create visual unity. Sixties Press has tried to inculcate this within the main part of their website. However, they have not done it so well. While the paragraphs and sections are aligned in vertical columns, the text is centered. While this may make sense in the case of a poem, this is a website and therefore does not apply at all. The navigation menu has ignored alignments totally. The content displayed by Sixties Press seems to go hand in hand with its relevance as a poetry website. The audience, who are mainly the poetry fans, can get informative and relevant information from this website. Therefore with over 8 years of operation, they have developed confidence in the website’s knowledge and competence. The content seem to be short and organized, labeled and broken down into short paragraphs. Sixties Press seems to update its content regularly, something that is likely to endear it to its visitors. Flashy graphics and animation, which may distract someone from getting to the meat of the website has been hugely avoided. While a banner or a catchy video would keep visitors for much longer on the

Adult Learning Theory Essay Example for Free

Adult Learning Theory Essay Holt (2011), it is stated that it is necessary to bring both concepts of the Bible teaching and contemporary adult learning theories together for the most effectiveness. In the Holt article; it is shown that Biblical explanation and interpretation assist the adult learner in gaining knowledge. The choices one makes gives real world perspective and power can only be obtained by the Holy Spirit. The article discusses the styles in which adult learning makes a difference, whether androgogy, transformative learning or self-directed learning (Holt). Adult Learning Theory for the Twenty-First Century† discusses the goals of educators to better prepare themselves to better deal with adult learners. Over the last 15 years, learning theories have changed very aggressively (Merriam, 2008). As adults continue to develop human physiology changes, thus learning teaching styles have to change to keep up. It has been recognized that with time everything that adults experience is part of the learning process. It has been further recognized that educators have to increase their tool set to involve creative and artistic modes of teaching to reach a wider audience. Both articles cover the ever-changing dynamics of the human psyche and educational styles and requirements in dealing with adult learning. Educators have to continue to increase knowledge both for themselves as well as those whom they are educating. Where the styles of the teaching process in the Holt (2011) article differ from the Merriam (2008) article, they both recognize the changes in adult learners. It has been recognized over years and will continue for years to come that educators of adults will have to continue honing their skill sets to accommodate the learning styles of adults. Since adults learn differently from children it is important to include the learning styles necessary to maximize the efforts of educators. As adults learning styles change it will be necessary for those educating adults to change also. Reflection After reading both articles and realizing the application in my own life and learning style, I conclude that adults learn differently. There were moments of complete frustration as I was putting my thoughts together as I can tend to be somewhat of a perfectionist. I had the realization that time management and organizational skills are imperative when completing an assignment of any type. The Holt (2011) article caught my attention initially because of how I tend to study and read the Bible in particular. I am coming to understand more and more how I learn and further realize that the concepts of knowledge, choice and power are applicable in my own life. I am intrigued by the concept mentioned in the Holt article and will consider its application to my current Bible study methods. The Merriam (2008) article is interesting in the fact that I had no idea how challenging it is for educators to keep up with the learning curve that is necessary to continue teaching the increasing number of adult learners. Being out of the college environment for so long, I realize it is not as easy to just get things done with all of the demands of life as I know it. I can see how both articles and their teaching styles have a positive impact on dealing with adult learning. With all of the influences of culture, music, art, etc, it is imperative that educators find a way to keep up with the demands of educating the population of adults returning to increase their knowledge to keep up with fast paced American culture. I now have a new respect for teachers on all levels. It is interesting that adult educator’s find is so necessary to effectively reach adults. It is increasingly more common for adults to return to school for a number of reasons, and are driven to succeed for just as many reasons. Thankfully educators realize the change necessary to comprehend the goals of those adults striving for successes related to educating themselves. References Holt, R. A. (2011). Teaching that transforms: Facilitating life change through adult Bible teaching. Christian Education Journal,  8(2), 450+ Merriam, S. B. (2008). Adult learning theory for the twenty-first century. New Directions For Adult And Continuing Education, Volume 2008, Issue 119, 93-98. DOI: 10. 1002/ace. 309

The East Asia Essay Example for Free

The East Asia Essay The East Asia is basically an Asian sub region. In geographical sense, the East Asia is known to have 12,000,000 km2 under its expanse. This is equivalent to 28% of the Asian continent. This also means that the East Asia outdoes Europe geographically by 15%. Asia also enjoys a large population, given that it hosts a population that is equivalent to that of a quarter of the world’s population. Many communities at the same time continue to be part and parcel of the East Asia. Some of these societies are Mainland China, Japan, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Macau, Taiwan, South Korea and North Korea. The capital cities that are under the jurisdiction of the East Asia are Tokyo, Beijing, Seoul, Taipei, Pyongyang and Ulan Bator. The major cities that fall under the East Asia are Hong Kong, Yokohama, Busan, Kaohsiung, shanghai, Osaka and Guangzhou, among others. At times, the East Asia is also referred to as North East Asia so that it includes the Southeast Asia (Holvin and Mandy, 2001). On the other hand, Europe conventionally stands out as a continent. Europe consists of the Eurasian westernmost Peninsula, being apportioned from the Asian continent to the east by the Ural Mountains’ water divide such as the Ural River and the Caspian Sea. It is also partitioned to the southeast by the Caucasus Mountains. To the north of Europe, there is the Arctic Ocean, to the south, the Mediterranean Sea, to the west, the Atlantic Ocean and to the southeast, the black sea, and other water bodies that connect the Mediterranean to Europe. Being the second smallest continent, the continent covers 10,180,000 km2. This is equivalent to 2% of the earth’s total surface. However, the demographics of Europe makes up for it, given the fact that it is the third most populous continent in the world, following after Asia and Africa. Numerically, Europe’s population translates to approximately 11% of the global population, although the UN estimates that this demographic status of Europe is likely to take a plunge by 4% by the year 2050. The largest cities in Europe are Moscow, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Saint Petersburg, Rome, Berlin, Athens and Kiev, among others (United Nations, 2003). Bautista (2000) points out that presently, the East Asia’s economy has been growing by leaps and bounds, compared to that of Europe that seems to be stagnant. For instance, whereas the economic growth of Europe from 2005 to 2006 is said to have been 2. 1%, that of East Asia is known to have hit the 5% mark, in this same period alone. While this can be thought to be dismal, yet, when this is compared to the fact that in the 90s this figure would be limited to 1. 01%, it can be easily deduced that East Asia seems to be expediting its economic growth with more vigor than her counterpart Europe (Foders, 1998). The above situation has led to speculations and prognosis by economic pundits that it is only a matter of time when East Asia will outshine Europe’s economy. The above debate of East Asia’s economic growth’s proclivity to overtake that of Europe is therefore tackled in this paper by looking not just at the current growth rate of these blocks, but by also analyzing other factors that underpin both domestic and international trade. In the first place, apart from the four Asian Tigers (otherwise known as Asian Tiger Nations), the majority of the Asian nations are not highly industrialized or completely developed. This means that these Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in East Asia have to remain reliant on the external aid. Fingleton (2003) says that ever since the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the end of Cold War, there came about a new wave of political and economic systems that seemed to insinuate that the US emerged as a winner of the then just- ended war. This is to the effect that majority of the countries globally assimilated capitalism as the chief mode of economic production and democracy as the way of politics and government, whereas on the other hand, the cause of communism and socialism seemed to have waned. As if this is not enough, because of the huge financial pool of resources, majority of countries turned to America and her allies for economic help and political advice. However, it is unfortunate that America and Europe are the most developed in the world. Even the communist Russia and Germany fall under the domains of Europe. However, it is true that since the economic powerhouses were mainly US or Western Europe, it became expedient that these nations seek intervention from these quarters of the world. At the same time, it became expedient that these two quarters formalize the course of offering financial assistance to these countries so as to bury any indications of neocolonialism by creating the two Breton woods institutions- the International Monetary Funds (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) (Wendy, 2000). East Asian economic pundits maintain that it is these institutions that have continued to derail the cause of economic growth in the region. For instance, based on the policies of International Trade, the two institutions maintained that it was inevitable that the countries in the East Asia open up their markets to allow the globalisation of trade. The problem with this is that by that time, East Asian nations have not been industrialised, while on the other hand, the US, UK and countries in Western Europe had already undergone industrial revolution (Gill and Kharas, 2006). Shinn (1998) posits that the above condition led to a situation whereby the East Asian countries were flooded by exotic products that were of superior value and minimal prices as these highly industrialised countries were able to produce surplus products. This causes an industrial slump as the locally manufactured products became overwhelmed by the cheap, second hand but superior products, causing spiraling effects and foreclosures of local industries, especially in the fabric, cotton, and foods and beverages industries. At the same time, this only means that these countries were to remain dependent dumping sites for the US and the West. Isaac (2000) says that at the same time, majority of the developing nations in East Asia are still suffering from the resultant industrial foreclosures as unemployment and losses of jobs became the order of the day. With unemployment being a major problem, other factors such as insecurity and lawlessness from the unemployed youth searching for means of livelihood crept in and scared off active investors from these countries. The fact that these governments are deprived their means of local livelihood also cannot be gainsaid (US Congress, 2003). In about the same wavelength, it is still a World Trade Organization post DOHA construction that all participants were to ensure equal competition by making sure that all the interactions on international trade are bereft of the exaction of international trade. However, this did and does not auger well for East Asian countries given the fact that these countries are economic fledglings and as such, were highly dependent on the exaction of trade tariffs as a source of income. The reversal of the exaction of tariffs has only been succeeding in depriving these nations of sources of domestic income. Francks et al (1999), say that the DOHA reconstructions at the same time made stipulations that these governments (including the rest of the LDCs) are not to lend subsidies to the farmers. Joseph and Michael (2007) maintain that the WTO DOHA reconstructions maintained that this was an artifice to ensure that farmers were at par in this international trade competition. Nevertheless, it is sad that this only succeeded in eradicating the domestic farmers out of this trade as the cost of fertilizers, research, hybrid seeds, livestock insemination became too much for them to handle by themselves. To this effect, the main beneficiary remains the farmer in the developed economies or Europe who is already skilled and has larger financial pool to afford farming incentives. These LDCs in East Asia remains shortchanged in international sector (Pain, N. 2004). It is no wonder that on January 11th, 2005, riots erupted in Cancun, Philippines and in other numerous pockets of LDCs as farmers and locals in all LDCs took to the streets in protest of these unrealistic WTO Objectives. According to Matthew (2003), this came in the wake of revelations that the Bush Administration had already raked 25 billion dollars in one decade, whereas the LDCs were making losses out of international trade in the agricultural sector. Western (2000) says that it is also an observation that in the international trade, it is a principle that the respective governments are to allow for a laissez faire condition to exist. This means that the governments are to cede away the power to regulate the prices of commodities. On the contrary, it is those who deal in the production and distribution of such products that are to set the prices thereof. This concept of market fundamentalism is still being misused by these market forces as they up the prices on poor defenseless populations. The stipulations that had been introduced by the IMF and the WB as the panacea to the East Asian LDCs did not ameliorate matters either. In order to assuage the widespread poverty that was threatening to smother these LDCs, it was proposed by the IMF and WB that the LDCs ratify the policies known as Cost Sharing (Columbus, 2000). To this effect, these East Asian LDCs were to attenuate the volume of financial pool being channeled towards the educational sector. The amount of loans and incentives being issued to fund tertiary levels of learning were to be cut down. The above resulted into a situation whereby university education became a preserve of the rich as those who were poor could no longer fund their educational programmes. For the first time, in 1991, students in these countries were being dismissed from the universities on account of not having cleared fee payment. As far as the East Asian LDCs are concerned, the situation still persists, leading to massive brain drain (Martin, 2002). Nevertheless, as far as the Europe and the US are concerned, gains are being realised from the above impasse in the educational sector as mass exodus of East Asian students for oversee education continues to see the best of intellectual potential go to Europe or the US (Neuhaus, 2006). These, after being trained, are offered jobs in these foreign countries and accorded a status of citizenship. There is no regional block or economy that can thrive outside the reality of sound educational logistics or skilled minds. The above situation means that Europe continues to realize positive proceeds out of East Asian LDCs’ woes. As a matter of fact, it is argued by international economic pundits such as Rodrigo (2001) that there is a rather stark incongruence that is defined by losses on one side, and benefits on the other, and that it is out of East Asian LDCs’ economic losses that Europe realizes its profitability. Political economists such as Crafts and Toniolo (1998) posit that it is East Asian LDCs’ woes that make these LDCs to depend on Europe, as Europe finds the chance to exploit these LDCs. Conclusion Political scientists and economists argue that despite the hard work and resilience that the comparatively enormous East Asian population may bring, and the large pool of resources that these countries may own, there is no way the Tiger Nations and the countries in East Asia will grow to overtake Europe. It is postulated by these groups that the only way out of the stalemate is for these East Asian countries to change their trading partners. To this effect, all the LDCs that lie within the East Asia are to trade and borrow ideas from leading countries in Asia such as China. This proposition is feasible since the Banana Republics that have turned to China are getting better ever since the onset the 21st century. The other recourse is for East Asian countries to table their plight in the oncoming post DOHA reconstructions. These countries must remind the WTO council that they are highly dependent on small scale agriculture and that there is no way these small scale farmers can carry out agricultural activities without government support. At the same time, the WTO council must be reminded that there is no way in which small nations in East Asia can realize any profitability if tariffs are not exacted on well off to do countries in Europe. References Bautista, R. , East Asian poverty alleviation and economic growth, Southeast Asian Studies Institute, 2000.Crafts, N. and G. Toniolo, Europe’s economic growth, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1998. Columbus, F. , Economic and political issues on Asia, Colombia, Nova Science, 2000. Francks, P. , et al, The relationship between agriculture and economic development in East Asia, New York, London, 1999. Fingleton, B. , Europe and regional economic growth, Ashgate Publishing, Berlin, 2003. Foders, F. , European capitalism and world economic growth, California University Press, California, 1998. Gill, I. and H. Kharas, East Asian ideas for economic growth, World Bank, 2006. Holvin, R. and R. Mandy, Unequal economic relations and economic stagnation, Blackwell, Birmingham, 2001. Isaac, T. , International trade after Cold War, Prentice Hall, New York, 2000. Joseph, C. and M. Michael, WTO and East Asian Economic Growth, John Wiley and Sons, 2007. Martin, P. , World Trade Reconstructions, WTO, 2002. Matthew, C. , European and East Asian economic growth, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2003. Neuhaus, M. , Economic growth between Europe and East Asia, Springer

Analysis of Brand Management Strategy for Shoe Company

Analysis of Brand Management Strategy for Shoe Company Chapter 1: Introduction 1. Introduction This dissertation is comprised of brand evolution and sum various steps involved to construct it. The creation and importance of Brand Awareness, Brand Image, and Brand Loyalty is discussed followed by the evaluation of Servis Sales Corporation as how successful Brand they are in Shoe industry of Pakistan. Servis Sales Corporation claims to be the largest retail shoe sellers of Pakistan therefore research is held on the company as what are the various marketing strategies SSC adopted to gain such a large market share. Steps to create brand loyalty amongst their target market and implementing effective brand management are part of this research. Branding is the main ingredient in the process of creating stable reputation, identity and strong image of a company and is always a first requirement to have competitive edge, this create awareness and work as a positive gesture towards customers to be product or brand loyal. As the Chairman of Quaker Oats Ltd, John Stuart said, if this business were to be split up, I would be glad to take the brands, trademark and goodwill and you could have it all the bricks and mortar and I would fare better than you . Leslie De Chernatony(2001 p1) In this era of globalization every company wishes to grow and expand their businesses in order to attain a healthy position in throat cutting world of business . In this effort companies faces many challenges and went through many challenges by their rivals and most of all providing customer’s satisfaction. 1.1 Background Study: The term brand arrived form the ancient Norse word meaning â€Å"to burn† Rita Clifton, John Simmons, Sameena Ahmad (2004 ;13). The original term was developed to signify the source or maker or owner of a product or item. Now a days brand is used to identify service or product’s manufacturer or seller, when we go through we see that many of the many modern concepts of brands and branding were formalised in the United States at a Procter Gamble company in the late 1800s. We get a good example of importance of brand when we talk about â€Å"Virgin† which is currently at the face of hundred business strategies. A brand will be a strong brand if people’s values match the values of brand. Branding’s means adding value to the product Marieke K de Mooij (2005: 96) Brand stands for a reputation, you are always reputed when you are always reputed when you make a promise and fulfil it. Brand is more like a human nature not just a visual, public identity or a picture. Every single who is part of the organization represents the brand of the company and pay its part to construct it. The brand is a performance measured and recorded in interaction of every area involves customers investors, employees business partners and media (www.thebrandconsultancy.com) Its quite clear that every company is conscious about its brand loyalty amongst its customers because they know this if they are successful in managing the brand loyalty of their existing customers which is company’s strategic asset it will automatically add huge value to firm. As Douglas B states that Brand Loyalty is the customer’s willingness to stay with brand when competitor come knocking with offering that would be considered equally attractive had not to the customer and brand shared a history. The degree of customer stickiness is the key to the brand’s market power. Douglas B. Holt (2004 ; p 149) Merlo (2003) mentions that the brand loyalty is rewarded by an increase in profit through repeat business, referral sales, decreased customer maintenance costs and reduced exposure to price competition. When we talk about creating and enhancing brand loyalty we see that there are not-too complex ways of increasing brand loyalty. Companies can learn to recover from mistakes. A good recovery can turn angry, frustrated customers into a loyal ones. â€Å"Companies must handle problems and complaints with Care- Communicate, Acknowledgement, respect and regard and empathy†(Merlo, 2003) 1.2 Statement of Problem: Global challenges today have forced companies not to have their business image within their home land but to spread their identity across the borders by managing brand, securing the product or a service of companies and building loyalty among customers to achieve maximum and lasting competitive edge. The aim of the research is to evaluate the brand management of Servis Sales Corporation by analyzing their marketing strategies. Research covers the analysis that how successful SSC today is in gaining brand loyalty as it is considered to be the biggest footwear seller in Pakistan. 1.3 Aim and Objectives: The main Objective of the research is the finding that to what level SSC is successful in imperialising Brand Management to embrace positive effect on their customer’s perception and has given SSC a competitive edge, as they are Pakistan’s largest shoe company. Core Objectives of Research: To analyze marketing strategies of Servis Shoes Company leading to effective brand management giving SSC a positive brand image amongst their target market. To observe various strategies adapted by SSC to enhance brand loyalty amongst their customers? To find out what steps Servis Shoes Company took to create its Brand awareness amongst it’s target market and what are the areas they still need to focus upon. To identify the involvement of consumers to the brand as in why they prefer a particular brand (Servis) on every other different brands available in the market. 1.4 Report Structure: This report will be organized as follows: Literature Review: The literature review of this report covers understanding and benefit of effective brand management that how people connect to them. Chapter includes importance of creating and enhancing awareness among consumers followed by the concepts and historical perspective of brand loyalty giving a wider view of the perception about brand loyalty and its strategic values. Company Introduction: This chapter consist of the brief introduction to Servis Sales Corporation, giving a wider view of their leading position in shoe line in Pakistan amongst their rivals. This chapter shows company background and demographics with the facts and figures about their expanded business nationwide. Research Methodology: In this chapter different method of research is discussed. It also focuses on research philosophy principle, quantitative and qualitative analysis and secondary and primary data. After studying the methods and techniques different methods are identified which is most suitable to get the reliable and most accurate data? Which is used in research? Finding and Analysis After completing the research, the data gathered through different sources from the company are analysed in this chapter, which is explained with chart and then it is moderated with the findings. Conclusion: This chapter involves conclusion and the result in the light of findings with literature. Analysis of research finding and result are discussed, Recommendation to company and further research is also the part of this chapter. Literature Review Scott Galloway stated a very good definition showing importance of brands in today’s world of marketing that â€Å"Brand is the face of a business strategy† ( Scott Galloway in Alker, 2000 :33) another well appreciated definition of brand given by American Marketing Association cited in (Kotler 2003: 418) â€Å" A brand is name, term, sign, symbol, or services of one seller or a group of seller to differentiate them from those of competitors†. A brand is essentially a marketer’s promise to deliver a specific set of features, benefits and services consistently to buyers. The marketer must think that he is offering a contract to the customer about how the brand will perform ( kotler 2003) Le Pla et ala, (2003: 3) give a more profound and in depth definition of brand: Brand is the interaction between core company ( product or service ) strengths and what is customer value . Company strengths are what company does well. The things that the customers value include the benefits of a products features, as well as what the customer see as the ongoing worth of a relationship with the company. According to Kapferer (1997 : 56), â€Å"Products are mute: the brand is what gives them a meaning and purpose, telling us how a product should be read. A brand is both a prism and a magnifying glass through which products can be decoded†. Renault invites us to perceive its models as cars for living’.. brands guide our perception of products†. Hence it can clearly be seen from the above paragraph that branding goes a long way in giving a distinct identity to a product. Rowley (1997) explains that brand communicates with consumers, according too him when consumers are familiar with a brand, they expect the same qualities, benefits and advantages from products or services which are provided under that specific brand, this easily makes their decision in favour of the brand instead of searching or gathering information regarding products fulfilling their requirements. Therefore, it can be suggested that brand accelerates consumers’ process of decision making as it provides two different ways of communication between suppliers and their consumers (Rowley, 1997) Effective Brand Management The concept of â€Å"brand management† was developed at Procter Gamble in the US in the year 1930 and is also knows as product management .Ambler (2003:82). The main reason behind Brand management is to secure the product’s future and services any company or organization, and this is only possible with the formulation loyalty amongst customers creating emotional as well as rational values. This results sales in market place and stimulating affect on the perception of a company’s products .If brand power is tied together in a proper way organization can easily maximize market share and corporate profitability. Brands if handled and managed sensibly can provide their owners a considerable benefits and rewards. Davis (2002 :6) says that the following benefits accure to the company that manages is brands effectively: Loyalty derives repeat business- A recent study by Bob Pasikoff, president of brand keys, shows that an increase in customer loyalty of only 5% can lift lifetime profit per customer by as much as 100%. Premiums price of brand allow higher margins – Starbucks represents the ultimate example of a strong brand driving a premium price resulting in greater profit. Strong Brands lend immediate credibility to new one in product introductions. A well established brands can provide instant credibility for a new product. Gillette’s Marc 3 became number one personal shaver within a month of its launch. Strong brand allow for greater shareholder and stakeholder returns. One can see a good example is Yahoo and GE are big brands with even bigger shareholder returns. Strong Brand embody a clear, valued, and sustainable point of differentiation relative to competition – No one can FedEx’s claim of overnight delivery. Loyal customer base and strong brand make customer forgiving for the the mistakes made by the company, if a company makes a mistake for instance, the strike at the Saturn car plant had little impact on Saturn’s loyalty or sales. The lever for attracting best employees along with keeping satisfied customers is Brand Strength – Companies like coca-cola, Microsoft, Intel, Disney etc. are almost always in the top bracket of survey which measures employee satisfaction. It is obvious that it’s a difficult thing to build and maintain a brand reputation like Coke, Microsoft, Nike, General Electric, etc and as David D’ Alessandro, President of John Hancock Mutual Life insurance, in Klein (2000: 145), â€Å"it can take 100 years too build up a good brand and 30 days to knock it down†. Effect of Brand on People ( How People connect to them) Scott Davis( 2002) says that, Brands are at least in part a set of promises made to consumer. The leading brand travel a particular PATH in the human mind. This PATH is an acronym for promise, acceptance, trust and hope. Certainly this PATH is intangible and cannot be co modified†. But he then mentions that these very intangibles make a customer choose Sony over JVC and Nike over Reebok. The following are the customers perceptions vis-à  -vis a strong brand (Davis, 2002) 72% of customer sat that they will pay a 20% premium for their brand of choice, relative to the closest competitive brand. 25% of customer state that price matter if they are buying a brand that owns their loyalty. Over 50% of purchases are brand driven. Peer recommendation influences almost 30% of all purchases made today. More than 50% of consumers believe a strong brand allows for more successful new product introductions and they are more willing to try a new product from a preferred brand because of the implied endorsement. The view of Le Pla et al, (2002 ; 3) is that a strong brand is much more than an image or a logo. People emotionally identify with a strong brand and relationship with such a brand makes them feel more secure and comfortable. This is completely in sync with Kotler’s ( 2003) example of a consumer buying a Mercedes because the car ( which is also a strong brand) makes him feel more important and admired’. Aaker (1991) suggests that anything which a consumer realises about a brand can be defined as brand association it according to him it create positive consumer attitudes towards brands, thus influence consumer buying decision process. Kapferer (1997) says that brand is like a living memory. The memory factor explains why individuals preferences endure and why within a given generation people continue to prefer the brands they liked between the ages of seven and eighteen ( Guest 1964, Fry et al., 1973, Jacoby et al., 1978 in Kapferer 1997). This is proof, if it was ever needed, that strong brands do have a long-term effect on people. It is imperative now to take a more focussed look on the three constructs that constitute the basis of this study. The first to be analysed will be brand awareness followed by brand loyalty and brand image. Brand Awareness a number of the definition if the term â€Å" Brand Awareness† abound, a fundamental definition of the term is given by Aaker(1991: 61) â€Å" Brand Awareness is the ability of a potential buyer to recognize or recall that a brand is a member of certain product category†. David Aaker’s (1991) ground braking work â€Å"managing brand equity† details with the concept of brand awareness comprehensively. Hence, it has been use here as a main reference, although it has been complimented with other readings. Aaker says that brand awareness involves a link between the product class and the brand. For example, the use of the large balloon with the word Levi’s on it may make the name more salient, but it will not may necessarily help improve brand awareness. However if the balloon is shaped to resemble a pair of Levi’s 301 jeans , the link to the product is provided, the balloon’s effectiveness at creating awareness is enhanced. Aaker (1991). By using the brand, perceiving it and being confronted with it through advertising, consumers learn about its meanings. All this information is connected associatively to the brand name. the richer this associative network is, and the stronger the associations the greater the chance of consumers thinking. Levels of Brand Awareness â€Å"Brand Awareness involves the continuum ranging from an uncertain feeling that the brand is recognised, to a belief that it is the only one in the product class. This continuum is presented in the ‘ Awareness Pyramids’’’ ( Aaker 19991 : 62) Levels of Brand Awareness ( Aaker, 1991) Aaker stated that â€Å"the minimal level of brand is recognition which is based upon aided recall test where respondents are given a set of brand in a product category and asked to identify those that they had heard of before. Thus, although there needs to be link between the brand and the product class, it needs not to be strong. Brand Recognition is particularly important when a buyer chooses a brand at the point of purchases† (Aaker 1991 ;62). Franzen et al, ( 2001) stated that the situations in which none of the choice alternatives is well represented in or memory, brand familiarity ( recognition) will be the determinant in the choice process. The purchases in which consumers regularly choose and re-choose because of the awareness stored in his memory, aided brand awareness i.e. brand recognition has hardly any significance. If we see further we see that brand recall is the further level dependent on asking a person to name brand in a product class. This is â€Å"Unaided recall† because , unlike in the recognition task, the responded is not aided by having names provide. Unaided recall is a substantially more difficult task then recognition, and is associated with a stronger brand position. The first named brand in an unaided recall task has achieved top-of-mind awareness. (Aaker 1991) Strategic Value of Brand Awareness Brand Awareness provides a sustainable competitive advantage and can be a key strategic asset for the company ( Aaker 1998) The following are the banifits of creating a higher brand awareness ( Aaker 1991: 63) ( Figure 3); Anchor to which other association can be attached : Brand Recognition is the first basic step in the communication task. It usually is wasteful to attempt to communicate brand attributes until a name is established with which to associate the attributes. Familiarity/Liking: Awareness provides the brand with fimilarity and people like the familiar. They are prepared to ascribe all sorts of good attitudes to items that are familiar to them ( Aaker et al., 2000). Especially for low involvement products like soap, chewing gum, sugar , facial tissues etc., familiarity can some times drive the buying decision. Substance/ Commitment: Name awareness can be a signal of presence, commitment and substance, an attribute very important to consumer buyers of durables. The logic is that if a name is recognised, there must be a reason like: The firm is widely distributed. The firm has advertised extensively. The brand is successful-others use it. Even if the person has not been exposed to advertising and knows little about, brand awareness could lead to the assumptions that the firm is substantial and backs the brand with advertising. Brands to consider: The role of brand recall (discussed earlier) is crucial for frequently purchased products like coffee, detergent, serials et. Several studies have demonstrated the relationship between top of mind recall and attitude/purchase behaviour. One such study, of six brands in the three product classes (Fast food, Soda and banking), showed large differences in preferences and purchase likely hood, depending on weather the brand was first, second or third mentioned in an unaided recall task (Woodside and Wilson, 1985 in Aaker, 1991). Sometimes it is possible that people recall brands that they dislike strongly. Benefits of Brand Awareness (Aaker 1991) A number of researchers besides Aaker have also demonstrated that brand awareness is a particularly important concept relative to brand evaluation in predicting and explaining consumer choice behaviour. For instance, Arch G (1996 :38) refered to Axelrod (1968 , 1986) demonstrated that top-of-mind awareness (TOMA) of a brand is a sensitive and stable measure than can serve as an intermediate criterion for predicting brand-choice behaviour and brand-switching behaviour. Axelrod (1968) in Aech G(1996 ; 38) emphasized the needs for developing valid and reliable intermediate survey indicators of whether marketing and advertising influence product and brand choice behaviour because of the greater expense and time necessary for experiments to measure the impact of marketing and advertising actions on such behaviour. Haley et al, (1979 in Holden et al., 1992) postulated that brand awareness is more important than attitude. This nation was supported by Hauser (1978 in Holden et al ., 1992) who, using an information theoretic approach, reported that the probability of inclusion of the brand in the evoke ( recalled ) set accounts for more variation in brand choice thus brand attitude (Holden et al., 1992) Similar to Aaker ( 1991), Holden et al, (1992) also say that in the case of low involvement purchase, Brand recall may be reason enough to buy the brand ( that has been recalled Also a high degree of brand awareness is linked to higher sales due to the factor of â€Å" Social desirability† . Most people tend to behave according to the expectations of their social environment, even when it goes against their own opinion. If they are aware of the brand, they will have a tendency to buy it because it is the socially desirably thing to do ( Franzen et al., 2001). Copeland (1923: 287) talked about the benefits of brand awareness as follows â€Å" if the consumer’s previous acquaintance with the brand has been favourable, or if the manufacturer’s and dealer’s advertising has made favourable impression, other things being equal, the recognised brand will be selected from among other unrecognised brands†. Creating and Enhancing Brand Awareness Because consumers are bombarded everyday by more and more marketing messages, the challenge of creating awareness is considerable ( Aaker, 1996). The best approach for every brand to create and maintain brand awareness depends upon the context but the following do server as good points ( Aaker, 1991: 72) ; Be Different, Memorable: An Awareness message should provide a reason to be noticed and it should be memorable. There are many tacks that work but one key is to simply be different and unusual. Involve a slogan or jingle: A Slogan or a Jingle can make a big difference. Slogans like â€Å" it floats† or â€Å"Just do it† can help recall. For a product class like soap, it might be easier to come up with â€Å" it floats† and then Ivory, rather than to name Ivory directly. The link to the slogan might be stronger because it involves a product characterstic that can be visualised. Similarly, a jingle also is vey powerful awareness device. Symbol exposure: A symbol can play a major role in creating and maintaining awareness because it involves a visual image which is much easier to learn and to recall than a word or a phrase. Event Sponsorship: The primary role of most event sponsorship is to crate or maintain awareness. For example, the Benson and Hedges Cricket world cup, the Mercedes super 9- tennis tournament etc. It must be noted that the strongest brand are managed not for strategic awareness. It is one thing to be remembered ; it is quite another to be remembered for the right reason ( Aaker, 1996). Brand Loyalty Every company’s endeavour is to increase its brand loyalty in order to retain as many consumers as possible and it can be well assumed when we see that in 2000, the NDP Group, an international market research company in New York, conducted a survey that half of 20,000 respondents who described themselves as loyal to a company one year were no longer loyal the next. According to Frederic Rechheld, founder of Boston-based consulting firm Bain and Company, the average American company loses half of its customers every five years The next economy  By Elliott Ettenberg, NetLibrary, Inc (2001 ;34) The Brand Loyalty concept from Historical Perspective Contrary to what some people believe brand loyalty has existed for a long time in the realm of marketing. Copeland (1923) first introduced this concept around 80 years ago. He talks about three ascending stages of brand loyalty-consumer reorganisation ( when the product is recognised and bought from among a host of unrecognised products), consumer preference ( when pervious use or advertising has created a favourable preference in the consumer’s mind) and consumer insistence. The third stage is the pinnacle of brand loyalty where the consumer approaches the purchase of an article with the attitude that he will accept no substitute ( Copeland, 1923). Different Perceptions of Brand Loyalty â€Å" Brand Loyalty is the biased behavioural response expressed over time by some decision making unit with respect to one or more alternative brands out of a set of such brands†. More recently, the concept of loyalty have evolved further, encompassing a rich diversity of dimensions underlying the relationship that a customer may entertain with a brand. Martin et al.,(2004:217) referred Oliver’s statement in his book â€Å"Loyalty involves a favourable attitude towards the brand or organisation and positive re-purchase intentions. This can be further understood by investigating the element of loyalty. Cognitive Loyalty, in which the brand is cognitively compared with alternatives ( generally on functional grounds); Affective loyalty, in which the customer likes the brand or organisation as a result of previous satisfying experiences; Conative Loyalty, which reflects an intention to re-purchase; action loyalty, which relates to a deeply held commitment to rebuy or repatronise a preferred product/services consistently in future†¦ despite situational influences and marketing effort having the potential to cause switching behaviour’ ( Oliver 1999 cited in Martin et al.,(2004:217) In (2001) Chaudhuri and Holbroo stated couple of characteristic of brand loyalty â€Å"purchase loyalty and attitudinal loyalty mentioned by mentioned by Marion Maguire(2007), â€Å"Behavioural, or purchase loyalty consist of repeated purchase of the brand, whereas attitudinal brand loyalty includes a degree to the authors, purchase loyalty leads to greater market share because of higher levels of repeat purchase among their users†. It is found in the research that consumer’s perception about price of brands is not linked to brand loyalty. Another suggestion given by Dick and Basu (1994) says that â€Å"loyalty related marketing advantages, such as favourable word of mouth, which, in turn might increase market share†. But the findings of Dall’Olmo Riley et al. (1997) discerned that the attitudinal loyalty of many individual consumers appears to be fickle, According to them, various studies (by Achenbaum, 1982 repeat responses ranging about 50% in individual attitudinal answers (e.g. Taste Nice†) at two subsequent times, independent of the attitude scales used and from the length of the interval between interviews. Overall their interpretation was that specific attitudinal beliefs do not seem to be very strongly held but vary stochastically ( in random manner) (Dall’Olmo Riley et al., 1997) Rothschild (1987) at the university of Wisconsin, evaluated brand loyalty as encompassing only the behavioural aspect. He suggests that a psychological process that may explain brand loyalty is the one of behaviourism. The central concept of behavioural learning theory is that behaviour that is positively reinforced is likely to reoccur while that which is not reinforced, or punished, will be extinguished. Consumers become loyal to brands that are reinforcing to them: good decision are reinforces while poor decisions are not ( Rothschild, 1987). Dekimpe et al, (1997) also share Rothschild’s (1987) view and say that the approach is justified as behaviour is observable and hence easier to measure. Richard Elliott and Larry Precy quoted Franzen (1999) saying that loyalty brand users have a high degree of bonding with the brand and do not show much of an urge to switch. Its basically the bonding here meant was part of brand equity but it necessarily doesn’t need to be a function of brand equity. also if its contribution is there. Loyalty of a brand may be not habitual or it can be the high cost of switching to another brand. But when there is a genuine preferences involved it really contribute to brad equity. Quester et al, (2003) say that the behavioural approach to Brand Loyalty (taken by Rothschild, 1987 ; Dekimpe et al., 1997) many present an over simplistic view of the construct. Behavioural definitions are insufficient to explain how and why brand loyalty is developed and modified in consumers ( Dick and Basu, 1994 in Quester et al., 2003). Repeatedly buying a brand (behavioural approach) may reflect only the convenience inherent in the repetitive and habitual behaviour rather than any real commitment to the brand purchased (Quester et al., 2003). Habituals’ as termed by (Knox 1997) in Quester and Lim., 2003) display only behavipural loyalty and are very likely to switch brands if there routine purchases cycle is disturbed. â€Å"For ‘habituals’ and /or spurious loyals’. The brand is not closely tied to the consumers belief system, so they can be easily attracted by a competing brand that offers a better deal, a coupon etc. Behavioural definitions, therefore, essentially fail to distinguish between habitual or spurious loyalty and true ( or international) loyalty and it may be misleading to infer brand loyalty from merely overt purchase behaviour† (Quester et al.,2003 : 27). Fournier et al, (1997) have analysed the concept of brand loyalty in new light and have come up with some very interesting insight regarding the same. According to them, (1997) a major assumption while reaching the concept of Brand Loyalty is that loyalty process is a Black and white quality. This tendency towards dichotomy not only precludes attention to loyalty levels and type, but also blinds the researcher to the value that may exist in relationship classified as Disloyal ( Fournier et al. 1997) The research of eight brand loyal coffee drinkers by Fournier et al, (1997) revealed three intriguing loyal consumer-brand relationships namely martial commitment, falling in love consumers brand relationships namely martial commitment, falling in love and best friendship. Each of the above relationships share a strong and meaningful life theme connection that adds significant value in the consumer’s mind. On the other side, Fournier et al ., (1997) also found some rather piquant Non-Loyal Relationships. One of the interviewees shared meaningful relationships with not one, rather three coffee brands. Financial limitations prevented him from bonding exclusively to one brand. â€Å"By connecting at the level of kinship, a portfolio of brand candidates that at first glance appears as a set of interchangeable substitutes is revealed as a family of meaningful partners in the consumer-brand environment† (Fournier et al., 1997 :463). Fournier at al, (1997) say that the existing brand loyalty measurement process emphasizes share-of-use over the strength and character of brand relationship form. This approach is flawed in their opinion because â€Å"As with people expressions of loyalty need not be associated with exclusivity, but with emotional tenor and sincerity of intentions over time. Also, like normal human relationship, brand loyalty may sour overtime and subsequently change. In accepting the power of both Brand and Consumer to affect the relationship, loyalty is better appreciated as a dynamic phenomenon† (Fournier et al., 1997 :467). A consumer-based conception of loyalty that recognizes multi-brand relationlity and the delicacy of even a strongest of consumer-brand bonds seems more aligned with the realities of today’s variety-filled marketplace. (Firat and Venkatesh, 1995 in Fournier et al., 1997) The biggest criticism of the work of Fournier et al, (1997) is actually acknowledged by their own selves when

Comparing Language and Identity in Pygmalion and Educating Rita :: comparison compare contrast essays

Pygmalion and Educating Rita:   Language and Identity  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This essay is based on the reading of two literary plays, George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion and Willy Russell’s Educating Rita. Language and identity are two expressions that need to be explained. English is the official language in several countries; Chinese is the language spoken by Chinese people and Danish is how Danes speak. But languages could also be described as different ways of talking due to social background, education, profession, age and sex. A person’s language is connected to his social situation. Eliza, the cockney flower girl from the gutter does not speak the same language as professor Higgins, even if English is their common mother tongue. They speak differently because they belong to different social worlds. Identity can signify the very special characteristic of a person, something that makes him differ from others. EDUCATION AND IDENTITY CHANGES Eliza and Rita, the principal characters of the two plays are both objects of identity change in the course of the stories. Are these changes identical or can we find differences? The two young women originally come from intellectually poor circles. Eliza is a young flower girl who speaks a gutter language. She talks in the following way: "Aint no call to meddle with me, he aint." (1) Her manners are crude, and her cockney accent leaves her feeling as if she is a second-class citizen. She is treated that way. Still, she seems to be proud of herself, "I’m a good girl, I am." (2) Rita is a twenty-six-year-old, brash, earthy hairdresser, married to a Liverpudlian beerdrinker who demands her to have children and to be a good wife. She feels unsatisfied with her marriage. At the hairdressing salon where she works, she gets tired of the daily listening to women who talk a lot without saying any important. "They never tell y’things that matter." (3) The story of the two plays tells how the education of the women changes their lives. There are remarkable progresses in their studies and the result is an obvious change of their lives. INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CHANGES I would guess that many readers and spectators of the two plays regard them as about the same story. As a matter of fact, they are not. There is at least one important difference. The changes are not the same. One of them is external while the other is internal.

Eight Artists Address Brown v. Board of Education Essay -- Art Exhibit

Eight Artists Address Brown v. Board of Education It was a cloudy Saturday afternoon, when I, accompanied by a friend, went to Krannert Art Museum for the first time to see the social studies exhibition in relation to Brown v. Board of Education. Fifty years ago, the Supreme Court unanimously outlawed racial segregation in public school system. Although the decision is widely considered a major step towards a more equitable and integrated educational system, it did not fix all the racial problems in school system. Today, at the fiftieth anniversary of the High Court ruling, eight Americans artists share their works with the public at the Art Museum, both to commemorate Brown v. Board of Education and to ask the American public to reflect on the current existing racial problems in education. We walked in through the main entrance and were immediately greeted by the museum keeper, an old man with long gray hair, who wanted to make sure that every visitor put his/her bags in the deposit lockers, a ritual that most other museums practice. Krannert was small ? it was as big as a typical Outback Steak House. Yet for all its size, it had a wide array of collections ranging from ancient Chinese pottery in the Shang dynasty to oil paintings in Renaissance to contemporary art photographs. One has to give credits to the curator, who manages to put together neatly in this small building items so different in their geographical and chronological backgrounds. We were enticed by the paintings, sculptures, and some artistic works from oriental cultures. Staring at the ancient Chinese artifacts, we could not help wondering what they had gone through before ending up in an American university art museum... ...the museum keeper interrupted. With ripples of thoughts still lingering in our minds, we left the museum. My friend and I were impressed. For my part, I seldom went to see an art exhibition and had little experience of visual art appreciation. Still, the works of the artists were enough to temporarily desensitize my idea of time, clear my other thoughts and plans, and allow me to commit myself fully to finding as much as possible the meaning so often promised in the seemingly simple yet beautiful pieces of modern art. Art exhibitions may not have the same potent power of a talk or a march in informing people of the latest social problems or pushing for a social movement. After all, artistic works time and again demand personal reflections rather than call for immediate actions. In view of its reflection-provoking nature, this exhibition, to me, was successful.

Heroism in Stephen Cranes The Red Badge of Courage Essays -- Red Badg

Heroism in Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The world of Stephen Crane's fiction is a cruel, lonely place. Man's environment shows no sympathy or concern for man; in the midst of a battle in The Red Badge of Courage "Nature had gone tranquilly on with her golden process in the midst of so much devilment" (89). Crane frequently anthropomorphizes the natural world and turns it into an agent actively working against the survival of man. From the beginning of "The Open Boat" the waves are seen as "wrongfully and barbarously abrupt and tall" (225) as if the waves themselves had murderous intent. During battle in The Red Badge of Courage the trees of the forest stretched out before Henry and "forbade him to pass. After its previous hostility this new resistance of the forest filled him with a fine bitterness" (104). More omnipresent than the mortal sense of opposition to nature, however, is the mortal sense of opposition to other men. Crane portrays the Darwinian struggle of men as forcing one man again st another, not only for the preservation of one's life, but also the preservation of one's sense of self-worth. Henry finds hope for escape from this condition in the traditional notion that "man becomes another thing in a battle"†¹more selfless and connected to his comrades (73). But the few moments in Crane's stories where individuals rise above self-preservation are not the typically heroicized moments of battle. Crane revises the sense of the heroic by allowing selfishness to persist through battle. Only when his characters are faced with the absolute helplessness of another human do they rise above themselves. In these grim situations the characters are reminded of their more fundamental opp... ...erryman, John, Stephen Crane:   A Critical Biography.   1950.   Rpt. In Discovering Authors.   Vers. 1.0. CD-ROM.   Detriot:   Gale, 1992. Bloom, Harold, ed.   Modern Critical Interpretations:   Stephan Crane's The Red Badge of Courage.   New Yourk:   Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Cody, Edwin H. Stephen Crane.   Revised Edition.   Boston:   Twayne Publishers, 1980. Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage.   Logan, IA:   Perfection Learning Corporation, 1979. Gibson, Donald B. The Red Badge of Courage:   Redefining the Hero.   Boston:   Twayne Publishers, 1988. Magill, Frank N., Magill's Survey:   American Literature Realism to 1945.   California:   Salem Press, Inc., 1963. Wolford, Chester L.   "Stephen Crane."   Critical Survey of Long Fiction.   Ed. Frank N. Magill.   English Language Series.   Vol. 2. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Salem Press, 1991      

Company Transaction Processing System

Chapter 1 THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTINGS INTRODUCTION As today’s inventions became more advance, the influence of such inventions to the people brought two classes. These are the good and bad influence. The bad influence is that young generation now became addicted in online games and was became lazy in doing home works and the like. While the good influence is that offices in many departments that use computerized system their works become easier and faster since it eliminates the paper works and the workload of the employees too.Now, a most efficient, flexible and reliable system has become a must for any institution and organization. In order to achieve the improvement of the system that the department uses, the need to understand the system within the office is very important. From this period; we are living in the era where technology is more important in the progression of human life. The convenience of technology that everyone can achieve is very useful in everyday life. And even today, the very fast evolution of technology is continuing day by day.The effectiveness of technology plays an important role in many industries world wide. In business, schools or even individual can enjoy the convenience came from technology. All the things that seems to be impossible in the past now it is very easy to achieve because of the presence of technology Try to imagine a college department with a most number of employees but still use a manual transaction system? One of the problems of many schools nowadays is the manual process of transaction system.With the use of the technology, each step by step process of a manual transaction system will reduce and also lessen the time to be consumed. That’s why the proponents proposed an automated transaction system to improve the transactions that may acquire by the use of technology. The automated transaction system makes the assessment and payment faster; it also covers accurate input of employee information incl uding the evaluation of grades, subjects and scheduling. The system also covers the generating of employee identification together with the employee number in the form of barcode font style.This ID can be used in transaction by scanning his/her ID number to be automatically assessed. This barcode technology is very faster and suitable for this transaction. Short Message Service (SMS) is also a very good product of the innovation of technology. Nowadays it is very useful to the public because of its ability in long distance communication. Less effort than from past when we are using letter just to communicate with some relative miles and miles away from us. The proponents decided to use sms technology to have a better enhancement for the proposed system.The functionality of this technology is to provide a notification for the employees according to the updates of the school and also checking the grades of the employee. It would be possible with the use of the Short Message Service Te chnology that would be sending to the employees registered on the system. The proponents of this study are eager to improve the manual system of transaction and make the process faster and accurate. The proposed system is intended for Colegio De Sebastian to upgrade their existing transaction process. The proposed system aims to improve the process of maintaining and storing data to maintain its security.The system will also help the administrator speed up the processing of accurate information to minimized time wasted in the present system by proposing a â€Å"Company Transactions Processing System† This chapter covers the background of the study, statement of the problem, conceptual framework, objectives of the study and scope and delimitation. 1. 1 Background of the Study In January 20, 2011, Colegio de Sebastian was founded by a couple who are known philanthropists and educators. Its primary purpose is to offer accessible quality education in the tertiary level, the coupl e’s dream for the young people of Pampanga.It was organized as a non-sectarian, non-stock, non-profit corporation oriented towards service to the community. The initial programs in the school of Business and Accountancy are Bachelor of Science in Accountancy, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with majors in Financial Management and Human Resource Development Management. The initial program in the School of Arts and Sciences is Bachelor of Science in Psychology and in the school of Hospitality Management, Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management. The proponents proposed a system entitled â€Å"Company Transactions Processing System†.This system makes the transaction to be faster and more accurate than the manual process. It also lessens the manpower during the operation of the transaction. This study is intended to help our locale in their transaction system by providing an automated transaction that satisfies the needs of the locale. 1. 2 Sta tement of the Problem The proponents conducted an investigation to have a better solution in the problems being encountered during transaction. With the help of the information gathered through actual experience and observation, the proponents have known of various problems and lead to this study.This study is conducted to develop a better solution and provide a system that can help the locale from the problem that may encounter during transaction. 1. 3. 1 General Problem Colegio De Sebastian is using Manual transaction system that lead to inaccurate information, not reliable, less security and slow process of transaction 1. 3. 2 Specific Problems Specifically, the study sought answers to the following problems. 1. The information of the outsourced parties is not well organized. 2. The paper based transaction system is time consuming. 3. Calculations on transaction with the complexity is not accurate 4.Retrieval of needed information is not punctual. 5. It requires too many employee s to assess and manage different transaction from different departments. 1. 3 Objectives of the Study This study will not be possible without the presence of goals or objectives. These objectives will serve as guides in determining the proposed of the proponents has been achieve. 1. 3. 1 General Objective The study aims to develop a â€Å"Company Transactions Processing System† that will replace the existing system providing more advantages, security, faster and reliable transaction. 1. 3. 2 Specific ObjectivesThe specific objectives of the proposed system entitled â€Å"Company Transactions Processing System† are: 1. To provide an efficient system that can maintain and manage the information of outsourced parties. 2. To provide a system that can lessen the time consumed in different transactions. 3. To provide an accurate system that accurately computes transactions with vital calculations. 4. To provide a system that can sends the information needed faster and more o rganized. 5. To reduce the employee in maintaining the records of transactions and the said third parties involved. 1. Assumptions The assumption of the study will determine that you expect to happen in your study. It is a partial conclusion that the proponents stated throughout the development of the study. The proponents’ assumptions are as follows: The following are the assumption of the proponents 1. The system will maintain and manage the information from the employees 2. The system will lessen the time of being consume in transaction 3. The system will accurately compute complex transactions.. 4. The system will send information needed by other departments in their transactions. 5.The system will reduce the employee in maintaining and operating the transaction process. 1. 5 Conceptual Framework of the Study The proponents were able to get and give process and flow of the proposed study and how it reacts with the user. It shows the input variables the processed involved in generating the expected output of the system. The paradigm of the existing system and the proposed system is presented below. Figure 1. 1 shows the paradigm of the manual transaction method of the school. The Output is the Existing Transaction System which Colegio De Sebastian is currently using. Output Manual Transactions System ProcessManual: Gathering of data Record keeping Computation of payments Input Outsourced parties information Employee information Transactions information Evaluation Output Manual Transactions System Process Manual: Gathering of data Record keeping Computation of payments Input Outsourced parties information Employee information Transactions information Evaluation Figure 1. 1 Paradigm of the Existing System Figure 1. 2 composed of three boxes for the input, process and the output. All the information is saved on the database to keep and manipulates properly the information. Output refers to the Company Transactions Processing System OutputCompany Transac tions System for Colegio de Sebastian Output Company Transactions System for Colegio de Sebastian Process Data interpretation Integration of data into the system Computerized assessment of information Computerized computation of payments Generate reports Process Data interpretation Integration of data into the system Computerized assessment of information Computerized computation of payments Generate reports Input Outsourced parties Information Registration Forms Employee’s transactions information Company other transactions information Input Outsourced parties Information Registration Forms Employee’s transactions informationCompany other transactions information Evaluation Evaluation Figure 1. 2 Paradigm of the Proposed System 1. 6 Significance of the Study The proposed system will be useful in our locale â€Å"Colegio de Sebastian† which helps eradicate the usage of the existing manual methods. The proponents believed that it will provide speed, efficiency, e ffectiveness in their transaction process. It will provide speed in Assessment of the employees, security and user-friendliness in mind. 1. 6. 1 Economic Significance Every school or company has the initiative to maximize their efficiency to save time, money, and increase growth.The proposed system lessens the man power because the system itself can automatically assess the subject of the employees. There is no need to hire personnel who will manually assess the subject of the employees. 1. 6. 2 Educational Significance This study will be significant to Proponents to improve their skills and it will help them practice and be able to share their study to future proponents. The system also offer an improvement of the school transaction, in that case even the professor, employee and the employees can acquire deeper knowledge to cope up in changing the old way of their transaction rocess. 1. 6. 3 Social Significance The system’s easy to use interface, speed, accuracy, efficiency and effectiveness can help the user gain confidence, lessen effort and for a faster transaction process that will help them perform well in work. Having an organized and automated system in any school is one factor to have a smooth operation. Having this system, the school can strongly monitor the transaction of every employee which turns provides a peace of mind. 1. 6. 4 Technological Significance Computerization in the business or even in school today has become the current trend today.Many industries rely on the power that computers have to offer. And with the study, many schools will have to initiative to revolutionize their systems for their own advantage. We all know that technology is frequently changing and reshaping our life. The use of barcode, kiosk and Shot Message Service are integrated in this study to deliver different enhancement that will be beneficial to the employees, teachers and employee. 1. 7 Scope and Delimitations The scope and delimitations of the proposed s ystem entitled â€Å"Company Transactions Processing System† are emphasized in this section.The proposed system has an ability to manage and manipulate the information of the employee. This system uses database in keeping the record and have an assurance that the information is secured from the directory. The proposed system can automatically assess the subject of the employees by scanning their employee identification and through the use of kiosk the employees can choose those subjects they want to enroll. This scope makes the transaction system more convenient to the employee and to the employees because it is just a self service in the part of the employee.The system has a different level of access. The system administrator is the one who manage and maintain the overall operation; he can access both the server and client side. While the Registrar, Accounting, Professor and the Employee has limited access in the system. The registrar can only access the registering matters like inputting of employee profile and maintaining the assessment of the subject. The accounting can only access with regards in the collecting of fees, he can access the payment of the fee from the employees.The professor access in the system is the posting of grades of the employees and lastly the employees can only access the kiosk part of the system which provides an auto assessment of their subjects with the use of barcode that is embedded in their id. Each system that had been developed has its own limitations and weaknesses that the user must know. The following is the limitation of the proposed system. In the part of the employee, any lost or misplacement of Employees Identification are subjects for replacement. The employees are the responsible to avail the new Employee Identification.The system cannot send any messages to the employees who has no cell phone and to the employees who are not register on the system itself. It is not responsible for the delay of messages and n etwork weak signals. Such incident will be part of the network provider. The system is dependent on the electricity. If power failure occurs, all the system operation will terminate. Even the sending of SMS will temporarily unavailable. The system ID generator has a limited caption and image you can enter to the ID, five captions with two images in the front and also five caption and two images in the back.The Design of the ID is depended on how the users design the ID. 1. 8Operational Definition of Terms There are different terms that the proponents used; the following are the definition of the operational terms that the proponents used. Data – are distinct pieces of information usually formatted in special way. Data can exist in variety of forms – as numbers, or text on piece of paper, as bit or bytes stored in electronic memory Database – is an integrated collection of logically-related records or files consolidated into a common pool that provides data for o ne or more multiple uses.One way of classifying databases involves the type of content, for example: bibliographic, full-text, numeric, and image. Local Area Network (LAN)–A local area network (LAN) is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building Module – is a self-contained component of a system, which has a well-defined interface to other components Software – The programs, routines, and symbolic languages that control the functioning of the hardware and direct its operation.Structure Query Language (SQL)–A standardized query language for maintaining and accessing database information, it support distributed databases and allows user on a network to access same data simultaneously. User interface – In the industrial design field of human-machine interaction, the user interface is (a place) where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interact ion between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation.