The Body Shop Canada Term Paper - 3690 Words

Contents of the Case Report Executive Summary 3 Events and Incidents Leading up to the Primary Issue 4 Primary Issue 5 Objective 5 Analyze of the situation 5 Situational Analysis 6 SWOT Analysis 7 Identification of the Suggested Alternatives 8 Identification and Evaluation of the Alternatives 8 Financial Analysis 10 Decisions 11 Course of Action and Implementation 11 Executive Summary | Richard Paul is about to graduate from his M.B.A program and planning to start running his own store. While scanning through job advertisement, he comes across of The Body Shop Canada. The notice stated that the company has number of operating stores available for franchise. Knowing the enormous success of the company, Mr.†¦show more content†¦Paul comes with a thought of purchasing two franchises instead of one because he realizes there are 13 of the franchisees have multiple stores. The reason behind having multiple stores is because Mr. Paul thinks the start-up costs and operating expenses would be no higher than for a single store operation. Mr. Paul has two friends in mind that he would think would be a great partner to operate the franchise. Two of his friends will purchase a minority equity position of the franchise and it would be a great help for Mr. Paul because he would have additional capital. City A, B or Both There are two existing locations that are available for Mr. Paul. One of the stores is located in City A and the other one is located in City B. Both cities have different advantages and disadvantages. Store that is located in City A is currently in franchise operation but the owner is planning to sell the franchise on the market due to family problems. Size of the store is inexpertly smaller than he has imagined. However, many people describe the location as the only good retail location in the city. On the other hand, the store in City B is located in one of the newest malls in an area surrounded by upscale housing and extensive development. In term of size, store in City B is much bigger compare to the store in City A. Mr. Paul is certain that both of these stores would be well above his expectation for start-up operations. He also owns a house in City B and he is willingShow MoreRelatedShould Women Be Allowed For Wear A Niqab Of Face1356 Words   |  6 Pagesad herence to the will of god (Allah). There has been a lot of debate over whether the women should be allowed to wear the niqab in public not just civic ceremonies. Some believe its offensive and/or oppresses the women, and others think it’s what makes Canada diverse. However, I know that the government isn t allowing them to wear their face veil while they are getting their citizenship and it s being discussed in the courts. 3 - Why does this problem/issue concern you? In many Muslim countries, womenRead MoreThe Body Shop4017 Words   |  17 PagesThe Body Shop Canada â€Å"You’re not the kind of franchise applicant we usually get,† said Harry Robertson, company lawyer for the Body Shop Canada, as he opened his meeting with potential franchisee Richard Paul. â€Å"I suppose we’ll find out whether that’s an advantage or disadvantage,† replied Mr. Paul. Mr. Robertson’s comment had taken Mr. Paul by surprise, and though he was pleased with his response, the comment had produced a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Richard Paul Mr. PaulRead MoreBody Shop in China4288 Words   |  18 PagesThe Body Shop in China: Market Feasibility Research and Strategy Design DU Yuping 1,2, Mai Jinger2 School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University 2 School of International Trade and Economics Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, P. R. China, 510420 1 Abstract: The well-known British brand, the Body Shop, is a strong advocate of environment and human rights. In recent years, it has accelerated its global presence by its naturally inspired, ethically produced beauty and cosmeticsRead MoreEnglish in the World Today1733 Words   |  7 Pagesit ranks second only to Chinese, which is effectively six mutually unintelligible dialects little used outside China. On the other hand the 300 million native speakers of English are to be found in every continent, and an equally widely distributed body of second language speakers, who use English for their day-to-day needs, totals over 250 million. Finally, if we add those areas where decisions affecting life and welfare are made and announced in English, we cover one-sixth of the world’s populationRead MoreThe Slaughter of Horses1149 Words   |  5 Pagesensuing on whether to lift the ban on equine slaughter which was enacted in 2007. There are practical as well as commercial arguments that can be made in favor of horse slaughter, and there are ethical and environmental reasons to oppose it. In this paper I plan on addressing both sides of the debate as well as explaining each sides main points. In 2007, the last United States’ plant capable of equine slaughter was closed due to a district court ruling making it illegal for plants to pay the USDA toRead MoreAn Analysis of Bass Pro Shops Incs Strategic Marketing Methods3267 Words   |  13 Pagesï » ¿Abstract Over the past 40 years, Bass Pro Shops, Inc., a privately held corporation, has leveraged a unique business model into a major success story, becoming one of the largest retailers of sporting goods in the United States. In fact, the companys flagship retail store in Springfield, Missouri, is the states largest tourism attraction, outdistancing even major attractions such as Silver Dollar City located in Branson. This paper analyzes Bass Pro Shops strategic marketing methods, including potentialRead MoreEthics and Morality3604 Words   |  15 PagesAbstract The paper delves into the topic of ethics and morality. It would try to understand the concept of ethics and morality and the difference between the two concepts. In the paper I would analyse what motivates human behaviour and choices and why those choices can never always be moral and ethical. I will analyse some ethical and moral theories that provide guidelines for ethical human behaviour and critically assess them with the aid of real life examples, to determine whether it is possibleRead MoreMobile Technology1614 Words   |  7 Pagesutility, a mobile-based instant messaging client, Gmail for mobile, and many other applications. (Webopedia) Background of Company Enterprise Rent-A-Car is a privately held St. Louis, Missouri-based car company serving customers in the U.S, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Puerto Rico and the U.K. They are also the owners of the Vanguard Automotive Group, operator of National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car in North America. Enterprise-A-Car is the largest rental car company in North America, andRead MoreJamuna Bank Financial Report Analysis3291 Words   |  14 Pagescustomers | OBJECTIVES †¢ | To earn and maintain CAMEL Rating Strong | †¢ | To establish relationship banking and improve service quality through development of Strategic Marketing Plans. | †¢ | To remain one of the best banks in Bangladesh in terms of profitability and assets quality. | †¢ | To introduce fully automated systems through integration of information technology. | †¢ | To ensure an adequate rate of return on investment. | †¢ | To keep risk position at an acceptable range (includingRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie When Ulysses S. Grant And Robert E. Lee1451 Words   |  6 Pages When Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee met in the parlor of a modest house at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on April 9, 1865, to work out the terms for the surrender of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, a great chapter on American life came to a close, and a great new chapter began. These men were bringing the Civil War to its virtual finish. To be sure, other armies had yet to surrender, and for a few days the fugitive Confederate government would struggle desperately and vainly

A Study On Adult Development - 780 Words

This book examines the lives of 824 individuals through a study on adult development. Vaillant states, â€Å"Old age is like a minefield; if you see footprints leading to the other side, step in them† (p. 4). If we can help others and ourselves follow in the patterns of others who have successfully aged than perhaps we can live a full and joyful life. Aging well, to some extent, is controllable. Knowing how to grow old and age well is important to live fully. There are many factors that an individual can control such as exercise, education and alcohol and cigarette use. Leading a healthy lifestyle throughout an individual’s life can lead to aging well. It improves the ability to enjoy life. It is noted that these habits should be established before turning 50 years old. The abuse of alcohol and tobacco can lad not only to unhealthiness, but also hinder relationships. I personally have seen marriages changed by the abuse of alcohol and smoking cigarettes. As an exercise and wellness minded person I can agree with this from my own experience and knowledge. Having wisdom in this area, my hope is to be able to start with my family and share the importance of exercise especially as they age. Then with their help, continue to instill the importance in exercise the older populations. Having a purpose and feeling needed is something we all desire. This does not stop as we age. Despite losing their spouse, job through retirement, physical and mental capabilities our elders need to findShow MoreRelatedStatistical Significance of a Study: Development of a Health Model for Older Adults1117 Words   |  4 PagesStatistical Significance of a Study: Development of the model of health for older adults What statistical procedures are mentioned in the study? The research focused on the integration of various phases with the aim of achieving the goals and objectives in relation to the research questions. In the first phase, the research study integrated Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 17.0. The main objective of this statistical analysis tool was to offer critical analysis to theRead MoreStudy And Use Of Embryonic And Adult Cells Towards Development Of Medical Science1901 Words   |  8 Pagescatholic response to stem cell research Religious studies 3.3 Achievement standard 90826 Credits: 6 INTRODUCTION What is stem cell research? †¢ Stem cell research is the study and use of embryonic and adult cells towards development of medical science. The study of stem cells has become a major focus in the world of medicine because of its great potential to cure common illnesses such as; Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy and diabetes. The study of maturing stem cells gives scientists insight intoRead MoreSociocultural Theorists And Developmental Psychologists Essay1155 Words   |  5 Pagesthe children’s cognitive development takes place through the social interaction with other people. Adults and generally more capable individuals are models of behaviors for children and through their guidance children understand not only the physical characteristics of the environment but also conceptualize the meaning of actions and peoples behavior (Corkum Moore, 1998). This essay illustrates the key elements for the cognitive development with the collaboration of adults. Firstly cited the Vigotsky’sRead MoreSleep And Its Effect On Children1342 Words   |  6 Pagesmotor development in infants. Motor development is defined as the ability to move and to develop those movements over time. Even though studies that address how sleep impacts infant’s new motor skills are very few, sleep does play a role in multiple factors during an infant’s development. Blumberg (2015) states that movements during sleep are affecting our motor development. Since infants spend most of their time asleep than awake, it is important to study the effects of sleep on development and toRead MoreThe Importance Of Omission Bias In Development1242 Words   |  5 Pagesprediction of the study involved omission bias, and it was hypothesized that this bias would be present and conserved throughout development; however, the results only found the bias to be present in four to five year olds. The bias was not observed among the adults, since a surprising portion rated the omission of an action as bad. The nature of the latter finding is unexpected since previous research has implicated the opposite trend, and has found omission bias to exist among adults (Powell, DerbyshireRead MoreHuman Development1668 Words   |  7 PagesHSV 504: Human Development-Early Memory Development Dianne Wright Post University Introduction Many human development specialists have examined memory loss of adults later in life. During the past fifty years, there have been many studies in children’s cognitive development and earlier childhood memory loss. Ernest G. Schachtel conducted studies on why people forget childhood memories as they grow older. He described the processes that could be involved in early memory loss (Crain, 2005). He wasRead MoreThe Nature of Qualitative Studies1481 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ The Nature of Qualitative Studies Levonda J. Selph California InterContinental University (CalUniv) GRC 600 – Unit 4 August 5, 2014 Dr. Al Infande Introduction The purpose of this paper is to write a seven page essay with multiple sources including Elizabeth J. Tisdell’s (2000) paper on Spiritual Development and Commitments to Emancipotory Education in Women Adult Educators for Social Change in comparison to Sharan B. Merriam’s paper on How Cultural ValuesRead MoreRole of Cognitive Development in Trying Juveniles as Adults Essay example618 Words   |  3 Pagesthe United States, you are considered an adult at 18-years old. With age comes a plethora of other privledges. You can drive at 16 with a proper drivers license, legally engage in intercourse at 17, vote and purchase cigarrettes at 18 and purchase and consume alcohol at 21. Although there is one age restriction that hasnt been set in stone. In the justice system, one may be considered an adult at 18 and be tried as such. The option of being tried as an adult hangs on many circumstances. If the individualRead MoreJuveniles Tried As Adults1372 Words   |  6 Pagesdec isions, but can be on the verge of an adult sentencing. Juveniles’ tried as adults has been a major topic in the Criminal Justice system for many years. The controversy primarily focuses on the brain development, safety, and rehabilitation of the juvenile; versus an adult punishment towards them. These opinions have continuously produced outburst in the Criminal Justice system. Some argue juveniles should suffer the same consequences as an adult, if an adult crime was committed. Others reason juvenilesRead MoreEmerging Adulthood As A Group Of Individuals Who Lack Discipline And Express Self Destructive Behavior1301 Words   |  6 Pagesemerging adulthood as a group of individuals who lack discipline and express self-destructive behavior’s for no apparent reason, however studies have shown that it is more complex and dynamic than just lacking discipline. The group comprising emerging adults surpasses every other group in the use of drugs, alcohol, and sexually transmit ted diseases (STD’s). Emerging adults have a feeling of being â€Å"in-between† and are focused on figuring out who they are while trying to reach stability (financially and

My trip to the San Diego Museum of Man Free Essays

A museum is an institution that collects artistic documents, objects and artifacts with scientific and historical value. It is an open to public place that enables people to widely see and explore collections for the purpose of learning, education and enjoyment. Museums preserve collections and make them available for the benefit of public viewing. We will write a custom essay sample on My trip to the San Diego Museum of Man or any similar topic only for you Order Now The San Diego Museum of Man is a museum that contains various artifacts related to anthropology. Anthropology is the study of human kind throughout time and across all cultures. It is the science that deals with the origin, behavior, and also the physical, social and cultural development of human beings. The San Diego Museum of man is a non profit institution that preserves life and history of human kind. The San Diego Museum of Man is definitely a lot more impressive on the inside than the outside. After a long walk from the parking lot, I laid eyes on the old building and did not have high expectations. I merely thought of this as a `class project` something I `had to do`. Once inside I asked the ticket salesman where I could find the museum`s mission statement. He quickly pointed at a wall to the left side of the building, which read: `The museum of man gathers and shares discoveries of anthropologists. Right underneath the mission statement was the first exhibit, the first humans (hominids). Hominids are human like creatures divided into Australopithecus known as the oldest and Homo known as the youngest. I remembered this from chapter one. The museum had an impressive exhibit that allowed for me to see and reinforce all that I had learned about the first humans. I liked the realistic displays that allowed for me to visualize what each hominid actually would have looked like. I liked the exhibit that compared the different tools used throughout time, from the earliest stone tools used by humans compared to those used now. I enjoyed the interactive exhibits. One in particular allowed for me to attempt to guess what group of hominid certain skulls belonged to. I learned that the cheek bones and eye sockets were used to identify. I was also able to try to guess the age of remains. It was very interesting to see and actually get a chance to practice how this is done. The exhibit is unique in such a way that it allows the guest to actually touch almost all of its content. Inside the museum you can see yourself traversing millions of years, it is like you can actually see the way of life and the image of our ancestors. The museum not only offers a view about the past of human kind but its future as well. Visitors can also go through the human lab in which they can see a glimpse of the future of human evolution, the future of human race influenced by scientific innovations in the form of gene selection and cloning. It is like going through different worlds, the past and the future. There was also a small exhibit on the ancient Egyptians whom I always find fascinating. I was able to view the ancient Egyptians way of life and learn the importance of anthropologist and archeologist in the understanding and interpretation of their culture. I was able to see some mummified remains of children which I have never actually seen before. The ancient Egyptians mummified their dead because of their belief that when someone died their soul would temporarily leave the body. After the body was buried, the soul would then return and be reunited with the body. However, the soul needed to find and recognize the body for it to live forever. It is said that the earliest ancient Egyptians buried their dead in the desert letting the heat and dryness of the sand to dehydrate the bodies. This process of burying creates lifelike and natural mummies. Later the Egyptians began to bury their dead in coffins to protect them from the animals of the desert. And then they developed a method of preserving bodies, the process include embalming the bodies and then wrapping them in strips of linen. Today, this process is known as mummification. This mummified remains and other rare artifacts for over 3,000 years old including coffins and amulets show the Egyptians concern for the after life and their value for their dead love ones. I enjoyed the exhibit however I felt it could have been larger. I wanted to learn more about the ancient Egyptians, their culture, society and their religious beliefs, rituals and ceremonies. My favorite exhibit of all was the Mayan exhibit. The society of Maya includes art, astronomy, mathematics and literature. I was fascinated by these people hearing about them in class. It was very intriguing to be able to visualize these people. I learned a lot about Mayan architecture and was amazed by the giant Stella’s with Mayan hieroglyphics. I can say that the Mayan architecture if of a unique beauty. The walls are made of mud or stone covered wood poles that hold together  the two sided hay roof. Outside of their internal economic attention, architecture consumed their time and energy so much. I gained more insight into their culture and learned that they had their own form of dance. They had very decorated dress and weapons with feathers and beads. I read and learned that they had what is called `Xibalba` or `the ball game`. It is said that this ball game is a confrontation between good and evil. This ball game has played an important role in the Mayan’s culture and sometimes takes the form of sacrifice rituals and sometimes a game of chance. In whatever form, it always symbolizes the timeless struggle between good and evil in which the outcome is governed by supernatural powers, something beyond human skill and capability. This ball game is a vital part of the Mayan creation story and a fable of light defeating darkness and life prevailing over death. I have lived in San Diego for a long time and this was my first trip to the museum. I think the museum did live up to it`s mission statement. It does contain discoveries and artifacts about anthropology that sure is important and really interesting. Visiting the San Diego Museum of Man is really worth the time and effort and the new knowledge is really worth storing in the mind of every visitor. In addition, it does not only provide knowledge and information but enjoyment as well. You will surely be fascinated with all of the exhibits in the San Diego Museum of Man. I would definitely recommend it to others and I plan on going back again in the future. It is one spot that San Diego should be proud of. Works Cited: San Diego Museum of Man. 2006 Retrieved August 8, 2007 from http://www.museumofman.org/html/about.html Anthropology . 200). Retrieved August 8, 2007 from http://www.cyberpursuits.com/anthro/ Sheldon, J.   2000. Explore Ancient Egypt. Retrieved August 8, 2007 from http://www.mfa.org/egypt/explore%5Fancient%5Fegypt/          How to cite My trip to the San Diego Museum of Man, Essay examples

Entrepreneurship - Creativity and Management Services Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Management Services. Answer: Introduction: It is very much important for the organization to be innovative and creative in terms of having the business that is successful. It is the nature of an entrepreneur to be innovative and creative. This report discusses about the innovative and the entrepreneurial nature of Uber. It describes the importance of being innovative and creative to have the successful business. Innovation is considered as the subset for entrepreneurship that can clearly be examined by studying the strategies of Uber as it is considered as one of the most innovative forms in terms of processes. Uber technologies is the company that facilitates the customers to book a car ride in order to reach their destination in a particular city or outside the city. It is the coordination between the customers who wants to take the ride and the independent contractors who want to give ride. The independent contractors are drivers (van Kollem, 2016). There are 58 countries in which this company runs its operations and the overall value of its business is $41 million. The company becomes the market leaders or the innovation leader in the market because of its innovative business idea as well as its low cost services. This company charges less than what the other traditional taxi services charge for the same ride. Till now, the company is enjoying great success in the business and looking forwards to expand its business all over the world. Uber has not given the services to the customers but its business has generated employment for many people who have their cars. It acts as a source of income for many of the people these days (Giuli Maselli, 2015). The company has been praised for giving such opportunities to earn and also such convenience to the customers in their rides. Some of its practices like Surge pricing have been criticized by the people as the customers are facing so many problems to travel at the time when they require taking the services at peak times. Innovation and entrepreneurship: Innovation is considered as one of the best strategies or the firms these days. Innovation has become the factor that helps the organization to attain the competitive advantage. It is the force that drives the organization to survive and compete in the market. Innovation can take place at three levels. The first level is the level of revolution. This is called as the destructive innovation in which the companies change the fundamentals of the process that the industry is using till now (Drucker, 2014). Next level is renewal in which the companies try to modify the processes or the existing model of the business. The last level at which innovation is done is the level of resilience. It is the level where continuous reconstruction of the processes has been done. There are six key elements of every innovative company that are idea generation, risk taking, learning culture, mistake tolerance, change movement and conflict management. The companies that are innovative in nature show these characteristics in their behavior and practices. Innovation is the process that is hard to define just as entrepreneurship. This is because defining entrepreneurship is a debatable concept as it has different meanings for different people (Bessant Tidd, 2007). It is analyzed that entrepreneurship is not just about opening a business but it is linked with innovation. Entrepreneurship is defined as the process in which the available opportunities are exploited and changes have been made in the existing models of business to create innovative processes. Entrepreneurs are very much different from the leaders. This is because leaders show the path to the followers while entrepreneurs develop those paths. Entrepreneurship is very much linked with the creativity and the innovation. The entrepreneurs need to be very creative in nature because entrepreneurship is also about exploring the resources and exploiting them to develop more and more opportunities for the people. It has been argues by the authors that innovation is the very importa nt tool of entrepreneurship (Martin, 1994). This is because innovation is the subset of creativity and creativity is the demand for being an entrepreneur. Creativity can be defined as the ability of a person to see things differently. The person who is capable of thinking out of the box and also has the capability to develop something from the available resources is creative in nature. The changes in the environment create challenges to this creativity (Windrum Koch, 2008). Thus these changes are also needed be considered by the organization in order to be creative. All the innovation that exists in this world is developed because of the creative minds of the entrepreneurs. These entrepreneurs try to create and develop opportunities out of this creativity. There is no doubt on the fact that todays environment is so much dynamic that it is required by the people to adapt those changes. Only the organizations that have the capability to think creatively and innovate something can sus tain in this dynamic nature of the environment. Innovation at Uber: It cannot be denied that Uber is the epitome of innovation and creativity. Uber has brought changes in the usage of cars and the taxis. It has brought up a new turn to the taxi industry. On the large scale, it has been analyzed that Uber has changed the use of private cars that were before used for private purposes is now used for the commercial use on sharing basis. The private cars of the people are not only facilitating its owners but also to other people and in addition to it, it is also generating employment. If the other is of the picture is observed, it has been identified that Uber is not innovative at all (Hippel, 2007). This is because it is just following the pattern of franchise business. Franchisee is defined as the business in which one party agrees to give rights to another party to use their strategies and processes to produce the products and services on the name of first party only. If this definition is implemented on Uber business, the driver is considered as the Uber is considered as the franchisor and the driver is considered as the franchisee (Scholl, 2004). This is because the driver is not the employee of the company but can choose the work according to his will and got the share of what he earns. In terms of service, Uber is not considered as innovative because it is based on the old businesses of transport in which the people travel from one place to another by the transport system available such as taxis. It is only the advanced version of the unofficial cabs that are available in the market for the travelling. The company that is, Uber is just the mediator in between the driver and the customers and the driver is not taking the full amount of money he is receiving from thee customers as Uber charged the fee of using the brand name. The brand is considered as innovative in terms of its processes. This start up provides a new and innovative way to perform the task that has already been performed in the organizations. The innovation of the brand lies in the capability of the company to exploit the opportunities and the underutilized capital by exploiting the technological resources available (Aidis, Estrin Mickiewicz, 2008). The involvement of technology in this business helps the company to manage the demand and the supply of services in the market. It also helps in proper regulating and the saves the customers from the peak charges that are charged by the cab drivers. Therefore, it can be said that Uber is the company that has the nature of disruptive innovation. Uber as an entrepreneur: As far as entrepreneurship is considered, it explains that entrepreneur is the change agent that initiates the changes and improvement in the process of change to create new institutions or change existing institutions. Uber is the company that is the fit for this explanation. This is because Uber is also the company that acts as the initiator of the change in the process of transport services (Bilton, 2012). Uber has introduced Ubers as the service that defines the way a taxi transport services should work in the market, it sets the example of the managed business in taxi services. As the entrepreneurs try to being changes in the process and takes initiate for that, Uber is also the company that initiates the changes in the taxi services industry by involving technology in the taxi services. Entrepreneurs create a platform for others and develop the opportunities. Uber has also developed the opportunities of the drivers as well as the private car owners to have the source of income. A conceptual model has been proposed by the author to explain the change implementation in the organization. The figure below describes the capabilities and the concepts on the basis of which Uber brings the change in the industry (Battilana,Leca Boxenbaum, 2009). Recommendation for the company: It is recommended for the company that company should bring more transparency in its processes for the customers and the drivers (Cannon Summers, 2014). The surcharge pricing should be announced before so that people can travel accordingly and the bid should be there at the peak time. This means that auction should be done among the customers, the customers should be given with the chance to decide what price they can pay and the highest payer should be selected at the time of bid, this helps the company as well as the customers o know about the actual price (Arogundade, 2011). In terms of innovation in the technology and their Application, the company should make its application more attractive and accurate in terms of mapping system. Conclusion: Innovation and entrepreneurship are inked with each other. This is because a business can be successful only when it has the capability to innovate and exploit the existing resources to develop anything new (Naude, 2010). They should have the capability to create new opportunities for the business as well as for the population, Uber s considered as innovative not in terms of its services but in terms of its process. This is because in terms of services, Uber is having the business just like the traditional cab services but the prices of running this business is new and innovative and thus Uber is termed as the company that uses disruptive innovation to succeed. References: Aidis, R., Estrin, S., Mickiewicz, T. (2008). Institutions and entrepreneurship development in Russia: A comparative perspective.Journal of Business Venturing,23(6), 656-672 Arogundade, B. B. (2011). Entrepreneurship education: An imperative for sustainable development in Nigeria.Journal of emerging trends in educational research and policy studies (JETERAPS),2(1), 26-29. Battilana, J., Leca, B., Boxenbaum, E. (2009). 2 how actors change institutions: towards a theory of institutional entrepreneurship.Academy of Management annals,3(1), 65-107. Bessant, J., Tidd, J. (2007).Innovation and entrepreneurship. John Wiley Sons. Bilton, N. (2012). Disruptions: Taxi supply and demand, priced by the mile.The New York Times, Jan,8. Cannon, S., Summers, L. H. (2014). How Uber and the sharing economy can win over regulators.Harvard business review,13, 1-4. Drucker, P. (2014).Innovation and entrepreneurship. Routledge. Giuli, M., Maselli, I. (2015). UBER: Innovation or dja vu? CEPS Commentary, 25 February 2015. Hippel, E. (2007). The sources of innovation.Das Summa Summarum des Management, 111-120. Martin, M. J. (1994).Managing innovation and entrepreneurship in technology-based firms(Vol. 20). John Wiley Sons. Naude, W. (Ed.). (2010).Entrepreneurship and economic development. Springer. Scholl, W. (2004).Innovation und Information: Wie in Unternehmen neues Wissen produziert wird. Hogrefe Verlag. van Kollem, J. A. (2016).The introduction of Uber: An institutional analysis of UberBlack and UberX services across the globe(Master's thesis). Windrum, P., Koch, P. M. (Eds.). (2008).Innovation in public sector services: entrepreneurship, creativity and management. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Organisational Analysis With Reference To Social Work

Organizational analysis refers to evaluation of an organization’s systems, functions and capacity in order to enhance productivity and performance through increasing efficiency of the workers. It does so through study of the behaviors of people in order to create efficient relationships. It involves creation of work models based on theories that depict the way an organization functions and develops.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Organisational Analysis With Reference To Social Work specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is accountable for the response of organizations to changes and the ways in which an organization introduces changes (Hepworth Hepworth, 2006). Organizational analysis must be distinguished from organizational planning which involves design of the organization’s structure and division of responsibilities within the organization. The purpose of organizational analysis is to determine the best way to increase the efficiency of an organization. Organizational models are the basis for organizational skills. Models help determine the most effective way to achieve a particular set of goals and objectives. They are usually based on structure, technology, or behavior of members of an institution. Sociologists have four basic models to choose from including the classical or rational model, the participative or national model, the cognitive model, and the social-technical model. Fredrick Taylor is credited with pioneering the rational model. He argued that the most effective way to achieve completion o task was the best way. In his view, the best method was the one, which allowed a person to perform task in the least time available. It was his opinion that if both the management and employees performed tasks in this way, organizations would become more efficient in their delivery of service (Perrow, 1970, p. 93). His theory was criticized on the basis that sometimes work ers had to engage in multiple-tasks at once. The rational model perpetuates the view that an organization can achieve desired results through modification of strategies (Powell and Dimaggio 1991). The participative or national model takes a holistic view towards organizations. They do not exist as a single unit; they are systems. In as much as they pursue their own goals, they also pursue other goals outside their main business and must balance the two sets of goals.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Modification is not planned, but occurs abruptly because of conditions, which cause instability in the organization. It’s a result of natural reaction based on values and behaviors of the members. Changes in one sector of the organization affects all other departments. A leader or social worker cannot change only one department within the organization but has to change the enti re organization According to the socio-technical model, organizations can alter their structure as they keep evolving. Exchange of information and interactions of members usually bring change to the structure of an organization. The organization is affected by other factors within its surroundings such as human behavior, social factors, technology and other variables. A task is successfully performed through conversion of an input into an output and tasks are subdivided (Hughes and Wearing 2007, p. 152).The success of an organization is primarily determined by the time, the level of technology and the location. The cognitive model takes the position that an organization has three major components: The unit responsible for processing information; the unit responsible for decision-making; and the arrangement or setting of the organization. The decision-making unit is also charged with the task of finding solutions to problems while the setting unit is responsible for task distribution and coordination. Complex tasks are divided into specific tasks, which require specialization for efficiency. A social worker must determine which of the three models is best applicable to the assigned social work. Various important skills in organizational analysis are relevant and applicable to social work practice. Proficiency in organizational skills is important because social work involves interacting with people who have undergone complex and perplexing skills (Ewalt, 1996). It is a multi-disciplinary practice involving working with people of different backgrounds in terms of race, culture, gender, sexual orientation, religion and even disability (Bogo 2010).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Organisational Analysis With Reference To Social Work specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More People are always reluctant to open up to social workers. Every social worker must be equipped with efficient communication skills . They involve listening, speaking, reading, and writing. A social worker must be able to empathize with their client and relate to their experience. This will involve creation of meaningful relationships, a key factor organization analysis skill. The relationship must be within the ethical professional boundaries. Getting through the barriers that inhibit the care recipient should be the goal of every competent social worker (Jones and May, 1992). The social worker can apply any of the following organization analysis models, a psychosocial approach, Cognitive or a behavioral approach, Participative therapies, a task-centered approach, a client-centered technique, or intervention approach (Greenwood and Levin 2007, p.92). Time management skills will come in handy for the social work. He or she must schedule appointments after putting the availability of the client. He or she must be punctual and must show up in time for appointments. A social worker must possess excellent record kee ping skills. Social work involves giving care or guidance to people with historical records that must be recorded. For instance people on the wrong side of law who are serving probation terms or children who have been placed in foster homes. Every meeting with the care-recipient and signs of progress or regression must always be recorded to keep the relevant authorities updated on the efficiency of the social work. If social work is not effective, alternative measures can be sought either on recommendation by the social worker or upon assessment of the records (Perrow, 1970). The ability to collect data, interpret it, and process it into information comes in handy for a social worker. The social worker must be in a position to hold an interview with the care recipient, listen to their point of view, and record it in an impartial and inclusive manner.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Failure to interpret the data correctly can lead to conveyance of the wrong information to the relevant authority and can have negative effects for either the social worker or the care-recipient. Social workers usually have multiple responsibilities and clients to attend to. The organizational analysis skill of prioritizing is very essential to them. They must give priority to the most important or urgent tasks and handle them first. If for example, a child placed in care has run away from the home, and at that time, the social worker is holding a session with someone who is on probation for drunken-driving, the social worker should weigh the options. Thereafter, he or she should give priority to the child first as the session with the person undergoing probation can be postponed and held later (Bogo 2010, p.54). The skill of assessment and planning helps a social worker to organize his schedule appropriately. On evaluation of a situation, a social worker should be in a position to decide on the next step that should be taken. He or she should be in a position to determine whether the services are still needed or whether they should be dispensed with. In-depth understanding of the human behavior is essential in social work and so is the ability to respond calmly to violent emotions (Farley et al 2003, p.101).The social worker must understand every client individually and should not judge him or her based on heresy or stereotypes. Understanding human behavior enables a social worker to evaluate and settle on the appropriate intervention mechanism. For instance, confrontational intervention is not encouraged for violent clients. Prediction helps a social worker predict and anticipate what might happen next and take the necessary precautions or action. The social worker can rely on analysis based on previous experiences and incidences. Formulation of hypothesis is important in helping a social worker solve a social problem. For example if a child under care fails to turn up at school, the social worker may hypothesize that he or she maybe have harassed or intimated; is looking for someone; or has run-away and start solving the problem from there. The four methods a social worker may use have been listed as working with individuals through counseling, working with groups, working with families, or working with communities. The perspectives of the social worker have an impact on the service he or she delivers. The perspective of a social worker must always be anti-sexist, anti-racist; anti-exploitative; and anti-discriminatory at all stages taking a radical perspective or perception leads to biased delivery of service. Intervention means interfering with a situation in order to alter or affect the outcome. A social worker should only intervene after considering how urgent the problem is, the consequences of non-intervention, chances of success of the intervention, his competence and capability to intervene, whether the client is willing to so lve the problem, and the extent of the problem (Bogo, 2010). The skills are important in service delivery and management because they enhance the quality of service delivered by the social worker. Timely intervention may mean that drug addict is rehabilitated or a child placed in care is able to integrate in the new family. It may also lead to a change of attitude by the care recipient who may be healed from trauma and depression, return to normalcy, and work or take care of him. Successful probation and other rehabilitation measures would reduce the rate of recidivism and de-congest prisons. Early intervention prevents a client from engaging in retrogressive behavior. If a social worker lacks organizational analysis, skills his delivery will be poor and inefficient and the objective of the social work will not be achieved (Hepworth and Hepworth, 2006). In conclusion, human service organizations that provide social care may end up enhancing or inhibiting self-care. Social work has b een able to promote social justice through caring of the minorities and the disadvantaged. People are able to recover from traumatizing situations. It also enhances integration of society of people who had gone through abuse or who cannot access basic needs due to abject poverty. On recovery, people are able to take care of themselves and resume their daily social lives. On the other hand, social work has been known to inhibit self-care. Some clients tend to over-rely on the social worker. Some only obey instructions when they know that the social worker is about to come for supervision and once the social worker leaves, they go back to their usual habits. Clients also rely on social worker for basic things such as management of emotional situations and reduction of stress levels. They cannot take care of themselves without presence of the social worker. Reforms must be made so that social work does not end up inhibiting self-care. Clients must adopt organizational analysis skills s o that they can take care of themselves independently without supervision by a social worker. Reference List Bogo, M 2010, Achieving competence in social work through field education, University of Toronto Press, Buffalo. Ewalt, P 1996, Multicultural issues in social work, NASW Press, Washington, D.C. Farley, O. et al. 2003, Introduction to social work, Allyn and Bacon, Boston. Greenwood, J., Levin, M 2007, Introduction to action research: social research for social change, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks. Hepworth, H., Hepworth, H 2006, Direct social work practice: theory and skills, Thomson Brooks/Cole, Belmont. Hughes, M Wearing, M 2007, Organizations and Management in Social Work, Sage, London. Jones, A May, J 1992, Working in Human service Organisation: A critical introduction, Pearson education Australia, French Forest. Perrow, C 1970, Organizational analysis; a sociological view. Calif, Wadsworth Pub. Co, Belmont. Powell, W., Dimaggio, P, 1991, The New institutionalism in organizational analysis, University of Chicago Press, Chicago. This essay on Organisational Analysis With Reference To Social Work was written and submitted by user Hadley Hendricks to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

APA Referencing †How to Cite a Conference Paper

APA Referencing – How to Cite a Conference Paper APA Referencing – How to Cite a Conference Paper So you’ve been to an academic conference and you want to cite a presentation you’ve seen. Or maybe you’ve just read the conference proceedings and want to cite them. Either way, APA referencing has specific rules for citing a conference paper, so make sure you know how it’s supposed to be done! In-Text Citations In-text citations for a conference paper use the standard APA referencing style of giving the author’s name, year of publication and relevant page numbers in parentheses: Many academic conferences are â€Å"oversubscribed† (Chatterton, 2002, p. 16). If the author is named in the text, simply give the year of publication afterwards, followed by page numbers after the quoted text: According to Chatterton (2002), many academic conferences are â€Å"oversubscribed† (p. 16). If you’re citing the entire proceedings of a conference, give the editor’s name in place of an author. Reference List: Conference Proceedings The papers presented at a conference are often published as â€Å"conference proceedings.† If you’ve cited the proceedings of a conference as a whole, the information you’ll need to provide in the reference list includes: Editor Name, Initial. (ed.) (Year). Title of conference: Subtitle, Location, Date. City of Publication: Publisher. For instance, the proceedings from a (fictional) conference about academic conferences would appear in an APA reference list as: Ditor, E. (ed.) (2002). Getting together: The academic benefits, Atlanta, June 2002. Houston: PME Publications. Reference List: Published Conference Papers Rather than citing the entire proceedings, you’ll often want to cite a single presentation you’ve seen or read. For a published paper, the reference list entry should include: Author Name, Initial. (Year). Paper title. In: Editor Name (ed.). Title of Conference, Location, Date (page range). City of Publication: Publisher. So a paper from our fictional meta-conference would appear in the reference list as: Chatterton, T. (2002). Anachronisms and conferences. In: Ed Ditor (ed.). Getting together: The academic benefits, Atlanta, June 2002 (pp. 15-23). Houston: PME Publications. Reference List: Unpublished Conference Papers You can also cite a conference paper that hasn’t been published, but the format here is a little different: Author Name, Initial. (Year, Month). Paper title. Paper presented at Conference Title, Location of Conference. An unpublished version of the Chatterton paper used in the example above would therefore appear in an APA reference list as: Chatterton, T. (2002, June). Anachronisms and conferences. Paper presented at Getting Together: The Academic Benefits, Atlanta, Atlanta Metropolitan State College.

Samurai Warriors Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Samurai Warriors - Research Paper Example It is a common fallacy to think of the Samurai as fierce warriors, since the best of them were great visionaries who pursued spiritual, artistic and cultural endeavors apart from their regular, prescribed duties. The samurai were people of the aristocratic warrior class, but after the 12th century, it referred to all the warriors who gained power in the 12th century and ruled national politics and society up to the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The transformation of the samurai from a purely warrior class began during the Tokugawa period. A very important part of the Samurai life was to engage oneself in literary and artistic pursuits. Some of the finest gardens, buildings, poetry, landscapes, especially the rock gardens, and paintings are the handiwork of the Samurai and the renowned tea ceremony as well as the Kabuki and Noh theaters were part of the Samurai legacy in the Japanese society. It was one of the prescribed routes given to them to reach their full potential and ultimately acquire the Way. The Samurai, in spite of being warriors, had some of the finest qualities to be found in men and writing about them Xavier said that â€Å"among barbarous nations there can be none that has more natural goodness than the Japanese†¦ wonderfully desirous of honor and rank†¦ however poor†¦ receive the same honor from the rest as if they were rich".

Canon Digital Cameras Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Canon Digital Cameras - Essay Example The reason is that such companies have adopted effective strategies than relying on raw money power and propaganda. The lack of sensible strategy and the failure to use technology, combined with obsolete methods of marketing seems to be the bane of many companies who are not able to make a successful thrust in the market. Most ideas are either short sighted or serve only the immediate purposes of the company. Lack of professionalism is very evident in the management of many companies that has great potential. A very important aspect of business that still is a gray area for many business organizations is effective customer management. Canon's long 70-plus year history of expertise in the photographic industry positions us for such market leadership," said Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president and general manager of the consumer imaging group at Canon U.S.A., Inc. "We are proud to be the camera of choice for consumers and professionals. We are the only camera company today that truly offers a full line of consumer and professional digital imaging solutions. By designing and manufacturing our own lenses, CMOS image sensors (found on the company's digital SLRs) and image processors, we can control both image quality and cost - ultimately providing consumers with the best digital imaging options.More than 60 years of experience and know-how,  Canon started out as a company with a handful of employees and a burning passion. That company soon became a world-renowned camera maker and is now a global multimedia corporation. However, the origins of our success remain unchanged: the passion of our early years and tech nological expertise amassed over more than 60 years.  

American cancer Society and the General Motors Company Problem Essay

American cancer Society and the General Motors Company Problem Analysis - Essay Example American Cancer Society Founded way back in 1913 by a group of 13 doctors and business personalities in New York, The American Cancer Society (ACS) has developed from a small business venture to the much-celebrated organization it is today. The main role of ACS is cancer management under which it knuckles down on cancer prevention and reducing the rates of death caused by cancer. Supplementary to that, the organization further concentrates on providing education to the public on cancer as a whole. Donors majorly fund the American Cancer Society. The World Bank as well as various support groups grants a larger portion of the society’s funds to them. The society receives funds from the services that they offer to the cancer patients (Epstein, 2011). Being a non-profit organization that it is, the organization appears to be unblemished and faultless. However, the society faces a variety of challenges. In the year 2005, there were about 1.37 Million newly registered cases of cance r. The society saw this as an opportunity to make returns out of the cancer patients instead of giving them hope for a better tomorrow. ACS faces allegations citing that it tried to come up with conventional medication techniques of treating cancer instead of focusing on prevention, given that prevention is better than cure. The society has majorly tried to make money out of the large number of cancer patients (Epstein, 2011). The American Cancer Society faces allegations of discrediting potential healthy ways of fighting cancer as proposed by various cancer research experts. The organization has always been in preference of both chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which though are approved mechanisms of fighting cancer, always are largely unhealthy, and end up killing the cancer patient even before killing the cancer cells (Epstein, 2011). To curb the range of problems that are facing the society, ACS is supposed to restructure its leadership. The entire overhaul should hinge on the ide ology that prevention is the best medicine. ACS should in fact focus on supporting educational programs that enlighten the people on how to go about cancer. Just like both HIV/AIDS, and drug and substance abuse, teachers ought to teach cancer education ought from the junior level schools. In like manner, the society should fully embrace research. The society should support cancer research works across various research institutes and all universities. The society should also encourage the population on practicing healthy lifestyles. Doctors argue that the body under the appropriate situations can be its own doctor. The organization put out good words to the public regarding the food types that one should take heed of, that is, the males who suffer from lung and prostate cancer should avoid smoking tobacco and taking too much alcohol. The same goes out to liver cancer patients (Epstein, 2011). The American Cancer Society should employ gene therapy rather than chemotherapy and radiothe rapy. Gene therapy is the practice of cancer control in the genes that cause cancer. Preventive mechanisms are fruitful in controlling disasters as compared to administering treatment. General Motors Formed in September of 1908, General Motors (GM) is among the best automobile firms in the World. It is now a multinational company with its headquarters situated at Detroit, Michigan. The company enjoys 37 branches around the world manufacturing eleven different brands including GMC, Chevrolet, Buick, Isuzu, Vauxhall, Wuling, Baojun, Jie Fang, Cadillac, Holden, and Opel. General Motors is the leading automaker worldwide (Gall, 2011). Despite the success associated with General Motors, the company experiences many challenges that affect the running

State Of The Economy Of Pakistan Economics Essay

State Of The Economy Of Pakistan Economics Essay Pakistans economy has been ragged by two back-to-back crises. The global fuel and food price hikes twisted severe macroeconomic complexity as public finances worsened, inflation climbed, and economic growth slowed down. In Pakistan, the global financial crisis approached at a moment when the financial system was still recovering from the global pricing shocks, thus making the position more terrible as macroeconomic conditions depreciated further and economic growth slowed down slightly. In these circumstances, a major challenge is to position Pakistans economy back on track. During the peak period of crisis 2007-2009, the percentage change in GDP of Pakistan was decreased sharply from 5.6% in 2007 to 3.6% in 2009. The impact of global financial crisis is said to have affected the economies worldwide but countries who were at a very fast pace growth in terms of GDP took a downward flow. As usual, trade balance figures were in negative infact it declines more at US$ 20.74 billion during the period as exports were slightly increase and sustained its position at US$ 19.2 billion and imports were also increased sharply at US$ 39.96 billion. Foreign investment and foreign direct investment are declining drastically at US$ 2.14 billion and US$ 2.21 billion which are adversely affecting the economy as the reason is not only the crisis but also the credibility of the present government. People are suffering as the Inflation which was around 8% before crisis is now around 17.50%. Before the crisis, Forex reserves were at US$ 15.18 billion which was dropped to US$ 10.83 billion during the crisis. Following the beginning of the global economic and financial crisis in the third quarter of 2008, some witness assumed a gloomy scenario of enormous returns of migrant workforce to their countries of origin. They also expressed acceptable fears about worsening circumstances of work and living for migrant workforce and their families, and increasing xenophobia against them. During Crisis, the ambiguity about the success of a migration further amplified. Infact for some earlier migrants, real economic situations and unpredictable demand for foreign employment are tough to grasp. Consequently when ambiguity enlarged, migration patterns also changes. During 2005-2010, the percentage change of Population of Pakistan increased about 11.4% and estimated total number of international migrants is about 87%. This clearly shows that migration was at its peaks in which male and female both are there with 55% and 45% ratio. It has been observed that from Pakistan around 51% international migrants headed towards Europe while 34% towards Middle East, from which 46% are skilled workers and 43% are unskilled workers. 52% of the total international migrant population is from Punjab and 25% from Baluchistan. A very important analysis is of the factors within Pakistan that would lead to the increasing trend of migrations to countries abroad. Factors which Push people from Pakistan are: Lack of education, lack of opportunities, not enough jobs, aspiration to live a better life, lack of money/income, crime and discrimination, health and poor chances of marrying Factors which Pull people from Pakistan are: Job opportunities, better living conditions, security and health education, better medical care and political religious freedom. Globally, remittances have increased extensively in the last decade. In 2006, remittances were put at US$268 billion which flow through formal channels banks other financial institutions; informal mechanisms, such as Hundi Hawala and other informal mechanisms throughout the world account for possibly half as much again. Remittances are on the whole significant for the worlds poorest countries, which are also frequently the most prone to disasters and crisis. In 2006, $199bn in remittances is observed to have flowed through formal channels to developing countries. Generally, through various channels remittances can put a positive impact on the economy. The common perceptive among different economic intellectuals is that remittances can impact on the economy through investment, savings, consumption, growth, foreign exchange and income distribution poverty. The impact on remittances is probably to be a significant mean of communication of the effects of the GFC on developing countries. This research has provided a series of approximations for the likely impact of the global financial crisis on remittances. It has been truly observed that during crisis the flow of remittances always increased. Flow of remittances around the globe increased at US$ 385 billion in 2007 from US$ 317 billion in 2006. But now it has reached at US$ 437 billion estimated for year 2010. It was slightly decreased by 6.5% in 2009. The reasons were the cost cutting in salaries and overtime across the globe due to recession and global financial crisis, increased flow of remittances through informal mechanisms and channels like Hundi and also due to political situations in some areas. During 2007-2009, the growth rate was not at the benchmark around the world except South Asia because it contains the countries like Pakistan, India and Bangladesh which are the main countries of destination origin. If we compare remittance growth rate country wise then it has been observed that most of the remittances come from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Switzerland, Australia and North America. Remittance flow of Pakistan during the crisis grew by 17%, 23% and 7% in 2008, 2009 and 2010 respectively. It has been observed that remittance flow to Pakistan has increased during and after crisis as the with the collaboration of Federal Government SBP began the Pakistan Remittance Initiative (PRI) in 2009 that will surely bring the primary transformation in Pakistans remittance system to enhance and assist the flow of remittances sent back home by Pakistani diasporas. According to Officials of SBP and PRI, still 55% of total remittances flow through informal channel through Hundi and other means. 5.2 Recommendations In the light of the research conducted and the interaction with the people in the field and literature review; the following recommendations are presented in the thesis which would help SBP, PRI, Commercial Banks and other Financial Institutions to increase the flow of remittance through formal channels: Federal Government or State bank of Pakistan needs to promote the remittance sector as it has around 5% share in GDP. They should provide the incentives and motivation to the companies and Diasporas (Non-Resident Pakistani Abroad) that are transporting remittances into the country Not enough existence in overseas jurisdictions of Pakistani banks and lack of marketing efforts are major obstacles to the remittance flow. PRI should provide financial incentive schemes for overseas organizations against mobilization of additional remittances. PRI SBP should monitor the market for remittances so that they should be crystal clear and have adequate consumer safety and security. They should create ways to advanced the payment arrangement infrastructure that likely to enhance the competency of remittance services should be encouraged. Improve assistance made by migrant associations to expansion schemes in countries of origin. As well as help to build up associations between government officials migrant associations in countries of origin in order to facilitate improved associations among these parties and multiply the incomes available for development plans. Cash over the counter payment system should be applied to all the banks in Pakistan except the five big giant banks. To motivate the beneficiaries, SBP should introduce a customer handling system. Publicize information on investment and saving options to Diasporas via common migrant resource centers for remittances. Help build capacity for increasing consular services for non-resident Pakistanis, including database, so that allowing irregular Diasporas to use accessible formal remittance channels where possible. PRI and SBP should monitor the role of remittance service provider so that they should contribute aggressively in the implementation of common principles. As the percentage of remittance flowing through informal ways is quite huge so Commercial Banks with the help of PRI should create ways to downsize the frequency and flow of remittances through informal channels i.e. Hundi.

Effects of Television Violence on Children and Teenagers :: essays research papers fc

Effects of Television Violence on Children and Teenagers Does violence on television have a negative effect on children and teenagers? The violence shown on television has a surprisingly negative effect. Television violence causes children and teenagers to become less caring, to lose their inhibitions, to become less sensitive, and also may cause violent and aggressive behavior. Television violence causes children and teenagers to be less caring, to lose their inhibitions, and to be less sensitive. In a study on the connection between violence and television done with 1,565 teenage boys over a six-year period in London, William Belson, a British psychologist, found that every time a child saw someone being shot or killed on television they became less caring towards other people (Kinnear 26). William Belson also discovered that every time a child viewed this violence on television, they lost a fragment of their inhibitions towards others (Kinnear 26). In addition to William Belson’s study, studies done by many scientists and doctors show that seeing violence on television causes viewers to become less sensitive to the pain of others (Mudore 1). Furthermore, television violence causes aggressive behavior in children. Many people believe that children who watch violent television programs exhibit more aggressive behavior than that exhibited by children who do not (Kinnear 23). According to the results of many studies and reports, violence on television can lead to aggressive behavior in children (Langone 50). Also, when television was introduced into a community of children for the first time, researchers observed a rise in the level of physical and verbal aggression among these children (Langone 51). The more television violence viewed by a child, the more aggressive the child is (â€Å"Children† 1). Television violence is also a cause of both violent and aggressive behavior in teenage boys. According to the evidence in a study done by Turner, Hesse, and Peterson-Lewis, it was concluded that watching television violence had a long-term increase in aggression in boys (Hough 1). In addition to this study, Dr. William A. Belson evaluated fifteen hundred boys, aged thirteen to sixteen years, and he determined that boys with heavy television exposure are more likely to commit violent acts than other boys (Langone 51). In Belson’s study, he discovered that the effect of each violent act on television was collective, and over time, Belson discovered that the boys engaged in many aggressive acts, including painting graffiti, breaking windows, aggressive play, swearing, and threatening other boys with violence (Kinnear 26).

Good Technology Vs. Bad Technology Essay

In a world dominated by technology, it can be difficult for a person to distinguish between the meaning of ‘good technology’ and ‘bad technology’. The question which makes this categorization so hard is, what is it that makes technology good or bad? Is it the technology itself that makes it good or bad or is it us, the users? Technology is a most wonderful and marvellous thing. It can be found in just about every aspect of our everyday lives. Everything from an alarm waking us up, to using an electric toothbrush or razor, or driving a vehicle utilizes technology in some way. Technology is all around us and will be for the rest of time. Technology, like most everything in this world, has its upside and its downside. The upside can be seen as the technological good. Advances in the technology field allow us to accomplish things much more easily than ever before. The recent release of the new IPhone is an excellent example of just how much we are capable of accomplishing with technology. With this gadget that fits in your hand, one is capable of not just making phone calls around the world but also sending text messages, e-mails, browsing the internet, listening to music, and taking pictures among many other functions of the IPhone. And with the applications that are available to be downloaded to the handheld device, a homeowner can now do such things as controlling the temperature in their home, or even locking/unlocking the doors when they are out of the house. The many functions of this gadget are simply amazing. In a way, when using a smartphone device such as the IPhone, one can complete just about everything the y would do in their day to day life and it’s all at their fingertips. But beneath the glamour of these devices, there lies the horrible downside. One downside which has been in the media for years now is the problem of people not getting enough physical activity. With just about everything at our fingertips in one of these devices, means that we can be lazy. We don’t have to get up and go to the bank anymore to pay bills or transfer money; we can do it on the phone. Instead of kids getting up and going outside to play, they can now sit and play games at their fingertips and connect to such social media site as Facebook and Twitter to play against their friends. They can also watch movies, or read books along with playing any game that is available. These things can all be done by sitting in the comfort of your own home without having to get up and be physical.  This is a prime example of how ‘good’ technology can be dangerous. Without physical activity the human body is not able to burn as many calories as it should and can lead to a person gaining body fat. This body fat can affect many different aspects of the human body, everything from the heart, respiratory system, joints, and even a person’s mood. These effe cts can possibly lead to a premature death of a person if they are not healthy. It is not the IPhone which can make a person become lazy, but it is the user. One must know their limit of how much time to spend using the gadget. In today’s world, a large amount of technology can now be found in vehicles. Temperature settings, door locks, windows, cameras, are among the many things that are run by technology in many of today’s vehicles. Such advances make riding in a vehicle more enjoyable, comfortable, and safer. For example entertainment systems are now being installed in vehicles for those long drives to help keep people entertained and to make it seem as if the time is passing quickly. The passengers are able to watch a movie through a DVD player on their own personal screen. Some vehicles even contain hookups which allow game consoles to be played. New temperature controls mean that that there can be a separate temperature on each side of the vehicle for the driver and passenger. This means that there is no more fighting over the controls if one person is too warm and the other is too cold. Everyone can be comfortable with their own climate controlled settings. A new and emerging safety feature is something called park assist. This feature helps when people prepare to parallel park the vehicle and works with sensors that are mounted around the exterior which allows the vehicle to do the parking for you. The driver doesn’t even have to touch the wheel. One can also buy vehicles that have a camera mounted on the rear end, when reversing, the screen which is found in the centre console switches to show a live feed of what is behind the vehicle. This helps the driver to make sure that there is nothing behind the vehicle, especially in the places that cannot be seen in the mirrors. Along with these safety features, automatic locks have now taken over manual locking doors. The way that automatic locks function varies from car to car. In some cases, once you put the vehicle in to gear the doors lock, in others it happens when you reach a certain speed and in some the driver or front passenger has to push a button to lock all of the  doors . All of these features allow us to feel more comfortable and safer. But is it truly best to have so much technology within a vehicle? There have been instances when in emergency situations, such as after having been in an accident, the doors will not unlock due to the technology. This can be very dangerous when it happens in a life or death situation. If the doors are unable to be unlocked, it can take rescuers a longer amount of time to get into the vehicle and help the victims. And in such a situation every second is critical. Airbags are another very important safety feature but due to advancements in technology, do not always function correctly. Upon impact, the airbags in a vehicle are meant to deploy so as to allow the driver and passenger to hit a cushion when thrust forward instead of hitting the steering wheel and dashboard. However, with the advances in technology there are sometimes problems with the sensors which do not allow the airbags to deploy upon impact. This can cause serious injuries and is an excellent example of how what we believe to be ‘good’ technology, actually being dangerous to us. In these two examples it is not the user which makes the technology ‘bad’, but it is the technology itself as it is unreliable since it may not function properly when it is most needed. The categorization between ‘good technology’ and ‘bad technology’ ultimately depends on what the technology is being used for and how it is being used. In some cases, such as the IPhone, when using it too much can potentially make a person lazy, leading to decreased amounts of physical activity, is the user themselves. The IPhone could be categorized as being good because of what it allows the user to do, but also bad since the user can become engulfed by it. However in the case of the technology in vehicles not functioning properly all of the time, this is not caused by the user. It is the technology itself which makes it good or bad and in a world becoming dominated by technology, it will forever be a battle between whether it is the technology or the user which can make something that seems good, be dangerous.

America Pathway Tto The Present Chp2-3 Essays - Tribal Chiefs

America Pathway Tto The Present Chp2-3 Essays - Tribal Chiefs America Pathway Tto The Present Chp2-3 1. (A) Reformation- a new complication arose in the early 1500s, when a powerful religious movement, the Reformation, brought bitter divisions to Europe. During the Reformation, a new Christian faith, called Protestantism, developed in protest against what was seen as the corruption and inadequery of Catholic Church. Because the English were Protestant and the Irish were Catholic, the Reformation also heightened the conflict between the English and the Irish. (B) Joint Stock Company-They called the new village Jamestown in honor of their king, James I. The land itself they called Virginia, after their last ruler, Elizabeth, who had never married and bore the title Virgin Queen. The 104 adventures who started the colony were shareholders in the Virginia Company, a joint stock company established in London in 1606. Investors, or shareholders, who each contributed money to the cots of an enterprise, and expected a share of profit, organized joint stock companies like the Virginia Company. Most of the investors in Virginia Company remained in England. But young men could earn a share by simply paying their way to Virginia. At first the colony was made up exclusively of men; women and children eventually followed. (C) Indentured Servants- To produce tobacco, planters needed people to work the fields. During the first sixty years after the founding of the colony, they turned primarily to indentured servants from England. These were people who had to work for a master for a period of time, usually seven years, under a contract called an indenture. In return for their work, their master paid the cost of their voyage to Virginia and gave them food and shelter. Some indentures promised a piece of land to the servant at the end of the indentured period. Historians estimate that between 100,000 and 150,000 men and women came as servants to work in the fields of Virginia and Maryland during the 1600s. Most of them were eighteen to twenty-two years of age, unmarried, and poor. Few of the indentured servants lived long enough to claim their land at the end of their service. Exposure to the climate and diseases of the Chesapeake Bay killed them in horrendous numbers. (D) Enclosure Movement- Land owners had found that they could make more money from raising livestock than they could collect rent from tenant farmers. The landowners forced their tenants to leave and turned fields into pasture, or enclosed them. Many people in Europe lost their homes as a result of this enclosure movement. Thus, England was swarming with young people in search of food and work. Called, masterless men and women because they had no master, or employer, they had few other choices besides signing indentures to work for land in Virginia. 2. (A) Powhatan- Most of them recognized the authority of one powerful group, the Pamunkey people. They particularly honored the Pamunkey leader, Powhatan. Paying him tribute- =a kind of tax-in skins, beads, and food. Within weeks of the first attack on the English, several Englishmen traveled to neighboring Native American villages to offer tribute of their own and to persuade the Native American that their intentions in settling in the area were good. Powhatan had every reason to distrust those intentions. The Spanish had captured Powhatans brother, Opechancanough, in the 1560s. Doubtless Opechancanough and Powhatan understood well that the settlement was a threat to their peoples way of life. (B) John Smith- The Adventures had migrated to Virginia to become wealthy by living off the work of others. In Europe wealthy landowners did little physical work. When me who were or wanted to be gentlemen came to Virginia, their leader John Smith found it difficult to get them to work at all. Even when they were starving, many men simply refused to compromise their image of themselves as gentlemen by growing corn. In 1608 smith warned them: You must obey this now for a law, that he that will not work shall not eat for the labors of thirty or forty honest and industrious men shall not be consumed to maintain a hundred and fifty idle loiterers. 3. The English based their pattern of conquest on their experiences in Ireland, the island nation off their western coast. For centuries,

Reaction to Ethan Frome essays

Reaction to Ethan Frome essays The movie begins in winter and Reverend Smith enters the town to serve the community of Starkfield. Eager to do gods work, this very ambitious preacher pities an old man and wishes to help him. The people of the town seem to become rigged and tightlipped whenever Reverend Smith ever brings him up. Mr. Smiths keeper Mrs. Crane explains to him that he has sinned and begins to tell him the story of Ethan Fromes misfortune. Its at this point in the movie when there is a flashback sequence that lasts for most of the remainder of the film. We find out that the old cripple was not always crippled. It seems curious to how he got this way. We also meet a new character, which is a distant cousin of Ethans. Zeena was sent to live with Ethan to help take care of his mother until the day of her death during the winter. Too cold to travel home, Zeena stays with Ethan. They eventually fall in love and get married. As time progresses, Zeenas health declines and she sends for a relative to come live with them until her health improves. Mattie Silver arrives to take care of her cousin and eventually caches the eye of Ethan. A strong sexual tension builds between the two and they eventually fall for one another. While attempting to maintain a discreet relationship, the towns people become displaced from Ethan and they become aware that the interaction between Ethan and Mattie is not normal. As Zeena returns from an out of town doctors visit for her illness, she is easily enraged and seems to be intuitive to the intermingling between Ethan and Mattie. Zeena sends for another family member to replace Mattie and it threatens the relationship that Ethan and Mattie have built. As Ethan is taking Mattie to the train station to leave the town, they decide to go sledding where on top of a hill they express their passion for each other. After several runs, Ethan places Mattie in the steering position and sh ...

Impact of Economic Background Conditions on Growth of Labor Unions Essay

Impact of Economic Background Conditions on Growth of Labor Unions - Essay Example This paper offers thorough analysis of the current situation in the labor market and the change of labor union importance in protection of rights of the workers. Since the origin of labor unions workers are aware they are meant to be protected from the extremes of employers. It is primarily for this reason that unions were popular among workers. They negotiated for workers salary, terms of service and intervened on behalf of workers on a number of issues. Labor unions were therefore relevant and useful to workers. Now however, fewer workers are willing to join unions. There are a number of reasons for reluctance. One of the commonest is changes in economic situations. Unions try but cannot effectively negotiate on behalf of workers during hard economic times. There is little to be done when companies lay off workers to avert effects of recession. Sometimes as in the recent economic recession companies close down without compensating workers. People lose jobs, salaries are slashed yet unions look on. The public is aware companies will lose out to competitors if all workers are to be compensated In addition globalization is also proving a challenge to labor unions. Most companies are opening branches in remote areas where workers are paid low wages. Unionism in some of developing countries is low and workers are ignorant of their rights. Similarly there is high mobility of labor yet activities of the unions are still tied in local settings. The majority workers immigrating to other countries do not see the need to join unions.

English Language Mastery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

English Language Mastery - Essay Example The out of class essays significantly helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses in the mastery of English language. When I was writing the two essays, I realized I could use some of the vocabularies that I had learnt in the course of my study. As featured in the essay on Inequality in America, I was able to use clearly and precisely words such as ‘perpetuate’, ‘rudimentary’ and ‘adamant’ among others. Such words, I did not have a slight idea of what they entailed. The same translates to the essay on The Effectiveness of Education in our Society. In addition, there was a clear mastery of sentence structuring. Initially, my sentences used to be lengthy and I used to receive comments that they were ‘ambiguous’. The use of speech marks has also been widely entrenched in my writings. I used to find it difficult to quote phrases from other sources and whenever I tried, there lacked coherence with the rest of my work. Through the essa ys, I was also able to perfect the art of writing an essay; this involves the arrangement of work into introduction, body and the conclusion. In addition, every beginning sentence of every paragraph had to carry a meaning that is explained in the rest of the paragraph.The in-class essay formed the foundation of my writing. These helped shape my skills such that the out of class assignments became easy to approach. There were myriad of challenges that I encountered through these assignments. Firstly, tenses were proving somehow challenging to master.

Whatever matches the essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Whatever matches the - Essay Example The fundamental root of morality and ethics in the society is the teachings of religion. While different religions may have different stakes on suicide, it is forbidden in most of the religions particularly the Abrahamic religions including Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. The social structure of most nations, their norms and values, trends and traditions can be traced back to the prevailing religion of a vast majority of people making up those nations. Something like suicide that is inconsistent with the teachings of religion is ethically questionable. Suicide is violence and all forms of violence are ethically significant issues. Like in every act of crime, there is an offender and a victim in suicide. What makes this form of crime unique is that both the offender and the victim is the same person. This complicates suicide as a form of violence because the involvement of the will of the victim in being victimized serves as a hindrance for others to intrude even if they want to. Others are essentially caught in a dilemma. On one hand, they feel responsible not for stopping the person committing suicide because they probably could if they used force. On the other hand, they feel responsible for stopping the person committing the suicide and thus making that person take more tension and distress. The effects of suicide are not limited to the person who commits it, but extend beyond him/her to affect the family and friends and most other people who learn about the unfortunate event. In many cases, family members take extreme steps in emotional distress and also commit the suicide in an attempt to end the agony. Since a suicide has bad psychological effects on the friends and family in particular and the society in general, its ethical significance is not questionable. To conclude, suicide is undoubtedly an ethically significant issue on the grounds of religion, violence, and social effects. Suicide is a

Work Teams Essay Example for Free

Work Teams Essay One of the most important things to keep in mind when assembling work teams is team efficacy. Team efficacy is basically where effective teams have confidence in them and each other in the ability to succeed. Everyone that will be a part of this developmental team will have to come together and agree on what is best for the subject at hand. You will have to come in agreement with one another to work effectively as a team. Working as a team will create positive synergy that will allow an increase in performance. Having the correct work team established will also allow an easier and more organized work environment. When members know their role and what is expected of them, their job becomes easier. To create an effective team, you will need to be able to function and work together while displaying certain characteristics. Those characteristics are as follows: Adequate resources – must have adequate amounts of resources outside of the group to sustain it. You must have support on a variety of levels. In this case your support would be from the different jobs each of you holds in your development group. Those of you from the school system can provide classrooms, teachers and first hand encounters with students. Those of you with NCPIE can provide outside eyes looking in. Diversity, racial, ethnic, gender and disability issues are your main concerns. Lastly, those with The Woodson Foundation can provide logistical support, program development and measurement of the staff. The next characteristic you must show would be leadership and structure. You must be able to agree on who can perform what duties to the best of their abilities. Your team’s performance depends on the knowledge and skills of its members. From the list of possible candidates, those I feel that would be able to adapt to the thoughts and ideas of others with the outcome being that of a successful program are listed in no particular order. I would appoint Victoria Adams (Superintendent of Washington, DC schools) as part of the team. Miss Adams made the initial contact with The Woodson Foundation. She knows that the school system, communities and families should be involved, but believes that the school system should be playing the largest role. Being the superintendent of all area schools can also provide adequate esources in classrooms and with the teaching staff. I would also appoint Community Organizer Mason Dupree. Having so much contact with the community would provide the outside voices a way in. Communities are an important part of a successful school system, so you will need someone the community trusts and is comfortable with. Lastly, from The Woodson Foundation, I would select Meredith Watson to the team. Miss Watson has both experiences working as a teacher and with the foundation. She will be able to relate to both sides as well as providing the resources the Foundation has to offer. I would also consider having Victor Martinez from The Woodson Foundation as well. Mr. Martinez seems to have an open mind frame and welcome change when and if needed. He could serve as a possible mediator for the team. For the other candidates that were not chosen, I would say to open up to all sides of the equation. If you are deadest on your ways and have no room for change, the chances are your way will not work. You have to be willing to give a little as well as lose a little. Having a mind frame of only things that you agree and believe in will only satisfy you. To finish up characteristics, you will also need a climate of trust among team members. If you can’t trust those you are working with then how are those you are working to support going to trust you. With all this being said, it will be a long bumpy ride. With twists and turns and bumps along the way conflicts are sure to arise. Conflicts that may occur might not all be necessarily bad. Task conflicts happen often within teams. Many only wish to be able to form a team and agree instantly on everything, but in reality there will be a lot of conflicts and disagreements along the way. When these conflicts do arise, and they will, the best thing to do will be to talk the issue out. Debate it if you have to, discuss the pros and cons, and get outside opinions as well as the opinions of those involved. Do not get angry or irritated which in the end will only make the problem worse. Using interactive negotiating strategies will also benefit the team. Throwing out a variety of ideas is a perfect start. Once you have a set of ideas, you can start to determine ones with the perfect fit. Being able to successfully demonstrate and following through with negotiations shows you are willing to come to an agreement for the issues at hand. You must be able to find within your group those that excel in certain areas and appoint them that category. When you begin making decisions as a team, you will see how easy it is to work together for the best. Program Team: To be a good leader, you must be able to understand and work with those on all levels of the project. You have to be open to change as well as being able to handle a diverse group of people. The school district, NCPIE and The Woodson Foundation all revolve around different varieties of people. You must be willing to step in the shoes of others to fully understand the issues at hand. All groups must show certain characteristics of organizational culture such as: innovation and risk taking, attention to detail, outcome orientation, people orientation, team orientation, aggressiveness and stability. All three groups have their own organizational culture, but they all are looking for job satisfaction. Culture creates distinctions between organizations. To get all members to agree despite their different organizational cultures, members must come together as one. Setting aside difference will lead to productivity, commitment and overall better expected outcomes. In order for you as leaders to succeed with the parents and employees, you much be willing to incorporate their ideas and opinions into your own. You have to think about the team as a whole. Including members in your work team as well as the audience surrounding you (the parents). Making sure you are the best fit as a leader as well will determine the success of the situation. Leaders should earn the trust of the students and parents as well as the teachers, if you can’t earn trust you won’t be able to fully succeed. Once you have established trust you will want to provide chances for interaction. You will also want to establish a vision. Leaders should work towards capturing individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, and inspirational motivation and idealized influence. Working towards the satisfaction of all involved should be of main concern. If problems do happen to arise, thing about the conflicts and use communication to work them out accordingly.

Heart and Soul Gem and Jewellery Analysis

Heart and Soul Gem and Jewellery Analysis Executive Summary Heart and Soul Gem and Jewellery is a well established company in Sri Lanka for the past 15 years. We have been catering to this market successfully and we have a proven track record of our achievement throughout past years. As mentioned above our products are Gem and Jewellery, and we market stones as well as designer jewellery to our target market. Our target market is the high end markets that always look for delicate and unique presence of styles in jewellery as well as in stones. We have been the market leader in Sri Lanka for the past five years and have been very successful in holding our position. In order to expand our business internationally we are now in the process of moving into different countries and exporting Gem and Jewellery. On this basis now we are in the progress of exporting Gem and Jewellery to the US market. Not only exporting but also we are planning to open up our retail outlets in the main suburbs which are well known for our types of products which would be California as well as Los Angeles. Thus, the following report will be analysing the US market as well as the feasibility of our products being exported there. The reports analyses various areas including the market analysis, product specifications, pricing, promotions, rules and implications and so on. Introduction Socio-cultural Analysis As early days as well as today market for Gems have a high demand all over the world. Mainly the biggest buyer for Gem stones are United States and European countries. People who are highly rich and moderate income earners coming from Royal Families, Celebrities from Hollywood to Bollywood wear these precious stones for their ultimate satisfaction needs. In USA most ladies wear these expensive stones such as Pearls, Rubies, and Sapphires for uniqueness and for the charming effect that built through these precious stones. Most men and women wear this stones to show there prestige as well as to enhance their public image and to show their wealthiest and the social class. As the social impact of having a Gemstone is remarkable experience and also mentioned as Good luck. A person who receives a wedding ring or the wedding necklace embedded with Diamond stones, on the wedding day she will be the luckiest lady in the whole world. Also another example a mother who receives a birthstone for her little one will be a memorable gift for all mothers of all ages. According to US culture women who are rich and fashionable, they normally dont miss to wear these accessories. Most of the elegant women who are capable of having several kinds of gemstones have the advantage of using variety of stones depending on the occasion. As an example diamonds gives a classy look and posh image for evening gatherings. And Rubies are very precious that gives a charming effect on women. Economic Analysis Gems Jewellery industry is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. Mainly USA is the largest buyer for gems and jewellery. The trends and challenges can influence the gems and jewellery market is in USA. There was a less demand for platinum jewellery in last few years in USA. One of the pluses accruing for the falling U.S. Dollar is the consequent depreciation which results. In this way, the products made in US will become more attractive in the international market. In the same way our gem export will be facing the Dollar shortage. This challenge will have to be circumventing by other ways. Firstly, it is wise to open a Sri Lanka branch in US because it can serve several purposes. Its can supply wholesale or retail or do the advertising of our local product. Sri Lanka branch can be sensitive to the customs, restrictions or variation keep our country in form. Our Sri Lankan Branch in Los Angeles can do so much to outdo the glittering synthetics for the following reasons. Also a future purchases in US on gemstone will be at a higher price. It is true that the entire ruff for the gem stone come to US from outside US has only a few exceptions. The general trend is that foreign stone have a general rising price trend that is keeping pace with the growing, fashions demand of US. The Product Evaluate product as an innovation as it is perceived by the intended market Relative Advantage Most importantly, the consumer must consider the product should have benefits that are superior to other options (Solomon, 2008, p. 653).Sri Lanka is well known as the island of gems, because the brilliant range of gems found in its soil, namely cats eye, spinel, blue, white, star and fancy sapphires, garnet, topaz, moonstones, zircon, , and chrysoberyl. The stones are mining in larger scale in Ratnapura and Elahara areas. Gem cutting ensures maximum yield and the best quality as well as its brings the maximum beauty, rarity, durability, and value of the stones. Compatibility The innovation must be consistent with current needs, values, beliefs, and behaviours. (Solomon, 2008, p. 652).U.S.A people love jewellery and they appreciate it when their jewellery is fashionable. They have different perception towards different stones. Mostly diamond stone is more popular in USA. The Market Describe the market(s) in which the product is to be sold Geographical region(s) Los Angeles is one of the renowned cities of United States of America. The city measures 71km longitudinally and 47km latitudinal. The perimeter of the city is 550km. (The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom, 2010) It is the only major city in the United Statesseparated by a mountain range. Los Angeles in the United States is a most renowned place for Gem Exhibition. The gem collection in Los Angeles is a very prominent place because it has history along several years. The Gem collection has a world-wide in range and boasts particular strengths in different types from California and other such states. (The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom, 2010) The collections are being actively improved principally through purchases with customer preferences. Forms of transportation and communication available in that region The Los Angeles in the United States operate a well form of transportation system for bus lines, as well as subway and light rail lines across Los Angeles City, with a combined daily ridership of 1.7 million. The majority of this (1.4 million) is taken up by the citys bus system, the second busiest city in the country. The subway and light rail combined average the remaining roughly 319,000 boarding per weekday. (Gem Fashion, 2010) Around 12% of Los Angeles commuters ride some form of public transportation, which places Los Angeles fourth among the 10 largest cities in the U.S. for the share of person along the ride using public means of transport. The citys subway system is the ninth busiest in the United States and its light rail system is the countrys third busiest. The city also has a commuter rail system Metro link in the central which links Los Angeles to all neighboring counties as well as many suburbs. Consumer buying habits Product-use patterns The passion with possessing gems is quite universal. Gems haveamusedand attracted for thousands of years. This also has been the gifts and sums of kings and queens and other such rulers. Most vital gems are the most demanding gifts to give or receive. Gems represent as a symbol of devotion and are the powerful approach of saying evermore to a loved one. Due to the hardiness of gems, they can be passed from one generation to another. A gem collecting is quite interesting; unlike purchasing a stockpile or a bond, trading with gems are enjoyable investments to accumulate. (Where are Gemstones found?, 2009) Although gems do not endow with income in the classical pattern, they provide an intuitive incomeexceptional in the collector market. Gems are uncommon, they are limited and findings have become exceedingly rare. Most precious stones are very old and the finest gems are long gone. Most extensive colour gemstone is accomplished withprehistorichand tools, a process by which invention cannot be accelerated to meet demand. (Gem Fashion, 2010) The best way to buy gemstones is to collect when the marketplaces are slowdown and sell when the markets are hot. Gemstones may represent an ideal store-of-value if inflation accelerates.Gemstones are the most determined form of wealth known to man. Gems are extremely convenient; and simply could be obscured and stored. Gems are concealed, convenient, non-detectable asset, and they are tremendous valuable wealth.Gems are anonymous and private; it is easy to store the gems secretly in a bank vault or other such secure place. Product feature preferences Ruby Ruby is a legendary gem because it has a fiery red colour. In close proximity to its colour, it is a most attractive gem due to its solidity, sturdiness, lustre, and rarity. Most of the transparent rubies of large sizes are even rarer than diamonds. The transparent flawless ruby in terms of value is most expensive compared to the other Gems. . (The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom, 2010) Rubies should be Transparent in order to get an expensive value. Diamond Diamond is the mostvaluable Stone. It is well-known for its amazing lustre, hardness and beauty. It is the most valuable gems in the type of gemstone. The most fortunate shape diamond is one that is colourless with a sapphire shade or one, which sprays blue and scarlet rays with no black dots.Diamonds are the solid substance on terrain. (The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom, 2010) They are more brilliant than any other natural gem. Their sparkling fire, durability, and rarity make them the most prized of gems. Diamonds are the mostglistening of true gems. They have a brilliant lustre, and alsoshow signs of dazzling colour flashes known as fire. Blue Sapphire Blue is the foremost colour of the sapphire. Blue is also the favourite colour, for certain people, men and women alike. The colour, strongly relates to the sapphire as it is, with thoughts of compassion and accord, friendship and loyalty: feelings which belong to individuality that show their appeal in the long term. Thus the azure of the sapphire has become a colour which fits as stable and reliable. (The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom, 2010) That is one of the reasons that women prefer in many country wish for a sapphire ring on their engagement. The sapphire represents loyalty, but in the similar time it gives expression to peoples love and desire. Emerald Emeralds are excellent gemstones. In top quality, fine emeralds are still more precious than diamonds. These encompass the most beautiful, most intense and most beaming green that can probably be imagined as emerald green. The name emeralds come from Greek. Innumerable far-fetched stories have fledged up around this splendidgem. The green of the emerald is the colour of being and of the springtime, which comes round again and again. But it has also, for centuries, been the colour of beauty and of constant love. In olden days in Rome, green was the colour of Venus, the goddess of beauty and adore. And in the present day, this colour standstill a special site in many cultures and religions. Green, for example, is the divine colour of Islam. Many of the states of the Arab leagues have green in their streamer as a representation of the unity of their reliance. (The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom, 2010) However this colour has a high status in the Catholic Church too, where green is regarde d as the most natural and the most elemental of therelated colours. There are many more stones which are highly demandable in USA, among which the above are the most vital and well known stones. Shopping habits These are the products that could be purchase to suit your need at any cost. The result array covers every price points, from low to high end. The designs are available at customer preference. Often buyers rely on the expertise of the sellers to pick out the latest patterns available in their stores. Buyers can purchase any expensive product when it comes for occasional seasons. Some buyers buy for their personal and private collections. Most of the Americans prefer expensive stones because they prefer Gems as an asset because investing is worthwhile because they last longer and keeping it would have a very huge demand if the stone is really valuable. (Solomon, 2008) The customers could ask for their own preferences if they do not want to buy the design that is available in the market for higher price. Distribution of the product Retail Outlets The distribution methods which we are going to carry on will consist of retail outlets as well as the use of agencies as the middlemen in the process. As mentioned before we are planning to open our company Palmna Gem and Jewellers in America, in Los Angeles and California which are the highly potential places to market Gem and Jewellery. Thus, well be having typical retail outlets in these two places. For now we are planning to operate one retail outlet in Los Angeles and one in California. (Where are Gemstones found?, 2009) The retail outlet in Los Angeles will be situated in down town which is actually the hub for all gemstones and jewellery outlets. Famous gemstones history lies in Los Angeles such as American Golden Topaz, Bismarck Sapphire Necklace, etc. (History of Famous Gemstones, 2000) Even though the competitors are nearby which might be a challenge for us to market our products, having outlets near them will automatically create the possibility of driving the target market to our outlets since they will anyway come to downtown of Los Angeles for the purchase of Gems and Jewellery. The spots marked in red in the map shows the competitors outlets in Downtown. The next outlet will be in California, which is the second major place which has a very high potential market for Gems and Jewellery. This outlet will be located in San Diego in California. This part of California is well known for tourists attraction. Not only a place filled with tourists but it is also a place where you can find most of the rich and the wealthy people living who is our potential target market. (Gemstones found in California, 1995-2009) Thus, the choice of this place is basically to attract the tourists who visit San Diego and also the rich business men in California. Middlemen involved in sales Since our company is having outlets only in Los Angeles and California, in order to distribute our products to potential customers in other regions of USA, we are planning to have agencies involved in it. The main reason of having these agencies would be to handle operations in other parts of USA. Gems and jewelleries are too risky to be outsourced to external agencies. Thus, we will be having our own internal agencies who will be working in different regions all over USA. They will be part of our employees and will be paid fixed fees on every transaction. Any additional payments will be on the basis of the number of sales they make. These agencies will be in regions such as, Tennessee, Arizona, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Arkansas and Nevada. (Current Gemstones in United States, 2005-2009) These are potential places which have gem markets and also gem mines. These agencies will not only be responsible for the distributions in the relevant regions but also will act as Competitor Intelligence (CI) through which our company will keep in track of the competitors acts. Advertising and Promotion Advertising Media In order to promote our gem and jewelleries successfully in the US market, we have planned of various promotional aspects which would enable us to reach the target markets successfully. On that basis, when it comes to advertising in media the following would be our marketing strategies. Pricing Strategy Customary Mark-ups We are in the aim of taking our gem and jewelleries world by storm in the future. We do not have the same level of price mark ups for all our products. But, we do give the guarantee that the stones and jewellery we are selling genuine stones sourced and obtained by our company under the laws and regulations of USA. The reason why we do not have fixed mark-ups for our products is that the gems are exported from Sri Lanka which are truly genuine and are priceless. According to the customer and the value of different stones we keep a mark-up. But normally as all other retailers, the mark-up would be 300% or more. (Internet Forums, 2009) Considering the above factors, we cannot exactly decide the prices of the gemstones yet the values of the stones can be revealed. Approximately the values of the gemstones would be as follows In the above table ND stands for the value not disclosed because it would reveal proprietary information of small number of producers, included in totals. Available Discounts The discounts would vary from stone to stone and from purchase to purchase. Especially bulk purchases by consumers provide them with higher discounts than usual. Yet, the discounts would normally be a minimum of 5% to a maximum of 50% (The most widel traded Gemstones, 2009). Our company discounts will normally range as follows. Compare and contrast your product and the competitions products Direct Competitors When exporting gemstones to USA we are bound to meet many competitors in the market, therefore we need to make sure that the gems and jewelry are up to high standard and with great quality to survive in the industry. The main three direct competitors are, Tiffany co Macys jewelry Zales jewelry Tiffany co. Tiffany co. is known for great jewelry and for good quality for more than 150 years where the diamonds found at tiffanys stores are difficult to be found in other stores unless special orders for that type of quality is made. (Jewellers, 2009) They have many types of diamond jewelry starting form rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces and pendants, and also engagement jewelry etc. packaging is done in a variety of ways but tiffanys is mainly famous for the blue box and the white bow which also has a hidden meaning of quality jewelry. Tiffanys also provide a full life time warranty where as if the diamond is not up to standard or as promised in the certificate they accept the jewelry back and provides with a refund of the full purchase price or a replacement with a diamond that meets each of the characteristics warranted. When a stone is cut for brilliance it may also loose size, and as known for brilliance is our measure tiffanys diamonds are cut for beauty not for size. The price range will vary from $1,000.00 to $ 50,000.00 for all the diamond stud jewelry, (Jewellers, 2009)However when purchasing a tiffany diamond the customer gets a brand name which is easily identifiable, Therefore customers mainly pay for the name of the brand not just for the product. Tiffanys promotional strategies are through websites which includes all the details of whats new in store and the respective prices and the outlets available in each city. Brochures, leaflets and billboards and jewelry exhibitions are also part of their promotional campaign to make the customer s more knowledgeable about the fine quality diamonds and jewelry available in store. (Jewellers, 2009) Macys Jewelry Macys has gained its brand equity throughout the years and will be a major competitor to us in the market as they are similar and consist of many gemstones with jewelry, gemstones such as diamond, ruby, sapphire, semi precious gemstones, turquoise, diamonds, cubic zirconium etc. it is known for quality and supplies a variety of jewelry to its customers primarily rings, bracelets, watches, mens jewelry, fashion jewelry, necklaces and pendants etc. The jewelry boxes are packed in many ways with different colours to suit the taste of the customer and different shapes. The price range will vary from $500.00 to $10000.00 based on the customers preference and the gem and jewelry type. (Jewellers, 2009) Like any famous brand mostly the price will be determined according to the brand as mostly the customers will have to pay a higher amount for the brand name. Macys uses different types of advertising and promotional methods to create awareness of whats new in stores and to gain customer loyalty. The promotional strategies are mainly promotional campaigns, billboards, leaflets, brochures, and magazine articles as gem and jewelry is a high end product and too much of publicity will cheapen the image of the product. Promotional campaigns will consist of events such as jewelry exhibitions where it will be easy access for Macys to reach its customers. (Jewellers, 2009) Zales Jewelry As most of the Americans prefer diamonds when wanting to purchase a gemstone Zales jewelry can also be classified as a competitor to us in the gem and jewelry industry. They have been in the industry and had been trusted since 1924 by making fine quality high class diamond stud jewelry which is mainly watchs, bracelets, necklaces and pendants, rings and engagement jewelry etc. (Jewellers, 2009) The brand name is not so prestigious at Zales but they do deliver fine quality diamond jewelry to its loyal customers and furthermore customers have to pay only for the piece of jewelry and not for the brand name as for the other competitors. All the jewelry is packed and given to customers in unique jewelry boxes with different colours mostly to suit customer preference mostly in pink, blue and black at the Zales jewelry store. Distribution is done all around Los Angeles, California (Burbank Town center, Glendale Galleria, Citadel outlet, West Side Pavilion, Fox Side mall, Santa Anita Fashion Park etc.) so that it will be convenient for customers to go to the nearest store and purchase jewelry according to their choice. The prices of diamond stone stud jewelry will be approximately from the range of $400.00 to $8000.00 and more varying according to the jewelry piece. (Jewellers, 2009) Zales jewelers will also conduct exhibitions which are open for any person to come and purchase jewelry according to their preference and taste and the diamond cut quality they require. The promotions they will conduct will be the giving out of brochures, billboards, web site etc. Market Size Expected Industry Sales USA is one of the largest market for Gem and Jewellery with 4% of the global Gems and Jewellery market. The expected industry sales in the domestic market for the year 2010 would be over US$ 10 billion. Apart from this the export market is expected to have a sales level of US$ 17 billion in the year 2010 which is around14% of the USA exports. USA accounts for about 20% of the world consumption in Gem and Jewellery and also one of the largest countries in the world known for diamond cutting and polishing. (Current Gemstones in United States, 2005-2009) Expected Company Sales In such a large market our expected sales for the planning year would be US$ 2.3 billion covering both the retail and the exports sales. This would be only around 8% of the industry sales. We are not expecting high sales in the planning year itself since itll be of a great challenge to capture a place in such a huge market. Thus, through our jewellery retail outlets we are planning for a sale of US$ 0.8 billion and through gem stone exports a sale of US$ 1.5 billion. Government participation in the market place Procedure for Export of Gems All Gem Exports should be channelled through the Exports Division of the National Gem and Jewellery Authority. ) Colombo Gem Centre Ratnapura or Gem Export Centre, Air Cargo Village, Air Port- Katunayake. The prospective Exporter should obtain a Gem Dealers License to cover the value of the merchandise to be exported. Exporters who wish to export their Gems should bring their goods to the Export Division N.G.J. A., before 3.00 p.m. on all working days 12.00 noon on Saturdays with eight (08) Copies of Commercial Invoices, which are to be used as follows. Export Manager Original Sri Lanka Customs 2nd Copy NGJA Statistics Division 3rd Copy 4th Copy to be used to make relevant payments to NGJA. Statistics Division (Customs)- 5th Copy 6th to 8th Copies are released to the Exporter. They are used to obtain Insurance Cover, for Airmail/Air Freight purposes, G. S. P. Certificate, Carnet Certificate and a copy to be retained by the exporter. Invoice The items will be examined at the Examination table by N.G.J. A. Gemmologist / valour and Customs Gem Appraiser / Gemmologist in the presence of the Exporter or his / her authorized representative. The sealed parcel is kept back with the N.G. J. A. and four copies of the invoice will be handed over to the exporter duly acknowledged by Export Manager; for the receipt of the parcel. Then the exporter is required to obtain insurance coverage for the parcel and pay the Export Service fee on F. O. B. The Exporter should get the Airway Bill from the respective Air Line Office and get a confirmation of the date and Air line which Air freights the Gem Parcel to the destination. On the day of collecting the parcels, Exporter should come to the NGJA, and particulars of the parcel have to be entered in the Releasing Register before 10.00 a.m. Air Mail parcels are released on all working days. The N.G.J. A. will check all the documents pertaining to the Export and release the parcel to Customs through Exporter enabling them to release the parcel to the Air Line (for Air Freight Parcels). After Customs formalities, are completed parcel (Air Mail) will be kept by Customs till it is released to the Post Office at the NGJA., for which the Exporter must bear the cost of air mail and stamp fees. After having the above mentioned approvals exporter can send the gemstone to the exporter country. Part Two Marketing Plan Executive Summary With the clear idea about the company, the market and the products to be exported which are clearly and specifically mentioned in the Marketing Audit, the following will detail the information about the marketing and sales of our company in USA. This Marketing Plan would focus on the promotional aspects, distribution, price determination and also the estimated budget and the income statement for the year 2010. This analysis would give a very clear idea regarding the process and possibilities of having a successful business in USA. It also highlights the vital aspects and how we are planning to market our product in such a competitive market which is totally different from our country Sri Lanka in ways of Culture, Technology, Economy, Politics and many more. This analysis was carried out with the use of the primary data collected from our company and other companies in Sri Lanka who are similarly exporting to USA. The secondary data collection was done through the internet and the relevant books which gave us ample of information regarding the industry and the market in USA. Thus, we were able to complete the report successfully and were able to put forward a detailed Marketing Plan. Marketing Objectives Product adaptation or modification Core component The market for Gemstone is more or less based on demand and rarity. Most people pay more for variety of gems that are esteemed and that are hard to find. It is moreover easy to get attracted to a certain colour gemstone, and finding usually a synthetic or fake jewel that reflects just as the real thing. Real jewellery with the label natural or genuine would show a little bit about the origins and terminology of types of gems. (Import Inspection, 2007) There are certain categories of gems that are allied with certain rock types. A person should be familiar with rocks; so that it will be easier to value with different types of gems that are common or extremely rare. For example, quartz is somewhat easy and frequently easy to find in nature. Though, gems can only be found in specific and limited environments, thus it is far more costly and valued. Packaging component There is a special packaging for Gemstones in order to sell the product in the market. Higher quality packaging material is used to pack the gemstones. For every purchase of a Gem the customers would be provided with authentic leather jewelry boxes layered with the company logo as a personal keepsake. Additionally, a purchase will arrive enclosed in a special glossy black Box, hand tied with a silver satin ribbon for every purchase. There is a Gift for every purchase .The customers will be impressed with the class, quality and distinctive design. Support services component To support the customers is a great pleasure because it will make the customers know the types of precious gem stones among the vast collection. Gem stones are undoubtedly unique gifts from Mother Nature and it is immensely important to preserve the natural quality and substance of the stone while cutting and designing to make the jewellery. It is important to provide high quality gemstone while preserving the genuine colour, shape and texture of the gem to the customers. Most of the Americans prefer gem stones, especially the Blue Sapphires and Rubies because they are world renowned for their great colour and value. Thus, the customers should be given to select the best gem stones when visiting to the store. Internet Forums, 2009) Promotion Mix Advertising Since the largest category in our advertising budget is likely to be the media costs, it makes sense to have a sound plan to manage that investment. The tool we need is a good media plan which helps us with every aspect of advertising. Advertising media refers to various means of advertising vehicles such as billboards, magazines, newspapers, television, and internet by which promotional messages are communicated to the public. The below mentioned advertising objectives would explain the importance of this particular area. Objectives Raise awareness of the company product by 25% a month, within the clearly identified target market. To implement geographic coverage within the California and New York cities. Communicate about the most precious and rarest gems available and the value for money of obtaining those. Build confidence in the organization and achieve an average of 60% increase in the sales. To be informative and encourage further information search for our product. To create a reputation as the market leader in Gems and therefore increase brand recognition loyalty. Media Mix After understanding the various aspects of each media separately and the advantages and the limitations of each, we can conclude that no single media would be able to reach the target population individually. The advertisers need to prepare an extensive media mix in order to accomplish their objective of maximum reach and frequency. Thus our media mix for this particular campaign will be elaborated separately as follows. (Highlights, 2008) TELEVISION ADVERTISEMENT: We chose Television as our media vehicle of broadcasting for the advertisement to be aired out of which especially ABC FOX, since these were considered the most watched TV channels in California and New York. Since most of the people are unaware of the company, we suggest the ads are aired 3 days a week between the time period of 7.00 pm and 10.00 pm du Heart and Soul Gem and Jewellery Analysis Heart and Soul Gem and Jewellery Analysis Executive Summary Heart and Soul Gem and Jewellery is a well established company in Sri Lanka for the past 15 years. We have been catering to this market successfully and we have a proven track record of our achievement throughout past years. As mentioned above our products are Gem and Jewellery, and we market stones as well as designer jewellery to our target market. Our target market is the high end markets that always look for delicate and unique presence of styles in jewellery as well as in stones. We have been the market leader in Sri Lanka for the past five years and have been very successful in holding our position. In order to expand our business internationally we are now in the process of moving into different countries and exporting Gem and Jewellery. On this basis now we are in the progress of exporting Gem and Jewellery to the US market. Not only exporting but also we are planning to open up our retail outlets in the main suburbs which are well known for our types of products which would be California as well as Los Angeles. Thus, the following report will be analysing the US market as well as the feasibility of our products being exported there. The reports analyses various areas including the market analysis, product specifications, pricing, promotions, rules and implications and so on. Introduction Socio-cultural Analysis As early days as well as today market for Gems have a high demand all over the world. Mainly the biggest buyer for Gem stones are United States and European countries. People who are highly rich and moderate income earners coming from Royal Families, Celebrities from Hollywood to Bollywood wear these precious stones for their ultimate satisfaction needs. In USA most ladies wear these expensive stones such as Pearls, Rubies, and Sapphires for uniqueness and for the charming effect that built through these precious stones. Most men and women wear this stones to show there prestige as well as to enhance their public image and to show their wealthiest and the social class. As the social impact of having a Gemstone is remarkable experience and also mentioned as Good luck. A person who receives a wedding ring or the wedding necklace embedded with Diamond stones, on the wedding day she will be the luckiest lady in the whole world. Also another example a mother who receives a birthstone for her little one will be a memorable gift for all mothers of all ages. According to US culture women who are rich and fashionable, they normally dont miss to wear these accessories. Most of the elegant women who are capable of having several kinds of gemstones have the advantage of using variety of stones depending on the occasion. As an example diamonds gives a classy look and posh image for evening gatherings. And Rubies are very precious that gives a charming effect on women. Economic Analysis Gems Jewellery industry is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. Mainly USA is the largest buyer for gems and jewellery. The trends and challenges can influence the gems and jewellery market is in USA. There was a less demand for platinum jewellery in last few years in USA. One of the pluses accruing for the falling U.S. Dollar is the consequent depreciation which results. In this way, the products made in US will become more attractive in the international market. In the same way our gem export will be facing the Dollar shortage. This challenge will have to be circumventing by other ways. Firstly, it is wise to open a Sri Lanka branch in US because it can serve several purposes. Its can supply wholesale or retail or do the advertising of our local product. Sri Lanka branch can be sensitive to the customs, restrictions or variation keep our country in form. Our Sri Lankan Branch in Los Angeles can do so much to outdo the glittering synthetics for the following reasons. Also a future purchases in US on gemstone will be at a higher price. It is true that the entire ruff for the gem stone come to US from outside US has only a few exceptions. The general trend is that foreign stone have a general rising price trend that is keeping pace with the growing, fashions demand of US. The Product Evaluate product as an innovation as it is perceived by the intended market Relative Advantage Most importantly, the consumer must consider the product should have benefits that are superior to other options (Solomon, 2008, p. 653).Sri Lanka is well known as the island of gems, because the brilliant range of gems found in its soil, namely cats eye, spinel, blue, white, star and fancy sapphires, garnet, topaz, moonstones, zircon, , and chrysoberyl. The stones are mining in larger scale in Ratnapura and Elahara areas. Gem cutting ensures maximum yield and the best quality as well as its brings the maximum beauty, rarity, durability, and value of the stones. Compatibility The innovation must be consistent with current needs, values, beliefs, and behaviours. (Solomon, 2008, p. 652).U.S.A people love jewellery and they appreciate it when their jewellery is fashionable. They have different perception towards different stones. Mostly diamond stone is more popular in USA. The Market Describe the market(s) in which the product is to be sold Geographical region(s) Los Angeles is one of the renowned cities of United States of America. The city measures 71km longitudinally and 47km latitudinal. The perimeter of the city is 550km. (The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom, 2010) It is the only major city in the United Statesseparated by a mountain range. Los Angeles in the United States is a most renowned place for Gem Exhibition. The gem collection in Los Angeles is a very prominent place because it has history along several years. The Gem collection has a world-wide in range and boasts particular strengths in different types from California and other such states. (The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom, 2010) The collections are being actively improved principally through purchases with customer preferences. Forms of transportation and communication available in that region The Los Angeles in the United States operate a well form of transportation system for bus lines, as well as subway and light rail lines across Los Angeles City, with a combined daily ridership of 1.7 million. The majority of this (1.4 million) is taken up by the citys bus system, the second busiest city in the country. The subway and light rail combined average the remaining roughly 319,000 boarding per weekday. (Gem Fashion, 2010) Around 12% of Los Angeles commuters ride some form of public transportation, which places Los Angeles fourth among the 10 largest cities in the U.S. for the share of person along the ride using public means of transport. The citys subway system is the ninth busiest in the United States and its light rail system is the countrys third busiest. The city also has a commuter rail system Metro link in the central which links Los Angeles to all neighboring counties as well as many suburbs. Consumer buying habits Product-use patterns The passion with possessing gems is quite universal. Gems haveamusedand attracted for thousands of years. This also has been the gifts and sums of kings and queens and other such rulers. Most vital gems are the most demanding gifts to give or receive. Gems represent as a symbol of devotion and are the powerful approach of saying evermore to a loved one. Due to the hardiness of gems, they can be passed from one generation to another. A gem collecting is quite interesting; unlike purchasing a stockpile or a bond, trading with gems are enjoyable investments to accumulate. (Where are Gemstones found?, 2009) Although gems do not endow with income in the classical pattern, they provide an intuitive incomeexceptional in the collector market. Gems are uncommon, they are limited and findings have become exceedingly rare. Most precious stones are very old and the finest gems are long gone. Most extensive colour gemstone is accomplished withprehistorichand tools, a process by which invention cannot be accelerated to meet demand. (Gem Fashion, 2010) The best way to buy gemstones is to collect when the marketplaces are slowdown and sell when the markets are hot. Gemstones may represent an ideal store-of-value if inflation accelerates.Gemstones are the most determined form of wealth known to man. Gems are extremely convenient; and simply could be obscured and stored. Gems are concealed, convenient, non-detectable asset, and they are tremendous valuable wealth.Gems are anonymous and private; it is easy to store the gems secretly in a bank vault or other such secure place. Product feature preferences Ruby Ruby is a legendary gem because it has a fiery red colour. In close proximity to its colour, it is a most attractive gem due to its solidity, sturdiness, lustre, and rarity. Most of the transparent rubies of large sizes are even rarer than diamonds. The transparent flawless ruby in terms of value is most expensive compared to the other Gems. . (The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom, 2010) Rubies should be Transparent in order to get an expensive value. Diamond Diamond is the mostvaluable Stone. It is well-known for its amazing lustre, hardness and beauty. It is the most valuable gems in the type of gemstone. The most fortunate shape diamond is one that is colourless with a sapphire shade or one, which sprays blue and scarlet rays with no black dots.Diamonds are the solid substance on terrain. (The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom, 2010) They are more brilliant than any other natural gem. Their sparkling fire, durability, and rarity make them the most prized of gems. Diamonds are the mostglistening of true gems. They have a brilliant lustre, and alsoshow signs of dazzling colour flashes known as fire. Blue Sapphire Blue is the foremost colour of the sapphire. Blue is also the favourite colour, for certain people, men and women alike. The colour, strongly relates to the sapphire as it is, with thoughts of compassion and accord, friendship and loyalty: feelings which belong to individuality that show their appeal in the long term. Thus the azure of the sapphire has become a colour which fits as stable and reliable. (The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom, 2010) That is one of the reasons that women prefer in many country wish for a sapphire ring on their engagement. The sapphire represents loyalty, but in the similar time it gives expression to peoples love and desire. Emerald Emeralds are excellent gemstones. In top quality, fine emeralds are still more precious than diamonds. These encompass the most beautiful, most intense and most beaming green that can probably be imagined as emerald green. The name emeralds come from Greek. Innumerable far-fetched stories have fledged up around this splendidgem. The green of the emerald is the colour of being and of the springtime, which comes round again and again. But it has also, for centuries, been the colour of beauty and of constant love. In olden days in Rome, green was the colour of Venus, the goddess of beauty and adore. And in the present day, this colour standstill a special site in many cultures and religions. Green, for example, is the divine colour of Islam. Many of the states of the Arab leagues have green in their streamer as a representation of the unity of their reliance. (The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom, 2010) However this colour has a high status in the Catholic Church too, where green is regarde d as the most natural and the most elemental of therelated colours. There are many more stones which are highly demandable in USA, among which the above are the most vital and well known stones. Shopping habits These are the products that could be purchase to suit your need at any cost. The result array covers every price points, from low to high end. The designs are available at customer preference. Often buyers rely on the expertise of the sellers to pick out the latest patterns available in their stores. Buyers can purchase any expensive product when it comes for occasional seasons. Some buyers buy for their personal and private collections. Most of the Americans prefer expensive stones because they prefer Gems as an asset because investing is worthwhile because they last longer and keeping it would have a very huge demand if the stone is really valuable. (Solomon, 2008) The customers could ask for their own preferences if they do not want to buy the design that is available in the market for higher price. Distribution of the product Retail Outlets The distribution methods which we are going to carry on will consist of retail outlets as well as the use of agencies as the middlemen in the process. As mentioned before we are planning to open our company Palmna Gem and Jewellers in America, in Los Angeles and California which are the highly potential places to market Gem and Jewellery. Thus, well be having typical retail outlets in these two places. For now we are planning to operate one retail outlet in Los Angeles and one in California. (Where are Gemstones found?, 2009) The retail outlet in Los Angeles will be situated in down town which is actually the hub for all gemstones and jewellery outlets. Famous gemstones history lies in Los Angeles such as American Golden Topaz, Bismarck Sapphire Necklace, etc. (History of Famous Gemstones, 2000) Even though the competitors are nearby which might be a challenge for us to market our products, having outlets near them will automatically create the possibility of driving the target market to our outlets since they will anyway come to downtown of Los Angeles for the purchase of Gems and Jewellery. The spots marked in red in the map shows the competitors outlets in Downtown. The next outlet will be in California, which is the second major place which has a very high potential market for Gems and Jewellery. This outlet will be located in San Diego in California. This part of California is well known for tourists attraction. Not only a place filled with tourists but it is also a place where you can find most of the rich and the wealthy people living who is our potential target market. (Gemstones found in California, 1995-2009) Thus, the choice of this place is basically to attract the tourists who visit San Diego and also the rich business men in California. Middlemen involved in sales Since our company is having outlets only in Los Angeles and California, in order to distribute our products to potential customers in other regions of USA, we are planning to have agencies involved in it. The main reason of having these agencies would be to handle operations in other parts of USA. Gems and jewelleries are too risky to be outsourced to external agencies. Thus, we will be having our own internal agencies who will be working in different regions all over USA. They will be part of our employees and will be paid fixed fees on every transaction. Any additional payments will be on the basis of the number of sales they make. These agencies will be in regions such as, Tennessee, Arizona, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Arkansas and Nevada. (Current Gemstones in United States, 2005-2009) These are potential places which have gem markets and also gem mines. These agencies will not only be responsible for the distributions in the relevant regions but also will act as Competitor Intelligence (CI) through which our company will keep in track of the competitors acts. Advertising and Promotion Advertising Media In order to promote our gem and jewelleries successfully in the US market, we have planned of various promotional aspects which would enable us to reach the target markets successfully. On that basis, when it comes to advertising in media the following would be our marketing strategies. Pricing Strategy Customary Mark-ups We are in the aim of taking our gem and jewelleries world by storm in the future. We do not have the same level of price mark ups for all our products. But, we do give the guarantee that the stones and jewellery we are selling genuine stones sourced and obtained by our company under the laws and regulations of USA. The reason why we do not have fixed mark-ups for our products is that the gems are exported from Sri Lanka which are truly genuine and are priceless. According to the customer and the value of different stones we keep a mark-up. But normally as all other retailers, the mark-up would be 300% or more. (Internet Forums, 2009) Considering the above factors, we cannot exactly decide the prices of the gemstones yet the values of the stones can be revealed. Approximately the values of the gemstones would be as follows In the above table ND stands for the value not disclosed because it would reveal proprietary information of small number of producers, included in totals. Available Discounts The discounts would vary from stone to stone and from purchase to purchase. Especially bulk purchases by consumers provide them with higher discounts than usual. Yet, the discounts would normally be a minimum of 5% to a maximum of 50% (The most widel traded Gemstones, 2009). Our company discounts will normally range as follows. Compare and contrast your product and the competitions products Direct Competitors When exporting gemstones to USA we are bound to meet many competitors in the market, therefore we need to make sure that the gems and jewelry are up to high standard and with great quality to survive in the industry. The main three direct competitors are, Tiffany co Macys jewelry Zales jewelry Tiffany co. Tiffany co. is known for great jewelry and for good quality for more than 150 years where the diamonds found at tiffanys stores are difficult to be found in other stores unless special orders for that type of quality is made. (Jewellers, 2009) They have many types of diamond jewelry starting form rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces and pendants, and also engagement jewelry etc. packaging is done in a variety of ways but tiffanys is mainly famous for the blue box and the white bow which also has a hidden meaning of quality jewelry. Tiffanys also provide a full life time warranty where as if the diamond is not up to standard or as promised in the certificate they accept the jewelry back and provides with a refund of the full purchase price or a replacement with a diamond that meets each of the characteristics warranted. When a stone is cut for brilliance it may also loose size, and as known for brilliance is our measure tiffanys diamonds are cut for beauty not for size. The price range will vary from $1,000.00 to $ 50,000.00 for all the diamond stud jewelry, (Jewellers, 2009)However when purchasing a tiffany diamond the customer gets a brand name which is easily identifiable, Therefore customers mainly pay for the name of the brand not just for the product. Tiffanys promotional strategies are through websites which includes all the details of whats new in store and the respective prices and the outlets available in each city. Brochures, leaflets and billboards and jewelry exhibitions are also part of their promotional campaign to make the customer s more knowledgeable about the fine quality diamonds and jewelry available in store. (Jewellers, 2009) Macys Jewelry Macys has gained its brand equity throughout the years and will be a major competitor to us in the market as they are similar and consist of many gemstones with jewelry, gemstones such as diamond, ruby, sapphire, semi precious gemstones, turquoise, diamonds, cubic zirconium etc. it is known for quality and supplies a variety of jewelry to its customers primarily rings, bracelets, watches, mens jewelry, fashion jewelry, necklaces and pendants etc. The jewelry boxes are packed in many ways with different colours to suit the taste of the customer and different shapes. The price range will vary from $500.00 to $10000.00 based on the customers preference and the gem and jewelry type. (Jewellers, 2009) Like any famous brand mostly the price will be determined according to the brand as mostly the customers will have to pay a higher amount for the brand name. Macys uses different types of advertising and promotional methods to create awareness of whats new in stores and to gain customer loyalty. The promotional strategies are mainly promotional campaigns, billboards, leaflets, brochures, and magazine articles as gem and jewelry is a high end product and too much of publicity will cheapen the image of the product. Promotional campaigns will consist of events such as jewelry exhibitions where it will be easy access for Macys to reach its customers. (Jewellers, 2009) Zales Jewelry As most of the Americans prefer diamonds when wanting to purchase a gemstone Zales jewelry can also be classified as a competitor to us in the gem and jewelry industry. They have been in the industry and had been trusted since 1924 by making fine quality high class diamond stud jewelry which is mainly watchs, bracelets, necklaces and pendants, rings and engagement jewelry etc. (Jewellers, 2009) The brand name is not so prestigious at Zales but they do deliver fine quality diamond jewelry to its loyal customers and furthermore customers have to pay only for the piece of jewelry and not for the brand name as for the other competitors. All the jewelry is packed and given to customers in unique jewelry boxes with different colours mostly to suit customer preference mostly in pink, blue and black at the Zales jewelry store. Distribution is done all around Los Angeles, California (Burbank Town center, Glendale Galleria, Citadel outlet, West Side Pavilion, Fox Side mall, Santa Anita Fashion Park etc.) so that it will be convenient for customers to go to the nearest store and purchase jewelry according to their choice. The prices of diamond stone stud jewelry will be approximately from the range of $400.00 to $8000.00 and more varying according to the jewelry piece. (Jewellers, 2009) Zales jewelers will also conduct exhibitions which are open for any person to come and purchase jewelry according to their preference and taste and the diamond cut quality they require. The promotions they will conduct will be the giving out of brochures, billboards, web site etc. Market Size Expected Industry Sales USA is one of the largest market for Gem and Jewellery with 4% of the global Gems and Jewellery market. The expected industry sales in the domestic market for the year 2010 would be over US$ 10 billion. Apart from this the export market is expected to have a sales level of US$ 17 billion in the year 2010 which is around14% of the USA exports. USA accounts for about 20% of the world consumption in Gem and Jewellery and also one of the largest countries in the world known for diamond cutting and polishing. (Current Gemstones in United States, 2005-2009) Expected Company Sales In such a large market our expected sales for the planning year would be US$ 2.3 billion covering both the retail and the exports sales. This would be only around 8% of the industry sales. We are not expecting high sales in the planning year itself since itll be of a great challenge to capture a place in such a huge market. Thus, through our jewellery retail outlets we are planning for a sale of US$ 0.8 billion and through gem stone exports a sale of US$ 1.5 billion. Government participation in the market place Procedure for Export of Gems All Gem Exports should be channelled through the Exports Division of the National Gem and Jewellery Authority. ) Colombo Gem Centre Ratnapura or Gem Export Centre, Air Cargo Village, Air Port- Katunayake. The prospective Exporter should obtain a Gem Dealers License to cover the value of the merchandise to be exported. Exporters who wish to export their Gems should bring their goods to the Export Division N.G.J. A., before 3.00 p.m. on all working days 12.00 noon on Saturdays with eight (08) Copies of Commercial Invoices, which are to be used as follows. Export Manager Original Sri Lanka Customs 2nd Copy NGJA Statistics Division 3rd Copy 4th Copy to be used to make relevant payments to NGJA. Statistics Division (Customs)- 5th Copy 6th to 8th Copies are released to the Exporter. They are used to obtain Insurance Cover, for Airmail/Air Freight purposes, G. S. P. Certificate, Carnet Certificate and a copy to be retained by the exporter. Invoice The items will be examined at the Examination table by N.G.J. A. Gemmologist / valour and Customs Gem Appraiser / Gemmologist in the presence of the Exporter or his / her authorized representative. The sealed parcel is kept back with the N.G. J. A. and four copies of the invoice will be handed over to the exporter duly acknowledged by Export Manager; for the receipt of the parcel. Then the exporter is required to obtain insurance coverage for the parcel and pay the Export Service fee on F. O. B. The Exporter should get the Airway Bill from the respective Air Line Office and get a confirmation of the date and Air line which Air freights the Gem Parcel to the destination. On the day of collecting the parcels, Exporter should come to the NGJA, and particulars of the parcel have to be entered in the Releasing Register before 10.00 a.m. Air Mail parcels are released on all working days. The N.G.J. A. will check all the documents pertaining to the Export and release the parcel to Customs through Exporter enabling them to release the parcel to the Air Line (for Air Freight Parcels). After Customs formalities, are completed parcel (Air Mail) will be kept by Customs till it is released to the Post Office at the NGJA., for which the Exporter must bear the cost of air mail and stamp fees. After having the above mentioned approvals exporter can send the gemstone to the exporter country. Part Two Marketing Plan Executive Summary With the clear idea about the company, the market and the products to be exported which are clearly and specifically mentioned in the Marketing Audit, the following will detail the information about the marketing and sales of our company in USA. This Marketing Plan would focus on the promotional aspects, distribution, price determination and also the estimated budget and the income statement for the year 2010. This analysis would give a very clear idea regarding the process and possibilities of having a successful business in USA. It also highlights the vital aspects and how we are planning to market our product in such a competitive market which is totally different from our country Sri Lanka in ways of Culture, Technology, Economy, Politics and many more. This analysis was carried out with the use of the primary data collected from our company and other companies in Sri Lanka who are similarly exporting to USA. The secondary data collection was done through the internet and the relevant books which gave us ample of information regarding the industry and the market in USA. Thus, we were able to complete the report successfully and were able to put forward a detailed Marketing Plan. Marketing Objectives Product adaptation or modification Core component The market for Gemstone is more or less based on demand and rarity. Most people pay more for variety of gems that are esteemed and that are hard to find. It is moreover easy to get attracted to a certain colour gemstone, and finding usually a synthetic or fake jewel that reflects just as the real thing. Real jewellery with the label natural or genuine would show a little bit about the origins and terminology of types of gems. (Import Inspection, 2007) There are certain categories of gems that are allied with certain rock types. A person should be familiar with rocks; so that it will be easier to value with different types of gems that are common or extremely rare. For example, quartz is somewhat easy and frequently easy to find in nature. Though, gems can only be found in specific and limited environments, thus it is far more costly and valued. Packaging component There is a special packaging for Gemstones in order to sell the product in the market. Higher quality packaging material is used to pack the gemstones. For every purchase of a Gem the customers would be provided with authentic leather jewelry boxes layered with the company logo as a personal keepsake. Additionally, a purchase will arrive enclosed in a special glossy black Box, hand tied with a silver satin ribbon for every purchase. There is a Gift for every purchase .The customers will be impressed with the class, quality and distinctive design. Support services component To support the customers is a great pleasure because it will make the customers know the types of precious gem stones among the vast collection. Gem stones are undoubtedly unique gifts from Mother Nature and it is immensely important to preserve the natural quality and substance of the stone while cutting and designing to make the jewellery. It is important to provide high quality gemstone while preserving the genuine colour, shape and texture of the gem to the customers. Most of the Americans prefer gem stones, especially the Blue Sapphires and Rubies because they are world renowned for their great colour and value. Thus, the customers should be given to select the best gem stones when visiting to the store. Internet Forums, 2009) Promotion Mix Advertising Since the largest category in our advertising budget is likely to be the media costs, it makes sense to have a sound plan to manage that investment. The tool we need is a good media plan which helps us with every aspect of advertising. Advertising media refers to various means of advertising vehicles such as billboards, magazines, newspapers, television, and internet by which promotional messages are communicated to the public. The below mentioned advertising objectives would explain the importance of this particular area. Objectives Raise awareness of the company product by 25% a month, within the clearly identified target market. To implement geographic coverage within the California and New York cities. Communicate about the most precious and rarest gems available and the value for money of obtaining those. Build confidence in the organization and achieve an average of 60% increase in the sales. To be informative and encourage further information search for our product. To create a reputation as the market leader in Gems and therefore increase brand recognition loyalty. Media Mix After understanding the various aspects of each media separately and the advantages and the limitations of each, we can conclude that no single media would be able to reach the target population individually. The advertisers need to prepare an extensive media mix in order to accomplish their objective of maximum reach and frequency. Thus our media mix for this particular campaign will be elaborated separately as follows. (Highlights, 2008) TELEVISION ADVERTISEMENT: We chose Television as our media vehicle of broadcasting for the advertisement to be aired out of which especially ABC FOX, since these were considered the most watched TV channels in California and New York. Since most of the people are unaware of the company, we suggest the ads are aired 3 days a week between the time period of 7.00 pm and 10.00 pm du