The goal of Lucky Inc.

Is to develop a foremost business owner of the traveling agency for the individual of the age range from about 20 to 30 year old. Lucky Inc. Will be devoted to establish stronger relationship within their clients via extensive lesson of how to treat guest and sever them the best service, and would like the company to well popular among the clients and other publics as the most popular tourist agency in the Ideal area. The main focus of the firm would be to gradually develop, and become successful by the first few years of operations.Our main goal would be to provide an excellent professional facility through demonstrating an adequate understanding of the places that individual would like to travel to and adventurous events that will be held. On an industrial report stated that the biggest disparagement of the variety of customers that has been to the tourist companies that already exists â€Å"know nothing about their products, they Just open the catalogue and read,† to quote one of many disappointed travelers (Blackwell, 2008, p. 332).To make the most of over the knowledge and skills we gained in the Lucky Inc. Apparel store, staff would to both educate and instruct the customers to the various types of vacation accessories that they might be wanting of to have the quality vacation time they planned out while they are in the Ideal area. Products and Services Recently, Lucky Inc. Became as the allotted agents for Ideal's Travel, which will be the biggest and popular traveling agency out in the marketplace. However, per almost with no advertising, Lucky Inc. As sold about 200 adventure vacations in the past several months, netting about $56, 800 in commissions including the sales of insurance policies and other services also have calculated to this amount, and could possibly add much more. Lucky Inc. ‘s clients will also be offered to have the opportunity of an inclusive variety of facilities to services to help their exciting tour, including semina rs of before and after trip, tourist coverage, and a booklet of specific offers to each vacation place, etc.I plan to sell my share in the apparel store and finance the profits in my potential new company which will be a traveling agency as Lucky Inc. Moreover, I would be also financing $51, 600 of my savings from the past ears in this company, and take loans of $70,000 probably from friends and relatives. Furthermore, the return on shareholders capital by three year is anticipated to be close to 100 percent. The perseverance of this business plan is to converse this high profitable opportunity to my co-owner in the clothing shop and to the other investors of different organizations to encourage their interest in the venture.Alternatively, I'm also thinking of a loan finance made up of a $31,940 for about couples of years and a credit line of $48,620. In total, I will be in need of about $80,560 to fund the company or the first few months. The majority of the population of Ideal Cou nty is well educated, experienced, active, and pretty stable. The residences of the county also and wait out past periods of economic downturn. The dynamic economy, the lifestyle of Ideal County, and its exceptional environmental qualities attract people.Moreover, both public officials and business leaders are also aware of the need to keep our labor force well-armed with the marketable skills. From the Ideal County population, our potential targeted clients are the people who are professionals with annual earnings of about $50,000+, ages 20 to 30, whether single or married, without children, and college educated. Market Definition The projection of the world travel market is to grow about at greater than 4 percent average annually.I believe that this is somewhat faster than our general economic growth every year. I also planned to advertise my company outside of the United States. Hence, I selected such market like the European market, which is not the firmest growing market, and I believe this will be the most important destination, considering most the travelers will be international. I also think that among Europe, France, Italy, and Spain are the most popular destinations. Therefore, I decided to select tour operators with appropriate products in these areas as our initial partners.Business model The business model that will be used for this company is a distributor which is any business that purchases products directly from a manufacturer for resale either to retail outlets or directly to the buying public (Digging, 2012). For instance, a technology distributor would purchase computer parts from a technology manufacturer and then sell those parts wholesale to retail outlets for sale to the neural public (Digging, 2012). An auto dealership that deals in new cars would purchase vehicles directly from the manufacturer and sell them to the general public (Abram, 2003).According to the University of Southern California, Wall-Mart Department Stores qualifies a s a distributor because it purchases product directly from the manufacturer. Not all department stores have that kind of purchasing power (Digging, 2012). We will also be leasing a combined telephone/data-base system from the onset. This will beneficial by allowing up to ten sales staff to answer alls and have full on-screen data on clients and products. As service is one of our key components, it is essential that we have full access to all relevant data speedily and efficiently.However, there might be times that will not be possible to meet other locations, etc. Therefore, I should always be prefer for the worse and make sure that my staffs are well trained to provide the best customer service to my clients. Since, we are successfully operating the outdoor clothing shop; hence, we are using the adventure travel vacation sales ratio to study how many of them we are being able to sale on up to date. For the determinations of our sales projection, we believe hat that only about two i n five reviews will essentially effect in an adventure vacation being reserved.However, I believe this is a very conservative evaluation. I also undertake that there will be a firm accumulation of customers of the clothing shop who will approach us to learn more about the vacation packets and the destinations. Throughout the year we will also be able to bring in more clients by creating more promotional activities and of course our new clients of the clothing store. I am pretty hopeful that we will continue to strive with this trend to make Lucky Inc. To become well known.Based on the prediction, within next year we are projecting to sell about 600 adventure travel vacations for an estimated price of $3000. We also predicted that if we add insurance and other travel related service sales the gross profit will be nearly $ 2500,000 throughout the first year. Reference Abram, Rwanda, (2003). The successful business plan: secrets ; strategies. Plato Alto, Cilia. : Planning Shop Blackwel l, Edward (2008). How to prepare a business plan. London; Philadelphia: Kananga Page Digging, Charles, (2012). The power of habit: why we do what we do in life and business. New York: Random House

Global Warming Introduction Essay Essay

Many researchers, scientists, and environmentalists are expressing concerns about changes in the overall climate of the earth. Some believe that a dramatically dangerous warming is taking place in the overall global climate, a problem that is referred to as â€Å"global warming.† This paper will attempt to explore this very issue. Climate is defined as the analysis of accumulated weather data for long term patterns and trends. The Oxford Reference Dictionary defines change as, â€Å"To make or become different.† Climate change is therefore defined as â€Å"long-term weather patterns and trends becoming different over an extended period of time.† For example, if the average temperature in Kalamazoo, Michigan over the 20th century is significantly higher or lower than the average temperature in Kalamazoo, Michigan over the 19th century, this would be an example of climate change. Changes in climate can result from both natural events and human activities. Examples of natural causes of climate change are volcanic eruptions, variations in the earth’s orbit around the sun, and variations in solar output (Ahrens, 485-491). Examples of human-induced causes of climate change include industrial pollutants and fossil fuels (Rhodes, 116), warming of average annual temperatures due to urbanization (Eichenlaub, 163), and changes in the earth’s albedo due to deforestation of tropical rainforests (Geiger, 320). Climate change in the context of this paper refers to changes that result from human activities, especially as these changes relate to the issue of global warming. Of special importance is the â€Å"greenhouse gas† effect which is defined as, â€Å"The trapping of thermal emissions from the earth’s surface by human-induced greenhouse gases† (He). If global warming is indeed happening, it is the greenhouse gas effect that is believ ed to be the most responsible. There are some scientists who do not believe that there is enough evidence to support the idea of global warming. They assert that concerns about global warming have been blown well out of proportion by the media. At the same time, other scientists assert that there is sufficient evidence to suggest that industrial activities, automobile emissions, and technological pollutants may eventually result in dangerous (and even deadly) trends in the overall global climate. This paper will attempt to address this concern by analyzing some of the scientific studies that have been published in major meteorology journals. Our atmosphere consists of many gases. Some of these gases, such as carbon dioxide and water vapor, naturally absorb long-wave radiation that is emitted from the earth’s surface. Short-wave solar radiation enters the earth’s atmosphere and is absorbed by the earth’s surface. This radiation is then recycled and emitted as long wave terrestrial radiation. Gases such as water vapor and carbon dioxide absorb this radiation, hold it in the atmosphere, and keep the temperature of the earth warmer than it would otherwise be if there wasn’t an atmosphere. This is what meteorologists refer to as the â€Å"natural greenhouse effect† (Mower). Problems could potentially arise, however, when human activities add additional trace gases into the atmosphere that also absorb out-going long-wave radiation. These additional trace gases include methane, chlorofloro carbons, nitrous oxide, aerosols, ozone, and carbon dioxide. The result is an increase in the amount of long-wave radiation that is being trapped by the atmosphere. It is believed that this could eventually increase the average overall global temperature. Carbon dioxide â€Å"†¦is considered the trace gas of greatest importance because of the substantial increase in its atmospheric concentration as well as its probable continued rise due to global consumption of fossil fuels† (Rhodes, 116). It is clear from looking at the evidence that carbon dioxide concentrations are increasing dramatically in the atmosphere. Observations of carbon dioxide concentrations are available for several locations. Over the period of 1973 to 1982, the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide in Barrow, Alaska rose steadily from 332.6 parts per million (ppm) to 342.8 parts per million (Geiger, 110-111). This is not isolated to Barrow, Alaska. Records from other locations, such as Mauna Loa in Hawaii, are confirming that carbon dioxide concentrations are increasing in the atmosphere at a dramatic rate. Continuous instrument records for atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations date back to the 1950’s at the Mauna Loa observatory (Michaels, 1564). In 1958, the average atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide was only 316 parts per million (ppm). Preindustrial carbon dioxide concentrations are believed to be 279 parts per million (Michaels, 1564), and the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration in 1990 was 353 parts per million (Rhodes, 116). However, as one author points out, the fact that we are dealing with significant changes in carbon dioxide does not automatically mean that we are looking at a serious problem (Lindzen, 288). This author points out that carbon dioxide is a † †¦minor atmospheric constituent and as such, its variations might not be notably impo rtant.† He goes on to say that there are a number of things that increasing levels of carbon dioxide could effect and influence, including in ways that are beneficial. For example, † †¦at altitudes of 25 km to 90 km, the atmosphere is cooled primarily by thermal radiation emitted to space by carbon dioxide. Increasing carbon dioxide should cool these regions, and this, in turn, should lead to increasing concentrations of ozone at these levels. Increasing carbon dioxide might also stimulate the growth of vegetation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lindzen, 288-289). While there are indeed some possible benefits to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, â€Å"†¦the main concerns have focused on the possibility that increasing carbon dioxide might significantly warm our climate† (Lindzen, 289). One author wrote that there is â€Å"†¦general agreement that increasing carbon dioxide will produce warming due to its ability to absorb in the infrared radiation† (Lindzen, 289). There are studies that have indicated that no significant change in the overall global climate has yet taken place. For example, a study that was done by P. W. Spencer and J. R. Christy, using temperature records from the period of 1979 through 1990, showed a global trend of only +0.04 degrees Celsius per decade (Michaels, 1566). Other studies showed that the Northern Hemisphere has had no significant warming, while the Southern Hemisphere has had a slight temperature increase in the order of 0.2 degrees Celsius since the 1950’s (Michaels, 1566). Patrick J. Michaels speculates that the reason that we have not seen a significant increase in temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere is because of the balancing effect of anthropogenerated sulfates going into the atmosphere as a result of industrial pollution. Anthropogenerated sulfates have a cooling effect on the atmosphere because of their ability to reflect incoming solar radiation back to space. Michaels explains this in more d etail when he writes, â€Å"Because anthropogenerated sulfates are primarily produced and reside in the Northern Hemisphere, we may therefore be equaling the current enhanced greenhouse forcing †¦ with actual negative forcing in the hemisphere that contains most of the world’s population† (Michaels, 1573). This lead to the obvious question of whether or not the lack of a significant increase in global temperature should be taken as evidence that we should not be concerned about the issue. William W. Kellog of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado has written an article called â€Å"Response to Skeptics of Global Warming† in which he responds to many of the objections that have been raised against global warming. Kellog points out that â€Å"†¦five or so of the most advanced climate models, developed over a period of many years by top notch teams, have all come to essentially the same conclusion: The global average surface temperature would probably rise by about 2 to 5 K if the greenhouse gas concentration were maintained at double the pre-industrial revolution level† (Kellog, 500). Kellog suggests that the reason that we have not seen a change as of yet in the overall warming is because of a temperature lag of several decades â€Å"†¦due in large part to the large heat capacity of the oceans of the world† (Kellog, 500). He asserts that the evidence is still in favor of the fact that, sooner or later, a serious warming of the climate will occur. References Ahrens, C. Donald. Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment, 5th Edition. New York: West Publishing Company, 1995. Eichenlaub, Val L., Jay R. Haman, Fred V. Nurnberger, and Hans J. Stolle. The Climatic Atlas of Michigan. University of Notre Dame Press: Notre Dame, Indiana, 1990. Geiger, Rudolf, Robert H. Aron, Paul Todhunter. The Climate Near the Ground, 5th Edition. Braunschweig, Germany: Friedr, Veiweg & Sohn Verlagsgesellschaft, 1995. He, Chansheng. Classroom notes presented verbally in Natural Resource Management, GEOG 555. Western Michigan University, winter 1999. Kellog, William W. â€Å"Response to Skeptics of Global Warming.† Bulletin American Meteorology Society. Volume 74, Number 4 (April 1991), pp. 499-511. Oxford American Dictionary. Oxford University Press: New York, 1980. Lindzen, Richard S. â€Å"Some Coolness Concerning Global Warming.† Bulletin American Meteorology Society. Volume 71, Number 3 (March 1990), pp. 288-299. Michaels, Patrick J. â€Å"Global Warming: A Reduced Threat?† Bulletin American Meteorology Society. Volume 73, Number 10 (October 1992), pp. 1563-1577. Mower, R. Neil. Classroom notes presented verbally in Physical Meteorology, ESC 530. Central Michigan University, autumn 1996. Rhodes, Steven L. â€Å"Climate and Environmental Degradation of the Great Lakes.† Journal of Environmental Systems. Volume 22, Number 2, pp. 105-122.

Analysis of the Sustainability of Nordic Welfare Model in Times of Essay

Analysis of the Sustainability of Nordic Welfare Model in Times of Economic Recession - Essay Example The first challenge for Nordic countries is the demographic shift. The population in the entire developed world is greying and Nordic countries are no exception. With the increase in longevity of people and reduced child births, the number of people above the age of 65 is rapidly increasing (Adema, 2001). All Nordic countries provide generous pension facilities to enable the old to live a life of dignity. Thus if the number of dependents increase, it becomes increasingly difficult to finance their pension out of the income of working population. It has been assumed that in the next 3 decades the old age dependency ration will increase from 0.25 to 0.40 in the Nordic countries. The dependency ratios over the next 40 years in three Nordic countries is shown in the graph below – Source: (Kvist & Greve, 2011) Thus it is clear from the above figures that it will be unsustainable for Nordic countries to provide pension to their elderly without significantly deteriorating their finan ces. It is assumed that Denmark will suffer deterioration of finances up to 4% of GDP; it will be 6% of GDP for Norway and up to 4.5% of GDP for Sweden (Kvist & Greve, 2011). Clearly no country can suffer such an impact on its finances. It is often said that the problems of a welfare state can be circumvented by ensuring a high GDP growth. The Nordic countries should focus on increasing their GDP growth rate to mop up extra finances for their welfare schemes. In this section I will discuss the challenges of achieving high GDP growth for Nordic countries in this era of recession and globalisation. The Nordic countries have historically seen higher growth rates as compared to other European economies. However...This essay examines, whether the Nordic welfare model is sustainable in these difficult economic times and the age of globalization. The Nordic welfare model is also called as the Nordic social democracy. The Nordic countries have been strictly pro trade and suspicious of any k ind of protectionism but at the same time they have made policies which ensure a large degree of equality and welfare of the children, unemployed, sick and the old. However, as it is shown in the essay, the Nordic model is increasingly become unsustainable due to pressures of an ageing population, globalization, immigration and the financial crisis which has engulfed the whole world. All Nordic countries provide generous pension facilities to enable the old to live a life of dignity. Thus if the number of dependents increase, it becomes increasingly difficult to finance their pension out of the income of working population. It has been assumed that in the next 3 decades the old age dependency ration will increase from 0.25 to 0.40 in the Nordic countries. It is often said that the problems of a welfare state can be circumvented by ensuring a high GDP growth. The Nordic countries should focus on increasing their GDP growth rate to mop up extra finances for their welfare schemes. In this section I will discuss the challenges of achieving high GDP growth for Nordic countries in this era of recession and globalisation. The problem for these open and free economies has been attracting investment in this climate of recession

Comparison and Contrast between Egyptian and Greek History Essay

Comparison and Contrast between Egyptian and Greek History - Essay Example   The social organizations and governments of ancient Greeks and Egyptians differed. Ancient Egypt was ruled by dynasties such as the Old Kingdom Dynasty while Greeks had an aristocratic form of government. Ancient Greece was divided into provinces called polis. The few rich landowners, who owned slaves ruled their territories. The more slaves a landowner had, the more powerful they were (Finlay).   The form of literature between these two was also different since Greeks introduced vowels to the alphabetic system. This formed the basis for the modern day English language. The Egyptians developed their own form of writing which used pictures and symbols to communicate.Greek were highly engaged in trade activities. This was favoured by their easy access to the Mediterranean Sea which made it easy for them to import and export goods. This also facilitated slave trade as well as fishing activities that formed a major part of their economy. The Egyptians had a different type of econom ic system which relied on supply function. Producers of different commodities would deliver their produce to the ruling administration and temples. These commodities would then be distributed to other citizens on a need basis.   Any surplus that was available after distribution would be supplied to neighbouring states in exchange of commodities that were not available in the exporting state. ComparisonsGreeks introduce vowels the alphabets. This formed the basis for modern-day English.  Ã‚  

How computers changes our lives Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How computers changes our lives - Lab Report Example Computer is a machine, which can be used to store data as well as to receive data. Computer is used as a tool in the society along with the Internet. Computers in the modern world have become a very complex because of a lot of component frame within a single computer and these components functions different functions for different purposes In addition to above, this is a research report consisted of some questions and the response analysis. This research report reveals the way computer is playing an important role to change one’s life. These questions will be regarding the role of computer in changing one’s life. To evaluate or to investigate how far the role of computer in the lives of individuals is deep rooted and what roles it is playing in facilitating the individuals to spend a smooth or comfortable life is the aim of this paper. In this paper, I will be using quantitative method to collect data from different persons and will be using a questionnaire consisted of eight questions. The questionnaire is based on a Likert scale that has the options, strongly agree, agree, agree to some extent, strongly disagree, disagree and disagree to some extent. The sample size is constituted of fifteen respondents. Random sampling was used to select individuals for the survey from the list of contacts that the researcher had on the social media. Using the Microsoft Excel will do the graphical representations. The majority of responses from the survey indicate that it will become evident that there seems to be a strong role of computer in individuals’ lives, especially, to the educated individual’s life. The use of computer in everyday life is increasing day by day from offices to universities (Hilber and LÃ ³pez). Without computer it is not possible for a person to access Internet, the largest and the easiest reservoir of information, entertainment and knowledge. 66% of responses indicate

Perspectives on Case Manager Project Research Paper

Perspectives on Case Manager Project - Research Paper Example In part one, a team of two researchers carried out an eighteen in-person interviews (Fattoruso & Quinn, 2007). Notably, when one of two staff researchers was not available, either the interview proceeding was recorded or the project attorney carried on as, a substitute to maintain consistency of the interviews. More significantly, all stakeholders participated voluntarily and were subjected to the same set of questions. The open-ended questions interview took place at a location chosen by the interviewee within an average time of one hour. More so, these interviews occurred between October 2010 and December 2010 after the project had been in the market for six months. The full set of interview questions are located in â€Å"Appendix A† of this report while below is a description of the total number of interviewees and job categories: Bench Officers: One full-time dependency court Judge and one dependency Judge working part-time in criminal cases. Attorneys: Five dependency att orneys—three individual interviews, group of two attorneys. Social Worker’ from the Human Services Agency, Children’s Services Division: Three emergency response social workers, one Division Chief, and two treatment unit supervisors overseeing programs of group homes, residential treatment, placements, adoptions, and commencement planning. County Unified School District Staff: One superintendent secretary, and one child welfare linked with custody of student records. Local Community Based Organization: A focus group interview consisting of one Executive Director, one Associate Executive Director of Programs, and one Clinical Program Manager. This agency provides a wide range of services designed to foster healthy families. The researchers’ objectives of the stakeholder interview were to gain an understanding and discuss the project in terms of—communication, goals, teamwork and collaboration, resources, and impacts of the case manager position Comm unication Researchers received a wide variation of responses based on how often the stakeholder’s role communicated with the case manager. More significantly, each stakeholder had a different role and thus, communication with the case manager took place at different times and for different reasons. Only eleven percent of interviewees were able to give researchers a frequency of how often the communication occurs. Another eleven percent stated that communications occurred by either phone or email. In addition, researchers received key information about caseload type(s) and reasons as, to why communication among stakeholders is widespread or not. Notably, one interviewee stated that, â€Å"half of my cases have contact with the case manager†¦my caseload is up to 100.† Along the same lines, seventeen percent of interviewees mentioned that because the caseload for the target population is so low, they hardly ever cross paths (Fattoruso & Quinn, 2007). Conversely, twen ty-two percent of interviewees noted that they have never worked with the case manager. Moreover, the variation in responses depended on various settings. Seventeen percent of interviewees attested to the fact that their communications were in settings such as, formal meetings and dependency hearings. More significantly, twenty-two percent of interviewees provided examples of the educational issues comprising of requests for school credits, graduation options, school changes, and continuing education as, they worked with the c

Analysis Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analysis Paper - Essay Example supported by Graff who also explains that students are trying to expound on various notions, opportunities and subjects that education has provided, to develop an analysis on the most liked and exciting subjects and opportunities in education. This clearly explains the fact that students are now pursuing education and creating some entertainment effect from various operations undertaken in the school and classroom environment. Graff states that, â€Å"The chance to try on a variety of clashing ideas, to see what they feel like, is one of the most exciting opportunities an education can provide; it can be especially rewarding for students who come to the university with already developed skills at summarizing and weighing arguments and synthesizing conflicting positions on their own.† This clearly explain how education has created an environment where students get to understand various chances available in the education sector, and implement on decisions of creating an environm ent that is favorable to try various subjects and opportunities, which becomes a primary source of entertainment among students from various universities (Greene and Lidinsky, 338). Liberal education and how education has been viewed by students in various institutions of learning has been discussed by various scholars. Graff’s argument on education has been analyzed, and research indicates that there are some cases where Graff supports the argument by Edmundson on the same basis of education. For instance, Graff supports the notion argued by Edmundson that students have diverse perceptions of education, including the idea that education can be termed as a form of

Asian Tourism Abstract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Asian Tourism Abstract - Essay Example n of exterior promotional and publicity activities; systematize and inculcate training and education; and endorse international tourism communication and corporation. In addition, CNTA is responsible for normalization of the tourism market order, and offer supervision and management of quality; and organize the survey, planning, growth and fortification tourist resources. The organization is part of China’s government and is a Chinese government authority obliged to tourism development, and a subordinate to the state council headquartered in Beijing. Although it is an institution affiliated to CNTA the government, CNTA does not have any authority to act as a full Chinese government department hence it has no authority for regulation enforcement although it acts as an independent ministry on some instances. The institution is funded by the central Chinese government and but uses promotional and marketing activities to get additional funds beyond what is provided by the government. Promotional budget for tourism by the Chinese government is limited and for years, this amount remains low compared to nations like Korea, Singapore, and Malysia. It is for limited budgeting that the Chinese government CNTA to depend on other income sources like local government that comprise of social investment and Tourism Development Fund. The financing of the Tourism development Fund is by the collection of an inbound airport construction fee of CNY 20 for each person. In order to monitor the spending of CNTA funds, the Ministry of Finance has founded a budget enforcement live monitoring system and a budget spending performance evaluation. In addition, CNTA and the finance ministry are exploring to develop Tourism Satellite Account and evaluate government revenue estimates obtained from tourism to evaluat e the largely contribution of tourism to Chinese social development and government national economy (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development 292). According to Airey

Concepts of Organisational Structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 22

Concepts of Organisational Structure - Essay Example Change management is also known as alteration. This case study shall explain the change management, leadership style and organizational structure of the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. It is one of the successful pharmaceutical companies of the world operating its business approximately 180 countries of the world. The firm was founded in 1849. Presently it has around 110600 employees. The strong vision of the company helps it to operate its business worldwide. This American multinational company produces medicine for animals and human. The leaders of this company are very effective and they run the organization in an efficient way. They played an important role in the development of the company. The firm hires good and quality staffs that innovate and develop strategies to achieve the goals of the Pfizer. The company experienced many acquisitions, divestitures and mergers. The change management of this firm has improved the organizational structure of the company. Pfizer’s orga nizational management system experienced many changes which helped the company handle many situations which can even lead to break up of the company. The organizational goal of the company is to deliver its commitments to its customers by maintaining transparency in its activities. Efficient operation of the business is based on its organizational structure. The routine of the company is set by its structure. It helps to determine how the firm will make and implement decisions for performing its various tasks and activities. There are many types of organizational structure like functional, flat, geographical, product, matrix and divisional organizational structures. A divisional organizational structure is mainly implemented in big companies which operates a business in a large geographical area. This structure is expensive because of its scope and size. In a functional structure, each part of the company is grouped according to the work. There are many departments where employees work as per there specific functions. Matrix is a high breed organizational structure. It is a mixture of functional and divisional organizational structure.

The Virginal Conception of Christ Essay Example for Free

The Virginal Conception of Christ Essay The Virginal Conception is a vital aspects in Christian faith, this is also held by Muslims (Qur’an 3.47). Virginal conception is a miraculous, non-sexual manner. The Holy Spirit caused Mary to conceive God Incarnate without the help of a man. For some believers they believed that   Mary also gave birth to Jesus miraculously; He passed through her without wounding her or spoiling her physical virginity, But for some He passed through her in natural way- thus breaking her hymen and went thru birth pains. When talking of virgin birth, it means also, Virginal Conception (Virginitas ante partum), i.e. that Christ, one of the person in the Deity Incarnate, had no human biological father. The biblical basis of virginal conception of Jesus was prophesied in Genesis 3:15 and Isaiah 7:14. It came true in Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:34-35. Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14) And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:7) However, the possibility of a virgin birth is often questioned for the fact that, from a biological viewpoint, it is impossible for a human being to be born without a biological father and a mother. Also, some Christians do not believe in the Virgin Birth. Research by many groups, including Christian researchers, indicates that among both the clergy and the laity (in all branches of Christianity) a belief in central tenets of the faith such as Virgin Birth or bodily Resurrection is highly variable. Although they believe in the Virgin Birth, Muslims do not call Jesus Son of God, rather Servant of God. In the Quran, Jesus (Isa in Arabic) is consistently termed Isa ibn Maryam a matronymic- because, in Muslim belief, he had no biological father. Philosophical controversy In the wider sense, arguments for and against the Virgin Birth depend on fundamental philosophical assumptions: if one believes God does not exist, or if God exists but does not perform miracles, the Virgin Birth cannot have taken place in any traditionally accepted sense. While parthogenesis, a type of virgin birth where a female gives birth without the intervention of the male material, is known in nature, the resulting offspring must be female since the mother has no Y chromosome to pass on. Also, the process has never been observed in mammals. The Virgin Birth not only violates a naturalist philosophy, but also science based upon methodological naturalism. Alleged late appearance in the New Testament There are explicit references to the virgin birth in only two places in the New Testament: the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, which are believed by many scholars to be amongst the later written parts of the New Testament. The apparently older Gospel of Mark, on which Matthew and Luke are believed to be partly based, does not mention the virgin birth, and some scholars also argue from grammar and style that the first two chapters of Luke, describing the virgin birth, were a later addition to the Gospel, which may originally have begun at 3:1: 2:51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. 3:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. At 3:1 there is an abrupt change of subject and the story begins again. Nevertheless, this is characteristic of many stories in the Gospels and the author of Luke may simply be beginning a new segment of his narrative. Arguments regarding the addition of material to a narrative (Redaction and Form criticism), especially when the material in question is present in the earliest manuscripts, have received significant criticism in the last 20 years and are now regarded as dubious by some textual critics. Double attestation The Virgin conception and birth is a tradition that fits within the criterion of multiple attestation, that is, the same event appears in two independent traditions (most scholars argue that the authors of Matthew and Luke worked independent of one another). For many historians, independent testimony is a significant evidence for the historical validity of a said event. Matthew and Luke are testifying to an event, the birth, about which there was a tradition, namely, that it resulted from a miraculous conception. That the conception itself was indeed miraculous appears to rest on a single attestation, that of the Virgin Mary. The attestation of the Angel to St. Joseph on the miraculous nature of the conception would not be accepted by many scholars as historiographically valid. Critics of the double attestation argument cite many inconsistencies between the accounts of Matthew and Luke regarding Jesus birth. According to Matthew, Joseph was forewarned of the virgin birth by an unnamed angel; in Luke it is Mary who is notified of this by the angel Gabriel. Matthew tells us that Joseph and Mary were residents of Bethlehem who moved to Nazareth after Jesus birth in order to avoid living under Archelaus: according to the better-known story in Luke the couple lived in Nazareth and only traveled to Bethlehem in order to comply with a Roman census. Luke mentions that Mary was the sister of Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, has the new-born Jesus visited by shepherds, and mentions several long hymns uttered by various characters, such as Marys Magnificat. None of this is mentioned by Matthew, who instead tells us of the visit of the Magi, the massacre of the innocents by Herod, and the flight into Egypt. There are thus two rival explanations for the double attestation of Matthew and Luke regarding the virgin birth of Jesus: The virgin birth was a historical event, and the stories of Matthew and Luke are based on different aspects and witnesses accounts of it. Matthew and Luke both wanted to make Jesus fit prophecies from Hebrew scripture. Both authors were aware of the prophecies concerning virgin birth and Bethlehem, and therefore these elements of their stories match. But each author wove these prophecies into the overall narrative in a different way. For example, both authors had to explain how Jesus was born in Bethlehem when he was known to be from Nazareth (as mentioned in Marks gospel) and each came up with a totally different explanation. The double attestation shows only that the two witnesses are independent, although, there are some inconsistencies but it does not disqualify the truth of the case. Dispute regarding Isaiah 7:14 In the past two millennia, there has been controversy among scholars about the translation and the meaning of a small section of Isaiah. For many scholars, the crux of the matter is the translation of the word  : × ¢Ã—Å"מה, `almah which has been translated as young woman and as virgin. In Isaiah the word for virgin here is almah. Some liberals1 and Orthodox Jews claim that the word really means young woman, and this is reflected in Bible translations such as the NEB, RSV, NRSV, and GNB. Such people fail to explain why a young womans bearing a son should be a sign it happens all the time. The Septuagint translates it as (parthenos), the normal word for virgin.2 Later Jews, such as Trypho,3 Justin Martyrs (c. 160) dialog opponent, and Rashi4 (11th Cent.) have claimed that the Septuagint was wrong. Trypho claimed that almah should have been translated neanis (young girl) rather than parthenos.5 However, even Rashi admitted that the word could mean virgin in Song of Sol. 1:3 and 6:8. In the KJV, the word is translated virgin in Gen. 24:43 (Rebekah before her marriage), maid in Ex. 2:8 (Miriam as a girl) and Prov. 30:19, and damsels in Ps. 68:25. These verses contain all the occurrences of almah in the OT, and in none can it be shown that a non-virgin is meant. In English, maid and maiden are often treated as synonyms for virgin (e.g. maiden voyage). Vine et al. note that the other word for virgin, betà »lah, emphasizes virility more than virginity (although it is used with both emphases, too).6 It is qualified by a statement neither had any man known her in Gn. 24:16, and is used of a widow in Joel 1:8. Further evidence comes from clay tablets found in 1929 in Ugarit in Syria. Here, in Aramaic, a word similar to `almah is used of an unmarried woman, while on certain Aramaic incantation bowls, the Aramaic counterpart of betà »lah is used of a married woman.37 The Encyclopedia Judaica, while criticising the translation of almah in Is. 7:14 as virgin, also points out that btlt was used of the goddess Anath who had frenzied sex with Baal.8 In the King James Virsion of The Bible, a traditional Protestant translation, the verses in question run like this: 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings. Some newer translations also use the word virgin: The New King James, The English Standard Version, The Contemporary English Version, Youngs Literal Translation, among others. Many modern translations concede that the word in the Hebrew does not mean virgin, including The Revised Standard Version, The New Jerusalem Bible, The Revised English Bible, The Good News Bible, The New Revised Standard Version, among others. This demonstrates that some Christian scholars, both Protestant and Catholic, prefer the traditional translation of the Hebrew in the context of Isaiah 7:14, while others do not. Skeptics argue that this is not a very clear prophecy of the birth of Jesus. In addition to the objection that Jesus was not in fact named Immanuel there are other problems: for example, (1) what does the butter and honey refer to? (One possible response to the butter and honey problem: it is a reference to one who, metaphorically, has eaten good meat his entire life in order to spit out the bad meat if it ever touched his lips. Note that the butter and honey reference is immediately followed by the comment on an ability to choose between good and evil; this may suggest that they are related.) (2) Why is Jesus, who was sinless from birth in the traditional Christian understanding, described as having to learn to refuse the evil and choose the good? and (3) This passage within the latter translations states clearly that the young woman within this prophecy is already pregnant with a child. This makes this prophecy about the coming Messiah Jesus very difficult to explain as the prophecy would have already been fulfilled during Isaiahs time. Some Christian aplogists have attempted to explain this problem of temporal context as: a) the latter translations are in error, and b) the latter translations are correct, but that the prophecy has a double-application for both Isaiahs time and the first century. Thomas Paine argued in the second part of The Age of Reason that Isaiahs prophesy (7:16) turned out to be false. He based his conclusion on the 2nd Chronicles (chapter 28) account of heavy defeat of Ahaz. Skeptics raise even greater questions about the translation of the first verse in this passage: 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, × ¢Ã—Å"מה (a `almah) shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Christian apologists respond that the passage is a double reference— a sign both to Ahaz that the alliance against him would be destroyed, and to the house of David as a whole that was threatened with extinction. This is shown by the Hebrew which uses singular you for the former and plural you for the latter. With the former, Isaiah reassures Ahaz that the alliance would be destroyed before his own son Shear Jashub, who was present (v. 3), would learn to refuse the evil and choose the good. Finally, there is archaeological evidence that Jewish speakers of Greek used the word parthenos elastically; Jewish catacombs in Rome identify married men and women as virgins, and some have suggested that in this case the word was used to call attention to the fact that the deceased was someones first spouse (although it is notable that this usage is from several centuries before the translation of the Septuagint [citation  needed]). Certainly, Jews stopped using the more explicit Septuagint translation as Christianity spread, and post-Christian Jewish translations into Greek use ÃŽ ½ÃŽ µÃŽ ±ÃŽ ½ÃŽ ¹Ãâ€š, neanis, meaning young (juvenile) woman, rather than parthenos. Possible borrowing from Paganism Some have argued that the Virgin Birth is a Christian borrowing from paganism The impregnation of mortal women by gods is common in pagan mythology. However, this is not technically virginal conception, since virginity is lost by definition when the sex act is initiated. Christian writers have noted that the obvious sex of the pagan myths is missing in the Gospels: Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Luke 1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. A pagan myth of virgin birth may also underlie the disputed verses from Isaiah: It all boils down to this: the distinctive Hebrew word for virgin is betulah, whereas `almah means a young woman who may be a virgin, but is not necessarily so. The aim of this note is rather to call attention to a source that has not yet been brought into the discussion. From Ugarit of around 1400 B.C. comes a text celebrating the marriage of the male and female lunar deities. It is there predicted that the goddess will bear a son The terminology is remarkably close to that in Isaiah 7:14. However, the Ugaritic statement that the bride will bear a son is fortunately given in parallelistic form; in 77:7 she is called by the exact etymological counterpart of Hebrew `almah young woman; in 77:5 she is called by the exact etymological counterpart of Hebrew betulah virgin. Therefore, the New Testament rendering of `almah as virgin for Isaiah 7:14 rests on the older Jewish interpretation, which in turn is now borne out for precisely this annunciation formula by a text that is not only pre-Isaianic but is pre-Mosaic in the form that we now have it on a clay tablet. (Feinberg, BibSac, July 62; the citation to Gordon is: C. H. Gordon, `Almah in Isaiah 7:14, Journal of Bible and Religion, XXI, 2 (April, 1953), p. 106.) This philological reasoning seems to raise four possibilities: virgin birth is a pagan concept that Christianity has 1) taken from contemporary paganism; 2) taken from pre-Mosaic paganism through Isaiah; 3) taken from contemporary paganism and justified from Isaiah, who took it from pre-Mosaic paganism; 4) produced independently of all forms of paganism, though sharing similar vocabulary. If pre-Mosaic paganism supports Isaiah, and Isaiah supports Matthew and Mark, paganism has anticipated Christianity, perhaps because God was preparing the way for Christianity or because, as some Church Fathers argued, the Devil was blasphemously imitating Christianity. On the other hand, if paganism does not underlie Isaiah, there are several possibilities. Perhaps virgin birth was invented separately, first in paganism, then in Christianity. Perhaps the idea of asexual conception was so different from the idea of conception through sexual intercourse with a deity that there was little or no borrowing in either direction. Or perhaps, despite the earlier date of the Ugaritic text, virgin birth existed first in Judaism, without any other instances than this one, and was borrowed by paganism. The obvious difficulty with this idea is that virgin birth was much more prominent in paganism, where it occurs in many myths in many different areas, than it was in Judaism, where it occurs (if at all) in a single verse late in the Old Testament. Nevertheless, the argument that virgin birth was a Jewish concept first borrowed by paganism and later incorporated into Christianity was first made by Justin Martyr in The First Apology of Justin, written in the second century. Justin also made this argument in his Dialog with Trypho, in which he debates with a Jew called Trypho: Be well assured, then, Trypho, I continued, that I am established in the knowledge of and faith in the Scriptures by those counterfeits which he who is called the Devil is said to have performed among the Greeks; just as some were wrought by the Magi in Egypt, and others by the false prophets in Elijahs days. For when they tell that Bacchus, son of Jupiter, was begotten by Jupiters intercourse with Semele, and that he was the discoverer of the vine; and when they relate, that being torn in pieces, and having died, he rose again, and ascended to heaven; and when they introduce wine into his mysteries, do I not perceive that the Devil has imitated the prophecy announced by the patriarch Jacob, and recorded by Moses? Justin was clearly not referring to any Ugaritic texts, as these texts were not known in his day; he was referring to Greek paganism. That the Devil is responsible for the similarities between paganism and Judaism is not generally accepted by modern scholars, partly because the Devils influence would be impossible to disprove. The Devil could not, for example, imitate Christianity or Judaism before either existed, without violating the generally accepted historical rule that a culture cannot be influenced by a culture that does not yet exist; even though in point of fact it is likely that if the patriarch Jacob existed, he was contemporary with the inscriptions at Ugarit. In a similar vein, it might also be argued that God had chosen to out-do these earlier human myths, all as part of his Plan. Christian writers point out that if in fact the writer of Isaiah intended to borrow the idea of a virgin birth from an older pagan tradition, we might expect to find Isaiah using more explicit language to indicate that a virgin was meant. However, if Isaiah had borrowed the story from pagans, he might be expected to speak in the same way as the pagans, and that is what he does, according to the scholar quoted, who notes the remarkable similarity of the Ugaritic and the Hebrew. However, Isaiah may speak the same way as the pagans simply because he came from a similar sociological and semantic context. If Isaiah received a new prophecy direct from God, on the other hand, he had no tradition to conform to, and he could have expanded the meaning to make it completely unambiguous. That he did not choose to make it unambiguous is thus an apparent difficulty for the Christian interpretation of the text, though the ambiguity could be seen as being intended, if one supposes that God had a dual purpose for the text (i.e., to serve one function in Isaiahs time and another function later). Isaiahs prophecy departs from the Ugaritic version of the virgin birth by having the female be entirely human, whereas in the Ugaritic culture, the virgin was another deity, on par with the male; but this is exactly what might be expected if the myth were borrowed from paganism, since Judaism has only one male deity; a female deity in a borrowed myth might thus conceivably become a female human. According to Origen and Tertullian, the Christian doctrine of the Virgin birth met with lively opposition and mockery from pagan groups. This testimony would seem to discount the suggestion of those modern revisionists who have posited that the pagan religions had a similar or identical tradition. The doctrine of the Virgin Birth is frequently confused with the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. The latter, taught by the Roman Catholic Church states that Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin. Mary, however, unlike many peoples views of Jesus, was conceived in the ordinary way: i.e. she had a human father as well as a human mother (whose names, according to Catholic and Orthodox tradition, were Joachim and Anna/Anne or Jehoiakim and Hannah in Hebrew). Whilst Protestant denominations adhere to the doctrine of the Virgin Birth, they do not adhere to the idea of Marys immaculate conception, nor of her perpetual virginity. References: Hagner, Donald-Matthew 2 Vols. (Biblical Commentary) Dallas; Word, 1993,1995. Luz, Ulrich. Matthew 1-7 Minneapolis; Augsburg Fortress, 1989. Green, Joel B. The Gospel of Luke. Grand Rapids; Eerdmans, 1997. Keener Craig, A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids; Eerdmans, 1999. Nolland, John, The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids; Eerdmans, 2005 Raymond E. Brown, The Virginal Conception and Bodily Resurrection of Jesus, New York: Paulist, 1973 (pp. 21-68) Marshall, I. Howard. Commentary on Luke, Grand Rapids; Eerdmans, 1978 Fitzmyer, Joseph. The Gospel According to Kuke I-IX (Anchor Bible) Garden City. Doubleday. 1981

Critically Evaluate Doyles Definition Marketing Essay

Critically Evaluate Doyles Definition Marketing Essay Most academics and marketing practioners consider that there are two basic approaches to marketing which are often categorised as being traditional or relationship based. The traditional approach to marketing has the acquisition of new customers as its central tenet. Indeed, Peter Drucker (1964, p. 91) suggested that a business only existed to create a customer. However, organisations have increasingly begun to recognise that customer retention is as important, if not more so, than customer acquisition. The driving force behind this change in thinking has been the ever increasing cost of acquiring new customers (Holmlund and Koch, 1996). Therefore, in contrast to traditional marketing, the basic premise of relationship marketing is the development of customer relationships with a view to cost reduction within the organisation and increased shareholder value through the creation of high levels of customer satisfaction (Perrien and Ricard, 1995). Indeed, many relationship marketing the orists summarise the difference between relationship marketing and traditional marketing as the creation of customer satisfaction rather than the creation of a customer (Perrien and Ricard, 1995). In terms of the competitive advantage dimension of Doyles definition, Porters Generic Strategies model (1980, p. 39 see Appendix I) suggests that the traditional approach to marketing relies heavily on a strategy of cost leadership and price competiveness. In contrast, relationship marketing focuses on differentiation, in terms of product and/or brand attributes, as a source of sustainable competitive advantage. It can be seen, therefore, that Doyles definition of marketing is closely allied to the relationship marketing school of thinking. However, Doyles definition does not take account of the fact that the implementation of a relationship based approach to marketing alone does not necessarily guarantee that an organisation will achieve a sustainable competitive advantage, or, therefore, a subsequent maximisation of shareholder returns. To have the potential for this, a relationship marketing programme must include attractive and relevant value propositions for customers, which should differentiate an organisations brand and/or products from those of its competitors. In addition, these differentiated value propositions should not be easy for competitors to imitate (Barney, 1991). It is critical, therefore, that an organisation establishes exactly what value its customers are seeking in order for it to be able to design and deliver the appropriate value-enhancing benefits that will facilita te the building of meaningful long-term, and mutually beneficial, customer relationships (Christopher et al, 2002, p. 22). Doyles definition refers only to valued customers suggesting that they are a homogenous group. However, not all customers are alike and Newell (2003, p. 17) articulates this when he states that Customers dont want to be treated equally. They want to be treated individually. Therefore, not only does successful relationship marketing rely on the creation of customer value propositions but also on the process of segmenting and targeting the most appropriate customers and then tailoring and positioning value propositions to appeal to the various, identified consumer segments. Furthermore, the segmentation of consumers by psychographic and behavioural attributes enables an organisation to understand the different motivational factors that influence those consumers in their purchasing behaviour towards specific brands or products, thus facilitating a more individual approach to customers. In addition, segmentation by this method provides an organisation with an insight into the specific va lue benefits that its customers, and potential customers, are seeking when they make a purchase. This, in turn, assists in the creation of desirable and differentiated brands and/or products, and enables their effective positioning for the identified segments (Dibb et al., 1997). The segmentation, targeting, and positioning process is summarised in Appendix II. Doyles definition of marketing specifically identifies developing relationships with valued customers as a means of creating a competitive advantage. However, the definition makes no reference to any other stakeholder groups that an organisation may have, and will certainly need to interact with, if it is to build and sustain a competitive advantage. The six markets stakeholder model indentifies the key stakeholder groups that require attention from any organisation that adopts a comprehensive relationship marketing approach to the achievement of its business growth and profitability objectives (Christopher et al., 2002, p. 76 see Appendix III) Whilst this model is certainly customer centric, it recognises different stakeholder groups as having the potential to engage in active relationships with the organisation and., therefore, be considered for inclusion within its marketing strategy. It is necessary for organisations to effectively manage relationships with all of these groups e specially as they have an interrelationship with each other. For example, shareholders in an organisation are members of the Influencer Markets, but may also be part of the Referral Markets and the Customer Markets. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, in terms of support for Doyles definition, research has shown that there is a direct link between the adoption of a successful relationship marketing strategy and profit (Bhote, 1996). None of this is to say, however, that traditional marketing does not have a role to play in the modern-day commercial environment. There is no doubt that many consumers have a short-term outlook, in terms of their purchasing behaviour, and are not necessarily loyal to particular brands. Indeed, such consumers may buy particular brands out of habit or they may actively search for brands regardless of whether or not they are being targeted by relationship marketing programmes (Kotler and Armstrong, 2011, p. 150). In this sense, Doyles definition does not recognise the concept or value of traditional marketing. However, the many exponents of the traditional approach to marketing regard it as a distinct and dedicated management function within an organisation that is responsible for creating transactions with certain groups of customers that satisfy their immediate needs and wants whilst, at the same time, meeting the marketing objectives set by the organisation (Grà ¶nroos, 2006). Organisations that deploy traditional marketing methods tend to view the marketing function as being responsible for the so-called four Ps, namely Product, Place (distribution), Price, and Promotion, rather than the management of customer relationships. Research has also shown that, in fact, very few organisations deploy exclusively either traditional marketing or relationship marketing. More often than not there will be a blending of the two marketing disciplines and, in terms of responsibility within an organisation, traditional marketing may be the domain of the marketing department with customer relationship management being a standalone function. In any case, the choice between using one of the two methods, and using both, should always be based on the industry in question and the needs of the customer. (Zinedlin and Philipson, 2007). However, there remains no doubt that many consumers are willing, and able, to form emotional, as well as practical, transaction-based relationships with organisations. This is particularly the case where an organisation has a recognisable brand as consumers are more likely to identify with a brand, and remain loyal to that brand, than they are to an organisation. Loyalty by customers to a brand is known to be a prime factor in the creation of sustainable competitive advantage and, therefore, business growth and profitability (Aggarwal, 2004). It is for these reasons that, according to Kotler and Armstrong (2011, p. 259), of all the assets owned by an organisation, the brand is the perhaps the most enduring and valuable in terms of its ability to generate shareholder wealth. Consequently, although Doyles definition of marketing has been seen to exclude the still relevant dimension of traditional marketing, it can be effectively applied to the creation and management of the marketing s trategy of an organisation. Even so, Doyles definition does not go far enough in its attempts to encompass the practice and value of relationship marketing as it does not specifically refer to the strategically significant role of brands in building sustainable competitive advantage. Consequently, to apply Doyles definition in a practical sense to the creation and management of an organisations marketing strategy, it is first necessary to discuss and evaluate the role that branding and brand reputation plays. As has already been shown, true relationship marketing demands that brands, and their inherent value propositions, are positioned in a differentiated and competitive sense against the various identified consumer segments. This is only the first step in the branding process and it is critical to the building of a sustainable competitive advantage that, over time, an organisation is able to build and sustain its brand reputation. Brand reputation is to do with how customers think and feel about a brand and, in order to develop brand reputation organisations need to have certain building blocks in place to enable customers to feel confident in developing meaningful relationships with the brand (Keller, 2003). These building blocks include brand salience, perfor mance, imagery, and resonance, which all impact on the judgements consumers make about a brand and, ultimately, how they will behave towards it. This process of brand reputation building is summarised in Appendix IV. If the process is followed effectively, then customers will ultimately progress from understanding, and empathising with, the brands value propositions to having a resonance with the brand and being ready to form an emotional relationship with it. To maximise the value of this potential emotional relationship, organisations have to take advantage of every available opportunity to ensure that engagement between their brand and their customers is positive. These engagements can comprise a number of so called customer touchpoints, such as direct marketing, helplines, advertising, and social media. Every time that a customer engages with a brand through a touchpoint that customers views and opinions about the brand are formulated and, ultimately, this will influence attitudes and behaviour towards the brand. Indeed, Doyle himself (1998) suggested that, by maximising the positive and integrated nature of customer engagements with their brands, organisations could enhance their overall bra nd reputations. Consumers who form emotional relationships with brands can actually become so enthusiastic about these relationships that they develop a loyalty to the brand and may even progress as far as becoming so called brand advocates, recommending the brand to friends, family, and members of their peer and reference groups (Aggarwal, 2004). If the organisation carefully nurtures these loyal customers and brand advocates, then they can become immensely valuable, in terms of future shareholder returns, and groups of them may even form themselves into brand communities on social networking sites, such as Facebook, where their influence over other customers and potential customers will be even greater. In summary and conclusion, it can be seen that the successful management of an organisations customer relationships can lead to customer loyalty and advocacy and is a key factor in an organisations ability to establish and maintain its competitive advantage, which, in itself, is a prerequisite for growth and profitability in todays globalised and highly competitive marketplace. Although Doyles definition recognises the increasingly significant role of customer relationship management within the marketing discipline, it fails to take account of the other key stakeholder groups that interact within an organisation, and with each other. Equally, certain strategically important aspects of a comprehensive relationship marketing strategy that will maximise competitive advantage and, in turn, shareholder returns, are not referred to in Doyles definition. These shortcomings include a lack of recognition of the value and role of brands in the marketing process as well as the significance of s egmentation, targeting, and positioning. In addition, Doyles definition totally excludes any reference to the important role that traditional marketing is still able to play within a successful marketing strategy Even so, although Doyles definition does fall short in certain areas, it is still a solid foundation for the framing of an organisations marketing strategy. This is because modern-day organisations have to understand that, in order to deliver the returns that their shareholders demand, a significant element of marketing practice has to be focussed on the building of long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with customers rather than on new customer acquisition. This is especially true as consumers not only have an increasingly heightened awareness of brands but also take more account of a brands reputation when making a purchasing decision. Equally, consumers are more willing to express their brand awareness by either defection from, or loyalty to, particular brands. Organisations can encourage customer loyalty to their brands by developing and communicating, at every available opportunity, consistent, relevant, and powerful brand propositions that are customised to their identif ied market segments. In this way, brands can build competitive advantage through differentiation rather than through the adoption of low pricing policies which impact negatively on profitability and, thereby on shareholder returns. -

Abortion :: essays papers

Abortion Abortion on demand should be legal for many reasons. In countries where abortion is absolutely not tolerated it is a fact that women continue to receive abortions, from unqualified back-street abortionists or the village massage abortionist. Both of these individuals risk putting the woman through painful and potentially fatal tortures just in an attempt to abort a child. Each year 84 000 women die worldwide from failed abortion attempts. Because of anti-abortion legislation women avoid going to the hospital, often until it is too late, to avoid prosecution from police. In the cases of rape and incest the very idea of being forced to have the child of the woman's abuser is repulsive. There are also cases when a woman's health is put in jeopardy by having a child at all, forcing such a woman to bring a child to term, would be no less than attempted murder. If a woman is forced to give birth to a child she does not want, if left in that woman's custody, the child could potentially face hatred and resentment from the mother for the rest of it's life. In countries all over the world, children are found dead and abandoned in places as degrading as garbage dumps. The only effective method of preventing unwanted births is abstinence, and this is just not a realistic objective. There is no 100% effective form of birth control, and even men and women using birth control have unwanted pregnancies. Some women for financial, occupational, social, and maturity reasons, see pregnancy as cessation of their lives. There are no accurate statistics on how many women attempt or succeed in committing suicide each year rather than live with their pregnancies. Women will continue to have abortions with or without government legislation, but with legislation, the conditions under which they have their abortions can be sanctioned and observed. The role of family in abortion is that preservation of family has a profound impact on some women's decision whether or not to have an abortion. Some women have learned to protect and preserve each and every member of her family, including an unborn child. For these women abortion is not even a consideration, but many do live their lives harboring resent towards their husbands and the child for forcing her to have a child she did not necessarily want. Other women see abortion as a necessity to protect the family they already have. Abortion :: essays papers Abortion Abortion on demand should be legal for many reasons. In countries where abortion is absolutely not tolerated it is a fact that women continue to receive abortions, from unqualified back-street abortionists or the village massage abortionist. Both of these individuals risk putting the woman through painful and potentially fatal tortures just in an attempt to abort a child. Each year 84 000 women die worldwide from failed abortion attempts. Because of anti-abortion legislation women avoid going to the hospital, often until it is too late, to avoid prosecution from police. In the cases of rape and incest the very idea of being forced to have the child of the woman's abuser is repulsive. There are also cases when a woman's health is put in jeopardy by having a child at all, forcing such a woman to bring a child to term, would be no less than attempted murder. If a woman is forced to give birth to a child she does not want, if left in that woman's custody, the child could potentially face hatred and resentment from the mother for the rest of it's life. In countries all over the world, children are found dead and abandoned in places as degrading as garbage dumps. The only effective method of preventing unwanted births is abstinence, and this is just not a realistic objective. There is no 100% effective form of birth control, and even men and women using birth control have unwanted pregnancies. Some women for financial, occupational, social, and maturity reasons, see pregnancy as cessation of their lives. There are no accurate statistics on how many women attempt or succeed in committing suicide each year rather than live with their pregnancies. Women will continue to have abortions with or without government legislation, but with legislation, the conditions under which they have their abortions can be sanctioned and observed. The role of family in abortion is that preservation of family has a profound impact on some women's decision whether or not to have an abortion. Some women have learned to protect and preserve each and every member of her family, including an unborn child. For these women abortion is not even a consideration, but many do live their lives harboring resent towards their husbands and the child for forcing her to have a child she did not necessarily want. Other women see abortion as a necessity to protect the family they already have.

Susan B. Anthony Essay -- Biography

Susan B. Anthony On February 15, 1820 in Adams, Massachusetts, a woman by the name of Susan Brownell Anthony was born to parents Daniel and Lucy (Read) Anthony. She was the second born of a strongly rooted Quaker family of eight (Hist.Bio.-1). Because they lived in a Quaker neighborhood, Susan was not heavily exposed to slavery. The family made anti-slavery talks an almost daily conversation over the dinner table. She also saw men and women on the same level (Stoddard 36). â€Å"A hard working father, who was not only a cotton manufacturer, but a Quaker Abolitionist also, prevented his children from what he called childish things such as toys, games and music. He felt that they would distract his children from reaching their peak of performance. â€Å"With a strong household influence like her father, Anthony became a very bright student. She knew how to read and write at the very tender age of three. She was put in a home school type school setting at the age of six because her teacher refused to teach her how to do long division. Because the school was run by a very strong-willed group of women, Anthony received a new image of womanhood by being taught not only arithmetic and grammar, but also manners and self-worth. Upon leaving this school, Susan B Anthony attended a boarding school in Philadelphia where she remained until two years before her father’s business was lost (Boynick 47). At the age of fifteen, Susan B. Anthony began teaching (Holland). At the age of nineteen she had already taught at the boarding school which she had attended, been a governess at in the home of a merchant in Fort Edward, New York, then helped her family move to Rochester. Once her family got settled she began doing work around the house. At the house, her father had daily conversations about the current issues of the day. She would shuffle back and forth between the kitchen and dining room to participate in these discussions which she so passionately loved. She was then appointed principal over the girls’ department Canajoharie Academy and would maintain at that stature until she reached the age of thirty (Holland). It was at her school where principal Anthony became exposed to the Daughters of temperance. This group of women went right along with Susan B. Anthony’s Quaker moral standards. They fought for prohibition. They fought to prevent abus... ...ing rights for women. Little did she know, that fourteen years after her death at the age of eighty-six, the nineteenth amendment would be passed. This amendment, also known as the â€Å"Anthony amendment†, gave women the right to vote. Susan Brownell Anthony has left many marks in the present day world we live in. If it were not for her, many minorities would not have the benefits that they have right now. If she had not lived the life she lived, women might still be fighting for the rights they have now. If it were not for her, we would have never had her printed on the silver dollar. The world would not be as good of a place. Works Cited Boynick, David K. Women Who Led the Way: Eight Pioneers for Equal Rights. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company. 1959. Dorr, Rheta Louise. Susan B. Anthony, the Woman Who Changed the Mind of a Nation. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1928. Holland, Patricia G. â€Å"Anthony, Susan B(rownell)†. Encarta 97 Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1994. Stoddard, Hope. Famous American Women. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company. 1970. â€Å"Untitled†. Online. Internet. www.history.rochester.edu/class/sba/bio.html.

International Relations Relating to Humanitarian Intervention Essay

In the following essay I will discuss aspects of international relations relating to humanitarian intervention and how they affect a nation’s responsibilities in the international arena. I will be drawing parallels to historical examples of intervention and to recent world events. I will inspect the classical realist notion of non-intervention and sovereignty and another newer line of thought, more adapted to the modern system. What I hope to bring forth in this paper is a clearer understanding of the situation and the responsibilities of the actors in current international relations in regard to humanitarian rights and intervention. Today the world stands more connected than ever before in human history. Nations form economic empires. Lines of trade run intertwined. Influence and interests span the globe. Power is global. With this brave new world come new responsibilities. No longer, can state sovereignty, force rigid impenetrable boundaries between states and command sole responsibility for their citizens. But still national sovereignty in classical international law is untouchable. With the philosophical roots of international relations established with the treaty of Westphalia 1648 (Plant 1995: 190) According to it all sovereign rulers have absolute authority within their nations and no state has the right to intervene in the domestic matters of other sovereign states. This idea has been the very building block of modern international relations since 1945 and the establishment of the UN. The UN Charter clearly prohibits the use of force in international relations to threaten the â€Å"territorial integrity or political independence of any state â€Å"(United Nations 1945: Chapter 1 Article 2.4). This idea is so concrete in i... ...tract=462523 [Accessed 15 March 2011] Plant, R. 1995 ‘Rights Rules and world Order’ pp 190-218 in Desai, M and Redfern, P. (eds.) Global Governance: Ethics and Economics of the World Order, London: Continuum Publishing Slater, J and Nardin, T. 1986 ‘Nonintervention and Human Rights.’ The Journal of Politics, 48(1):86-96 Stacy, H. 2007 ‘Humanitarian Intervention and Relational Sovereignty,’ pp 89-104 in Lee, Steven P. (Ed.) Intervention, Terrorism, and Torture: Contemporary Challenges to Just War Theory, New York: Springer Thomas, C . 1994 ‘Human Rights and Intervention: A Case for Caution.’ Irish Studies in International Affairs, 5:15-28. United Nations, 2011. Charter of the United Nations 194,. [Online] Available at; [Accessed 09 March 2011]. Walzer, M. 1977 Just and Unjust Wars, New York: Basic Books

On the Necessity of Rationalism

In the process of considering the various means of justification, a relativistic conception of reality assumes that the truth and hence the validity of a statement may only be assessed in relation to the perspective of the discipline which holds a particular belief. In this sense, truth is dependent upon the internal coherence of beliefs within a system of thought. In his The Last Word, Nagel claims that such is not the case. He argues that the truth and hence the validity of statements are dependent upon an unqualified notion of reason.He claims that the truth of a statement is independent upon any particular perspective. If such is the case, it follows that the truth of any statement is independent from the schema [truth schema] presented by any system of thought. In relation to scientific claims, it thereby follows that the truth of scientific claims ought to be assessed through the unqualified notion of reason as opposed to merely their internal coherence within the scientific co nception of reality [scientific framework].The aforementioned argument is based upon the critique of the intrinsic limits to subjectivist doubt since challenges to the independent validity of reason must themselves assume the independent validity of reason. Any explanation of reason deriving from outside the mind can itself be explained only from inside the mind, as having its own independent validity. In the case of scientific knowledge, he argues that it is mistaken to assume that the scientific discipline has freed itself from the limits of the Cartesian problem through the replacement of judgments about rules of practice from objective judgments.Nagel argues that if science will continually adhere to a subjectivistic and hence relativistic framework, the discipline will fail to provide an objective account of reality. He claims, â€Å"the general aim of such reasoning [scientific reasoning] is to make sense of the world in which we find ourselves and how it appears to us and ot hers† (81). If such is the case, it is necessary to conceive of the conception of the world which is not based upon an a priori conception of reality dependent upon a preconceived and limited conception of the word. According to Nagel, such an account is not provided by science.The reasons for this lies in the subjectivism of science (Nagel 84). Subjectivism within science [scientific methods] is apparent if one considers that the scientific â€Å"demand for order cannot itself be rationally justified nor does it correspond to a self-evident necessity† (Nagel 84). He notes that scientific subjectivism can only end if it adheres to rational means of knowledge acquisition. It is only through the defense of rationalism that an objectivist account of evidence is possible.Nagel further argues that the appeal of subjectivism arises out of a certain reductionist impulse in modern explanation as this reductionist impulse enables the explanation of things to hinge on their reduc tion to local and finite terms thereby ensuring subjectivist conclusions. Although this enables the assurance against rationalist explanations that refuse to make reason into something irrational or that conceive of reason as a capacity for grasping the universal and infinite principle, the reductionist explanation is in itself dependent on an irreducibly nonlocal and objective understanding of reason. Nagel argues that doubt about reason presupposes reason’s independent validity hence reason’s independent validity cannot be coherently doubted.He rightly argues that to object to reason on the grounds we cannot strictly explain it in naturalistic terms is to misunderstand the irreducible nature of the concept since reason cannot be so explained without losing its meaning or validity and that, as such, it is justified in a different way, by showing it to be necessary to intelligible thought and action. Science thereby must opt for a rationalistic as opposed to a subjecti vistic account of reality for it to maintain its value as a discipline.Work CitedNagel, Thomas. The Last Word. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.Essay Number TwoEdmund Gettier’s Counterargument Against thePlatonic Tripartite Account of Propositional KnowledgeThe Platonic tripartite definition of propositional and fallibilist knowledge found in the last section of the Theaetetus states that knowledge of P occurs when an epistemic agent S knows that P if and only if (1) P is true, (2) S believes that P, and (3) S is justified in believing that P (90). A well-known opposition to such an account of propositional knowledge questions the sufficiency of the aforementioned conditions.It is argued that although the aforementioned conditions are necessary in the definition of propositional knowledge such conditions are insufficient due to their failure to ensure S against conditions wherein knowledge of P occurs as a result of mere epistemic luck (Gettier 123). This critique is b est known as the Gettier type counter examples towards the tripartite definition of propositional knowledge mentioned above.A logical problem is posited by the Gettier type counter examples. This logical problem is evident in the lack of successful coordination between the truth of P and the reasons that justify S in holding P. Floridi notes that Gettier type counter examples arise â€Å"because the truth and the justification of P happen to be not only independent but also opaquely unrelated that they happen to fail to converge or agree on the same propositional content P†¦without S realizing it† (64). In order to understand this, it is important to lay down the main assumptions of Gettier’s counter argument that seeks to explicate the aforementioned logical problem.Gettier’s argument against the tripartite account of propositional knowledge, which involves the conception of knowledge as justified true belief arose as a result of the following claim: knowl edge [propositional knowledge] does not merely involve justified true belief. Such a claim is based upon the following assumptions. First, there are instances wherein the warrant is not a sufficient condition for a belief in P. This is evident if one considers that instances of belief and knowledge of P are in some respects epistemically different [other than in terms of truth] from belief of P without knowledge of P. Second, there are instances wherein warrant is fallible.This is due to the insufficiency of truth and justification as warrants for knowledge. The evidence of such, according to Gettier is apparent if one considers that it is possible for P to be false even if S believes that P possesses epistemically significant properties such that whenever a belief possesses such properties and is true the belief may thereby qualify as knowledge. Lastly, there is the closure of knowledge under obvious and known entailments. The last assumption argues that if S is justified in believ ing P and a deductively valid inference is drawn from P to another belief Q then S is justified in believing Q. This is a result of the entailment of Q from P.From what was stated above, it is possible to present the usual form of Gettier’s attack against the tripartite account of knowledge. Gettier’s counter argument is based upon the critique of warrant, fallibility, and closure. Note that combination of the three claims mentioned above leads to a contradiction. From what was mentioned above it follows that it is possible to believe in an obvious deductive consequence of P, which is Q, while in the process retaining the epistemically significant properties of the belief in P.If such is the case, it is possible to have a justified true belief of any property which has led S to have a belief in Q or any other type of belief which has Q’s epistemic characteristics. Note that this contradicts the assumed necessity that P and Q differ from each other since one qual ifies as knowledge [S believes and has knowledge of P] whereas Q merely qualifies as a belief [S believes but does not have knowledge of Q].Works CitedFloridi, L. â€Å"On the Logical Unsolvability of the Gettier Problem.† Synthese 142(2004): 61-79.Gettier, E. â€Å"Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?† Analysis 23(1963): 121-23.Plato. Theaetetus. Trans. M.J. Levett. Indiana: Hackett Publishing Co., 1992.

Guided Reading Essay

Abstract This paper will describe the leveling process and how leveled books fit into the reading classroom. It will also describe how to use tools yourself, to locate lists of leveled books, how the listed levels of a title compare between one you leveled, what the publisher class the level and the guided is reading classroom as a function. The last part of this paper will describe the instructional level of a student previously interview in Module 1. Guided Reading How to use leveling tools yourself Guided reading is an instructional approach that teacher uses when students are reading at the same level of instruction. The teacher selects books from certain reading levels to guide students to make connections from print to the text. The books are easily read with the support of the teacher. Challenges and opportunities for problem solving are offered in the text. Choice selection of the books from the teacher will expand their strategies. The purpose of guided reading is for the teacher to select books that students can read with 90% accuracy. When the story is introduced to the student by the teacher, the students, through their own strategies understand and enjoy the story because it is available to them. Pinnell, (2007) states that guided reading gives students the chance to apply the strategies they already know to new text. The teacher supplies support, but the ultimate goal is independent reading. Readers that have developed some since of print have already gained important understanding of it. If they have encountered a problem in reading they will monitor their own reading and check on themselves while searching for possibilities or alternatives How to locate list of leveled books. In order for the teacher to locate leveled books for their students, the teacher should select the students with similar reading habits and behaviors. These students should experience reading habits and behaviors in the same time frame. The guide lines of the choice of books should be not too easy, yet not too hard, and offers a variety of challenges to help readers become flexible problem solvers (Pinnell, 2007). When choosing a guided reading program or leveled books, the teacher should look for books that are similar to their knowledge, are interesting to them, support them to move to the next step in reading, and give just the right amount of challenge to ensure that problem solving is taking place while supporting fluency and understanding. Leveled book collection is a large set of books organized in levels of difficulty from easy books that an emergent reader might read, to the longer, complex books that advanced readers will select. The leveled books collections may be housed in an area where it is easily accessible. A key component in a guided reading program is the leveled books. The scholastic Guided Reading Program is a varied collection of books that are categorized by the kind and level of challenge they offer children as they are learning to read. The Guided Reading Program consists of 260 books organized into 26 levels of difficulty –Levels A-Z. Many different characteristics of the texts are considered in determining the level of challenge and support a particular book or short story presents (Pinnell, 2007) Some leveled books may consist of the teachers’ working collaborately together to construct leveled books from large collections of books. When teachers have been teaching a long time, they began to acquire the knowledge necessary to know what is easy and what is difficult for their students. When using the books frequently, the teachers will notice that categories of their collections will become more established (Scholastic. com) How the listed levels of a title compare between one you leveled. There are factors and criteria’s for leveling books. There is no distinct characteristic that can be used to evaluate text or reading materials. Some of the factors that are considered when evaluating text are length, layout, structure and organization, illustrations, words, phrases and sentences, literacy features, and content and theme (Scholastics. com). When compared the book that was leveled with the books in Scholastics, it was very close. The formation was based on the factors and criteria’s’ for leveling books. Guided reading classroom, how it functions, its advantages, and its disadvantages. The guided reading classrooms should have an independent reading practice location. This independent practice space should welcome students to a rich environment for reading. Teachers with a good sense of what a rich reading environment consist of will include in the reading practice location pillows or a couch for a feeling of an invitation to read. Students need to feel very comfortable when reading. The library in a guided classroom needs to be complete with rich and exciting literature. Some of the literature that should be included in the library is fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, magazines, current events, and sports and whatever you feel as a teacher that the students will be interested in. Technology is a major component of a guided reading classroom. It services as an independent and small group practice while the teacher is working with students in a small guided reading group. The guided reading groups should consist of four to six students at a time. The sessions for guided reading groups vary depending upon what level of readers you are dealing with. It is often 10-15 minutes for emergent readers, and 15-30 minutes for more advanced readers. Also in a guided reading classroom there should be cross curriculum centers for writing, art, and science which can be done at their desk with very little instruction. This would take very explicit planning on the teacher part. This will allow for the teacher to continue guided reading groups. A teacher-led small-group assessment area should be located in a place where the teacher has total vision of her classroom, but yet in an area where the students that are in the guided reading area can be together so that the skill can be implemented as one. Finally, there should be a designated area where the teacher can teach in a whole group setting. The advantages of a guided reading classroom when the teachers are working with a particular group, is that they can control what is going on in the classroom and ensure that the students are actively engaged at all times. By setting guided reading classrooms up this way, the teacher can take an informal assessment of behaviors whether or not the students are working in centers, at their desk or with the teacher in a guided reading group. The teacher should be taking running records, jotting anecdotal notes, or even conducting oral interviews if time permits. The disadvantages of this guided reading classroom is that it will take a lot of planning time to ensure that the centers all have meaningful activities that will help them read or increase their ability to interact with each other. Most of the time teachers do not have centers that are effective because of the necessary time needed for preparation to ensure an effective guided reading classroom. These guided reading groups should constantly change from week to week to ensure that all students are actively engaged in a differentiated atmosphere. Student from Module 1 This student could fall between emergent literacy and beginning reader because in module 1 the student started finger pointing and looking at the picture to determine the words. Also the student had trouble with the recognition of sight words. The student experienced difficulty with decoding unfamiliar words. This was a 3rd grade student that seemed very happy at home. The student does understand the concepts of print and words. Even thought she had trouble with decoding unfamiliar words, she seems to have phonological awareness. Knowledge of alphabets was noted. Her Independent level was grade 1, Instructional grade 1-2, and Frustration Level is Grade 3. Can this student benefit from a pull-out intervention program that focus on sight words and decoding? Conclusion This paper described the leveling process and how leveled books fit into the reading classroom. It will also described how to use tools yourself, to locate lists of leveled books, how the listed levels of a title compare between one you leveled, what the publisher class the level and the guided is reading classroom as a function. The last part of this paper described the instructional level of a student previously interview in Module 1. References Pinnell, G. S. (2007, Guided Reading Program, Scholastic, Scholastic, Red, New York, NY Scholastic. Com Retrieved September 14, 2009 from http://www2. scholastic. com/browse/article. jsp? id+4177.

Bmx Cycle Solutions

Question # 1 What business is LCI in? What are the key success factors? How operations can contribute? LCI BUSINESS: LCI was founded in 1994 by Mr. Sheikh Ubaidullah, a Former Chairman of Pakistan Cycle Cooperative Society Limited. LCI is located at Ferozpur Road, eighteen miles south of Lahore Pakistan. LCI marketed its bicycles under the brand name of Leader bicycles. LCI was in bad shape and financially bankrupt , all shops run by one supervisors , its production was practically zero when Managing director at Descon Mr. Razaq Dawood acquired LCI in June 1999. He hired new 6 engineers since 1999 in following departments like production planning, production scheduling, inventory control and quality control to set up all the necessary systems and procedures in order to turn LCI around. In May 2002 Five bicycles –manufacturing companies (competitors) existed in market, combined capacity of these companies producing bicycles were 580,000bicyles per annum, and all were running at or near capacity, the competition was very tough. Up to May 2002. LCI was producing 60,000 bicycles/annum, in May 2002, LCI started producing manufacturing its new product named BMX cycles, for betterment in this new product, after a year-long negotiation with Hercules of England, Decscon acquired from them the manufacturing and technology right, in Pakistan, for the very popular BMX cycle, Hercules also agreed to send engineers to Lahore for ten-week periods in order to help in set up the plant, tooling and train the staff. KEY SUCCESS FACTORS: * Senior Management of LCI wanted to introduce the BMX Cycle in market before competitors, and Mr. Mansoor Waraich, Senior Planning Engineer, had a lot of pressure by the top management of LCI to complete this huge production of BMX Cycles. That massive production was carefully planned and all the processes where closely monitored and upgraded. * Mr. Razaq Dawood, Managing Director, of Descon, took over the LCI in very bad shape , and he set up all necessary systems and procedures like production planning, production scheduling, inventory control and quality control in order to turn LCI around , it is also a factor of the success of LCI * Another key success factor was that Descon called Hercules of England engineers to train LCI’s staff. LCI’s staff can also go to England for the same training for a specific period. OPERATIONS CONTRIBUTION: LCI is a Production Company so operations plays very important role. Outsourcing and subcontracting of different raw materials is done for the better result of operations. All the plants structure was designed in a way so that they can minimize the wastage and can maximize the production. Manpower was also assigned according to their expertise and labor was hired on daily wage system. Question # 2 What is your Analysis of the BMX production process? How would you characterize this process? ANALYSIS OF BMX PRODUCTION PROCESS: BMX production process is almost in sequence, all processes depends on each other, if one process is skipped then they cannot complete other part of cycle, in other wards they cannot ignore only a single process, As LCI wanted to introduce BMX in market before competitors and management wanted to produce huge quantity of BMX cycles so LCI purchased different finished parts for BMX cycles from several suppliers, like, seats , pedals, handle bars, frame pads, and tires were directly purchased and installed , but other side , several parts, like sheet metal, metal coils, steel bars and pipes were manufactured from raw materials acquired locally and abroad. Management hired permanent and daily paid labor in all shops to complete tasks efficiently and in timely, this planning was proved very helpful to complete huge production. First process is cutting shop: This shop having 3 machines for cutting metal pipes into different lengths to use prepare bottom bracket shell, frames and handle bar, this shop run under one supervisor and 4 full time employees Second process is Bottom bracket shell shop: This Shop contained three 600 tons processes and 6 presses ranging from 60 to 100 tons, heavy parts of bicycle like BB shell were manufactured in this shop , this shop run under supervision of one supervisor and 4 full time employees. Handle Shop: BMX bicycle handles were manufactured at this shop completely, a specific machine automatically bent the placed pipe in a few seconds into appropriate configuration and cut the handle bars to length and knurled. These Knurled to help retain the handle bar grip. BMX enameling and Phosphating Shop: All parts of bicycle were enameling and phasphating, phaspating treatment enabled the steel surface to retain the enameled paint for a long time and provide a durable finish, all partes were placed on jigs and hang on a conveyer, this conveyer passed through a drying oven at a speed allowing each part to be baked at 1500C for approximately 50 minutes. Rim Shop; Bicycle Rims contained at this shop, One mm thick and 83 mm wide metal coils required to prepare rim and these rims imported from barazil or Japan, then front end coil was welded with back end coils and finally, the rims was bent into a required radius and cut after buffing and polishing. Press Shop: A specific machine at press shop for grinding and buffing the parts of rims and two ends of strips had been welded together Saddle, Brake and Hub Shop: Hubs and saddle for BMX cycle were assembled at this shop, loop clips of were manufactured at LCI , other parts like saddle frames and saddle covers were procured by vender and assembled manually at other end of same shop. Machine Shop: Four production lathes like a grinding machine, a milling machine and four drilling machines are contained at this shop, some parts of BMX cycle check-nut, lock-nut and wheel valve produced in machine shop, this machine was operating 50% of its capacity Electroplating Shop: Some parts of BMX like Hub flanges, steel rims , lamp brackets, spanners and chain wheels electroplate at this shop, this machine have limited equipment capacity so double shift running six days per week for electroplating. BMX Welding line: This shop have 5 welding stations and a mitering machine , different parts of cycle welded and metering machine give a smooth curve at the ends of tubes (pipes) once this machine was set then all tubes automatically mitered the tube. Final Assembly Area: This area have 6 work stations, fitting machine and an assembly track conveyor, all manufactured parts of BMX cycle assemble on these 6 stations, finally all the assemblies and accessory packets were packed in a cardboard carton for delivery. Characteristics, All shops worked very efficiently and all work stations busy to prepare assigned parts on same time so it’s very helpful to produce huge production, management took decisions for daily paid and monthly paid employees, and paid them attractive salary. Question # 3 Given the investment in BMX cycle manufacturing line, what is the payback period? Each bicycle Price = 2400 Gross margin = 8. 3% Profit margin for each bicycle = 2400 x 8. 3% = 199. 2 Production Capacity = 60,000 Profit margin for 60,000 bicycles are = 199. 2 x 60000 = 11952000 Payback on gross margin = 2 Years & 2 Months Question # 4 Assume the enameling plant capacity is 3000 bicycles per month, as senior planning Engineer, what alternatives are available to increase BMX cycle production? As per upper management’s drive to expand operations, a ten year old enameling unit that was purchased for Rs 3 Million in 1999. In order to increase production LCI in addition to subcontracted enameling should start in house production in parallel by utilizing the unit purchased. It may have to invest on up-gradation of the unit as required to meet the current production standards. Company purchased enameling machine but they did not use it, because outsourcing and subcontracting was present in LCI’s tradition so upper management should change it and it’s better to utilize enameling machine, bring it in use, so BMX production will definitely be increased. Question # 5 What is your recommendation and why? Following are the Recommendations and the reasons LCI should do some forecasting for identifying the real need of their product in the market, * They should give advertisement though email, news paper and web TV add etc, * They should do SWOT analysis of their o wn company and their competitors. * They should improve their weaknesses, and they should produce bicycle for elders * They should hire some vender for parts of BMX so it is suggested that they should arrange of those machines at their company, it’s also saving the cost and time. * For sustaining the market position more innovation is required, the designs of bicycles should be upgraded and changed to attract the customers towards the product.