Henry David Thoreau The Grat Transcendentalist Essay

Henry David Thoreau along with a select group of people propelled the short movement of transcendentalism during the 1830s to the 1850s and was later brought up during the Vietnam War. Many of the transcendentalist ideas came from student who attended Harvard University during this time period. Henry David Thoreau’s individualistic anarchist views on society were developed throughout his early life and later refined in his years of solitude; these views on society and government are directly expressed in much of his work. Much of Henry David Thoreau’s work was affected by his early life and education. Henry David Thoreau was born into a normal middle class family in Concord Massachusetts on July 12, 1817. Thoreau’s family were†¦show more content†¦These classical writers served as great inspiration for the young writer. Like many other transcendentalists â€Å"Thoreau was an avid reader of Hindu scriptures and he quotes them often in Walden†, â€Å"The Hindu and transcendentalist belief in the imminence of god leads to the doctrine that every person can, without the need for an intermediary, experience the divine within himself or herself† (Norvell 1). Thoreau captured a lot of these moral values and brought them with him throughout his life. This is a perfect comparison to Thoreau’s individualistic ideas and appeal to institution. Years after graduating Harvard, Thoreau submitted many essays to the transcendentalist magazine, the dial. These essays grea tly reflected his college education in literature. Emerson’s speech at Thoreau’s graduation also was reflected in much of his essays. Thoreau was greatly impacted by this speech, from then on Emerson was a life mentor for the young writer. During Thoreau’s life he was influenced greatly by many transcendentalists who were educated at Harvard University such as Edward Everett, William Channing, and Andre Horton. â€Å"The writings of Thoreau shaped the passive resistance methods of the civil rights movement†, says Martin Bickman of the university of Colorado. This passive resistance method was a way to

The Environmental Risk of Genetically-Modified Organisms...

The Environmental Risk of GMO In November 2012, Food and Chemical Toxicology published a controversial study by Gilles-Eric Seralini, Emilie Clair, Robin Mesnage, et al., entitled Long Term Toxicity of a Roundup Herbicide and a Roundup-Tolerant Genetically Modified Maize. The study purported to show the genetically-modified organisms like corn have alarmingly deadly side effects. Five months later in March 2013, the same journal published Comments on Long Term Toxicity of a Roundup Herbicide and a Roundup-Tolerant Genetically Modified Maize by Dung Le Tien and Ham Le Huy. The Comments essentially took the form of a letter to the editor of the journal, Dr. Wallace Hayes, and called for immediate action regarding the study of Seralini et al (Tien, Huy, 2013, p. 443). This paper will provide a summary of each article, will compare and contrast the risk perceptions presented in each article, will identify the environmental stressors that are related to the environmental risk, and will conclude with a discussion of my own risk perception of the issue. In the study of Seralini et al. (2012) it is argued that the results of a 2-year study of rats fed Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize) show a direct link between the GM corn and death: In females, all treated groups died 2-3 times more than controls, and more rapidly (Seralini et al., 2012, p. 4221). Male rats fed GM corn were 4 times more likely to develop large palpable tumors than controls whichShow MoreRelatedQuestions On Performance And Quality Management3921 Words   |  16 Pagesconsumer and consumers differ in their view of what quality means. For example, a consumer might be looking for a frozen pizza that, along with being safe to eat, is high in protein, contains grain that was not produced with the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), uses meat products from animals produced under specific conditions, and has environmentally friendly packaging. Another consumer might be looking for pizza that tastes good and is inexpe nsive. Quality Attributes of Food ProductsRead MoreAn Evaluation of an on-Farm Food Safety Program for Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Producers; a Global Blueprint for Fruit and Vegetable Producers51659 Words   |  207 Pagesimplemented on-farm food safety strategies, employing good agricultural practices focusing on water, handling and sanitation to reduce risk. An illustrative case study to examine implementation trends was developed through the examination of current on-farm food safety issues and programs, with specific focus on the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG) hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP)- based initiative. In 2003, OGVG s 200 members had a combined farm-gate value of $350 million andRead MoreAn Industry Study on the Intensive Pig Farming Industry15104 Words   |  61 Pagesbusiness units are a worthy investment for one who seeks an industry that is a leader among its agricultural counterparts and is willing to take the risk duly present in businesses dealing with the propagation of life. Industry Study Background of the Industry Hog raising is our industry of choice. Intensive pig farming, the focus of our industry analysis, is the practice of raising domestic swine up to its slaughter weight in a confinement. Pigs are being raised on a massive scale, which results inRead MoreStrategic Marketing Management337596 Words   |  1351 PagesStrategic and marketing analysis 2 Marketing auditing and the analysis of capability 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Learning objectives Introduction Reviewing marketing effectiveness The role of SWOT analysis Competitive advantage and the value chain Conducting effective audits Summary 3 Segmental, productivity and ratio analysis 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 3.11 3.12 Learning objectives Introduction The clarification of cost categories Marketing cost analysis: aims and methods An illustrationRead MoreInternational Management67196 Words   |  269 Pages The revised or newly added â€Å"Integrative Cases† positioned at the end of each main part of the text were created exclusively for this edition and provide opportunities for reading and analysis outside of class. Review questions provided for each case are intended to facilitate lively and productive written analysis or in-class discussion. Our â€Å"Brief Integrative Cases† typically explore a specific situation or challenge facing an individual or team. Our longer and more detailed â€Å"In-Depth IntegrativeRead MoreSantrock Edpsych Ch0218723 Words   |  75 PagesDevelopment Developmental Why Studying Issues Children’s Development Processes, Is Important Periods, and Stages Physical Development and Health Growth in Childhood Pubertal Changes Child Health and Education 32 What Is Language? Biological and Environmental Influences Cognitive Development Piaget’s Theory Vygotsky’s Theory Case’s Neo-Piagetian Theory How Language Develops 02-EdPsy-Chap02-6123 8/22/06 3:33 PM Page 33 N o bubble is so iridescent or floats longer than that blown by the successfulRead MoreHemp Cultivation in China42289 Words   |  170 PagesIn 1993, a Chinese-Dutch joint venture Figure 1. Shandong hemp farmers use traditional methods to grow and process their crop. invested in the hemp mill and began to influence the local cultivation, market structure, and processing of hemp. This article documents the traditional hemp farming practices and current market situation, especially with reference to the sudden and rapid changes brought about through the influence of Western agricultural advisors, modern cultivation equipment and the introductionRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesMorrow Jr. 161 6 Locating the United States in Twentieth-Century World History †¢ Carl J. Guarneri 213 7 The Technopolitics of Cold War: Toward a Transregional Perspective †¢ Gabrielle Hecht and Paul N. Edwards 271 8 A Century of Environmental Transitions †¢ Richard P. Tucker 315 About the Contributors †¢ 343 _ IN TR OD UC TIO N Michael Adas B y any of the customary measures we deploy to demarcate historical epochs, the twentieth century does not appear toRead MoreManagement Course: Mba−10 General Management215330 Words   |  862 PagesMBA−10 General Management California College for Health Sciences MBA Program McGraw-Hill/Irwin abc McGraw−Hill Primis ISBN: 0−390−58539−4 Text: Effective Behavior in Organizations, Seventh Edition Cohen Harvard Business Review Finance Articles The Power of Management Capital Feigenbaum−Feigenbaum International Management, Sixth Edition Hodgetts−Luthans−Doh Contemporary Management, Fourth Edition Jones−George Driving Shareholder Value Morin−Jarrell Leadership, Fifth Edition Hughes−Ginnett−Curphy

Prototype Free Essays

Prototype Theory Rosch (1976) has proposed an alternative to the view that concepts are com ¬posed from sets of features which necessarily and sufficiently define instances of a concept. Rosch proposes that concepts are best viewed as prototypes: a ‘bird’ is not best defined by reference to a set of features that refer to such matters as wings, warm-bloodedness, and egg-laying characteristics, but rather by reference to typical instances, so that a ‘prototypical bird’ is something more like a robin than it is like a toucan, penguin, ostrich, or even eagle. This is the theory of prototypes. We will write a custom essay sample on Prototype or any similar topic only for you Order Now As we saw in the preceding section, individuals do have ideas of typical instances of colors, and these ideas are remarkably similar among vari ¬ous cultural groups. Such similarity in views, however, is found not only in reference to birds and colors. A variety of experiments has shown that people do in fact classify quite consistently objects of various kinds according to what they regard as being typical instances; for example, (1) furniture, so that, whereas a chair is a typical item of furniture, an ashtray is not; (2) fruit, so that, whereas apples and plums are typical, coconuts and olives are not; and (3) clothing, so that, whereas coats and trousers are typical items, things like bracelets and purses are not (Clark and Clark, 1977, p. 64). The remarkably uniform behavior that people exhibit in such tasks cannot be accounted for by a theory which says that concepts are formed from sets of defining features. Such a theory fails to explain why some instances are consistently held to be more typical or central than others when all exhibit the same set of defining features. Hudson (1996, pp. 75-8) believes that prototype theory has much to offer sociolinguists. He believes it leads to an easier account of how people learn to use language, particularly linguistic concepts, from the kinds of instances they come across. He says (p. 77) that: a prototype-based concept can be learned on the basis of a very small number of instances– perhaps a single one– and without any kind of formal definition, whereas a feature-based definition would be very much harder to learn since a much larger number of cases, plus a number of non-cases, would be needed before the learner could work out which features were necessary nd which were not. Moreover, such a view allows for a more flexible approach to understanding how people actually use language. In that usage certain concepts are necessarily ‘fuzzy,’ as the theory predicts they will be, but that very fuzziness allows speakers to use language creatively. According to Hudson, prototype theory may even be applied to the social situations in which speech occurs. He suggests that, when we hear a new lin ¬guistic item, we associate with it who typically seems to use it and what, appar ¬ently, is the typical occasion of its use. Again, we need very few instances — even possibly just a single one — to be able to do this. Of course, if the particular instance is atypical and we fail to recognize this fact, we could be in for some discomfort at a later time when we treat it as typical. Prototype theory, then, offers us a possible way of looking not only at how concepts may be formed, i. . , at the cognitive dimensions of linguistic behavior but also at how we achieve our social competence in the use of language. We judge circumstances as being typically this or typically that, and we place people in the same way. We then tailor our language to fit, making it appropriate to the situation and the participants as we view these. (Wardhaugh, Ronald. 1998. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. 3rd ed. Blackwell Publishers Ltd. pp. 232-2 33. ) How to cite Prototype, Essay examples

Listening To Music And Composing My Own Digital Music Essay Example For Students

Listening To Music And Composing My Own Digital Music Essay Listening to music and composing my own digital music is my favorite extra- curricular activity. Music makes me feel refreshed and even after a hectic day at work, five minutes of good music helps me relax my nerves instantly. The routine lifestyle rarely leaves much time for my extra-curricular activity. However, I always make sure to maintain a rich music library on my laptop as well as handheld devices so that I can listen to it whenever I feel. Moreover, I am also into composing music. I am a vocalist, I play the piano and I have a digital mixing console also. My room is a mini studio where I can record my own USIA. Composing new music or mixing up tracks requires utmost creativity and imagination. In a month, I make sure to publish three mixes after recording and digital reworking. When music is your extracurricular activity, the best part about it is that you can enjoy it indoors. Whatever the weather and climate outside, you can always be comfortable and enjoy it in your room. If you have a dolly surround system in your home, it would serve as the best way to listen to music. Playing a musical instrument is a bliss in itself. Whenever I play the piano, I feel connected to the nature and its energies. That is when your creativity blossoms and you can use your imagination to the fullest in composing new tunes. The best way to enjoy music is to relax on a couch or the bed with the earphones plugged in your ears and listening to it with closed eyes. You can then feel each instrument as it plays. Some people prefer loud music, but it isnt always enjoyable. Dance music is k when it comes to parties but it cannot be enjoyed always and when one is seeking relaxation. Listening To Music And Composing My Own Digital Music Is My Favorite Extra By Hash-Education

Water Resource Should Be Nationalized free essay sample

Water resources are sources of water that are useful. The world is fast running out of usable water. Anthropogenic activities are depleting and polluting this finite well spring of life at a startling rate. The present ineffective management of water ignores the potential of conservation and embraces the chimeric alternative of increasing supply. Degraded watersheds, drying local pond systems, shrinking canal networks, and wetland degradation as a result of anthropogenic activity and climate change relegate water to the status of â€Å"scarce commodity. The ever-increasing stress caused by population growth and concomitant increased agriculture and industrial demands for water has created an apparent scenario of water shortage that requires augmentation. The assessed needs could be met with more efficient utilization of intra-basin resources, except in case of Cauvery and Vaigai basins where limited water transfers could take place by transferring water from Godavari River. Despite this report, plans were floated to combat water deficits by conveying surpluses to water deficient locations. We will write a custom essay sample on Water Resource Should Be Nationalized or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Various political parties and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members in Tamil Nadu felt that linking river water resources could enhance the realization of water needs. These political pressures pushed the proposal forward, leading to Supreme Court direction to the government of India demanding that the government take steps to interlink certain major rivers of the country by the year 2012, spelling the beginning of the â€Å"Interlinking of Rivers Project†. WHAT IS NATIONALIZATION OF WATER RESOURCES? The rivers flowing from the north to south are not hundred per cent utilised by the individual states efficiently. Because some state may need water and some may not need depending upon the geographical location, requirement, agriculture etc. So the unused water from these rivers are directed to the sea. So what the government has planned is to nationalize the rivers by constructing a water channel from north to south , like how the national highways are there in our country , we will have the water highway routes in the form of the channels. INTERLINKING OF RIVERS: All ancient civilizations over world were born, bred, flourished and advanced by the river banks. Rivers are, therefore, an integral part not only of human existence but the very existence of life on our planet The Earth. Indian culture owes its supremacy to the rivers which are the life and blood of the nation. That is why they are worshiped as goddesses all over the country. Role of rivers in human life and now in national development, progress and prosperity, development of agriculture, science, technology or industry is beyond description. In olden days when there was no problem of overpopulation water resources provided by these rivers were sufficient for the population living by the banks. But with the ever increasing burden of population and multiplicity of demand for water for various purposes ranging from agricultural needs to industrial needs and for generation of power judicious utilization of this natural resource has become an absolute necessity. India is a country with vast population with extremes of climate, different topography, varied types of soils, annual rainfall ranging from 5 cm to more than 1000 cm. ome parts facing the havoc of floods and other parts thirsty for rain drops. Hence a scheme for effective and efficient management of water resources was prepared which envisages interlinking of 37 national rivers through 30 links across 9600 km with 32 connecting dams. The apex court of India has issued a directive to the government of India to interlink these rivers within a period of 10 years. The gov ernment on its part has set up a task force under former power minister, Suresh Prabhu to build national consensus, work out detailed plans and to see that the entire work is completed by the year 2016. In view of the director general of National Water Development Agency (NWDA) the interlinking of rivers should be based upon- INTER-BASIN TRANSFER: Inter-basin transfer is an outstanding example of effective and efficient management of water resources on the basis of need of the people; Interbasin transfer or transbasin diversion are (often hyphenated) terms used to describe man-made conveyance schemes which move water from one river basin where it is available, to another basin where water is less available or could be utilized better for human development. The purpose of such designed schemes can be to alleviate water shortages in the receiving basin, to generate electricity, or both. The national water development agency (NWDA) has estimated that the project would cost Rs. 5, 60,000 cores at 2002 prices. The project Inter basin transfer aims to deliver 173 billion cubic meter of water through a 12,500 km maze of canals which would irrigate 34 million hectares of land and would supply drinking water to 101 districts and five metro cities. THE NWDA HAS DIVIDED THE INTERLINKING OF RIVER PROJECT INTO TWO PRIMARY COMPONENTS: 1. THE HIMALAYAN COMPONENT PROPOSING A CONSTRUCTION OF 14 CANALS: The project intends to link the bramaputra and its tributaries with the ganga and the ganga with the Mahanadi river to transfer surplus water from east to west. The scheme envisages flood control in the ganga and brahmaputra basins and a reduction in water deficits for many states which is estimated to cost Rs. 3, 75, 000 core. 2. THE PENINSULAR COMPONENT WITH A PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION OF16 CANALS. River interlinks are envisaged to benefit the states of Orissa, Karnataka,Tamil nadu,Gujarat,Pondicherry,and maharastra. he linkage of the Mahanadi and Godavari rivers is proposed to feed the Krishna,pennar,cauvery,and vaigai rivers. Transfer of water from Godavari and Krishna entails pumping 1200 cusecs of water over a crest of about 116 meters. Interlinking the ken with the Betwa, Parbati, Kalisindh, and Chambal rivers is proposed to benefit Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The river links to cost Rs. 1, 85, 000 cores. It is plann ed to transfer 141 km3/yr through peninsular India and 33 km3/yr Himalayan links essentially for redistribution in the Ganga basin and to Western India. Only small volume of water can be transferred from the Brahmaputra basin. Thus in totality 1660 km3/yr of development water resource can be created which can take care of any exigencies. THE BENEFICIARIES OF RIVER LINKING: The politically important consideration for drawing up the river linking plan was the emergence of major national and transnational industries and rapid urbanization in many of the ‘low water availability’ natural regions of the west and south. It was purported also to help the commercial farming lobby for sugarcane. A case of ‘mortgaging the nation’s future for a miniscule affluent population. The plan is aimed at ending the flood problems of the Gangs and Brahmaputra and at the same time solving the drought problem in southern India by diverting surplus water of the snow-fed rivers to the rain fed Peninsular river. Help prevent floods in north and east, drought in south and west of the country. India depends heavily on monsoon. Interlinking will help irrigation, which in turn will help increase the crop yields by making farmers less dependent on monsoon and ensuring a year long water supply. These worlds bring an extra 35 million hectares under irrigation whereby per capita food grain consumption would be doubled in spite of the increase in population. This interlinking of rivers will provide food security to the country. Additional 34,000 k. w. electricity will be generated against the present 24,000 k. w. I. e. it will be more than doubled. This would give an impetus to the industrial sector as well. It will not just be a linking of rivers but a linking of lives. It will promote national integration. River transports is not only cheaper but also a non-polluting transport alternative. This has been a success in Europe. Experts suggest that even canals can be used for moving cargo between the states. Interlinking of rivers will generate employment opportunities all over the country especially in agriculture sector, power, transport and construction works. This project alone can enhance the GPD by 4%. Above all migration from rural areas will reduce which would reduce congestion in urban areas. Decentralization of industries would be a natural phenomenon with the availability of water and power. HURDLES IN INTERLINKING OF RIVERS: Undoubtedly, interlinking of rivers would provide innumerable facilities and comforts but certain hurdles are bound to arise in the implementation of the project. In the first instance many canals will pass through national parks and sanctuaries and many people may be displaced by the building of dams and canals. The construction of reservoirs and dams may swallow up the natural habitats of wild life and the ecology of the country may be subjected to unknown consequences. Large areas under forests may be submerged under water. According to some scientist’s monsoon rains come all over the country at one and the same time, hence interlinking rivers may cause floods. Then rivers like Ganga and Brahmaputra are international rivers, hence consent of adjacent countries like Nepal and Bangladesh would be a necessity for the completion of the project. Country is already facing a dispute over sharing of Kaveri river water. Further conflicts may arise between the states on the issue of sharing of water between them. Dams tend to sometimes aggravate he condition of floods They cause water logging and soils become saline and unsuitable for crops if floodwater from the east is transferred to other areas the biodiversity of these regions will be affected; the plants growing in these regions will die, many animal and bird species that live there will become extinct. the severe drought during summer in many parts of the country is due to mismanagement of water and not because a lack of it. Steps should be taken to conserve water at the local level instead. Finally financing of the project will not be so easy. FUDAMENTAL OBJECTIONS TO RIVER LINKING: 1. Linking of rivers violates the natural laws governing the life support system, and natural dynamics; and discounts the bounties provided by river systems. 2. The loss of flood plains and spill basins by human interference has caused devastating floods. River linking shall enhance this situation. 3. Man-made dams, reservoirs, and artificial lakes that are to be project ingredients would rob the rivers of their energy potential. 4. In fact, stupendous energy would be needed for the rivers to jump over the natural water divides and topo-barriers. . Rainfall and water availability is regulated by the monsoons, resulting in a highly bimodal annual river flow and moisture regime with consequential seasonal lows (droughts) and highs (floods). River linking shall certainly aggravate both droughts and floods by superimposition of the situation in each of the linked rivers. 6. Such linkages could possibly be thought of in more temperate latitudes with a more homogeneous annual moisture/flow regime. However, the Soviet experience of river diversion has even then been catastrophic, resulting on the devastation of the Aral Sea. . A river is not a mere flow channel, but a holistic system encompassing the whole basin — water divide, catchment, valley and outflow point. Any alteration shall affect the whole system and even induce microclimatic changes. 8. Inestimable loss of natural biodiversity, wild cultivars and plant gene banks shall inevitably follow river linking to disrupting the regional food chain operation. 9. Monsoonal rainfall on the degraded catchments shall cause excessive siltation-related problems in the linking systems. 10. Careful scrutiny of the state of environmental health of various rivers should have been first made before clean rivers are linked very filthy rivers. 11. River linking shall inevitably lead to an alteration of the seasonal water availability pattern; and the possibility of upsetting the evapo-transpiration balance. 12. An inevitable change in the cropping pattern from excessively irrigated lands after river-linking shall cause a major increase in methane and other gases that contribute to global warming. 13. Land degradation shall also be inescapably aggravated. 4. The colossal estimated cost will surely jeopardise the national economy for decades and force diversion of funds from the more essential needs of the vast majority of rural poor. 15. The inter-state and international ramifications of shared riparian systems would certainly open the floodgates for a civil war situation and serious discord with India’s neighbours. Not only is any such proposal for inter-basin transfe rs totally repugnant to all natural and economic logic, but shall alter the subcontinent’s geographical configuration. In the ultimate analysis, the proposal shall signal the death knell of our river systems that provide the principal source of sustenance; and encompass social, cultural and religious traditions. INTERLINKING MAJOR RIVERS WILL REDUCE FARMER SUCIDES: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) hasdrawn out a blue print for implementing the project with the help of images collected from the Remote Sensing and Cartosat satellites launched by it in 2007 and 2008. Though the UPA government which came to power in 2004 had included the inter linking of peninsular Indian rivers as one of the top priorities in its Common Minimum Programme nothing was heard about it afterwards. India and Pakistan are locked in water war over the construction of power projects on Jhelum on their respective territories. Snow-fed rivers like Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra, which originate in the Himalayas, and their tributaries are perennial. They continue to flow throughout the year. During monsoons, they tend to overflow and inundate large flood prone areas and cause loss of ife, livestock, crops and property. Rain-fed rivers like Luni in Rajasthan remain dry for most part of the year because the rainfall is scanty in that area resulting in drought like conditions. The volume of water in the west flowing rivers of Central Highlands, Narmada and Tapti is directly proportional to the amount of rainfall received during the monsoon season. Hence, there is a always an elem ent of uncertainty in availability of water. To the North of the Vindhyas, the Malwa Plateau and the Chhotanagpur Plateau of Jharkhand are comparatively better placed as they are drained by steady Ganga and Yamuna. But due to the absence of adequate river valley projects a large quantity of water wastefully flows into the Bay of Bengal through Ganga-Brahmaputra delta. In the peninsular region too, the rainfall is uneven, While the Western Ghats receive high rainfall, the Eastern’ Ghats receive very less. States like Tamil Nadu lie in the r tin shadow area and get little rainfall from advancing South West monsoons. The East flowing rivers of the Deccan Plateau-Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery drain this area. SEASONAL RIVERS OF THE SOUTH: To overcome the problems of flood and drought a whopping Rs. 5,60,000 crore river linkage project has been envisaged. The perennial and often inundating rivers of the north will be connected with the dwindling: and rather seasonal rivers of -the south through a network of canals so that the former are stopped from overflowing and the latter are regularly replenished, curbing floods and famines at the same time. The project will also ensure regular, adequate and timely supply of water to all parts of the country for agriculture, industry and consumption. Of the three big Himalayan rivers, Indus has been left out because there is a natural connectivity in the shape of its tributaries like Sutlej, Beas and Jhelum which drain and well cater to the needs of the Indian part of the Indus basin. Water from Brahmaputra shall flow into Ganga. Two main headwaters in the ,Himalayas the Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda join at Devprayag and flow as Ganga thereafter. It enters Northern plain at Haridw ar. â€Å"Yamuna joins it at Allahabad. Yamuna, in turn, is joined by its tributaries like Chambal, Sind, Betwa and Ken. Sone joins Ganga directly and Damodar joins its distributor Hooghli. As the Ganga river system drains the States of Haryana, Southern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand’ and major parts of West Bengal many times its water falls short of the required quantity. Linking Ganga with Brahmaputra shall solve this problem. Brahma- putra carries ‘a tremendous volume of water. When it enters India at Namcha Barwa the undercutting done by this powerful river is of the order of 5;500 meters. With the eastern States receiving heavy rainfall during monsoon, season the danger’ of floods looms large in many areas of Assam and Bihar almost every year. The linkage will mean diversion of . excess water from Brahmaputra into Ganges ,and this problem of floods shall be taken care of automatically. Ganga will be connected to Mahanadi and Godavari. This, will boost agriculture in the States of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Godavari will be further linked to Krishna, Pennar and Cauvery replenishing their depleting, waters. It will help Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and many parts of the Eastern ghats and the rain shadow areas of the South which get little rainfall from the advancing monsoons. This will bring smile on the faces of the farmers of the’ South many of which committed or contemplated suicide due to crop failures. This may also solve the dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over sharing of Cauvery waters. Narmada will flow into Tapi helping mainly the farmers around Satpura range. Yamuna will flow into Sabarmati which, in turn, will be linked to Luni. It will benefit many areas of Gujarat and the desert state of Rajasthan. Thar desert of today may become the prosperous Sahara in future, who knows?

Philosophy of Education Examples for Elementary Teachers

Philosophy of Education Examples for Elementary Teachers A philosophy of education statement, sometimes called a teaching statement, should be a staple in every teachers portfolio. For elementary school teachers, the statement is an opportunity to define what teaching means to you and allows you to describe how and why you teach as you do at the early stages of learning. The following tips and philosophy of education examples for elementary teachers can help you write an essay that youll be proud to have. A philosophy of education statement is an opportunity to define what teaching means to you, and to describe how and why you teach as you do. Articulating this statement in the first person and using a traditional essay format (introduction, body, conclusion) will help you craft an enduring and inspiring personal statement. Structure of a Teaching Philosophy Unlike other kinds of writing, educational statements are frequently written in the first person because these are personal essays on your chosen profession. In general, they should be one to two pages long, though they can be longer if youve had an extensive career. Like other essays, a good educational philosophy should have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Here is a sample structure. Introduction Use this paragraph to describe your views on teaching in a general sense. State your thesis (for example, My philosophy of education is that every child should have the right to learn and get a quality education.) and discuss your ideals. Be brief; youll use the following paragraphs to explain the details. Think about aspects of early education that are unique to elementary teachers, and introduce these ideals into your writing. Body Use the following three to five paragraphs (or more, if needed) to elaborate on your introductory statement. For example, you could discuss the ideal elementary classroom environment and how it makes you a better teacher, addresses student needs, and facilitates parent/child interactions. Build on these ideals in the following paragraphs by discussing how you keep your classes aware and engaged, how  you facilitate age-appropriate learning,  and how you  involve students in  the assessment process. Whatever your approach, remember to focus on what you value most as an educator and to cite examples of how youve put these ​​ideals  into practice. Conclusion Go beyond simply restating your educational philosophy in your closing. Instead, talk about your goals as a teacher, how you have been able to meet them in the past, and how you can build on these to meet future challenges.   Philosophy of education documents for elementary teachers are very personal and unique to the individual. While some may have similarities, your own philosophy should focus on your personal approach to pedagogy and classroom management. Focus on what makes you unique as an educator, and how you wish to advance your career to further support elementary education. Writing Prompts As with any writing, take the time to outline your ideas before you begin. The following tips can help you craft your teaching philosophy statement: Brainstorm about  your educational philosophy and your  views of education, making notes on those principles you value most. This can help you articulate your philosophy as you organize your essay.Demonstrate how you have put your educational philosophy into practice in the classroom by citing specific examples and outcomes with students, parents, or fellow teachers and administrators.  Reflect on your experience over your career. Most likely, your teaching philosophy has changed over time. Reflect on the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead, and how you intend to meet them.Connect with others and talk to your peers in the field, as well as mentors. Ask them about how they crafted their essays and ask them to review yours once you complete it. Having people who know you and your teaching style well review your work can help you craft a truly representative statement.Review a few sample essays to help you as you begin writing your own. Career Advancement Applying for a brand new job isnt the only time you need an educational philosophy. If youre seeking a promotion or are applying for tenure, youll need to craft or update your educational philosophy statement. As time goes on, your approach to education and classroom management will likely evolve, and so will your beliefs. Updating your philosophy allows you to articulate your professional motivations and goals, as well as your approach to educating others so that observers can have a better sense of who you are, even without observing you in the classroom. Consider reviewing your philosophy every few years.

Scottish culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Scottish culture - Essay Example Scotland which has a good agricultural land for keeping animals and crop cultivation lacks enough food supply to feed its growing population (Sakamoto, 2003, p. 133). For this reason, it is depending on imported food products. Fishing which is one of the economic activities in Scotland is facing problems as the fish stock has been depleted. This has led to closure of some of the fishing grounds, thus making it difficult for the fishermen to survive. Due to poor performance of some of the economic activities in Scotland, it has resulted to poor performance of the whole economy (Sakamoto, 2003, p. 133). The economy of Scotland has not been strong compared to the United Kingdom economy (Young, & Hood, 1994, p. 67). Since the Scottish economy is not autonomous; it uses the United Kingdom monetary policies. The official currency used in Scotland is the British pound sterling. The economy of Scotland has shifted from heavy industries to service and technology based economy (Young, & Hood, 1994, p. 69). After the industrial revolution, Scotland relied most on heavy industries such as steel and coal mining, and shipbuilding. However, currently the country has taken a new move towards investing in information and technology activities so as to create more employment opportunities (Young, & Hood, 1994, p. 68) The economy of Scotland has a fast growing and dynamic development industries and electronic design (Sakamoto, 2003, p. 135). There are also strong multinational companies which have established technological firms in other countries. Some of these companies include the Motorola which offers communication electronics (Sakamoto, 2003, p. 135). Scotland is well endowed with a number of resources that form firm basis for its economy. Some of these resources include: crude oil, barley for making wine, rich cultural heritage & landscape for tourist attraction. Scotland has the

Japan's cultural environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Japan's cultural environment - Essay Example In order to work and interact successfully in Japan, an understanding of its national culture is considered important. While businesses have been guided by Hofstede’s dimensions of national culture, this paper evaluates if changes have taken place since the 1960s and 1970s when data was collected by Hofstede. Hofstede defines culture as â€Å"the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another†. Japan, with a PDI of 54, is a mildly hierarchical society. Power distance is the extent to which the less powerful members of the institutions expect that power is distributed unequally (Geert-Hofstede). However, the Japanese society is not as hierarchical as most Asian societies, according to Hofstede. Foreigners consider Japan as being extremely hierarchical because the decisions making goes through different layers of management but at the same time, this also demonstrates that there is no one single person in authority. In addition, Japan has been a meritocratic society and believes that everyone is born equal and anyone who is keen to attain higher levels of education, is free to do so, and move ahead. This is the degree to which the society maintains interdependence. Japan’s score of 46 suggests a collectivist society where the harmony of the group is more important than the individual opinions. People in such societies have a strong sense of shame in losing face. However, the Japanese society is not as collectivist as the Chinese society. This is because the Japanese do not have extended family system where collectivism is prevalent. The eldest son in Japanese families carries on the father’s name and inherits assets while the others have to leave home and find their own way in life. The Japanese are more loyal to their company or the organization to which they are attached than to the family. Thus, by western standards they are called collectivists but by Asian standards they are individualistic. Masculinity Index (MAS) Japan has a high score of 95 on this dimension which indicates it is one of the most masculine societies in the world. This, according to Hofstede suggests that the society will be driven by competition, achievement and success. However, the Japanese society does not demonstrate the behaviour expected in societies with high masculine scores, possibly because of their mild collectivist nature. There is severe competition but not between individuals; it is severe competition between groups which can be seen even at the primary school level. At the workplace also, employees are motivated when they are fighting against a team of competitors. The Japanese strive for excellence and perfection in

A rhetorical analysis on How Society in the United States Views Research Paper - 1

A rhetorical analysis on How Society in the United States Views Abortion and what impact the media has on that view - Research Paper Example Iyengar, Shanto; Hahn, Kyu S. Red Media, Blue Media: Evidence of Ideological Selectivity in Media Use. Journal of Communication, 59.1 (2009): 19-39 - This article is geared towards showing that the public is always aligned towards media houses that cover news that are aligned to their political interests. It follows then that there is a partial selectivity on the news that people on National television due to a perceived bias. Such a trend is worrying and may erroneously inform the public which negatively impacts the society. The article concentrates on proliferation of biased media houses which is important for this paper in the abortion debate perception. National Survey of State Laws. Abortion. 16th Nov 2012. Web 2008 http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/abortion.aspx - This is the primary text that provides information about the different legislations that govern the abortion debate. Most of these legislations are quite controversial and they have led to a polarized public with two extreme views on the debate. Rohlinger, Deana A. "Friends and foes: Media, politics, and tactics in the abortion war." Social Problems 53.4 (2006): 537-561 - This paper concentrates on how politics and the media interplay to inform the public about the abortion debate. Both politics and media strategies influence each other in presenting facts about sensitive debates touching on the US public. The media on its part employs different tactics to bring out their messages to the public which influences perceptions of controversial issues in US. As such, this article provides important information on the broad tactics used by media and enhances knowledge on the dynamics of politics in the abortion debate. Weitz, Tracy A., and Yanow Susan. â€Å"Implications of the Federal Abortion Ban for Womens Health in the United States.† Reproductive Health Matters, 16.31 (2008): 99-107 - Authors of this article expound on the impacts of the Partial Birth

Communicative Competence In Language Teaching

Communicative Competence In Language Teaching In this essay, I will first define what Communicative Competence is and what it includes. Secondly, making reference to the European Common Framework of Reference for Languages, I will synthesize why gaining Communicative Competence in a foreign language is so important and why it should be the main goal in an English Classroom. To finish with, I will summarize the best ways of teaching Communicative Competence. Task-based language teaching will be the model I will use as an example of how Communicative competence should be taught and the role instruction should pay in the Classroom. Communicative Competence refers to the ability of understanding, producing, and interpreting the different Communicative events taking into account not only their explicit sense (what it seems to be more immediate for us), but also its implications; that is to say, what the speaker wants to say, what the listener wants to understand, their relationship, the social context, etc. Therefore, Communicative Competence has to do with the social, cultural, and psychological rules that determine the use of a particular language in a particular situation. This term was introduced by Hymes in language teaching in 1972, to complete Chomskys Linguistic Competence term which couldnt explain all the factors which are important for a communicative purpose or in a communicative situation. According to him, Linguistic Competence only deals with the knowledge of language rules and forms, and Communicative Competence includes as well the knowledge that allows someone to communicate correctly and appropriately. Therefore, Communicative Competence is the only means we use to transform language into Communication instead of Linguistic Competence. According to the European Common Framework of Reference for Languages Communicative Competence is divided in: Linguistic Competence: it refers to the ability of producing utterances in an efficient way in all its grammatical levels. It is formed by these competences: lexical, grammatical, semantic, phonologic and orthographic competence. Sociolinguistic Competence: it is the ability of understanding and producing different utterances in different contexts of use where different factors play an important role, such as the relationship between participants, their situation, etc. Aspects to take into account here are social relationships markers, politeness norms, popular wisdom expressions, register differences, dialect and accent differences, etc. Pragmatic Competence: It makes reference to the ability of acting efficiently in a language taking into account grammatical forms and meaning to complete a text (spoken or written) in different communicative events. It includes students mastery of texts, discursive genres, and community speech interpretation. To master this, there are needed rhetorical, cohesive or cohesion devices for conversational organization. Strategic Competence: it has to do with the individuals effective use of language by means of his capacity for using verbal and non-verbal resources to fix errors that can be produced when communicating due to different events that may limit the communicative process. Communicative competence is the first of the eight basic competences that a learner has to have acquired by the end of ESO, but not only this, it is in the same way important to have acquired as well a B1 level of Communicative Competence in a Foreign Language to be admitted in University as the European Common Framework of Reference for Languages dictates. COMMUNICATIVE COMPTENCE IN TEACHING Teachers in ESO should develop in students communicative abilities and strategies in order to reach a B1 level in Communicative Competence by the end of this period, this competence should be acquired in all areas: speaking, reading, listening, and writing. Therefore, this has to be the main goal in the English Classroom. In order to analyze how Communicative Competence is implemented in school, Ive chosen the task-based method, which is a continuation of Communicative Language Teaching according to Rod Ellis. Task-based language teaching is a teaching method based on tasks whose main purpose is to make learners use the foreign language. Tasks are based on authentic events where authentic language is used: visiting a doctor, shopping, calling room service for food, etc. Assessment of errors is not considered as important as in other approaches because accuracy will be gained while practicing the L2 in an incidental way. Besides, Rod Ellis defends that what students really acquire is the implicit knowledge, and this is best facilitated looking at the language as a whole rather than breaking it into pieces in an attempt to teach item by item. Tasks differ from activities in that they focus on meaning rather than on form, in this sense, learners will be creating their own language instead of reproducing the language given to them. They also have an informational or reasoning gap which will make the conversation interesting and therefore it will make them eager to continue it even outside class. Learners also use their resources instead of reproducing the language given to them. The goal of tasks is not to make learners use a correct language, but to engage them in communication. WHAT ROLE PLAYS INSTRUCTION IN A TASK-BASED LEARNING CONTEXT? Instruction plays a different role in Task-Based Teaching: Instruction is seen in an interpretative rather than in a transmission perspective, so its main goal must be to facilitate students processes of learning, which in this case is the acquisition of implicit knowledge. The goal of language instruction is the development of implicit knowledge. If teachers make their students to focus mainly on language form they wont never be able to communicate effectively. The only place where learning occurs is inside learners minds, so teachers cannot just direct that learning. Therefore attention to form will be paid only when communicating, and not all the time, because excessive corrections may stop the conversations rhythm. That doesnt mean that Task-Based theorists dont care about grammar, they defend explicit teaching of rules as well, but only when necessary because the main goal is communication. Instruction has to focus on meaning rather than on form. Rod Ellis thinks that grammar is not needed for basic communication. Basic survival in language relies on vocabulary and formulaic sequences, not on grammar. Students will need grammar as they get involved in increasingly complex tasks, that is to say, the need to use a determinate grammatical form will be created in their minds as complexity increases in tasks. Instruction needs to be motivating, i.e. based on things that learners may find interesting, because its very important to call their attention in order to get them involved in the task. To conclude, I will sum up some characteristics a classroom should have to teach Communicative Competence: Inductive method. Preventing method rather than corrective. Teach sequences of language, not language in isolation. Teach through senses. Promote autonomy. Give your lesson an authentic and ludic character to make it interesting. Set learning goals taking into account the developmental cognitive level of the learner.

The History of Comics :: Comic Strips Books Media Art Essays

The History of Comics Comics: In the Beginning The modern comic, as we know it, began in Joseph Pulitzer's New York World on February 17,1895. The comic, drawn by Richard F. Outcault, was based on the life of Mickey Dugan, an Irish immigrant child in the city. Although the strip had no name, people have dubbed it the "Yellow Kid" because the nightshirt worn by Mickey Dugan was the projection for an experiment in yellow ink by the newspaper. Eventually the comic came to be known as "Hogan's Alley." Soon comics were recognized for the selling potential and were published in newspapers all over the world. After the success of the World, a competitor, William Randolph Herst of the New York Journal, hired Outcault to draw Hogan's Alley for Hearst's Journal. The World continued publication of the strip using a new artist, and both papers were featuring the "Yellow kid." This led to people referring to the two papers as the yellow papers. And as the battle between the press lords became more intense, people began calling it yellow journalism which now has come to mean overly sensational journalism. Although Outcault won the battle over the rights of "Yellow kid," the mass marketing began. The cartoon was everywhere. Products were being produced, even cigars, bearing the "yellow kid." Soon the comic revolution began, and strips were published all over. Of these comics, "Katzenjammer Kids" drawn by Rudolph Dirks in 1897, was one of the most popular and first to regularly use voice balloons for dialogue. Outcault also continued drawing, and began a strip called "Buster Brown" which was to be a tie between the comic strip and the comic book. The mass marketing continued, and "Buster Brown" had his own line of shoes (McHam). Until 1907, comic strips ran only on Sundays. In 1907, the first daily strip appeared. "Mutt and Jeff" by Bud Fisher, began being published daily in the San Franciso Chronicle. Following that was "Bringing up Father," in 1912, and soon many others including: "Barney Google"; "Thimble Theater" forerunner to "Popeye"; "Moon Mullins" "Orphan Annie" and "Andy Gump" which was the first comic to tell a continuing story. Hearst pushed comics in all of his newspapers and began King Features, a syndication service, to deliver comics to his and other papers. King Features continues syndicating today along with company's such as Universal Press Syndicate in Kansas City, Kansas.

Barriers Of Entering A Foreign Market

Going abroad with our business has been the talk of the globalization age. In this global society, there are growing reasons of why we should expand our business to foreign markets. First, companies are like continuously growing organisms. It cannot exist without the search of growth or of potentials of growth.This is why mangers cannot afford to live in the illusion that their local markets will be sufficient to sustain the need for continuous growth (Khan, 2005). Second, having an established business overseas will strengthen companies’ financial safety significantly by offsetting domestic seasonal fluctuations.Third, expanding to foreign markets is an excellent choice for enhancing companies’ market shares. Fourth, with the extensive promotion of globalization and US’ effort to combat trade protections, there are significantly more enhanced facilities to support foreign investments today compare to a decade ago. In short, entering foreign markets is an importa nt and contemporary discussion subject (Zacharakis, 1996). However, managers have also realized that the decision to internationalize market shares contains considerable amount of risks and barriers.Some of the most recognizable barriers are cultural and language barriers, environmental issues, political issues, etc. In this paper, we are detailing those barriers and providing case examples to strengthen the arguments. II. Barriers of Entering a Foreign Market II. 1. Cultural and Language Barriers In this discussion, we will start with what is probably the strongest factor that influences expansion to foreign markets. Managers have long accepted that in internationalization considerations, differences between home culture and the culture of foreign countries are significant.Culture is a complex term. It consists of various factors like languages, religions, social norms etc. Thus, companies generally spend considerable portion of their time learning about the culture of the foreign target markets. This is also true whether managers decided to establish new firms in foreign markets or collaborating with foreign partners. Studies also indicated that cultural issues influence the manner in which companies perform their international expansion. Firms generally increase their commitment in investing to a particular foreign target market in predictable stages.First, they will use export agents to learn about the country’s culture. This type of foreign investment will change along with time and enhanced knowledge about local culture of the target market. II. 2. Business Environment Barriers The local business environment has also been an influential factor that strongly affects foreign expansion activities. For instance, companies can have the problem of not having the sufficient good image in a society that has local preferences. Reputation is the issue resulted from the local business environment condition of several markets with local preferences.Some consu mers have more confidence or tendency to purchase local products rather than foreign made. Despite the extensive marketing efforts performed by foreign companies to take away local market share, they still lagged behind local products, even ones with less marketing budget. II. 3. Political and Government Regulations Barriers Other barriers are political in nature. Governmental policies can create enormous effect on company’s success or failure in entering foreign markets. China is the most apparent example of this premise.The Chinese markets have been closed from foreign investors for decades before a massive governmental revolution created opportunities for foreign investment. The government opens chances for FDI inflow. Furthermore, supports foreign investment by means of incentives, property rights protections, etc. Afterwards, economic records indicated that the country has been experiencing one of the most rapid growths in the world, with an average annual GDP growth per centage of 10% for the last decade. In short, governmental policies have significant importance in international expansion.III. Several Cases from 2001-2006 In this paper, I will provide several examples of cases involving foreign entry barriers mentioned above. Despite the similar nature of barriers in each cases, each country has their own tendency of foreign trade barriers. III. 1. Entering Indonesian Markets Indonesian is seen as one of the most economically potential markets in Asia today. Its abundant amount of human resources and cheap labor has been considerable attractions for international investors since the country recovered from its economic crisis.Nevertheless, the country is recorded to have several issues that might hamper international investment toward local markets. First, in terms of governmental policies, the country is still enacting several import and export restrictions to protect local consumers and to ensure that local necessities are fulfilled before forei gn investors could take a share of the market. This could mean higher tariffs, longer bureaucracy, etc. Second, the country has a unique set of culture.Cultural analysts and foreign managers operating in local markets described the country as being comfortable in doing things their own way and refuse to have it challenged (Forrest, 2001). The importance of physical presence of superiors, the lack appreciation toward punctuality and the respect for age and seniority is several of many things that must be learned about Indonesian culture before entering local markets. Learning informal business etiquettes are often as important as learning formal ones, or sometimes more important.For example, there is a significant cultural practice in Indonesia when commonly, Indonesian managers tend to hire their relatives and friends regardless their competences. This situation is inappropriate for Australian or American companies since they consider it as nepotism (Dowling & De Cieri, 1989). III. 2. Japanese Firms Entering US Markets In the case of Japan companies’ expansion to US markets, the case lies in condition of US’ business environment. Most US consumers prefer national products rather than foreign ones. This creates significant challenges for Japanese companies targeting US markets.Some Japan companies perform large marketing effort to facilitate their presence in US local markets. However, as mentioned previously, some of these efforts did not work as planned. Locals could still easily take control of the market share. This is identified as the barrier of reputation. The study of Japanese companies who enters US market revealed that some Japan companies chose collaboration with local brands in order to win local preferences rather than performing endless marketing campaigns that could have weak effects (Chen, 2003).Concerning the decision making, for example, Japanese managers tend explore the roots of problem before making a particular decision. In c ontrast, American managers are likely to adopt straightforward approach (judgmental behavior) that is much efficient than Japanese approach but less effective. Following link, inform the practice of Japanese culture in terms of big typhoon etc (http://www. brovision. com/) and http://www. mccombs. utexas. edu/research/ciber/executivevideotapes. asp. sssIn foreign countries, for instances, Japanese companies like Toyota and Honda that realize their HR practices are unacceptable by non-Japanese culture may come up with an unfortunate solution by hiring employees under distinct employment categories that lack of job security (Hersey, 1972). III. 3. United States and China In the recent case of United State’s commerce department and the government of China, another foreign trade issues caused by local business environment appear. US Department of Commerce’s assistant secretary stated that China has been using technical regulations as a barrier of trade barriers.This is don e by imposing certain quality standards that would effectively band certain products from entering the Chinese local markets. US department of commerce are currently fighting to oppose this type of trade barriers using diplomatic means (‘United States’, 2005). Bibliography Chen, Shih-Fen. Zeng Ming. 2003. ‘Japanese Investor’s Choice of Acquisition vs Startup in the US: The Role of Reputation Barriers and Advertising Outlays’. International Journal of Research in Marketing. Retrieved February 14, 2007 from brandeis. edu/ibs/faculty_publications/chen/japanese_acquisitions.pdf Dowling, P. J. , Welch, D. E. & De Cieri, H. 1989, ‘International joint ventures: a new challenge for human management’, Proceedings of the fifteenth conference of the European international business association. Helsinki, December, 1989 Forrest, W. , Bidgood, M. 2001. Cultural Aspects of Business. American Indonesia Chamber of Commerce. www. aiccusa. org Fiedler, Fre d E. 1965. Engineer the Job to Fit the Manager. Harvard Business Review. Vol. 43 Hersey, Paul. Blanchard, Kenneth H. 1972. Management of Organization Behavior. New Jersey: Prentic- Hall Inc. Kenna, Peggy.Sondra, Lacy. 1994. Business Japan: A Practical Guide to Understanding Japanese Business Culture. McGraw-Hill Khan, Asim. 2005. Business Management Inc. Retrieved February 14, 2007 from www. themanager. org/strategy/Deciding_to_Go_International. pdf ‘United States Combating Use of Standards as Trade Barriers’. 2005. US INFO. STATE. GOV. Retrieved February 14, 2007 from http://usinfo. state. gov/xarchives/display. html? p=washfile-english&y=2005&m=May&x=20050513162339ajesroM0. 5901605&t=livefeeds/wf-latest. html Zacharakis, Andrew. 1996. Academy of Management Executive. 10(4): 109-110.

Essay on BUS 599 Assignment 1

Essay on BUS 599 Assignment 1 Essay on BUS 599 Assignment 1 Barbritta Higginbotham BUS599 Yahoo and Amazon: Building a Competitive Advantage Strayer University, Augusta Campus Dr. Etta Steed January 24, 2015 Yahoo is an American web organization that is known for its web motor. Yahoo is one the most perceived web indexes on the planet by Google. As indicated by www.Yahoo.com, there are more than 700 million individuals who their site consistently. Yahoo was designed by two Stanford college understudy named Jerry Yang and David Filo. Their thought was to make a webpage that was a registry to different sites. The accompanying year the site did so great that they renamed it Yahoo. Yahoo primary method for making of income is through notice. Through exploration it was found that more than 700 million individuals visit yippee for a mixture of purposes every month. Yahoo mission is to be your decision for all web research which incorporates money, news, games, promoting, web shopping, email and numerous different things. Yahoo accepts that their workers are their fundamental purpose behind their prosperity. They accept that preparation their workers to be specialists, takes into consideration the best client’s experience which thusly acquire income. Throughout the years, Yahoo has change administration around five times. I accept that by doing that it makes it hard for their association to have an acceptable target and methodology. As time has advanced, I accept that Yahoo has gotten to be uncertain about in the event that they are a media organization or an innovation organization. With the greater part of that, I genuinely accept that has figured out how to stay on of the business and stay neck in neck with other web crawlers like Google, and Bing. Amazon, I accept is one of the biggest if not the biggest online retailer on the planet. Amazon was established by Steve Bezos in 1994 as an online book shop. As one of the online retailer who develops as a champ of the dot.com time in the early 90's, the statement "achievement" has been a piece of Amazon DNA. A standout amongst the most interesting marvel about Amazon achievement has been its capacity to change and adjust with the evolving economy. The motivation behind why Amazon survived the dab - com blast was a direct result of its imaginative plan of action which was organized around a continually changing client quality suggestion. At initiation, Amazon center business was books. As the years advanced, Amazon has developed from offering books to offering items in around 35 classifications. From these center business values, Amazon achievement has went from 4 billion in development in 2002 to 20 billion in 2010 in development. Amazon keeps on continuing to pick up income and be nefit as a result of its capacity to grasp change development in its white space. Amazon.com is so proficient at its dispatching needs it can for all intents and purposes take out the cost of distribution center space. Amazon.com basically utilizes the makers' distribution centers as its own (books, toys, apparel, and so forth.). How does Amazon do this? Amazon can foresee what it ought to request focused around recorded deals information and it requests just what is required. Actually Just-In-Time stock at its finest to date! The key vital contrast that I think affected the accomplishment of Yahoo was the website air pocket blast and the Advances in the web and computerized advances. At the point when the spot com air pockets blast, Yahoo stock dove to simply $10.00 every offer, which esteemed the organization at short of what 10 billion. The reason was, the point at which the air pocket busted, it send a great many web organizations into insolvency and brought on an in all cases dive of organizations stock costs including Yahoo. However Yahoo was still viewed as a website powerhouse and numerous examiners put the fault on how the organization plan of action had created over the long run. An alternate sample of the key

Existence Of God Essays - Arguments For The Existence Of God

Existence Of God Essays - Arguments For The Existence Of God Existence Of God In David Humes Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Cleanthes argument from design is successful in supporting the idea that the universe has an ordered arrangement and pattern. This argument is not sound in its ability to prove the existence of the Christian God. However, Cleanthes does present a sound case for order in the universe, which can be seen as an aspect of ones faith in a Supreme Creator. In the argument from design, Cleanthes is attempting to discover and defend the basic foundations of religion by using the same methods applied in scientific thought. Paramount in the process of scientific thought is reliance on previous observation and experience of certain causes resulting in specific effects. If a scientist experiences a million times that when chemical A is directly exposed to fire, an enormous explosion takes place, it is logical that the scientist is wholly expecting the same effect the next time the experiment is run. It appears through this line of reasoning that the argument from design relies heavily on the relative probability of an event occurring over a specified period of time. This idea corresponds to human interpretation of the Universe in that perception without the aid of experience is not sufficient in the realization process of a particular phenomenon. If a human were left only to their own perceptions of the universe without prior experiences, th ey would be able to make several value judgements, but without experience with these judgements it would be impossible to determine which were genuine. (p.61, par.2) Even if one believes that truth is relative, they must agree that there is an experience that has occurred in the past causing this person to label a particular outcome as being true or false. If I have no prior experience or knowledge of the qualities of a tree, I would be left to hypothesize on these qualities only from what I could perceive by looking at the tree. I may come up with several theories, one of which may happen to be the correct one, but with no prior experience on which to base these guesses, I would have no way of knowing which theory was correct. Philo objects to the use of only human intelligence as the benchmark by which to measure the order of the universe. Nature is also an example of a great wealth of order and arrangement that coexists with the human mind in the universe. He believes that by comparing the order that is present in the universe, being the whole, to the order that appears in the parts, being the human mind and nature, one makes too presumptuous an inference concerning the characteristics of both the whole and its parts. (p. 65) However, it is logical to presume that the qualities of any whole are reflected, at least in part, in the workings of the whole. The use of the watch to analyze the design of the universe originates in the belief that the universe would dictate the qualities of the watch, and would therefore bestow upon the watch characteristics similar to its own. It is indeed arbitrary to select human intelligence as the means by which to analyze whatever order may exist in the universe, but it se ems as logical an example as any. Surely, nature, the cosmos, and other examples of order exist in the universe, but human intelligence is by far the most know entity to humans of any of these examples. It should appear logical to analyze such a monumental task such as the arrangement of the universe using the most know example of design that human beings can comprehend. The next important aspect in Clenthes argument is the implementation of the theory of cause and effect as it applies in the case of perceiving means to an end and presuming that effects follow from a previous, related cause. As mentioned above in regards to the scientist, events that have similar effects are assumed to have similar causes. Cleanthes argues that the universe is nothing but one great machine, subdivided into an infinite number of lesser machines. (p.59, par.4) From human experience with machines, it is believed to be true that they involve a complex system

Visual Identity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Visual Identity - Assignment Example And (6) how does the visual identity graphic fit with the product or service of this company or organization? The company logo is the famous logo for Apple, Inc. and is famously recognized globally by various people who have had interests in computers and its applications. The logo, representing the company Apple was first introduced to me during academic pursuit, as early as one could remember using the personal computer. Likewise, I remember that the logo was initially in rainbow-colored horizontal stripes, but using exactly the same graphic form (an apple with a bite at the right side). Currently, it is in its monochromatic form to indicate a more professionalized and sophisticated style commensurate to the image that the organization aimed to project. A little research apprised me that there was one logo prior to the famous visual representation of the company known as Newton Crest which was used only for one year in 1976 (Edible Apple, 2009). The graphic design is a perfect fit for the company as it accurately provided a visual identity: the representation of the apple with a bite, or byte that the designer, Rob Janoff, disclosed meant: â€Å"the â€Å"bite† in the Apple logo was originally implemented so that people would know that it represented an apple, and not a tomato. It also lent itself to a nerdy play on words (bite/byte), a fitting reference for a tech company† (Edible Apple, 2009, par. 3). Therefore, aside from the apple image, the color selection and the bite were appropriately and effectively designed and evolved through the years to depict transformations from â€Å"using a colorful logo as a means to â€Å"humanize† the company† (Edible Apple, 2009, par. 4), into â€Å"one capable of churning out sleek and cutting edge products† (Edible Apple, 2009, par. 9). Therefore, the visual identity perfectly fit the image of the company in terms of providing opporunities for easy r ecognition and recall of the corporate name and the brand

How can time management increase efficiency Essay

How can time management increase efficiency - Essay Example Periodic events and periodic motion have been used as standard for units of time. The motion of sun across the sky, the phases of the moon, and the swing of a pendulum are all examples of such events. The unit of time interval is defined as a certain number of hyperfine transitions in Cesium atoms. Time is a prime motivation in astronomy. Time has economic value as people value time in terms of money. Time has social significance and time influences decisions in everyday life. Time has personal value as people are aware of the limited time that each one has at disposal in a human lifetime. A question that often arises in the mind is how does time flow? Is time understood only by those who have time? Is there no passage of time for beings that do not have mind? Can time be defined relative to the instrument that measures time? We perceive time as flowing in smooth and perpetual continuous motion. The passage of time appears to us humans as a flow. Can this flow change? Everything moves all the time. It was initially measured by the movements of the sun and the moon. The passage of time is measured by hours, days, weeks, months and years. According to physics, time is measured based on the revolutions and rotations of the planets or the heavenly bodies (Heller, 2006). The current time measurement can be dated back to the Sumerian civilization of approximately 2000 B.C. This is known as the Sumerian Sexagesimal System based on the number 60. There are sixty seconds in a minute and sixty minutes in an hour. Number twelve also has importance in the definition of time as there are twelve hours of the day and twelve hours of night. There are twelve months in a year. The passage of time is supposed to change us in significant ways. Human have been measuring time since the beginning of civilizations all over the world. In ancient days time was measured with the help of sundials placed above the doorways which could identify the mid-day

Socio-Technical Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Socio-Technical Systems - Essay Example Throughout the various stages involved in this case study, its success was highly shaped by the organization’s social system. Before the E-File system was adopted by the company, its workers were frustrated with the level of service they received. The workers termed this as â€Å"deteriorating service† as their issues were not addressed in time. Those that were injured at work had to wait for a long period of time for their claims to be processed, a process that was greatly tiring and time consuming. This meant that the level of relationship between the workers and the organization’s administration was strained. However, the adoption of the new technological system was a breath of fresh air to all. The E-File system was swift and convenient. The workers claims could now be processed in a timely manner. This helped in saving time for both the workers and the management, a time that could now be used in carrying out other organizational activities (Golden-Biddle, 2 ). According to Golden-Biddle (2), human beings organize themselves into the different kinds of social groupings they interact with in everyday situations. In this case, the workplace can be considered as a social grouping in which the company workers associate with everyday. When carrying out the transition from the paper based work processes into the more technical E-File system, the company’s social system played a vital role in shaping its final outcome (Parker, 6). As such, the company’s staff was in a position to consult amongst one another on how the new system worked. Though much of the staff was already highly skilled on the new tasks at hand, those that did not understand the technical aspect of the new system were in a position to learn from those that already had more knowledge and expertise in the system. This ensured that no worker was left behind in the evolution from the paper based process into the new paperless system. At the same time, the workers we re in a position to learn how the system worked from a much better perspective when taught by their co-workers than from the technical experts. The insurance management understood that it would highly depend on the ability and willingness of its employees to develop new work practices and skills in order for this new project to take effect. This meant that the organization had to find ways through which any interference or hindrance to these changes could be eliminated (Stebbins & Shani, 17). As such, the company devised new ways through which they could appeal to the employees socially and dampen whatever fears they had in regards to the project. In order to achieve this, the company recognized the need for reassure its workers that they would not be affected by the technological changes. To this effect, the insurance company negotiated a provision within the collective employment agreement and a wage protection for its entire staff that would be affected by the technological chang e within the organization (Parker, 5). In this case, the technical system interacted perfectly with the social system in shaping the outcome of this new project. After the implementation of these new provisions, more workers embraced the new system. This is because they felt that their social surroundings were safe and were not on the verge of collapsing (Stebbins & Shani, 28). This new agreement demonstrated that the employees would be given the support and time that they would require to learn how the new syste

Impact of Minimum Wage on Unemployement Essay Example for Free

Impact of Minimum Wage on Unemployement Essay â€Å"We cannot unambiguously conclude that a minimum wage increase will increase unemployment levels†. Discuss. The essay is outline as follows. Firstly, I would define some of the key terms. Secondly, I would outline the reasons for the statement. Lastly, I would provide the concluding remarks. Unemployment is when those members of the labour force who are willing and able to work cannot find a job. Minimum Wage In a perfectly competitive labour market, the equilibrium wage should be W1, where labour supply = labour demand. Wages are artificially altered when the price floor is imposed. An increase in the wage rate encourages the economically inactive to enter the labour market, causing an expansion in the supply of labour. The minimum wage raises the marginal cost of employing workers, thereby causing a contraction of labour demand. From an excess supply of labour, only the workers who are skilled will be employed. The least skilled, thus least productive will be priced out of the market leaving them involuntarily unemployed. The change in employment levels is the product of the elasticity of labour demand multiplied by the proportional rise in the wage. Any increase in the minimum wage will be passed on to consumer prices. If demand for the product is inelastic, the increased price will not effect consumption of the good to a great extent. So employment rates would remain relatively the same. The opposite effect would happen for elastic good. If labour costs make up a small proportion of total costs, then any increases in the wage rate would have little effect on employment, as total costs would have only increased by a small amount. Where labour and supply are both inelastic, employment costs are minimised. If they are both elastic, more jobs are lost. Although according to classical theories, the reason that minimum wage increase will increase unemployment levels is because minimum wage would increase the cost of labour, which lead to an increase in the cost of  production of the firm. Firms would have cut human resources (labour) in order for the firms to control their cost of production. As a result it would leads to a increase in unemployment rate. But in reality, it work differently. In fact the experience of the UK is that a 67% increase in the National Minimum Wages has reduced unemployment and increased employment. It would have lead to a strong Economic Growth. In period of economic growth, firms employ more workers as there is more demand to produce goods. Economic growth in the UK has averaged 2.5% since 1999 In addition, the power of Monoposony should not be ignore. Classical theory assumes that the labour markets are competitive, but in practice workers often face employers with buying power. This means firms are able to pay workers less than the market wage. Therefore, when a government artificially raises wages, firms can actually afford to pay them. It is argued minimum wage legislation is similar to anti trust regulation. Thus, it would lead to an increased productivity. A study by David Metcalf found that firms responded to increased wages by increasing the productivity of workers, especially in the service sector. This is important because it suggests that higher wages can actually help increase productivity in the economy. Firms would lower working hours in respond to the increase in the minimum wage. Rather than make workers redundant, firms have reduced the average hours worked. This is related to part 3, firms try to get higher productivity in a shorter time, so they can afford the minimum wage. Pass on Cost increases. Because the minimum wage affects all firms, it is easier for the cost increases to be passed onto consumers. e.g. because all cleaning firms have higher wage costs, they can all increase their prices. If the wage increase just affected one firm, they would become uncompetitive. Firms would also think of different problems to avoided of Minimum Wage. It  is uncertain to ascertain the extent of this problem, but some firms have circumvented the minimum wage legislation by employing immigrant labour and paying them lower wages. It also makes it more attractive to employ young workers. To conclude, although an increase in minimum wage in theory would lead to an increase in unemployment, but in practical, it would not much negative impact on the employment rate. Therefore, we cannot unambiguously conclude that a minimum wage increase will increase unemployment levels.

Understanding Young Adult Footwear Shoppers in India

Understanding Young Adult Footwear Shoppers in India Executive Summary ‘A man can be judged by the shoes he wears. Footwear today is much more than just an integral part of ones attire; it helps the modern day consumer make his or her unique lifestyle statement. This study was done to understand the footwear preferences was various categories of footwear and to understand the footwear shopping behaviour. The objective of the study was to segment young adult footwear shoppers into unique footwear shopping orientation groups and to develop a profile for each segment with respect to footwear benefits sought, importance of store attributes, patronage behavior and demographics. To start with, a secondary research was done to gain a broad understanding of the footwear industry in India, in particular footwear retail, and the modern Indian consumer. In-depth interviews of 10 young adults from metros, both males and females, were conducted to arrive at the parameters used in the evaluation of footwear, footwear retail stores and also to understand general footwear usage and buying behavior. This understanding and the parameters arrived at were then used in formulating a questionnaire consisting of 60 line items which was administered through online surveys. A total of 100 responses were achieved of which 85 were complete responses. The data of the complete responses was then analyzed through frequency distributions, factor analysis and cluster analysis. Factor analysis helped to reduce the number of variables to 8 factors. On the basis of these 8 factors, the 85 respondents were classified into 3 clusters with unique shopping orientations. The result of this study can be helpful to footwear retailers in customizing their merchandising, display, and other store attributes like space and availability of mirrors to gain maximum store loyalty and patronage. Introduction Footwear is much more than just an integral part of ones attire: while on the one extreme, it helps the modern day consumer make his or her unique lifestyle statement, it also helps enhances the performance of athletes and sportsmen at the other extreme. A brief history of footwear One of the first things made by our primitive ancestors was foot covering. It was primarily used to protect themselves from burning sand, rocks and rugged terrain. Records show that different civilizations like Egyptian, Chinese and other early civilizations, all contained reference to shoes. It is also mentioned in the Bible. The Hebrews also used it in binding a bargain (Shoe History, 2009). The first form of shoe consisted of a simple piece of plaited grass or rawhide which was strapped to the feet. During early times, sandals were the most common type of footwear. In Mesopotamia, during 1600 1200 BC, a particular type of shoes were used. They were soft and made of wraparound leather. Up to almost 1850, the method of making shoes was the same as that in 14th century B.C. in Egypt. Hand tools were used. Shoes were absolutely straight. There was no difference between the right and left shoe (Shoe History, 2009). In 1845, the first machine that found a permanent place in the shoe manufacturing industry was invented- the Rolling machine. In 1846, a sewing machine was invented. In 1875, a machine was developed which later came to be known the Goodyear Welt Sewing Machine (Shoe History, 2009). Rubber heels for shoes were patented in on January 24, 1895 by Humphrey OSullivan. These rubber heels on shoes outlasted the leather heels then in use (The History of Shoes, 2009). Keds were first mass-marketed in 1917 (The History of Shoes, 2009). They were positioned as canvas-top sneakers. These were officially the first sneakers. The word sneaker was coined by Henry Nelson McKinney, an advertising agent. This was because the rubber sole made the shoe stealthy. All other shoes, barring a few exceptions like moccasins, made noise when a person walked. Hence you could ‘sneak on anyone wearing Keds. Since the mid-20th century, the type of shoes being created has changed considerably compared to the traditional crafting techniques. This is due to advances in plastics, rubber, synthetic cloth, plastics and industrial adhesives. Leather, even though is still used in expensive dress shoes is no longer really used in athletic shoes. Soles, which were once hand stitched, are now machine stitched or simply glued on. A century ago, if a lot of effort was put in, a person might have been able to produce a few pairs of shoes. Today, automatic Toe Laster for Goodyear Welt shoes can produce 1200 pairs in an 8-hour day (Shoe History, 2009). Footwear industry in India Industry overview The Indian footwear and leather industry is amongst the top-10 foreign exchange earners. It is also amongst the top-12 focus manufacturing sectors in the country if we consider it in terms of competitiveness and untapped potential. The worlds largest footwear manufacturer is China. Next is India. India producs 16 billion pairs accounting for 13% of global footwear production. India produces 2065 million pairs of different categories of footwear (leather shoe uppers 100 million pairs, non-leather footwear 1056 million pairs and leather footwear 909 million pairs). India exports just 115 million pairs of footwear. Almost 95% of the production goes into meeting the domestic demand. Nearly 15 percent of Europes leading brands outsource their footwear, apparel and fashion accessories purchases from India. Indias domestic footwear market is better than others around the world primarily because of abundant raw materials, low cost of production and a huge consumption market. Indias major importers for Indian leather products: Country Share (%) Germany 14.12 Italy 12.82 UK 11.48 USA 9.98 Hong Kong 6.61 Spain 6.09 France 6.14 Netherlands 4.13 UAE 2.38 Australia 1.55 Total 75.30 The 10 countries mentioned above account for nearly 75.30% of Indias total leather products export. More than half of the Indian footwear market comprises of gents footwear. This is contrary to the world wide trend. The worlds major production is in ladies footwear. Hence, in India there is immense scope in the womens segment. In the unorganized sector, more than 80 percent of the sales happen in the mens segment. However this is might change soon. The footwear industry is extremely labor intensive- 90% of its production comes from SMEs (small and medium enterprises). There are in excess of 42,000 such SME units, there are primarily concentrated in two provinces in Uttar Pradesh up north and in Tamil Nadu down south. They are also present in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Punjab. Agra, Ranipet, Kanpur, Ambur, Jodhpur and Kolhapur are also traditionally renowned centers of excellence in the production of leather and footwear. In the last five years, footwear production in the country has increased by nearly 60%. Out of this, the rural areas consume 75% of the footwear production. It has become a necessity product there since till now, they have been majorly deprived of its usage. The Footwear sector has now been de-licensed and de-reserved. This has paved the way for expansion of capacities on modern lines using state-of-the-art machinery. In order to assist this process further, the Government has permitted 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) through automatic route for footwear sector. Categorization or classification of footwear The Indian footwear market, in terms of quality offerings, has four main segments: 1. The super premium end- comprises the best of global luxury brands 2. The high-end or premium 3. The mid/economy ranges- comprises of formals, functional, casuals and party wear 4. The low-priced mass range- includes leather and plastic strapped slippers, as utility wear Apart from this, the genuine active sportswear segment with different price ranges also exists. The volume share of the economy/mid range has reduced. It was 61% in 2006-07. It has come down to 53%. The active sports-wear segment has increased its share from 7% to 9.6%. Premium leather and premium non-leather segments have both seen a rise from 7% and 3% in 2006-07 to 7.3% and 3.5% respectively in 2007-08. The super premium luxury segment has a 0.08% market share. In terms of sales value, this is a very significant number. Also there are four major categories of footwear: 1. Sports footwear 2. Semi-formal or casual footwear 3. Formalwear 4. Utility footwear The Indian footwear market mainly consists of casual wear. It occupies nearly two-thirds of the total footwear retail market. The other sub-segment that is doing well is the branded sportswear segment. It is estimated to be about Rs. 1,000 crore. The main players in this space consist of reebok, Adidas and Lotto. Compared to other segments, this segment is growing fast in terms of the number of outlets. Apart from footwear, these outlets also sell apparel. Major players in Indian footwear industry The top domestic and premium brands in India consist of: 1. Action It has a pan Indian presence. It consists of multiple branded outlets (MBOs), 135 exclusive branded outlets (EBOs). It commands a total of 175,000 square feet retail space. 2. Bata It is a household name in India. It was the brand that made branded footwear popular. Bata India Limited manufactures and markets various types of footwear, leather and footwear components. Apart from these, the company markets products related to footwear, garments, accessories, sports goods and other merchandise. Batas sub-brands consist of Dr Scholls, Hush puppies, Bubblegummer and Power. Till the first quarter of 2009, Bata India had 1,293 outlets. Bata India is currently looking to expand towards Tier I Tier II cities. 3. Khadims Currently, it has over 329 outlets. The area under it is approximately 148,000 square feet retail space. It is present in 22 cities across India. 4. Liberty After Bata, it is arguably the most popular domestic brand. It is the only Indian company among the worlds top 5 leather footwear manufacturers. It has EBOs as Revolutions and Liberty. Revolutions provides footwear, travel accessories, watches, leather accessories, sun-glasses and jewellery Its sub-brands consist of Footfun, Force 10, Senorita, Gliders, Tiptopp, Windsor, Coolers, June, Warrior and Perfect. Liberty has 360 EBOs, 40 Shop-in-shops and 150 distributors. It services 6000 MBOs. The total retail space under it is 1.26 million square feet. 5. Metro, Mochi These are two brands from Metro Shoes Ltd. They were launched in 1977 and 2000 respectively. It consists of over 85 EBOs and 76 MBOs. The retail space under it is 131,000 square feet. It is present in 32 cities. 6. Pavers England It stated in India in early 2008. It was launched in Reliance stores. It is a Chennai based brand. It operates 40 MBOs. 7. Red Tape This brand belongs to Mirza International. It was launched in 1996 in the domestic market. It started its exclusive retail operations in 2006. By end-2008 it had 10 company-owned EBOs, 50 franchise-owned EBOs and also 135 Shops-in-shops. 8. Sreeleathers It was established in 1950. It is a very strong brand in Easten India. It has 5 company-owned EBOs and 28 franchise-owned EBOs. 9. Woodland It is looking to enter the junior and kidswear segment. It is also looking at apparels business very optimistically. It hopes that this business will contribute to half of its total sales in India. It operates 250 EBOs in India. 10. Lilliput It is a leading brand in kids footwear. By the end of 2008, it had 250 EBOs and also 100 shop-in shops. 11. MB Footwear It has 2 in-house brands, viz ID and Mercell. It has been operating for more than 21 years. It has tie-ups with brands like Lee Cooper. By the end of 2008, it had 32 EBOs and also 11 shop-in-shops. International brands in India 1. Adidas It is one of the biggest companies in the sports goods category. This nramd has acquired Reebok. It now consists of 3 brand divisions: Adidas, Taylormade-Adidas golf and Reebok. Adidas brand focuses on sports. It offers footwear, apparel and hardware in three divisions which include sport heritage, sport performance, and sport style. The sport performance division focuses on the hardcore sports player. The sport heritage division focuses on the casual sports man. The sport style division focuses the fashion-conscious consumers. The Reebok brand focuses more on style. Adidas entered India in 1977. It operates more than 450 EBOs. It has 340,000 square feet retail space. It claims a 20% market share in the active sports segment. 2. Lotto It currently has 10 flagship EBOs in India. It has plans to increase it to 100 by the end of 2010. It is present in 30 Indian cities. 3. Nike It has 107 EBOs in India 4. Guess (Premium) It was launched in 2005 by Planet Retail in India. It operates 19 EBOs and one shop-in-shop. 5. Carlton London (Premium) It currently operates 10 EBOs. It has 50,000 square feet retail space in India. It is concentrated in North India. It has plans to open up new stores in metros and in Tier I cities. MBO Retailers 1. Planet Sports It has 39 outlets and a retail space of 73,000 square feet. It is present in 21 cities across India. 2. Provogue It was launched in 2005. It consists of 55 EBOs and also 15 shop-in-shops. 3. Reliance Footprints It is a division of Reliance Retail Ltd. It started its operations in 2007. It currently operates 14 MBOs. It offers global brands like Ecco, Geox, Josef Siebel, Rockport, Florsheim, Hush Puppies, Lee Cooper and Clarks, Piccadilly, Dr. Scholls, Levis, Crocs, Disney among others. Apart from these, it sells handbags as well as accessories. 4. Shoe Factory It is a value format. It offers huge variety of footwear for a wide age groups. It started its operations in Ahmedabad in 2006. It is present in 16 locations and has a retails space of 48,000 square feet across 8 cities. 5. The Blues It is an exclusive licensee of major global brands like Corneliani (2006), Versace Collection (2005), VJC Versace Jeans Couture (2008), Cadini (2005), Versace (2008). By the end of 2008, it had 6 franchised EBOs, 3 shop-in-shops and also one MBO. Emergence of modern Indian retail Introduction In 2007, the Indian retail sector stood at $350 billion. It was predicted to increase to $427 billion by 2010 and $635 billion by 2015 (Morierty, 2007). Many Indian business houses are entering or have already entered this sector. The food and grocery sector is turning out to be a major contributer to this field. Even though it started slowly, it is now growing at a feverish pace. The other forms of retail have also evolved consistently. With the huge business houses entering into this business, the field has become extremely competitive between them. This is one sector that is looking to explode in the near future. Today, mega Indian business houses and corporate like the Future Group of Kishore Biyani (Food Bazaar), Reliance Group of Mukesh Ambani (Reliance Fresh Reliance Hyper), ITC Ltd (Choupal Fresh Choupal Saagar), Wadhawan Holdings (Spinach), RPG Group (Spencers Retail), the Aditya Birla Group (More), Subhiksha, the Godrej group (Natures Basket Godrej Aadhar), J Raheja group (Hypercity), etc. are driving the forays into retail through different models like single-format, multi-format or integrated urban-rural model. (Sengupta, 2007) However, the growth of the Indian retail space has been a long and ardous journey. Let us have a brief look at how the sector as a whole has evolved over the years. History It is popularly assumed that with the opening of the Indian economy in the early 1990s, the retail sector started opening up. This is when all the supermarkets and hypermarkets came into existence. However, the types of retail formats have existed in India since 1970s. In 1971, Nilgiris was set up in Bangalore. It was what one could popularly refer to as the ‘face of modern Indian retail. It was a supermarket. Since then, a lot of other business houses/ entrepreneurs have entered this sector. A few went national while a majority of them were restricted to a local scale. Popular among them were Trinetra from Hyderabad (now part of the Aditya Birla Group), Foodworld from Chennai, Margin Free from Kerala among others. A few others like Stop Shop from the TVS group in South India and Nanz in North India have shut down. In 1947, when India got independence, the per capita income was very low. People could not really afford any type of luxuries. Majority of them managed to live by getting their basic necessities. The main type of retail format prominent during those days was the mom-and-pop (kirana stores). They were run by individuals. The other format was the Bazaar. This trend continued up to the 1960s. Even post that, when supermarkets like Nilgiris opened up, the trend continued (Sengupta, 2007). It was during the 1990s and 2000s that this trend gradually changed. The growth story of the modern retail format in India is the early part of this millennium can be divided into 4 phases. Phase 1: This phase is characterised between 2002 and 2004. Lots of new entrants into the market were driving the top line growth. Phase 2: This phase is characterised between 2004 and 2006. The consumers were getting more and more aware of the possibilities that this retail growth could mean for them. They started demanding more and more variety in the organized retail formats. Phase 3: Post 2006, the retailers realized that in order to distinguish themselves, they would have to strengthen their back-end activities. The front end of almost all retail outlets were more or less the same. The thing that distinguished them from the rest were activities like inventory control, turnover time etc. Phase 4: This phase has been in progress since 2007. The retail players are in the process of consolidating their operations. (Srivastava, 2009) Organized retail is moving from being a ‘novel experiment to an expected back-end innovation and scale build up (Srivastava, 2009). Indian retail story First some facts (Srivastava, 2009): * The retail industry employs almost 21 million people * The Kearney study undertaken in 2006, ranked India 5th among 30 developing countries in the Global Retail Development Index * The study projects that India will overtake Russia and China to become the number one destination for foreign direct investment in retail India has over 12 million retail outlets. Out of this, about 95% of the outlets are less than 500 square feet (Srivastava, 2009). If we compare Indian retail with other countries, we see that the number of traditional retail outlets is still very huge. In 2005, US had about 15% traditional retail outlets and 85% organized retail outlets. India had 97% traditional outlets and only 3% organized retail outlets (Srivastava, 2009). (Srivastava, 2009) The organized retail in India is still at a very nascent stage. The opportunity for growth is enormous. Even though speciality stores in India are gaining prominence, almost 90% of all future retail development is predicted to be malls. The Indian consumer wants everything in the same place. One more trend that is being seeing is the marriage of retail and entertainment. Lots of multiplexes are opening up at malls. In fact, this seems to be the future trend. Sand alone places might not attract the crowd that such mergers could. Also, facilities like book stores, coffee shops, food courts etc. are being developed at these places. The major distinguishing factor of malls in India is that they have a mix of high-value items as well as mass branded items at the same place. In comparison, other countries have speciality malls. They either are of the high-value kind boutiques or the mass category. India has the highest shop density in the world. It has about 11 shops per 1000 people. This adds to one shop per 20-25 families (Srivastava, 2009). However in cities, this density is much higher. If we look at the money spent on various facilities, the urban-rural difference becomes very evident. About 33% of entertainment spends come from rural areas as opposed to 67% from urban areas. As opposed to this, when we talk about more basic necessities like food, clothing and footwear, over 60% comes from rural areas. (Srivastava, 2009) If we look at the share of the various things that are sold in the organized retail, we find that apparels and accessories is the maximum at 38%, footwear is at 9%, while others like mobile phones, books etc. are at 3% each (Srivastava, 2009). (Srivastava, 2009) Retail formats Both traditional as well regional retails constitute footwear retail market space. Along with these, new players like The Loft and factory outlets also constitute this space. These are category killers. The Loft offers over 130 brands, all under the same roof. It has completely revolutionarized the industry. In Mumbai, The Loft store has an area of 18,000 sq feet and also offers other services to the customers enhancing their experience. Factory outlets have also changed the industry. Pantaloon Retails Brand Factory, Reliance Footprints, Max Retail of the Landmark Group, and The Loot, are all offering a multiple footwear brands. 1) Hypermarket This format of stores has seen a huge growth in India. Most of the stores in this format are making money. The costumers find it very comfortable as they can get almost all their daily necessities like food, clothing, shoes, utensils, home appliances, durables etc. under one roof. It is like a one stop shop for all necessities. 2) Departmental Store Similar to hypermarkets, these shops also offer all the requirements under one roof. The difference is that these outlets have a more luxurious setting. The Indian consumer likes the idea of shopping in a better way with entertainment, novelty, variety and an international setting, all under one roof. 3) Single brand/ Stand Alone Outlet As the name suggests, these outlets consist of only one brand. They are generally run by the brand itself or are run as franchisee. The consumers do not have much choice here in terms of the number of brands but, generally, most of the variety of items, even the rare ones, of the brand are present here. 4) Multi-Branded Outlet A huge variety of brands are present here. The consumer has a wide array of brands to choose from. The only drawback of such outlets is that only the popular items of a brand are present here. So if a consumer has a very specific requirement, he/ she might not be able to find the item here. 5) Factory Outlet A factory outlet is a retail store where the manufacturer sells his brand directly to the customer. The store might have a warehouse attached to it. The biggest advantage of such stores is that there are no middle men. Hence the end customers get the brands at a very low cost. They are also called ‘Best Saving Outlets. Footwear retail AT Kearneys eigth annual GRDI (Global Retail Development Index) in 2009 ranked the Indian retail sector as the ‘most attractive emerging market for investment. Indian retail market is the fifth largest retail destination globally. In the footwear retail market, only 5.9 percent of Indias total retail market is organized. This comes to Rs. 13,300 billion. The total footwear retail market stands at Rs. 160 billion. Out of this, 48.4% of the footwear retail market is organized and is dominated by brands. The Indian Retail report of the year 2009 maps the growth of the organized retail since 2004. The findings indicate that compared to the other retail categories, footwear category has grown at a much faster pace. In 2004-05, only 25% of the footwear retail sector was organized. In 2009, it grew to 48.4%. The overall retail market share in the organized sector has only increased from 3% to 5.9% in the corresponding time frame. Emerging trends The performance of the footwear market is forecasted to accelerate with an anticipated CAGR of 10.2% for the five-year period 2008-2013. This is expected to drive the market to a value of $5,791.4 million by the end of 2013. Comparatively, the Chinese market will increase with a CAGR of 8.3%. (Singh, 2009) The organized retail sector is also seeing many changes. This sector occupies about 5% of Indian retail market. Large format stores and branded retail stores are coming up. This trend was first seen in South India and now in North India, West India and East India in the next couple of years. The retail sector is also opening its operations in Tier II cities like Gurgaon, Noida, Kochi etc. A market research report ‘Booming Retail Sector in India predicts that Indian organoized retail sector will reach US$ 50 billion by 2011. This study was carried out by RNCOS. The number of shopping malls is also set to increase between 2007 and 2015 by a CAGR of 18.9%. The Indian consumer On the World Map, India is placed 5th in the list of consumer markets of the world. Improved communication systems and the exposure to popular international brands has brought about a huge difference in the cities. People have become more indulgent. They want to acquire more and have also become very ambitious. According to a McKinsey report, the size of the Indian consumer market is expected to grow 4 times by 2025. This report is aptly titled ‘The rise of Indian Consumer Market. The youth population in India is huge. 33% are below 15 years of age. The consumer spending has increased as the disposable income among the youth has increased. The consumer spending in India has increased by 75% in the last 4 years. The share of wallet for products like footwear, clothes, transport, entertainment, education, medical services, housing and renting etc. has increased significantly. In fact, the Indian middle class has also started consuming luxury goods like air-conditioners and cars. The Indian demographic profile is changing rapidly. The upper class is growing much quicker than the lower class. The ‘deprived class is shrinking. The middle class is expected to touch 28 million by 2010. One third of the total middle class population will be from the rural areas. Lifestyle category goods are expected to be the future. With the increasing number of working women and fashion conscious males, they will look for a better quality of life. The Nielsen Retail Index 2007 reveled that consumers are switching to branded products. Also due to impulse buying by young consumers with disposable income, brands like Reebok and Adidas saw their semi-urban and rural sales increase by more than 70%. According to Kishore Biyani (Biyani, 2007), the typical Indian consumer can be classified as follows: The serving class consists of 55% of the population. This indicates that the retail outlets should target this group as well instead of mainly targeting the consumer class, which consists of only 14% of the population, as it currently does (Tripathi). Literature Review Indian footwear consumer The basic understanding of fashion and change in consumer perceptions has given a huge boost to the footwear industry. There is more exposure for Indians due to global travel and media penetration. The new retailing formats and distribution systems have capitalized on this. Branded footwear from overseas has become popular. Of course, the cost for the consumer is still a concern, due to which even the international brands have had to bring down their prices drastically in order to achieve break-even sales. Comfort is very essential for the Indian footwear consumer. The branded and organized sector has taken advantage of this. However, the awareness about more specialized products like performance enhancing and fitness assisting is still very low in India compared to other South East Asian countries. This could increase with time. Also, the young working population is seeing a shift in preference to international trends and lifestyles. One more fact is that women buyers buy more frequently compared to their male counterparts. About 29% women go shopping at least once every quarter. Men account for about 19% of the total purchases of that segment (Indian Retail Report, 2009). As per a study on how consumers divide their wallet spends, about 44% of the urban Nupscale (short for Nielsen Upscale, based on the usage of 12 consumer durable products by the consumers households) buy mens footwear. 41% buy womens footwear. The average annual spend on the products is Rs. 2318 and Rs. 1336 respectively. This study was conducted by Images- AC Neilsen. Women had a role to play in the purchase of mens footwear (26% women to 56% men). Men had a bigger role to play in purchase of womens footwear (34% males to 51% females). Men spent more lavishly on footwear irrespective of whether they were buying for themselves or others or gifting. Males spend on an average Rs 2,459 in a typical year on purchase of mens footwear and Rs 1,428 on purchase of womens footwear. Comparatively, women spend on an average Rs 1,875 on mens footwear and Rs 1,265 on womens footwear in a typical year (Indian Retail Report, 2009). Research articles ‘Shopping Orientation in the Evolving Indian Market, a research article by Piyush Kumar Sinha, attempted to understand shoppers from their disposition towards shopping. This was very useful because it has been noted that the differences between retailers are not really significant in terms of the value they deliver. The study managed to bring out the shopping orientation of the Indian shoppers. It said that emotional value matters more than the functional value while shopping. They are also more oriented towards the entertainment value. Based on this orientation, 300 shoppers were divided into 2 segments: Fun shoppers and Work shoppers. These two segments had different demographic and behavioral profile. This orientation was primarily affected by the frequency of buying, type of store, and to some extent by the SEC (socio-economic classification). These findings were finally used in order to draw implications for store format, merchandising and pricing (Sinha, 2003). ‘A Typology of Apparel Shopping Orientation Segments among Female Consumers, segmented female apparel shoppers into unique apparel shopping orientation groups. It then developed a profile for each segment by taking into consideration the information sources, lifestyle activities, importance of store attributes, demographics and patronage behavior. Then by using cluster analysis of apparel shopping orientation factors, three groups were identified: 1) Highly Involved Apparel Shopper 2) Apathetic Apparel Shopper 3) Convenience-Oriented Catalog Shopper They were further compared through MANOVA (multivariate analysis of variance) and chi-square statistics. The results indicated that shopping orientations are a base for segmenting female apparel shoppers. These groups are unique in consumer buying characteristics. They include: * 3 factors of information sources (Fashion Publications, Store Fashion Service/Promotion and Mass Media) * 5 factors of importance of store attrib