SEO tips for Writers

Hello Everybody! I am sure you would like to be busy with your favourite freelance job and be a requested writer for many orders. I will explain below how you may achieve this. The main thing you should know is that Google, Yahoo or other search engines react on keywords, which customer types in when searches for the needed service. Thats why the place where you write information about yourself has to be filled with right keywords and has to be updated often, so that the search engines recognise your web-site/blog. You should create a blog on the www.blogger.com and other web-sites. This blog/web-site should become filled with the description of the services you provide, your qualities, characteristics, persuasive posts about your experience and why you are the best writer. All of this should contain needed keywords and of course link to your profile on thepensters.com, by following which customer may place an order. Then you also post examples of your papers (parts of them) with keywords (remember not to post the orders already paid by customers, since its already their property!). In order for the blog to be active you should post something as often as possible (on a daily basis, once in 2-3 days, weekly). Create accounts in social networks (facebook, twitter, etc) where you can tell about yourself and give links to your blogs, add students to friends, so that they will see you and know that you are providing such services. Create groups and communities, invite potential customers, tell about yourself. Create account on different educational forums or other places where potential customers (students) communicate and advertise your services to them. You can also create your own threads and topics and tell about yourself. But be careful not to spam, as forums will ban such accounts. After this is done during some time, customers will start seeing our web-site, ThePensters.com, and placing orders here. Moreover, its a great chance for you to gain permanent customers. Remember that everything depends on the quality of the work you provide. Statistics says, 1 satisfied customer will go and tell 5 friends about the service/product he/she liked, but dissatisfied customer tells 9 friends how bad it was! So its in your interest to provide customers with good jobs. Regards, ThePensters.com Team

Observing Adolescents Through Adolescent Males And Females

OBSERVING ADOLESCENTS IN THIER NATURAL HABITAIT †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨EMINA SEHOVIC Do you remember adolescence ? The awkwardness, the pimples, the first crush, the first kiss? Wasn’t it the best? Don’t you wish you could go back? I don’t. Like most people I hated adolescence it was a strange and confusing time. Looking back at my adolescents I sometimes wonder why I acted the way I did. During this observation I couldn’t help but think â€Å" I really hope I wasn t this bad back then,† but lets face it I probably was. Introduction My group observed adolescents, we were looking for variations in behavior between males and females. We theorized that in public places adolescent males and females would act differently according to the environment they were in. We also predicted that their behavior would be influenced by who they were around, peers or parents. O Koon, J. (1997), did a study looking at adolescents relationships to parents and peers. In his study he found that females had a much stronger attachment to their peers than males, attachment to parents was strong for both. In our observations we saw some similar results. Methods For our research project we split our group and divided up the observation tasks. One part of the group went to the mall, another went to a high school football game and a high school volleyball game. I went to the mall for my observation, more specifically I went to the most popular adolescent stores stores such as Forever 21, American Eagle, DicksShow MoreRelatedThe Association Of Parent Adolescent Relationships And Adolescent Relationship With Their Peers Essay1490 Words   |  6 PagesThe main focus of this study was to examine the association of parent-adolescent relationships and the adolescent’s relationship with their peers. Previous research has found that parents do play a crucial role in shaping a child’s social skills and in their relationships with peers but this is prior to adolescence. The literature review had found that studies on parental influences through adolescence are not as common and the ones that were available typically only focused on how pa rents and peersRead MoreThe Root Causes of Sexual Offending: Social Learning Theory1319 Words   |  6 Pagesthey’re older (Seto Lalumiere, 2010). The following studies have provided substantial support for the social learning etiology. Through the use of a meta-analysis, Seto and Lalumiere (2010) concluded that sexual offending is tied to prior sexual abuse. Burton, Miller, and Shill (2002) discovered significant differences between sexual offending and nonsexual offending adolescents in the areas of sexual abuse. Lastly, Burton (2003) determined that sex offender’s methods of abuse mimicked that which wasRead MoreThe Psychology of Mean Girls 1339 Words   |  5 PagesThe Psychology of Mean Girls Mean Girls, ironically my favorite movie, in my opinion clearly and comically depicts the misconceptions and stereotypes that are perceived by society of early adolescents. Stanley Hall characterized adolescence as a time of â€Å"storm and stress† and this negative image has stuck with society. As we’ve learned and discussed in class, Sigmund Freud took the concept of storm and stress a step further and developed his stages of psychosocial development but saw adolescenceRead MoreHiv : Gender And Race Disparities Among At Risk Young Adults1398 Words   |  6 Pagespatterns and risk factors among adolescents that are HIV positive and then turn this data around to pro-actively attack the disparities that are within the health system. One such study in Colorado correlated risk behaviors among high school students with the health education provided to them. This study wasconducted in order to assess how information and risk factors affect the possibility of contracting HI V or another STI. The study was conducted across female and male genders and included a varietyRead MoreA Research Study On Eating Disorders Essay1251 Words   |  6 Pagesand psychological indispositions in both female and male adolescents. This health issue can be precipitated by a cognitive disruption in their perception of their body image. Cognitive behavioural therapy is a particular type of treatment used by the individual s therapist, to try and alter their continuous thought pattern and help to reduce the unhealthy actions and emotions that are a consequence of any type of eating disorder. It encompasses observing the connection between feelings, thoughtsRead MoreThe Effects Of Violent Video Games On Children And Adolescents Essay1325 Words   |  6 Pagesaggressive and violent behavior in children and adolescents. Some psychologists believe violent video games influence violent behavior in children through social learning and modeling behaviors after characters in video games that â€Å"glorify† violence and criminals (Schultz Schultz, 2013, p. 331). Other psychologists argue that other factors, such as poor socioeconomic status and negligent parents, are the main factors of violence in children and adolescents instead of video games. However, many studiesRead MoreDevelopment Of The Human Brain1414 Words   |  6 Pagesbiologist who devoted his life to observing and recording the intellectual abilities of infants, children, and adolescents. The stages of cognitive development formulated by Piaget include the Sensory Motor period from zero to twenty-four months. In this period they experience stages such as a Reflexive stage from zero to two months. This is where they perform simple reflex activity such as grasping, and sucking. Between the ages of two and seven, their brains will go through The Preoperational Period.Read MoreThe Social And Emotional Development Of An Adolescent Essay1919 Words   |  8 Pagesemotional development of an a dolescent. From a very young age adolescents are provided with a model of right and wrong. Frequently referred to as Social Learning Theory, the actions of authority figures and peers observed by adolescents can guide their future conduct in the same way as that being observed. Social Learning Theory states that children and adolescents learn from two similar sources; experience and observation (Bandura, 1971). Through observation, adolescents view the actions and reactionsRead MoreFriday Mourning By Kathy Reichs1549 Words   |  7 Pagesdoes sex assessment by observing the pelvis of the three unidentified human remains. Particularly, in page number 37-38, Brennan briefly addresses the characteristics of pelvis through which she was able to determine the sex of the three skeletons. According to her assessment, â€Å" broad, flaring hip blades. Elongated pubic portion with a tiny, elevated ridge coursing across the belly side. Obtuse subpubic angle. Wide sciatic notch† (Reich s 37) are features that is depicted by female pelvis. Although herRead MoreThe Human Brain Is The Most Complex Structure Of The Universe1410 Words   |  6 Pagesbiologist who devoted his life to observing and recording the intellectual abilities of infants, children, and adolescents. The stages of cognitive development formulated by Piaget include the Sensory Motor period from zero to twenty-four months. In this period they experience stages such as a Reflexive stage from zero to two months. This is where they perform simple reflex activity such as grasping, and sucking. Between the ages of two and seven, their brains will go through The Preoperational Period.

Al Qaeda Network Free Essays

Al qaeda the ‘terrorist network’ and Osama bin Laden have carried out a complicated ‘media campaign and ‘public relations’ over the last 10 years (qtd. in Bevy, 2006). As Bevy (2006) excerpted, â€Å"’terrorism-analyst’ think that these communications have been intended to draw out ‘emotional reactions’ and converse intricate ‘political messages’ to a worldwide viewers as well as to explicit populaces in the ‘Islamic world’, the U. We will write a custom essay sample on Al Qaeda Network or any similar topic only for you Order Now S., Asia, and Europe.† A number of analyst and officials consider that ‘Al Qaeda’s messages’ hold signs that notify and educate operatives to get ready for and perform fresh attacks. Bin-Laden has referred to his ‘public-statements’ as significant chief sources for parties in quest to know Al Qaeda’s political demands and ideology. Osama bin Laden’s familiarities as a ‘financier’ and ‘logistical-coordinator’ for the Arab and Afghan struggle to the ‘Soviet-Invasion’ of Afghanistan throughout the 198os are considered to have supplied backdrop for his principle that ‘Muslims’ can obtain valuable ‘military action’ motivated by ‘Islamic principles’ (Bevy, 2006). According to Bevy (2006), his contact to the philosophies of ‘conservative Islamist-scholars’ in Saudi Arabia and his work with the Arab activist in Afghanistan offered the ideological and theological foundation for his principle in the interest of ‘puritanical Salafist Islamic-reform’ in Muslim societies and the need of ‘armed resistance’ in the countenance of ‘perceived aggression’ – an idea Al-Qaeda has since connected with a commonly-binding ‘Islamic principle’ recognized as â€Å"defensive-jihad† (qtd. in Bevy, 2006). After a few years after he initiated setting up Arab volunteers to dispose of ‘Soviet forces’ from ‘Afghanistan’, bin-Laden had a ‘vision’; the instant had come, he informed his friends, to start a ‘global jihad’, or’ Islamic holy-war’, in against to the crooked ‘secular-governments’ of the ‘Muslim Middle East’ and ‘Western-powers’ that maintained them (New York Times, 2001). Bin Laden, the ‘Saudi’ millionaire’, would utilize his campgrounds in Afghanistan to obtain ‘holy-warriors’ from around–the-world – who had at all times followed ‘local goals’ – and figure them into an ‘international-network’ which would wrestle to convey all Muslims under a ‘militant-version’ of ‘Islamic law’. At some stage in the ‘anti Soviet jihad’ Bin-Laden and his combatants have been given American and Saudi funding; a number of ‘analysts’ think Bin-Laden himself had ‘security-training’ from the C.I.A. (BBC, 2004). Following the ‘Iraqi-invasion’ of Kuwait, Bin Laden articulated these analyses in resistance to the beginning of ‘foreign military-forces’ to Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden illustrated the presence of non-Muslim troops and U.S. in Saudi Arabia following 1991 Gulf-War as reason for transformed commitment to ‘defensive jihad’ and the endorsement of violence against the United States and Saudi government. What is Al Qaeda? Any number of theories has been advanced as to the origins of the name â€Å"Al Qaeda†, from a reference to a computer file revealing the identities of Arab veterans of the Afghanistan conflict (the database), to Osama bin Laden’s alleged high-tech headquarters, deep in the mountains of Afghanistan (the secret base), drawings of which – impressive though entirely fictitious – were produced by the American media when U. S. operations began in October 2001 (Chaliand Blin, 2007). The name Al Qaeda, which instantly became the focus of the media attention following the August 1998 U. S. embassy bombings had long had mythical status. According to Chaliand and Blin (2007) Osama bin Laden himself had contributed to the mystery surrounding the name by never uttering it prior to the events of September 11. The groups’ leaders, in their internal communications, usually referred to it as â€Å"the society†, an internationally neutral appellation. In fact, it was ‘Abdallah Azzam who had named the organization; in 19888, the first signs of a Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, ‘Azzam decided that he would not disband the Army of Arab volunteers he had created four years earlier but would use it to undertake a much vaster mission – re-conquest of the Muslim world (Chaliand Blin, 2007). To that end, he needed a standing vanguard of fighters to serve as leaders of the umma; he coined the term al-qaeda al-sulbah (the solid base) for this, which was also the headline of an editorial he wrote in al-Jihad in 1988. How to cite Al Qaeda Network, Papers

Management Occupational Health and Safety

Questions: 1. Explain what you understand about OHS. 2. What is the role of Safe Work, Australia? 3. What is the name of the Victorian Act of Parliament that deals with OHS? 4. Explain the differences between Acts of Parliament, Regulations and Codes of Conduct. (You will find some help on the Worksafe webpage. Explain what each is and then compare them.) 5. List 8 items an employer could find useful from the Worksafe website. 6. Read the following case study and answer the question below:An employee had her hand almost totally severed after it was caught in an inadequately guarded rubbish compacter. The woman was cleaning around the bottom of the machine on the understanding that it was inoperative due to a power shutdown.However, the rubbish compacter was on a different power source from the rest of the machines. The woman also had limited command of written English and the company provided information to employees in English only.What should have been done by staff and management in this example? Answers: 1. Occupational health and safety: Occupational health and safety is concerned with the issue of protecting and safeguarding the health and welfare of people at their work place. The highest degree of safety is the vital human right and should be easily accessible to every worker. The workers should be able to work in an environment that is free from hazards. Work hazards ruins social and family lives of employees and the quality of their lives. The government of Australia spends a minimum amount of 60 billion on employee safety. 2. Safe work Australia: Safe Work Australia is a government statutory institution, which was established in the year 2009 under the act of Safe Work Australia 2008. The prime focus of this institution is to improvise the working environment. In the context of food industry, food industry in Australia is one of the riskiest places to work in. The managers have to plan the layout of the restaurants complying with this act as per the government norms. In many of the cases, the chefs, assistants and waiters are the most affected personnel. By certifying simple health and standards of safety, these restaurants can deliberately lower the risks of accidents (Safeworkaustralia.gov.au, 2015). 3. Victorian Act of Parliament (Occupational health and safety Act of 2004): The act of occupational health and safety 2004 looks upon the safety of the workplace and supports people who have been injured because of the work hazard. The Victorian employers fund the organization as they pay a part of their remuneration, which forms a part of the insurance coverage (Australia.gov.au, 2015). It accounts to take a liable, productive approach to safeguard employees at workplace. It runs an amount of high- profile advertisements campaigns to promote the Act. It does campaigns like work safe week and makes the employees as well as the employers aware of the Act. 4. Difference between act of Parliament regulation and the code of conduct: Act of parliament regulation: Australian government follows a system of Acts, codes and regulation that is the main principal of the workplace health, safety and welfare. It is very necessary for the owners of organizations, managers and employees to understand the hazardous nature of their place of work (enquiries, 2015). Code of conduct: Occupational health and safety codes of practice are practical guides of achieving standards. To practically apply the laws that is mandatory in this regard. The difference between both of them is that even though the law for safe health of the employee is enacted but there are many states, which still have not complied with it. The difference lies in the enactment and the actual application (Austlii.edu.au, 2015). 5. The list of items that might be useful to an employer are: 1. Automatic audible alarms: These alarms are audible from every point at the workplace if any accident takes place.2. Lights: Enough points of lights should be places so that workplace is bight and the employees do not find difficulties to work.3. Motion sensors can be used to detect the hazards through movement of various appliances.4. Fire alarms: Fire alarms can be used to detect if there is some smoke inside the kitchen and is unnoticed. 5. Emergency stops can be used as a measure to vacate a place in case of an emergency.6. Safety uniforms should be suggested to the employees and those clothes should be used that do not catch fire easily.7. Environmental protection: The employers should comply with the environmental checks and should not damage them.8. Heavy machine: if the plant has heavy machines then proper signboards should be assigned to safeguard the employees from hazards (Safeworkaustralia.gov.au, 2015). 6. The case study: According to the Occupational and safety act 2004, if a workers is injured at his/her workplace, then the organization is liable to pay the compensation he/she deserves. Therefore, in this case, the employee will get compensation so that she could get her the best treatment and resume back to her work (Ohsrep.org.au, 2015). Bibliography Austlii.edu.au, (2015).Occupational Health And Safety Act 2004. [online] Available at: https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/ohasa2004273/ [Accessed 26 Feb. 2015]. Australia.gov.au, (2015).Occupational health and safety | australia.gov.au. [online] Available at: https://www.australia.gov.au/topics/health-and-safety/occupational-health-and-safety [Accessed 26 Feb. 2015]. enquiries, G. (2015).Occupational health and safety harmonisation | Department of Employment. [online] Employment.gov.au. Available at: https://employment.gov.au/occupational-health-and-safety-harmonisation [Accessed 26 Feb. 2015]. Ohsrep.org.au, (2015).The OHS Act - OHS Reps. [online] Available at: https://www.ohsrep.org.au/law-rights/ohs-legislation/the-ohs-act [Accessed 26 Feb. 2015]. Safeworkaustralia.gov.au, (2015).Home - Safe Work Australia. [online] Available at: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/SWA [Accessed 26 Feb. 2015]. Safeworkaustralia.gov.au, (2015).Victoria regulators - Safe Work Australia. [online] Available at: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/about/who-we-work-with/regulators/vic-regulators/pages/vic-regulators [Accessed 26 Feb. 2015].

Inventory Management System free essay sample

He suggests, though, that for the endurance of your business and the future of your applications as a whole, you go with something like PHP that has a good solid community and is in constant development to make it and its features better. The flexibility that PHP offers also means that the possibility for someone to write nasty code that works (for now) goes up greatly. * Adobe Dreamweaver [Heaton (1998)] According to Heaton (1998), he states that,â€Å"I personally recommend Dreamweaver to both learners and seasoned experts’ think Adobe can make is more accessible to people by having various versions of it much like Elements is a poor man’s Photoshop, there should be a cut down version of DW. So in my opinion  no, it is not just an overpriced text editor. Dreamweaver is a powerful and highly applicable tool that every designer should be able to own. * Inventory [Donald Reimer (1989)] According to Donald Reimer (1989), â€Å"Today, maintaining the right inventory levels is a tough challenge. We will write a custom essay sample on Inventory Management System or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page If not properly managed, your inventory can result in a significant expense. Looking over your shoulder is the lender who is concerned about the cost of carrying too much inventory- which can affect profitability. † * Inventory System [Michael Bernacchi (2002)] According to an author Michael Bernacchi (2002),an inventory systems maintain information about activities within firms that ensure the delivery of products to customers. The subsystems that perform these functions include sales, manufacturing, warehousing, ordering, and receiving. In different firms the activities associated with each of these areas may not be strictly contained within separate subsystems, but these functions must be performed in sequence in order to have a well-run inventory control system. According to Godwin Udo (1993), given such developments, it is little wonder that business experts commonly cite inventory management as a vital element that can spell the difference between success and failure in today’s keenly competitive business world. Writing in production and inventory Management Journal, Godwin Udo described telecommunications technology as a critical organizational asset that can help a company realize important competitive gains in the area of inventory management. He noted that companies that make good use of this technology are far better equipped to succeed than those who rely on outdated or unwieldy methods of inventory control. According to Dennis Eskow (1990), automation can dramatically impact all phases of inventory management, including counting and monitoring of inventory items; recording and retrieval of item storage location; recording changes to inventory; and anticipating inventory needs, including inventory handling requirements. This is true even of stand-alone systems that are not integrated with other areas of the business, but many analysts indicate that productivity and hence profitability gains that are garnered through use of automated systems can be increased even more when a business integrates its inventory control systems with other systems such as accounting and sales to better control inventory levels. As Dennis Eskow noted in PC Week, business executives are â€Å"increasingly integrating financial data, such as accounts receivable, with sales information that includes customer histories, the goal: to control inventory quarter to quarter, so it doesn’t come back to bite the bottom line. Key components of an integrated system are general ledger, electronic data interchange, database connectivity, and connections to a range of vertical business applications. † In the latter part of the 1990’s, may businesses invested heavily in integrated order and inventory systems designed to keep inventories at a minimum and replenish stock quickly. But business owners have a variety of system integration options from which to choose, based on their needs and financial liquidity. At the same time that these integrated systems have increased in popularity, business observers have suggested that â€Å"stand-alone† systems are falling into disfavor. A 1996 study by the international Mass Retail Association, for example, concluded that stand alone Warehouse Management System Packages acquired to perform individual functions will soon become obsolete because they do not integrate well with other systems. Another development of which small business vendors should be aware is a recent trend wherein powerful retailers ask their suppliers to implement vendor-managed inventory systems; these arrangements place the responsibility for inventory management squarely on the shoulders of the vendors. Under such an agreement, the vendors obtain warehouse or point of sale information from the retailer and use that information to make inventory restocking decisions. The move toward automation in inventory management naturally has moved into the warehouse as well, citing various warehousing experts, Sarah Bergin contended in transportation and distribution magazine that â€Å"the key to getting productivity gains from inventory management is placing real-time processing in the ware house uses combinations of hardware including material handling and data collection technologies, but according to these executive, the intelligent part of the system is sophisticated software which automates and controls all aspects of warehouse operations. Another important component of good inventory management is creation and maintenance of a sensible, effective warehousing design. A well-organized, user-friendly warehouse layout can be of enormous benefit to small business owners, especially if they are involved in processing large colymes of goods and materials. Conversely, an inefficient warehouse system can cost businesses dearly in terms of efficiency, custom er service, and ultimately profitability. Transportation and distribution magazine cited several steps that businesses utilizing warehouse storage systems can take to help ensure that they get the most out of their facilities.

Blood Pressure essays

Blood Pressure essays Everyone has been to the doctor and had their blood pressure taken, but do they really know what it means? Most people dont. One may know what their blood pressure is and if its within a normal range but actually has no idea as to what it really is. In the follow paragraphs I will tell explain what your blood pressure means, the normal ranges, and how to take blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of the arteries. Blood pressure is written as two separate numbers, first the systolic and then the diastolic. Together, they are the force of blood against the walls of the arteries. The systolic number is obtained when the heart contracts or beats against the walls of the arteries. The diastolic number is obtained when the heart relaxes between beats. Most people know systolic as the top number and diastolic as the bottom number. The measurement of blood pressure is written one above or below the other with the systolic on top and the diastolic on the bottom. For example, a blood pressure may be recorded as 118/78 mmHg (millimeters of mercury). This would be verbalized as 118 over 78. Blood pressure can be classified as low, normal, or high. Hypotension or low blood pressure can be caused by certain medical conditions or diseases. A few of these conditions are nervous system disorders, endocrine disorders, certain drugs, infections, prolonged bed rest, or shock. Hypertension or high b lood pressure has mostly unknown causes. This is why its known as the silent killer. Some risk factors associated with high blood pressure are stress, obesity, lack of exercise, diet, alcohol, smoking, and the use of some medications. I will discuss normal blood pressure in the following paragraph. Normal blood pressure is defined as less than 120 mmHg systolic and 80 mmHg diastolic or 120 over 80. A normal range for a ...

An article you choose to critique such as how or why college degrees

An you choose to critique such as how or why college degrees are becoming worthless - Article Example The paper would assess the strengths and weaknesses of the argumentative article especially in light of the methodology or approach used by the authors to defend the argument or thesis. The article supports the argumentative thesis that over last two decades the jobs available in the market require low skill and provide low-wage and recent graduates have no option other than accepting these jobs. This has especially ensued after the 2001 recession. The article is based upon secondary sources and data obtained from U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics and Current Population Survey. Data pertaining to recent college graduates with at least one bachelor’s degree have been considered for the analysis, and those who have joined school have been excluded from the data set since they are voluntarily staying out of the job market. The span taken for the study is from 1990 to 2013. Their analysis also reveals the fact that after the recession in 2001 and 2007-09, the level of unemployment has increased manifold and also the fresh graduates have to opt for part-time jobs or jobs which are not at par with their skill/education qualification and also wit h low wages. Unemployment rates for college students of different age groups have been considered. An age unemployment relation plotted shows an inverse association. Hence as graduates move from school into the labor market it is found that unemployment falls. Only after 2010 the market began to improve. In the report Abel, Deitz and Su have mentioned that recent graduates who study application oriented subject or have major in health or education find themselves in slightly better potential for jobs than others. The authors in this journalistic piece of writing give the statistical details in order of priority with a clear, confident and unpretentious tone. Such quantitative visual

Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Questions - Assignment Example Secondly, many of the practices of Ancient Egypt still exists in various forms in African societies. And although most of these practices have systematically disappeared over the past 500 years due to Islamic and Christian influences, most African tribes continue to pay homage to the dead and some even worship ancestors. This is the exact traditions that were held sacred in Ancient Egypt. This is because the Egyptians saw their leaders as a link between the contemporary society and the supernatural world. Hence, there was a lot of attention that was given to the leaders of the community. The beliefs in the Afterlife led to the creation of pyramids which exist to this day as a way of keeping the Pharaohs eternally alive. Although Africans moved from these regions many years ago, they still have traditions like preserving the dead, having very elaborate funerals and the beliefs in spiritual systems and structures similar to what existed in Ancient Egypt. The culture and political struc tures of Africa continue to show resemblance with what existed in Egypt. Paleontology primarily shows evidence of changes in weather and other natural conditions that explains the need for Africans to move in various directions from the Nile Valley. Global warming and other challenges like war caused Africans to move in other directions. Then the desertification of the mid-section of Africa led to the creation of what is now the world’s largest desert. This caused Africans to move further south. And when the Sahara was fully formed, most Africans could not move to North Africa to link up to mainstream activities and technologies. Therefore, they moved in small scattered communities that were in the interior of West Africa and East Africa. Other conditions caused Africans to move further down south to places like the coast of West Africa, Central Africa and Southern Africa. After the decline of Classical Egypt, persons

Medication errors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Medication errors - Essay Example Electronic prescribing is preferred means of avoiding prescription errors in the sense that the errors that may result due to illegible handwriting, among others. It is required to have a disciplinary approach when solving medical errors by adopting an attitude of not blaming others for avoiding punishments. To avoid these, it is essential to have an open environment that is safe in order to be able to detect the report any medication errors. Medication error incidents vary between two per cent to fourteen percent of all the patients admitted in a hospital. In United States, medication error kills up to seven thousand patients annually, and this accounts for one in every twenty hospitals admissions in all the hospitals. The significant scope for these errors in hospitals is due to the presence of multiple steps that are involved in the medication chain. This process begins during drug prescription to the time when the patient receives drugs. Medical mistakes take place during the pla nning of a relevant action to take, and it may be based on having relevant knowledge. Other errors are based on the rules laid down, while the rest are slip and technical errors. The various medication errors are also classified based on the place it occurs. ... escription errors are usually caused by lack of knowledge of the drug prescribed, poor recommendation of drug dosage, using verbal orders during prescription, confusion of the drug names, and even using abbreviations that results in confusion. There are organizational factors, which include inadequate training, having low perception of the importance of prescribing, and lack of self-awareness of this type of error. Errors during medication prescription usually occur because of a multiple factors rather than a single factor (Koch, Gloth and Nay, 2010). Use of electronic prescribing helps in avoiding the prescription risks, and the use of computerized physician order will eliminate use of transcription of orders by nurses and interpretation orders done by pharmacists hence a reduction in prescription errors. Dispensing Errors Dispensing errors basically take place in any stage during dispensing; key actions include selecting wrong drugs for a patient. This type of error occurs primaril y when drugs that have similar names, or even appearance, are used. For instance, drugs like Lasix and Losec have proprietary names and when handwritten, they will look similar; therefore, they should be prescribed generally. Moreover, wrong dosage, giving a patient wrong drug, or even using computerized labeling to a wrong patient leading to transposition are other dispensing errors. In order to avoid these errors, it is important to keep interruptions during the dispensing procedures to a minimum level while maintaining the workloads of the pharmacists at a level that is manageable. It is also important to be aware of high risks drugs such as cytotoxic agents; and the introduction of systematic procedures that can be used in dispensing medicines. Administration Errors Errors that occur

British Petroleum: Unethical Issues

British Petroleum: Unethical Issues Referring few frequently use terms in business ethics as in, this report stressing on business ethics. Based on Crane and Matten in definition of business ethics, it is the study of business situation, activities, and decisions where issues of right and wrong are addressed. In a normal context, a situation cannot be considered unethical if it is not violating the law but a situation can be equivocal when conflict happened among ethical values. Importance of Business Ethics Ethical practices in business are important because businesss power and influence is greater than before. (Crane and Matten, 2010) Based on Laczniak and Murphy (1993, p. 5), consumer will have more impression on businesses that practice ethical practices in business. Based recent research of Belak and Rozman (2012), company that practices ethics will have better image and reputation. Then, it brings long term interest. Ethical practices help business to meet stakeholders expectations more effectively while stakeholders demand going more complicated and hard to achieve. (Crane and Matten, 2010) Based on the research of Holme (2008) on business ethics, he listed out few advantages of business in being ethical. He linked up the relationship between employee satisfactions levels with financial result of company. Higher satisfaction level of employee results in better financial result. Further, a company that practices ethics in business gains trust from suppliers. He further explained that a company practicing with ethical culture will influence employee to support on the company. It will influence employee to react with strong motivation and performance which is crucial to gain customer approval. Company Background British Petroleum, British  international  oil  and  gas companies headquartered London, UK. Based on CNNs Global 500 ranking of world corporations (Refer appendix B), BP ranked 4th largest company in the world and 3rd largest energy company. (Fortune, 2012) Nature of Business BP seeks to provide energy sustainably with its upstream and midstream active in 30 countries. BP works on finding, developing, and moving resources then produce and marketing the products. (Refer appendix C) Whilst providing energy and daily use products, BP investing on alternative resources, the sustainable energy with low carbon especially bio-fuels, solar and wind energy. Industrial Practices in Ethics As an international oil and gas company, decision made by the company often involve many parties and might brings serious consequences. There are ethics issues bothering BP in past few years, the human right and environmental issues. Based on BPs sustainability review of 2011, the company emphasize in enhancing safety and risk management in order to gain back trust from the previous accident in Gulf of Mexico. BP also continue working with safer drilling, avoiding environment pollution and restoring the environment resulting by deepwater horizon oil-spill. One of the industrial practices by BP in ethics is to treat people fairly and strictly eliminate child labour and forced labour. Bribery and corruption is prohibited in BP and the company seeks to not obey law. (BP Code of Conduct, 2011) BP invested in cleaner and greener energy helps preserving environment for future. Besides, BP  communicates with local community groups to avoid and minimize impact on their life. BP also helps in creating jobs. They use local suppliers and support community development. Ethical Dilemmas BPs stakeholders are the local communities, customers, employees, shareholders and analysts, governments and regulators, industry and non-government organizations. (Stakeholder engagement, 2012) In this case, stakeholder analysis is used to find out the interests of stakeholders affected by environment pollution caused by BP. How the environment pollution has impacted BP stakeholders will discuss later. Local Communities Based on an article of George in 2003, he emphasized the importance of taking interests of local communities while making decision. Supporting on local communities brings advantage of getting support from them in terms of supporting companys activities, as well as attracting and retaining good employees. Out of so many of the ethical issues, environment pollution is the issues that BP often encountered with. For example the Columbian pollution on farmland, Texas City chemical leak, and the recently deepwater horizon oil spill. The blowout of deepwater horizon rig in April 2010 has been commented as the worst oil-spill in history of US (BBC, 2010). The accident has killed 11 crew members on the rig and the rig sank two days after the explosion. The sank rig leak gallons and gallons of crude oil into sea and the leaking of oil from the exploded Macondo well polluted Gulf of Mexico and other 5 nearest gulfs, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas, causing environment pollution. The incident became the biggest issue faced by BP. Environment pollution that mostly faced by BP is the pollution caused by oil-spill. The pollution has caused damage on wildlife and eco-system of the impacted area. Wildlife like birds, sea turtles, dolphins, and also sperm whales were badly impacted because of oil-spill. There are health problems faced by these animals. Just to name a few, airways and immune system damaged because of oil-spill. Then, birds drown because of oil on their fur making them failed to fly. Dolphins found death because of the toxins released into the air. Marine mammals like dolphins need to go up surface and breathe. (Environmentalgraffiti, n.d.) Gulf Coast is rich with seafood like  fish, crab, oysters and shrimp, especially oyster and shrimp that are highly concentrated in the gulfs, contributing to production of seafood in US. The pollution affected the seafood industry badly. The 23% out of $2.4billions on production of Louisiana seafood has been shut down after the oil-spill. (Environmentalgraffiti, n.d.) Till date, there are still impacts on seafood found in affected coast even though oil has been cleared. Based on article of Jamail in (Aljazeera, 2012), they found fishes, shrimps and other seafood with abnormal growth. For example, eyeless fish and shrimp believe as a result of toxics released by oil. Tourism bears the brunt of the environment pollution. Based on a report of Oxford Economics (n,d), tourism plays key drivers in Gulf regions economy. Referring to the chart below, oil spill has greatest impact on tourism revenue during year 2010 after the Deepwater Horizon Oil-spill. Bourgeois, the owner of Bourgeois Fishing Charters told The Times-Picayune (2010) that his business was down after the oil-spill in Gulf of Mexico. The visit to fishing charters decreased about 20 percent after the case, booking declined and increase in cancellation rate of trips. Besides, fishing industry has been directly impacted by the pollution, causing increase of unemployment rate. The lives of people in affected gulfs were threatened because they were unable to collect fish. William, as reported by Juhasz (2012) article in The Nation, has lost his income because of shrimp he used to catch were affected because of the oil-spill. Air pollution caused by the explosion of rig also brings impact on the health of local communities. Nicole told The Nation that there is smell of oil for the entire month after explosion and it made her daughters asthma worst. Not only that, Elizabeth, 9, Nicoles daughter also suffers from rashes, allergies, inflamed sinuses, sore throat and an upset stomach. Another example of how environment pollution impact on BPs local communities is the oil-spill of Columbia pipeline caused by corrosion of pipeline. It is a project with Columbia national oil company and 4 others multinational company. The oil leaking from corroded pipeline transferring crude oil polluted farmland. Water was poisoned, lead to death of livestock and crops were failed to grow. (Taylor, 2011) Shareholders To be straightforward, shareholder as one of companys stakeholders to provided fund. (Harvard Business Review, 2012)  Shareholder seeks profit and return on investment rather than growth of business. The environment pollution of BP has brings impact on its shareholders. Especially the blow-out and oil-spill of deepwater horizon rig in Gulf of Mexico, BP faced numbers of court cases, claims and payout for cleaning up oil. BP has accepted to pay a total of $4.5bn fine to solve all the 14 criminal charges. (Goldenberg and Rushe, 2012) Besides, BP has paid a total of $23billions on claim and cleans up. Based on the report of BP on cash dividend payout in history, there is no dividend payout in year 2010 after the accident in Gulf of Mexico. Share price drop drastically from a constant increasing yearly. The dividend increased at 3rd quarter of year 2011 but it is still very much lower than the dividend paid before the accident on Gulf of Mexico. (BP, n.d) How BP dealt with dilemmas Dilemmas have to be solved by company to sustain in business. How BP did to solve the dilemma will be discuss and apply to ethical theory. Responding to the main cause of accident in Gulf of Mexico, BP has designed its programme on enhancing safety and risk management to avoid repeating of accident like Deepwater Horizon Oil-spill. Local Communities First, BP has takes responses to helps in different dilemma caused by the accident. It includes helps in monitoring health and safety of people involved in cleaning up oil, puts effort on cleaning up both offshore and on shore, rescuing and rehabilitation of wildlife, containing the leak and compensate the people and communities affected. (BP, 2011) Few examples on how BP responses to the dilemma, BP hired local commercial fisherman and vessel owner to help in clean-up. The clean-up of affected area need large amount of manpower and BP has decided to seek help from the local, with their local knowledge. Then, BP deployed new shoreline cleaning technologies. To stop the oil leaking from the damaged well, BP used dispersant to helps in stopping oil-spilling. (BP, 2011) To resolve the damage made to local ecosystem, BP has invested on monitoring wildlife, emergency restoration projects, early restoration projects and also National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Projects. BP works on minimizing and tracking for the impact on wildlife. For example, bird observational survey and live dolphin health assessments. Emergency respond also took by BP. For example, eggs of Kemps Ridley sea turtle has been collected and protected, release after hatchlings. (BP, 2011) Furthermore, BP supports on monitoring and testing programmes of seafood. This including testing on dispersants to boost people confident on the quality of seafood. As an overall till 2011, BP has invested $33.5 million to test and monitor the seafood, and $ 48.5 million to help in promoting seafood. (BP, 2011) With the affect on tourism industry because of the accident, tourism campaigns has launch to attract people visit to Gulf Coast. Event like seafood festivals and fishing tournaments has been launched and supported by BP in terms of funding. There is another advertising campaign launch by BP designed in promoting tourism. BP contributes in community development of the affected area. The company support on various type of jobs training, and education. (BP, 2011) Shareholders Ethical Theory (Utilitarianism) Utilitarianism, as defined by Bentham and Mill, the action is morally right if it results in the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people affected by the action. The theory also known as greatest happiness principle (Crane and Matten, 2010) Organizations best practices and values Alyeska Pipeline Service Company

Amy Tans The Kitchen Gods Wife Essay -- Kitchen

Amy Tan's The Kitchen God's Wife      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Amy Tan's The Kitchen God's Wife is the story of a relationship between a mother and daughter that is much more than it seems. This touchingly beautiful narrative not only tells a story, but deals with many of the issues that we have discussed in Women Writers this semester. Tan addresses the issues of the inequality given women in other cultures, different cultures' expectations of women, abortion, friendship, generation gaps between mothers and daughters, mother-daughter relationships, and the strength of women in the face of adversity. Tan even sets the feminist mood with the title of the book, which refers to a woman in Chinese Mythology who cared for a selfish man who became a minor god. She pulls from her own life experiences, relatives, and emotions to write this story, a factor that probably contributes to the realness of the plot and the roundness of the characters. Tan's mother's previous marriage to an abusive man, her father's death, and her loving relationship with her relatives (specifically her mother) all show themselves in the intricately woven story of a mother named Winnie, and a daughter named Pearl, and their struggles as Chinese-American women.    Much of this story stems from Tan's love for her own mother, Daisy Ching, who gave birth to the brilliant Amy in 1952 in California. Daisy Ching, a great inspiration for this novel, has a vividly detailed recollection of her life in China which she shares with her daughter. Tan, in turn, shares some of this with her readers in The Kitchen God's Wife through the voice of the mother-figure, Winnie. Like Daisy Ching's eldest son (Amy Tan's brother), the main character, Winnie, experiences the de... ...rength will preserve her memories forever. Tan teaches her readers that women have the strength, despite the fact that society has said otherwise, to overcome all obstacles. She also shows the sad plights of our predecessors who have committed sins out of love in their oppressed existence. With the love of a mother and a daughter, both real and imaginary, Amy Tan demonstrates these three things (and more) that we have discussed this semester: women's strength in the face of adversity, the idea that taking a life is better than giving a bad one, and the incorporation of one's own experiences into writing. Tan has written a beautiful piece of literature worthy of being read by men and women alike.    Works Cited 1. Tan, Amy. The Kitchen God's Wife. Thorndike Press: Maine 1991. 2. "1st Person: Amy Tan" Http://www.sunherald.com/1ptan/html/la.htm

Employee Welfare and Satisfaction

Employee satisfaction is supremely important in an organization because it is what productivity depends on. If your employees are satisfied they would produce superior quality performance in optimal time and lead to growing profits. Satisfied employees are also more likely to be creative and innovative and come up with breakthroughs that allows a company to grow and change positively with time and changing market conditions Employee welfare defines as â€Å"efforts to make life worth living for workmen†. These efforts have their origin either in some statute formed by the state or in some local custom or in collective agreement or in the employer’s own initiative. Job satisfaction represents the constellations of person’s attitude towards or about the job. In general, job satisfaction is the attitude towards the job as a whole. Job satisfaction is a function of satisfaction with different aspects of job, i. e. supervision, pay, works itself, co-workers, promotion, etc. , and of the particular weighting or importance one attaches to these respective components. Modern management considers human being as resource and it is an importance for the success of any organization. It is the strength and aid. Therefore employees attitudes, interest, quality, job satisfaction, etc. , have a bearing productivity of a firm unless the management is able to recognize employees needs and wants they will lose motivation and morale and it will affect the best interest of the firm. Work is one of the most important activities in a person’s life. Who do have satisfying job rarely have fully satisfying lives. Dissatisfaction in work can lead in many circumstances to lower production and friction on the job. So that it must be considered by the management and steps should be taken to find out the factors which cause job dissatisfaction and to reduce such dissatisfaction. In general employee satisfaction is the attitude towards the work environment, salary, relationship with their colleagues, job security, grievance handling, performance appraisal, training and development, management style, quality policy, career counseling and so on.

Theories of Patriarchy essays

Theories of Patriarchy essays Assess the claim that gender inequalities in the domestic and occupational divisions of labour are best understood with reference to the concept of patriarchy. You should illustrate your answer with reference to a range of feminist perspectives. Western female thought through the centuries has identified the relationship between patriarchy and gender as crucial to the womens subordinate position. For two hundred years, patriarchy precluded women from having a legal or political identity and the legislation and attitudes supporting this provided the model for slavery. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries suffrage campaigners succeeded in securing some legal and political rights for women in the UK. By the middle of the 20th century, the emphasis had shifted from suffrage to social and economic equality in the public and private sphere and the womens movement that sprung up during the 1960s began to argue that women were oppressed by patriarchal structures. Equal status for women of all races, classes, sexualities and abilities - in the 21st century these feminist claims for equality are generally accepted as reasonable principles in western society; yet the contradiction between this principle of equality and the demonstrable inequalities between the sexes that still exist exposes the continuing dominance of male privilege and values throughout society (patriarchy). This essay seeks to move beyond the irrepressible evidence for gender inequality and the division of labour. Rather, it poses the question of gender inequality as it manifests itself as an effect of patriarchy drawing from a theoretical body of work which has been developed so recently that it would have been impossible to write this essay thirty years ago. Although ... patriarchy is arguably the oldest example of a forced or exploitative division of social activities and clearly existed before it was ever examined by sociologis...

Critical analysis essays

Critical analysis essays On September 11, 2001 our world became united due to tragic events that occurred in the United States. No one really understands why these events took place, but Louis Jaramillo tried to further explain his thoughts in an emotional, creative, visual form. In Louiss thought provoking piece he exemplifies primary, secondary, and complementary colors. He provides line, value, and overlapping. The explosion of many colors used in the piece each illustrates a very important meaning, which to me represents the implosion of the twin towers. A large portion of the piece is red, which relates to the massive amount of bloodshed during the September 11 attacks. In addition to the red there are many other colors following a circular pattern around the piece. These colors each represent their own individuality as a country, but as the colors blend together they signify unification. These colors represent the many nations involved in the uniting of our world. In the center of the piece there are two very distinct objects. One of the objects appears to resemble a circular drawing that allows the piece to continue the circular flow, just as the world would. The other object signifies the writings of a foreign language, which represents the terrorists. It is art like Louis Jaramillo that make us reflect on the tragic events that occurred on September 11, 2001. It stirred the emotions of sadness as well as love for a country were people pull together and become one in a time of tragedy. ...

What role can and Should HRM play in an organization that is seeking Essay

What role can and Should HRM play in an organization that is seeking to expand its international operations - Essay Example As the individuals working for the company in different locations are likely to come from different cultures, the culture of the company itself can only be established with good HR policies and effective HR management (Hollinshead & Leat, 1995). As defined by Ozbilgin (2005), International HRM is the practice of getting the maximum business value from human assets which are distributed across the world working under the umbrella of a single company. Historically, the cultural differences between the home office and the branch office located in a different country meant that sooner or later HR managers had to face the problem of culture clash which is defined as different cultures affecting work processes and workflow (Faulkner, D. 2002). In the past, these cultural differences were largely ignored and it was thought that the culture of the company would prevail while the culture of the country where the company was located would not matter as much (Kamoche, 1996). However, recent evaluations have shown that culture conflicts might need to be actively countered and could even be used to motivate workers rather than put various managers in conflict (Bartlett & Ghoshal, 1998). With these definitions and with the help of practical examples as well as expert opinions, it can be shown that the role played by HRM in an organisation that is seeking to expand its international operations is a twofold role. Firstly, HRM can help the arms of an organisation (both local and branch offices) come to terms with each other in view of their different cultures. Secondly, HRM can help and should help in creating policies which are localised for international operations. The central cultural difference that exists between the UK and a culture such as China or India comes from the very basis of the culture i.e. language. While the predominant language in the UK is English, it may not be used as the lingua franca in China since it is only learnt as a second language.

Eight steps in developing effective communications Essay

Eight steps in developing effective communications - Essay Example Eight steps in developing effective communications Sulemana asserts that successful corporate communication plans are those created after a thorough appraisal of a corporation’s former and current strategies of communicating with its customers and employees. He cites a study conducted at Columbia University’s Centre of Continuing Education that found that an excellent communication plan is one that identifies ways that a given company can move from the status quo to its desired point in the future. Salisbury points out that change management is thus successful when it takes into consideration the views of the target group. Furthermore, this helps to cement choices of the kinds of communication styles one wishes to use, the budget, audiences to use and the ways of conducting an appraisal of the communications program. A plan also helps company executives to guard against last minute interruptions or unnecessary changes. They are also able to control effectively the program with great peace of mind. A proper communications strategy is a vital aspect of any company’s success. It determines a company’s perception by the outside world, which in turn determines the company’s reputation as well as profitability. It also enhances teamwork and understanding among the employees helping them to remain highly motivated. As a result, their productivity increases which serve to benefit the company. All companies should consider investing in a communications plan as it certainly has the potential to boost growth.

Metaphysics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Metaphysics - Essay Example In this paper, the author examines the concept of metaphysics by surveying the changes in the use of the term, from the ancient, philosophic sense, to the contemporary esoteric sense, such as that found in New Age teachings. Ancient Metaphysics The term â€Å"metaphysics† was coined by Andronicus, the editor of Aristotle’s works, to refer to the collection of writings that dealt with a subject outside of physics, that is, Aristotle’s works on the natural or physical sciences. Aristotle himself did not refer to his works as being divided into the Physical and the Metaphysical. Instead, he somewhat classified his works as dealing primarily with the nature of the natural or physical world, and those that deal with first causes. But does it make sense to make such a distinction? It appears that it does make sense, because in seeking to understand the nature of the physical world, Aristotle argues that the latter is characterized by change. Thus, Aristotle’s ph ysics deals with change. Consequently, the â€Å"metaphysics† or those â€Å"beyond or after the physics† deals with first causes, or those that do not change. This latter point explains why the concept of Being is central to Aristotle’s metaphysics. ... In tackling the question of Being and existence, metaphysics deals essentially with the question of reality. In book 12 of his Metaphysics, Aristotle writes that â€Å"the subject of our inquiry is substance; for the principles and the causes we are seeking are those of substances. For if the universe is of the nature of a whole, substance is its first part† (â€Å"Metaphysics†). Indeed, if the observable world is subject to change, of what substance is this world made of? Could there be an unchanging, hence, metaphysical substance? In other words, he was preoccupied with examining the nature of reality. Modern Metaphysics In the e-book, Metaphysics (2006), Ethan Vorly states that â€Å"Metaphysics is the science of all realms, their laws and functions†(2). He defines metaphysics as the â€Å"study of multi-dimensional energies, forces and substances† (5). This view of metaphysics clearly delves into the esoteric interpretation of the term. In discussing m etaphysics along the lines of energy forces and dimensions of existence, Vorly has much in common with the Eastern philosophies of Taoism and Confucianism. For example, he writes of reality in terms of an Ultimate Reality, not very different from the Eastern concept of Tao. In this sense, an esoteric understanding of metaphysics is somewhat consistent with the ancient Greek conception of the term, to the extent that there is a search for an ultimate principle or substance, as Aristotle would refer to it. However, while the ancient Greek approach to the question of reality was meant to gain an understanding of the nature of reality itself, the modern esoteric interpretation of metaphysics tends

Good will definition Essay Example for Free

Good will definition Essay An account that can be found in the assets portion of a companys balance sheet. Goodwill can often arise when one company is purchased by another company. In an acquisition, the amount paid for the company over book value usually accounts for the target firms intangible assets. Goodwill is seen as an intangible asset on the balance sheet because it is not a physical asset like buildings or equipment. Goodwill typically reflects the value of intangible assets such as a strong brand name, good customer relations, good employee relations and any patents or proprietary technology. Method: There are three methods of valuation of goodwill of the firm; 1. Average Profits Method 2. Super Profits Method 3. Capitalisation Method 1. Average Profits Method: This method of goodwill valuation takes the average profit of previous years as its basis. This average profit is multiplied by the number of purchases made in that year. Goodwill = Average Profit x Number of Purchases in the year Before calculating the average profits the following adjustments should be made in the profits of the firm: a. Any abnormal profits should be deducted from the net profits of that year. b. Any abnormal loss should be added back to the net profits of that year. c. Non-operating incomes eg. Income from investments etc should be deducted from the net profits of that year. Example: An Ltd agreed to buy the business of B Ltd. For that purpose Goodwill is to be valued at three years purchase of Average Profits of last five years. The profits of B Ltd. for the last five years are: Year| Profit/Loss ($)| 2005 | 10,000,000| 2006| 12,250,000| 2007| 7,450,000| 2008| 2,450,000 (Loss)| 2009| 12,400,000| Following additional information is available: 1. In the year 2008 the company suffered a loss of $1,000,500 due to fire in the factory. 2. In the year 2009 the company earned an income from investments outside the business $ 4,500,250. Solution: Total profits earned in the past five years= 10,000,000 + 12,250,000 + 7,450,000 2,450,000 + 12,400,000 = $ 39,650,000 Total Profits after adjustments = $ 39,650,000 + $ 1,000,500 $ 4,500,250=$ 36,150,250 Average Profits= $ 36,150,250à ·5=$ 7,230,050 Goodwill = $ 7,230,050Ãâ€"3=$ 21,690,150 Thus A Ltd would pay $ 21,690,150 as the price of Goodwill earned by B Ltd. 2. Super profits method: Super profit refers to a situation where in the actual profit is higher than what is expected. Under this method, Goodwill = super profit x number of years’ purchase Steps for calculating Goodwill under this method are given below: i) Normal Profits = Capital Invested X Normal rate of return/100 ii) Super Profits = Actual Profits Normal Profits iii) Goodwill = Super Profits x No. of years purchased For example, the capital employed as shown by the books of ABC Ltd is $ 50,000,000. And the normal rate of return is 10 %. Goodwill is to be calculated on the basis of 3 years purchase of super profits of the last four years. Profits for the last four years are: Year| Profit/Loss ($)| 2005 | 10,000,000| 2006| 12,250,000| 2007| 7,450,000| 2008| 5,400,000| Total profits for the last four years = 10,000,000 + 12,250,000 + 7,450,000 + 5,400,000 = $35,100,000 Average Profits = 35,100,000 / 4 = $ 8,775,000 Normal Profits = 50,000,000 X 10/100 = $ 5,000,000 Super Profits = Average/ Actual Profits − Normal Profits = 8,775,000 − 5,000,000 = $ 3,775,000 Goodwill = 3,775,000 Ãâ€" 3 = $ 11,325,000 3. Capitalisation Method: There are two ways of calculating Goodwill under this method: (i) Capitalisation of Average Profits Method (ii) Capitalisation of Super Profits Method (i) Capitalisation of Average Profits Method: As per this method, Goodwill = Capitalized Value the firm Net Assets Capitalized Value of the firm = Average Profit x 100/ Normal Rate of Return Net Assets = Total Assets External Liabilities For example a firm earns $40,000 as its average profits. The normal rate of rteturn is 10%. Total assets of the firm are $1,000,000 and its total external liabilities are $ 500,000. To calculate the amount of goodwill: Total capitalized value of the firm = 40,000 Ãâ€" 100/10 = 400,000 Capital Employed = 1,000,000 − 500,000 = 500,000 Goodwill = 500,000 − 400,000 = 100,000 (ii)Capitalisation of Super Profits: Under this method, goodwill is calculated as: Goodwill = Super Profit x 100/Normal Rate of Return For example ABC Ltd earns a profit of $ 50,000 by employing a capital of $ 200,000, The normal rate of return of a firm is 20%. To calculate Goodwill: Normal Profits = 200,000 Ãâ€" 20/100 =$ 40,000 Super profits = 50,000 − 40,000 = $10,000 Goodwill = 10,000 Ãâ€" 100 / 20 = $50,000 Partial Goodwill Method In the partial goodwill method, goodwill is calculated as the difference between the purchase consideration paid and the acquirers share of the fair value of the net identifiable assets. In partial goodwill method, only the acquirers share of the goodwill is recognized. Goodwill under full goodwill method exceeds goodwill under partial goodwill method by the non-controlling interest share of the goodwill. Partial goodwill method is not allowed under US GAAP but it is allowed as an option under IFRS (besides the full goodwill method). Goodwill under partial goodwill method differs from goodwill under full goodwill method only in situations in which investment by the acquirer is less than 100%. Example Lets follow the same example that we discussed in full goodwill method. Company A acquired 75% shareholding in Company B for $20 million. Book value of net identifiable assets of Company B is $14 million. The fair value of Company Bs asset is the same as their book value except accounts receivables which are impaired by $1 million. Book value of assets is $54 million while book value of liabilities is $40 million. The purchase consideration is the cash paid to acquire 75% ownership and it equals $20 million. Fair value of net identifiable assets is $13 million ($54 million book value minus $1 million on account if impairment in accounts receivable minus liabilities of $40 million). The acquirers share of the net identifiable assets equals 75% of $13 million which equals $9.75 million. Goodwill is hence $20 million minus $9.75 which equals $10.25 million. Company A will pass the following journal entry to record the business combination. Goodwill| $10.25 M| | Assets| $53 M| | Liabilities| | $40 M| Cash| | $20 M| Non-Controlling Interest| | $3.25 M| Non-controlling interest is calculated as 25% of fair value of net identifiable assets. It equals $3.25 ($13 million multiplied by 0.25). It can also be arrived at the balancing figure: (goodwill under full goodwill method + assets acquired − liabilities assumed − cash paid). Total goodwill under full goodwill method was $13.67 and non-controlling interest was $6.67 million. The difference is non-controlling interest in case of partial goodwill is only because in partial goodwill method the non-controlling interest share of goodwill is not recorded which equals $3.42 million (0.25 of ($26.67 minus $13 million)). Weighted average profit method This method of goodwill evaluation can be explained as a modified side of the he average profit method. This method involves the relevant number of weights, i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4 multiples profit of each year so as to find out value product. The total of products is thereafter divided by the total of weights so as to calculate the weighted average profits. Goodwill = Weighted Average Profits x No. of years Purchase Weighted Average Profit = Total of Products of Profits/ Total of Weights EXAMPLE The profit of X Ltd. for the last five years and the corresponding weights are as follows. Calculate the value of goodwill on the basis of 3 years’ purchase of the weighted average profit. Solution: Weighted Average Profit = Rs. 21, 30,000 à · 15 = Rs. 1, 42,000. Value of Goodwill = 3 years’ purchase of weighted average profit: Rs. 1, 42,000 x 3 = Rs. 4, 26,000

tempnature Caliban as Representative of Natural Man in Shakespeares T

Caliban as Representative of Natural Man in The Tempest      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Tempest presents an argument against the concept of the noble savage through the character of Caliban.   Caliban is the main focus as far as the notion of "nature" and "natural man" is considered in the play.   Proof of this can be found in his name--"Caliban" sounds very similar to "cannibal," and hence serves to link him with primitive, natural man.   In the first scene of the play, Caliban's character is connected with the lower objects of the planet, including the "springs, brine-pits, barren place and fertile."   Caliban thus appears to be beneath most human men because of his bestial nature.   His mother's background also indicates that there may be quite a bit of evil in him.   Characters in the play call him a "monster," however, at times, Caliban speaks some of the most beautiful and lyrical language in the play.   Thus, Caliban, as the representative of nature, emerges as a very complex character.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the first scene, it seems as if Shakespeare intended to present Caliban as a beast and a savage.   However, two items come across to reveal the fact that Caliban is more than just a monster, he is a human being with real emotions (Wagner 13).   First, the audience sees a sense of sensitivity when Caliban reflects on his previous relationship with Prospero, when Prospero spared him and attempted to educate him.   Prospero exchanged his teachings for lessons from Caliban about the island itself; because Caliban is so close to nature, he is the best person to teach Prospero about it:    When thou cam'st first, Thou strok'st me and made much of me, wouldst give me Water with berries in 't, and teach me how To name the bigge... ...gne would expect to see.   Not only does Caliban act instinctually, thus pushing him beyond the bounds of morality, but he is also spiteful and angry.   On the other hand, Shakespeare does not demonstrate a bigoted response, for if he believed that the natives deserved what they got, he would not have made Caliban so sympathetic.   Hence, Caliban becomes a natural representation of what Shakespeare believed the natives were: a complex mixture of various aspects.    Works Cited    Ferguson, Francis.   Shakespeare: The Pattern in his Carpet. New York: Delacourt Press, 1970.    Knight, Wilson.   The Wheel of Fire.   London: Oxford University Press, 1930.    Thorndike, Ashley.   How Shakespeare Came to Write "The Tempest."   Garden City: Doubleday Anchor Books, 1969.    Wagner, Emmar.   Shakespeare's Tempest.   Yellow Springs: Antioch Press, 1933.

Illinois Michigan Canal is Responsible for Chicagos Size Essay

"Didn't expect no town" -Early Chicago Settler Mark Beaubien The I & M Canal is universally considered the driving force behind the huge surge of growth that turned the tiny settlement on the banks of Lake Michigan named Chicago, in to a huge metropolis and bustling center of trade. Ever since Joliet first crossed the portage between the Chicago River and the Des Plaines River in 1673, explorers, investors, politicians, and farmers alike all agreed that constructing a canal across the continental divide could benefit them greatly. The canal would connect the two largest water systems in the United States, creating a continuous waterway between New York and New Orleans, but more importantly, place Chicago on perhaps the most valuable piece of real estate in North America and in the position to become an international city almost overnight. The plans to build the Illinois & Michigan canal began in the newly started Illinois legislature in 1818. It was driven forward by the new construction on the Erie Canal in New York. Once the Erie Canal was complete only a canal between the Des Plaines and Chicago rivers would be necessary to complete the chain of waterways connecting New York to New Orleans. In 1822, Congress gave Illinois a large portion of land on which to not only build the canal, but to sell to raise funds for its construction. The land contained the portage between the two rivers and about 100 miles of land to the south and west of it. It had just recently been coercively and dishonestly purchased from the local Blackhawk Indians in a treaty that ended the Blackhawk War. As soon as the Erie Canal was completed in 1825, eastern investors quickly realized Chicago's huge potential. The land around what would one ... ...ys to twelve days. The canal remained a profitable enterprise until the year 1866 when the newly completed railroad system proved to be a cheaper and more efficient alternative. Use of the canal did not disappear however until around 1900 when it began to fall into disrepair. The final deathblow to the Illinois & Michigan came when the big, wider, and deeper Illinois Waterway was completed in 1933. However, though no longer in commercial use, the Illinois & Michigan canal remains as a source of recreation and will forever be remembered as the spark responsible for Chicago's leap to prominence. In 1833 the population of the newly incorporated town of Chicago was 250 people, by 1854, only 20 years later, the population had swelled to over 75 thousand. The city of Chicago had ascended from a tiny trading outpost to a thriving metropolis at an unprecedented speed.

Community: Psychology and Graduate Educational Experience Essay

How do you think your graduate educational experience will be different from your undergraduate experience? How would you describe a graduate learning community? What would be the key components of a learning community and how might it be different from an undergraduate learning community? I believe that the undergraduate level guides the individual to become a better researcher. It also pushes the student to think at a more critical level. The undergraduate level will also change the thinking process within the individual by making them change their thinking principles. At graduate level we are held to higher expectations and we must have more discipline. The reason for this is because at this level the amount of knowledge we will be receiving is greatly expanded upon. This is the start of a form of mastery in the subject and allows us the ability to get a deep understanding and idea of the subject. The graduate learning community is a group of individuals along with the instructor that share the same passion and drive in the subject field of study. This allows everyone to gain knowledge from each other and gives us the ability to grow stronger in our field. The learning community is a concrete environment for instructors to pass on years of experience and knowledge to the student by following the class as it was designed to be taught. This allows students and instructors alike to input their perspectives on the subject, which increases the knowledge gained. In other courses that I have taken with other schools, participation was at your choice. As long as you meet the minimum requirements you still got a good grade. To be successful the more participation you have the more knowledge you gain, thus making you more successful in your field of study.

Kohlbergs Stages of Moral Development

Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development Lawrence Kohlberg outlined one of the best-known theories addressing the development of morality in childhood. Kohlberg’s stages of moral development, which include three levels and six stages, expanded on and revised the ideas of Jean Piaget’s previous work on the subject. Key Takeaways: Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development Lawrence Kohlberg was inspired by Jean Piaget’s work on moral judgment to create a stage theory of moral development in childhood.The theory includes three levels and six stages of moral thinking. Each level includes two stages. The levels are called preconventional morality, conventional morality, and postconventional morality.Since it was initially proposed, Kohlberg’s theory has been criticized for overemphasizing a Western male perspective on moral reasoning. Origins Jean Piagets two-stage theory of moral judgment marked a divide between the way children younger than 10 and those 10 and older think about morality. While younger children looked at rules as fixed and based their moral judgments on consequences, older children’s perspectives were more flexible and their judgments were based on intentions. However, intellectual development doesn’t end when Piaget’s stages of moral judgment ended, making it likely that moral development continued as well. Because of this, Kohlberg felt Piaget’s work was incomplete. He sought to study a range of children and adolescents in order to determine if there were stages that went beyond those proposed by Piaget. Kohlberg’s Research Method Kohlberg utilized Piaget’s method of interviewing children about moral dilemmas in his research. He would present each child with a series of such dilemmas and ask them their thoughts on each one to determine the reasoning behind their thinking. For example, one of the moral dilemmas Kohlberg presented was the following: â€Å"In Europe, a woman was near death from a special kind of cancer. There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her†¦ The druggist was charging ten times what the drug cost him to make. The sick woman’s husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money, but he could only get together about†¦ half of what it cost. He told the druggist that his wife was dying and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But the druggist said: ‘No, I discovered the drug and I’m going to make money from it.’ So Heinz got desperate and broke into the man’s store to steal the drug for his wife.† After explaining this dilemma to his participants, Kohlberg would ask, â€Å"Should the husband have done that?† He then continued with a series of additional questions that would help him understand why the child thought Heinz was right or wrong to do what he did. After collecting his data, Kohlberg classified the responses into stages of moral development. Kohlberg interviewed 72 boys in suburban Chicago for his study. The boys were 10, 13, or 16 years old. Each interview was approximately two hours long and Kohlberg  presented each participant with 10 moral dilemmas during that time. Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development Kohlberg’s research yielded three levels of moral development. Each level consisted of two stages, leading to six stages in total. People pass through each stage sequentially with the thinking at the new stage replacing the thinking at the previous stage. Not everyone reached the highest stages in Kohlbergs theory. In fact, Kohlberg believed that many didn’t move past his third and fourth stages. Level 1: Preconventional Morality At the lowest level of moral development individuals haven’t yet internalized a sense of morality. Moral standards are dictated by adults and the consequences of breaking the rules. Children nine years old and younger tend to fall into this category. Stage 1: Punishment and Obedience Orientation. Children believe the rules are fixed and must be obeyed to the letter. Morality is external to the self.Stage 2: Individualism and Exchange. Children begin to realize that the rules aren’t absolute. Different people have different perspectives and therefore there isn’t just one correct point of view. Level 2: Conventional Morality A majority of adolescents and adults fall into the middle level of conventional morality. At this level, people start to internalize moral standards but not necessarily to question them. These standards are based on the social norms of the groups a person is part of. Stage 3: Good Interpersonal Relationships. Morality arises from living up to the standards of a given group, such as ones family or community, and being a good group member.Stage 4: Maintaining the Social Order. The individual becomes more aware of the rules of society on a broader scale. As a result, they become concerned with obeying laws and maintaining the social order. Level 3: Postconventional Morality If individuals reach the highest level of moral development, they start to question if what they see around them is good. In this case, morality stems from self-defined principles. Kohlberg suggested that only 10-15% of the population was able to achieve this level because of the abstract reasoning it required. Stage 5: Social Contract and Individual Rights. Society should function as a social contract where the goal of each individual is to improve society as a whole. In this context, morality and individual rights like life and liberty may take precedence over specific laws.Stage 6: Universal Principles. People develop their own principles of morality even if they conflict with society’s laws. These principles must be applied to every individual equally. Critiques Since Kohlberg initially proposed his theory, many criticisms have been leveled against it. One of the key issues other scholars take with the theory centers on the sample used to create it. Kohlberg focused on boys in a specific United States city. As a result, his theory has been accused of being biased towards men in Western cultures. Western individualist cultures may have different moral philosophies than other cultures. For example, individualist cultures emphasize personal rights and freedoms, while collectivist cultures emphasize what’s best for the community as a whole. Kohlberg’s theory does not take these cultural differences into account. In addition, critics like Carol Gilligan have maintained that Kohlberg’s theory conflates morality with an understanding of rules and justice, while overlooking concerns such as compassion and care. Gilligan believed the emphasis on impartially judging conflicts between competing parties overlooked the female perspective on morality, which tended to be contextual and derived from an ethics of compassion and concern for other people. Kohlberg’s methods were also criticized. The dilemmas he used weren’t always applicable to children at the age of 16 and under. For example, the Heinz dilemma presented above might not be relatable to children who had never been married. Had Kohlberg focused on dilemmas more reflective of his subjects lives, his results may have been different. Also, Kohlberg never examined if moral reasoning actually reflected moral behavior. Therefore, it’s not clear if his subjects’ actions fell in line with their ability to think morally. Sources Cherry, Kendra. â€Å"Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development.† Verywell Mind, 13 March 2019. https://www.verywellmind.com/kohlbergs-theory-of-moral-developmet-2795071Crain, William. Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications. 5th ed., Pearson Prentice Hall. 2005.Kohlberg, Lawrence. â€Å"The Development of Children’s Orientation Toward a Moral Order: I. Sequence in the Development of Moral Thought.† Vita Humana, vol. 6, no. 1-2, 1963, pp. 11-33. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1964-05739-001McLeod, Saul. â€Å"Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development.† Simply Psychology, 24 October 2013. https://www.simplypsychology.org/kohlberg.html

Learning from the Fashion Industry Essay Example

Learning from the Fashion Industry Essay Example Learning from the Fashion Industry Essay Learning from the Fashion Industry Essay CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY ELEFTHERIA DIMITRAKOU LEARNING FROM THE FASHION INDUSTRY: A STRUCTURED LITERATURE REVIEW CRANFIELD CENTRE FOR LOGISTICS SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT MSc THESIS CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY CRANFIELD SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT CRANFIELD CENTRE FOR LOGISTICS SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT MSc THESIS Academic Year 2006-2007 ELEFTHERIA DIMITRAKOU Learning from the Fashion Industry: A Structured Literature Review Supervisor: Dr. Chris Morgan August 2007 This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science  © Cranfield University 2006. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the copyright owner. ABSTRACT This research study is a Structured Literature Review focused on identifying the learning points which can derive from the fashion industry regarding supply chain management solutions. Manufacturing, distribution and marketing issues that enable a more robust analysis of the sector are investigated. A review of business models used by companies in the fashion industry is conducted to gain insights into the way that fashion firms manage demand. An extensive review of the literature reveals that the fashion industry is marketorientated and characterised by short life cycle products and low demand predictability. Lead time reduction enables the development of flexible manufacturing and logistics systems. Short lead times enable reduction of forecast errors and improvement of supply chain responsiveness towards volatile market conditions. The main supply chain solutions in the fashion industry are based on quick response, fast fashion, agile, lean and leagile concepts. Use of information technology, automated manufacturing systems, production and distribution planning based on real-time demand and transparency of information across the whole supply chain are some of the primary characteristics of the fashion supply chains. In the light of the unpredictable and volatile nature of the fashion industry, this is considered to be worth noting. Based on the segmentation of the industry in terms of volumes and varieties, a model presenting the structure of the sector and the different supply chain approaches is developed. The model allows a comprehensive analysis of the way that the fashion industry works, in terms of manufacturing, distribution and marketing operations, in different volumes/variety levels and product characteristics. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Chris Morgan, for his guidance and support. His willingness to discuss and advise benefited the completion of this study. I would also like to thank the members of the advisory group who contributed to this study. Especially, I would like to express my appreciation to Mr Sanaul Mallick, for his availability and contribution. I would also like to thank my friends at Cranfield University and in Greece for their support during this demanding year. Last but not least I would like to express my gratitude to my family for their everlasting trust and support. ii â€Å"True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing†. â€Å"And in knowing that you know nothing, that makes you the smartest of all. Socrates (469 BC 399 BC) iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION.. 1 1. 1 INTRODUCTION 1. 2 BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH .. 1 1. 2. 1 Background to the fashion industry 1 1. 3 IMPORTANCE OF THE TOPIC .. 3 1. 4 AIM OF THE PROJECT AND OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH .. 4 1. 5 SCOPE OF THE PROJECT .. 4 1. 6 RESEARCH QUESTION .. 1. 7 METHODOLOGY OF THE RESEARCH .. 5 1. 8 STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS 6 CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY. 8 2. 1 INTRODUCTION 8 2. 2 DEFINITION OF STRUCTURED LITERATURE REVIEW (SLR) 8 2. 2. 1 Differences between Structured Literature review and Traditional Review. 9 2. . 2 Advantages of the Struc tured Literature Review 10 2. 3 STRUCTURED LITERATURE REVIEW PROCESS.. 10 2. 3. 1 Mapping the study field (Stage 1) .. 11 2. 3. 2 Developing the search strategy (Stage 2) 13 2. 3. 3 Assessment of the literature (Stage 3).. 20 2. 3. 4 Material Analysis (Stage 4) 2 2. 3. 5 Synthesis of the material (Stage 5). 22 CHAPTER 3 DESCRIPTIVE RESULTS. 23 3. 1 INTRODUCTION . 23 3. 2 CONTENT DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS ACADEMIC PAPERS .. 23 3. 3 HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF THE IDEAS ACADEMIC PAPERS 25 3. 4 JOURNAL CLASSIFICATION- ACADEMIC PAPERS .. 28 3. AUTHORS’ CRITERION ACADEMIC PAPERS .. 30 3. 6 TYPE OF STUDIES- ACADEMIC PAPERS .. 31 3. 7 GEOGRAPHICAL ORIGIN ACADEMIC PAPERS .. 34 3. 8 OTHER PAPERS SOURCES NEWSPAPERS/TRADE PUBLICATIONS/REPORTS/WHITE . 35 3. 9 OTHER SOURCES- BOOKS. 36 iv 3. 0 OTHER SOURCES CASE STUDIES .. 37 CHAPTER 4 LITERATURE REVIEW: ANALYSIS OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY 39 4. 1 INTRODUCTION . 39 4. 2 FASHION DEFINITION . 40 4. 3 THE LEVELS OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY.. 0 4. 4 APPAREL CATEGORIES .. 42 4. 5 FASHION INDUSTRY CHARACTERISTICS 43 4. 6 FASHION TRENDS . 43 4. 7 FASHION INDUSTRY SUPPLY CHAIN . 45 4. 8 FASHION LEAD TIMES. 46 4. FASHION SUPPLY CHAIN APPROACHES . 47 4. 9. 1 Quick response (QR). 48 4. 9. 2 Fast fashion concept. 51 4. 9. 3 Lean supply chain.. 54 4. 9. 4 Agile supply chain approach 55 4. 9. De-coupling point approach . 58 4. 9. 6 Leagile supply chain approaches 59 4. 10 GLOBAL VS LOCAL SOURCING . 61 4. 11 MANUFACTURING IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY 63 4. 11. 1 Definition of fashion manufacturing. 63 4. 11. 2 Manufacturing types.. 3 4. 11. 3 Manufacturing operations .. 65 4. 11. 4 New manufacturing trends . 72 4. 12 DISTRIBUTION IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY .. 72 4. 12. 1 Distribution channels 73 4. 12. 2 Retail buying process . 73 4. 12. Retail logistics 75 4. 12. 4 Supply chain relationships.. 78 4. 13 MARKETING IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY .. 83 4. 13. 1 Definition of fashion marketing .. 83 4. 13. 2 Fashion marketing in practice.. 83 4. 13. 3 Fashion marketing rocess. 85 4. 13. 4 The role of consumer behaviour in marketing.. 89 4. 13. 5 Marketing communication.. 92 4. 14 SUMMARY . 93 CHAPTER 5 BUSINESS MODELS IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY 96 5. 1 INTRODUCTION . 6 v CASE STUDY 1 96 GUCCI’S AGILE SUPPLY CHAIN . 96 CASE STUDY 2 99 MARKS AND SPENCER’S REFINED SUPPLY CHAIN 99 CASE STUDY 3 . 03 ZARA’S FAST SUPPLY CHAIN 103 CASE STUDY 4 . 111 TESCO: THE GROWTH OF SUPERMARKET FASHION . 111 5. 2 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE CASE STUDIES 115 5. 3 SUMMARY . 119 CHAPTER 6 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION.. 120 6. INTRODUCTION .. 120 6. 2 DEVELOPMENT OF THE MODEL .. 120 6. 4 DISCUSSION OF THE PROPOSED MODEL .. 123 6. 5 DISCUSSION OF THE RESULTS IN TERMS OF THE AIM OF THE SCOPE . 129 6. 6 CRITIQUE OF THE RESEARCH .. 134 6. 7 FURTHER RESEARCH 36 REFERENCES . 137 APPENDICES 148 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. 1: Thesis structure . 7 Figure 2. 1: SLR implementation process 11 Figure 2. 2: Field scope- main elements of the S LR 12 Figure 2. : Snowball search strategy 19 Figure 3. 1: Percentage of each content area. . 24 Figure 3. 2: Percentage of SCM/Logistics and marketing in the fashion industry. 25 Figure 3. 3: Percentage of SCM/Logistics and marketing in the apparel industry. 25 Figure 3. : Articles per year. 26 Figure 3. 5: Articles referring to apparel and fashion industry per year. 26 Figure 3. 6: The evolution of the fashion sector. .. 27 Figure 3. 7: The evolution of the apparel sector. .. 27 Figure 3. 8: Percentage of articles per Journal 29 Figure 3. 9: Authors who have written journal articles focused on the clothing/apparel industry and supply chain. . 31 Figure 3. 10: Theoretical/ Conceptual studies 32 Figure 3. 11: Theoretical/ Conceptual studies per year.. 32 Figure 3. 12: Analogy for studies per year for the fashion sector.. 33 Figure 3. 13: Analogy for studies per year for the apparel sector.. 33 Figure 3. 14: Types of empirical studies. . 34 Figure 3. 15: Percentage of articles per country. .. 5 Figure 4. 1: Route map of the chapter. .. 39 Figure 4. 2: The apparel supply chain 45 Figure 4. 3: Apparel business process. .. 46 Figure 4. 4: Generic supply chain strategies 48 Figure 4. 5: Cycle Time Compression through Quick Response 51 Figure 4. 6: Apparel supply chains.. 3 Figure 4. 7: The foundation for agility in a fashion business .. 56 Figure 4. 8: Approaches to agility in the supply chain 58 Figure 4. 9: De-coupling point locations.. 59 vii Figure 4. 10: Time compression methods in leagile supply chains .. 60 Figure 4. 11: Lead-time and forecast error relation. 62 Figure 4. 12: The fashion flow chart. . 6 Figure 4. 13: Production stage chart for the fashion supply chain. 67 Figure 4. 14: Sourcing types in the fashion industry 78 Figure 4. 15: Sourcing model for fast fashion. .. 81 Figure 4. 16: The fashion marketing process.. 85 Figure 4. 17: The marketing environment. .. 86 Figure 4. 18: Fashion internal market environment. 7 Figure 4. 19: Fashion ex ternal market environment. .. 88 Figure 4. 20: Fashion market environment strengths and weaknesses. .. 88 Figure 4. 21: A model of consumer behaviour .. 89 Figure 4. 22: Drivers of fashion change 90 Figure 4. 23: Maslow’s pyramid. . 91 Figure 4. 24: Brief summary of the literature results .. 5 Figure 5. 1: Business operations in the luxury sector . 98 Figure 5. 2: Gucci’s supply chain. .. 99 Figure 5. 4: Marks and Spencer revival.. 102 Figure 5. 5: Price-fashion brand positioning. .. 104 Figure 5. 6: Zara’s value chain. . 107 Figure 5. 7: Product pre-commitments: Zara vs Traditional Industry 108 Figure 5. 9: UK clothing specialists (Market positioning 2006). 111 Figure 5. 10: Non-food items bought from main supermarket in the last 12 months (January, 2007). .. 112 Figure 5. 11: Where consumers bought clothing from for themselves in the last 12 months (June 2006). 113 Figure 6. 2: Proposed fashion matrix .. 22 Figure 6. 3: Matching supply chains with products .. 128 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 2. 1: Differences between traditional and structured literature review. 9 Table 2. 2: Key words and search strings 13 Table 2. 3: No. of articles in each search string for ABI database 16 Table 2. 4: No. of articles in each search string for EBCO database. . 17 Table 2. 5: Relevant article results per database. . 21 Table 3. 1: No. f articles per Journal and star ranking. 28 Table 3. 2: Number of articles and year of publication per Journal. 30 Table: 3. 3: Number of articles per country 35 Table 3. 4: Other sources (newspapers etc. ) . 36 Table 3. 5: Book results. . 37 Ta ble 3. 6: Case studies results 38 Table 4. 1: UK fashion retail seasons. . 44 Table 4. 2: QR benefits 50 Table 4. 3: Differences between traditional and â€Å"fast fashion† retailing. . 54 Table 4. 4: Product characteristics for lean and agile supply chains 58 Table 4. 5: Agile manufacturing principals and benefits.. 71 Table 4. 6: Fashion supply chain relationships . 83 Table 4. 7: Two views of fashion marketing. 4 Table 4. 8: The fashion marketing concept. 85 Table 4. 9: Fashion industry levels 94 Table 4. 10: Product classification . 94 Table 5. 1: Marks and Spencer product ranges. . 103 Table 5. 2: Key differences between Zara and traditional retailer’s business model. . 110 Table 5. : Companies’ characteristics.. 116 Table appendix-A: No. of articles in each search string for Emerald database. 148 ix LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A: Search Result of Databases .. 148 Appendix B: Questionnaire- Interview notes 149 Appendix C: Garment Production Process 152 x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CAD- Computer Assisted Design CAM- Computer Assisted Manufacturing CMI- Co-Managed Inventory DC- Distribution Centre EDI- Electronic Data Interchange EPO- Electronic Point of Sale IT- Information Technology JIT- Just-In-Time MRP- Material Requirements Planning NOS- Never-out-of-stock PDM- Product Data Management POS- Point of Sale QR- Quick Response RFID- Radio Frequency Identification SCM- Supply Chain Management SKU- Stock Keeping Unit SLR- Structured Literature Review SR- Systematic Review TQM- Total Quality Management UPC- Universal Product Code UPS- Unit Production System 3PL- Third Part Logistics xi Chapter 1 Introduction CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1. 1 Introduction The purpose of this chapter is to provide a prologue to the research. The background and the importance of the research are presented. The aim, the objectives are stated and the research questions are developed. Finally, the structure of the thesis and the scope are covered. 1. 2 Background to the research Recent business trends have been characterised by demand unpredictability, fast moving markets, expansion of product variety, short product life cycles, increased outsourcing, globalisation and explosion of information technology (Lee, 2002). Therefore, how to be successful in today’s rapidly changing environment is a key issue for many companies across different industries (Tang, 2005). According to Christopher (2005), today it is not companies that compete but supply chains. Supply chain management has been regarded as one of the main areas for companies to enhance competitive advantage (Lee, 2002). Consequently, companies have had to learn how to make critical decisions that would affect not only their present performance, but also their future success (Tang, 2005). 1. 2. Background to the fashion industry The fashion industry has faced many changes in terms of supply chain management during recent years. These changes emerged due to the characteristics of the market. In the past fashion retailing was dominated by several large retailers which increased the competition levels in the market (Barnes and Lea-Greenwood, 2006). 1 Chapter 1 Introduction During the 90’s, firms such as New Look and supermarkets s uch as Tesco, heavily influenced dominant fashion retailers’ markets and traditional market shares. Many retailers, in order to survive; moved production towards low wage, overseas countries. These countries offered cost efficiencies, and enabled these retailers to be focused on price competition. However, the overall result of this strategy has led to long lead times, and inflexible and complicated supply chains. This cost efficiency did not always ensure supply chain effectiveness due to the distance between the production and consumption points. Consequently, speed to market and quality levels were decreased (Bruce and Daly 2006; Barnes and Lea-Greenwood, 2006; Birtwistle et al. , 2003). The situation became worse due to the changes in the fashion market, such as consumers’ attitudes, lifestyles and the information explosion. The information explosion enabled consumers to be well informed of the trends around the globe and they became wiser about what they demanded. Entering the 21st century many firms such as Zara, recognising these changes, moved their focus from cost efficiencies to faster responsiveness to the trends and demand, and decrease of time to market performance (Hines, 2007b; Barnes and Lea-Greenwood, 2006). Nowadays, the fashion industry is characterised by aggressive competition levels. In the light of this high competition, fashion companies have to present not only price benefits for the consumer but also be focused on â€Å"newness† and constant â€Å"refreshing† of their product ranges (Hines 2007b; Hoffman, 2007; Barnes and Lea-Greenwood, 2006). Today’s retailers recognise that the customer is king. However, regarding the fashion sector, the customer is ever more fickle, impatient and fussy, and that leads to even more complications for the supply chain management. Michael Barrat, Retailer Researcher Director at AMR Research said that â€Å"information and trends are moving around the globe at speeds we have never seen before. As a result the consumer has more options and thus shops more often† (Hoffman, 2007, p. 1). Due to these challenges the supply chains in many cases have been reconstructed with the aim of serving the customer in a highly timely manner. 2 Chapter 1 Introduction 1. 3 Importance of the topic There are a number of factors behind the author’s decision to choose this topic as the thesis project. The decision was based on the fact that this sector presented interesting supply chains based on time dependence. Fashion markets have long attracted the interest of researchers. In terms of supply chain management there was a challenging sector which had been beset by the problems of volatility and demand unpredictability (Christopher and Peck, 1997). The fast pace of the fashion industry was a great challenge for companies involved in this sector. Across the seasons trends were changing. Thus the success or failure of a fashion company depended on effective purchasing decisions, inventory planning, manufacturing efficiency and product delivery. So in this case time urgent was fundamental. Those companies that assured product availability within days were regarded as the market winners (Worthington, 2006). In the fashion industry, pipelines have been notoriously long, inflexible and complex. Consequently, long buying cycles have been developed, resulting in inappropriate structures for the requirements of the modern fashion industry. Moves to improve supply chain responsiveness in the fashion industry have been made with the introduction of concepts such as quick response, Just-in-Time systems and agile philosophies (Bruce and Daly, 2007; Hines, 2007b). A review of business odels developed from companies such as Zara and Gucci and several others, has signalled that the fashion industry had successful supply chain solutions which were able to effectively meet consumer needs. Therefore, there were potential solutions and techniques that other industries might consider to improve the way in which they organised and managed their supply chain operations (Gutgeld and Beyer, 1995). 3 Chapter 1 Introduction 1. 4 Aim of the project and objectives of the research AIM: The aim of the research is to identify opportunities for other sectors to learn from the fashion industry. OBJECTIVES: The thesis has three objectives. Firstly, to review the literature on the theory and implementation of supply chain and marketing processes in order to identify the extent to which the fashion industry is able to create, anticipate and keep abreast of consumer demand. Secondly, to undertake case study reviews to identify the business models used by companies in the fashion industry, e. g. Zara and Gucci, that enable them to meet consumer needs. Finally, through analysis and synthesis to identify lessons that other industries can gain from such fashion retailers in how they organise and manage their supply chain operations. . 5 Scope of the project The fashion industry includes the design, manufacturing, marketing and sale of clothes, footwear and accessories. Nevertheless, in the literature or in the media, it is common when referring to the fashion industry to regard it as a clothing sector (Jackson, 2007). For that reason the focus of this research is on the garment ind ustry. Consequently, issues not related to the garment industry such as fibre, yarn and fabric manufacturing are excluded from the scope of the project. Whilst the research is primarily focused on fashion products, basic products that are not considered as fashionable are eviewed as well in order to develop a more comprehensive and holistic analysis of the total apparel product spectrum. The scope 4 Chapter 1 Introduction includes analysis of the fashion industry structure in general and the characteristics of several participants. Specifically, the analysis embraces common supply chain solutions in the industry such as quick response and agile approaches, as well as the type of relationships across the different actors in the pipeline. Referring to processes, a description of the manufacturing, distribution and marketing of fashion items is undertaken. Specific marketing issues are not included in the analysis. The scope of this project includes an evaluation of the theory through case study analysis. The purpose of this is to identify the ways that companies use in practice so as to meet demand. The case study review enables a comparative analysis across different investigated companies in terms of possible similarities and differences. Finally, the scope includes the development of a model which enables the author to crystallise the whole industry in terms of levels and products, and the related supply chain issues in each stage. 1. Research question Based on the objectives, the research question of the thesis is: â€Å"Why is the fashion industry able to provide lessons to other industries? † The fulfilment of this question is based on the answer of another question which is: â€Å"How do the several actors in the fashion industry organise and manage their supply chain operations? † 1. 7 Methodology of the research The logic of the research is based on a structured literature review. Descriptive analysis of the literature material is conducted along with critical review of the thematic contents of the literature findings, with he aim of discovering potential literature gaps. The literature review is based on academic papers and books. However, trade publications, 5 Chapter 1 Introduction newspapers and case studies are reviewed due to the nature of the topic. This enables the author to gain a more holistic and robust approach towards â€Å"real-world† issues. 1. 8 Structure of the thesis The thesis is structured as follows (Figure 1. 1) Chapter 1 The aim of this chapter is to develop an initial engagement with the reader of the broad field of the study and further focus on the research problem. The aim, the objectives and the scope of the project are outlined. Chapter 2 In this chapter the methodology adopted by the author in order to approach the research is outlined. A description of the implementation process is developed. Chapter 3 In this chapter, there is a descriptive analysis of the literature related to the fashion sector in terms of supply chain and marketing issues. The description particularly refers to the characteristics of the selected articles based on a set of criteria which are highlighted in chapter 3. Chapter 4 The content of this chapter is the review of the academic literature to gain insight into the fashion industry. This thematic section refers to the first objective of how the fashion industry works towards consumer demand. Chapter 5 In this chapter case study reviews are conducted. Identification of the business models used by companies in the fashion industry is developed. This thematic section aims to approach the second objective. 6 Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 6 This chapter is divided in two sections. Firstly, it aims to consolidate the main findings in the literature review (from the two previous chapters) and develop a comprehensive model of how the fashion industry is structured and works. Secondly, it refers to the reflection of the overall work in order to define the main supply chain strategies and related tools adopted in the fashion industry and can be the base for providing lessons to other industries. Furthermore, it includes evaluation and review in terms of strengths and limitations of the research and proposes further future research. Figure 1. 1: Thesis structure Source: Author 7 Chapter 2 Methodology CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY 2. 1 Introduction The underlying thinking of the overall methodology strategy adopted in this project is to critically review the literature in the light of the three objectives of the thesis (See paragraph 1. 4). This chapter presents the methodology which has been chosen to meet the stated objectives. As the title declared, the thesis is a Structured Literature Review (SLR) by nature. In so doing, the definition of the SLR is presented along with its differentiation from a traditional literature review. Finally, the advantages of the SLR and the implementation process are demonstrated. . 2 Definition of structured literature review (SLR) The structured literature view is an evolution of the Systematic Review (SR). These two approaches present similar characteristics, but their differences are based on the implementation process. According to Morgan (2007, p. 2) the systematic literature review is more rigorous than the SLR. Maylor and Blackmon (2005, p. 98) de scribe the literature review as â€Å"a process of finding more about a research topic, in particular a theoretical problem it is the record of other people’s research†. According to Morgan (2007, p. ), â€Å"a (Structured) literature reviews are a method of making a sense of a large body of information, a †¦ method of mapping out areas of uncertainty†¦ and a way to tell the difference between real and assumed knowledge. They are methodologically sound (and lead to)†¦ results (that give) †¦. a good representation of the ‘truth’†. Denyer (2002, p. 14) states that SR is â€Å"a review of the evidence on a clearly formulated question that uses systematic and explicit methods to identify, select and critically appraise relevant primary research, and to extract and analyse data from the studies that are included in the rearview†. Finally, Boaz, Ashby and Young (2002, p. 2) define that the SR approach â€Å"acknowledges the large body of existing research and seeks to synthesize the findings from all relevant studies†. 8 Chapter 2 Methodology 2. 2. 1 Differences between Structured Literature review and Traditional Review The Systematic Literature Review (and consequently SLR mentioned before as an evolution of the systematic) is based on spotting the phenomena and is focused on a more â€Å"replicable, scientific and transparent process, ( , that aims to minimize bias through exhaustive searches of published and unpublished studies † (Cranfield Online, 2007). In comparison, in the traditional approaches of the literature review, the author included merely subjective information and thus irrelevant information, which did not fit in the research content, was excluded (Denyer, 2002). Regarding the traditional literature review, it was focused on a specific investigated area and did not provide detai led critical analysis to the degree that SLR did. The following table (2. 1) illustrates the major differences between these two areas. Structured Literature Reviews Scope of study Narrow Review question Organising the study Identifying studies Selecting studies Synthesising study results Clear, well-developed question/hypothesis Structured, clear process Rigorous and comprehensive search of published and unpublished information Pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria of studies Conclusion based on the most methodologically sound studies Traditional Reviews Wide General discussion, often without a developed question or hypothesis Unplanned/unfocused, permits creativity Searching is probing. Usually doesn t locate all the literature. Reasons for the inclusion and exclusion of studies may not be explicit No differentiation between methodologically sound and unsound studies Table 2. 1: Differences between traditional and structured literature review. Source: Nikolaidi, (2006). So the main difference between the structure literature review and the traditional approaches of literature review is the systematic approach of the SLR. Furthermore, traditional approaches have been deemed as solely descriptive without providing any new information, as well as lacking of any critical assessment (Tranfield et al. , 2003). 9 Chapter 2 Methodology 2. 2. Advantages of the Structured Literature Review The main advantages of the structured literature review are, firstly, that the evidencebased approach offers a scientific and objective quality to the research. Secondly, there is an effective way to draw together and analyse extensive literature, as well as, eliminate any bias and error issues (Tranfield et al. , 2003; Denyer, 2002 ). The author chose the structured literature review as a methodology approach due to the fact it enables the connection of the existing research information and the development of an overall view of the research area via a reliable and valid route. A further reason for selecting SLR, apart from the fact that it constitutes a resourceful technique, is that it enables the integration of all the research areas under investigation, such as the fashion industry, general apparel sector and supply chain management. 2. 3 Structured Literature Review Process In general the steps followed to develop a structured literature review are: 1. Scope the field 2. Develop the research strings 3. Determine the research areas 4. Review the results 5. Conclude the findings The following diagram (2. ) depicts the implementation process of the SLR through which the research is developed and the thesis is accomplished. The sequence of the stages is continuous and each phase is interdependent with the following one. 10 Chapter 2 Methodology Stage 1 Focus of the Investigation Stage 2 Search Strategy High level Stage 3 Assessment of the Literature Material Analysis Low level Stage 4 Stage 5 Material Synthesis Figure 2. 1: SLR implementation process Sourc e: Adapted from Morgan, (2007), Lecture notes. 2. 3. Mapping the study field (Stage 1) The main elements of the structured literature review are supply chain, logistics and fashion industry. These three elements were the starting point in the attempt to explore and comprehend the objectives and border the research scope. The fashion industry was reviewed in terms of supply chain management and logistics operations with the aim of identifying the way that the industry is structured and operated and the main value points that might provide lessons to other industries. 11 Chapter 2 Methodology Supply chain Fashion industry Logistics Figure 2. : Field scope- main elements of the SLR Source: Author. The first objective, which is related to the fashion industry and the way of managing customer’s demand, was covered by reviewing the literature area where the three cycles (figure 2. 2), fashion industry, supply chain and logistics overlap. However, apart from a holistic review of the supply chain, particular issues such as manufacturing, distribution and marketing of fashion items were assessed in detail. The second objective which was related to the identification of business models followed in the fashion industry was approached through case study analysis. A model development enabled the synthesis and the analysis of the fashion industry in a comprehensive way. At this point, worth noting was that the term fashion industry was used with a broad meaning, including the general apparel industry as well. Finally, the above described step was considered to be fundamental in identifying the domains that the research covered, spotting possible overlaps between them; developing the research questions and justifying the investigating approach (Morgan, 2007). 12 Chapter 2 Methodology 2. 3. Developing the search strategy (Stage 2) The aim of this phase is to identify all the relevant studies for the issues investigated and develop a set of arguments with the aim of elucidating the design of the research and giving reasons for decisions taken. Identification of the search strings The literature research started by identifying key words and by developing the search strings (Tranfield et al. , 2003). The searching terms were derived by conducting an initial literature review and by discussing these with the supervisor and the sponsor of the thesis. After identifying the key words, the search strings were developed. The following table (2. 2) presents the key words and the search strings. SLR elements Supply Chain Key words Supply chain Demand chain Value chain Fashion industry Apparel industry Fashion goods Fashion items Fashion industry Textile industry Garment industry Clothing industry Footwear Fashion retail Fashion business Logistics Logistics Manufacturing Distribution Marketing Logistics or manufactur* or distribut* or marketing Fashion or apparel or textil* or garment* or cloth* Supply chain or demand chain or value chain Search strings Table 2. 2: Key words and search strings Source: Author 13 Chapter 2 Methodology Identification of the databases The prime resources in order to conduct a structured literature review were the electronic databases. For the purpose of this research three databases were used: ABI/INFORM Trade and Industry (ProQuest) EBSCO Business Source Premier Emerald Library Journals The academic databases ABI/INFORM Global/Trade and Industry (ProQuest) and EBSCO Business Source Premier were regarded as providing the most relevant literature after conducting an initial search with simple keywords. Emerald Library journals offered a narrower range of results. More specifically, after cross checking, the author figured out that the majority of the articles found in this latter database were included in the two former academic databases. These two top potential sources have the following characteristics: ABI/INFORM Global (ProQuest) This included subjects related to management techniques, theory and practice of business, marketing and business and economic conditions. It provided about 2,770 Journal titles (Proquest Online, 2007). ABI/INFORM Trade and Industry (ProQuest) This covered about 1,210 serials in areas related to companies, trends and products (Proquest Online, 2007). EBSCO Business Source Premier This daily updated database included about 8,800 Journal titles with more than 1,100 peer reviewed publications and full-text articles from high quality marketing and management articles. The main fields that it covered among others are management and marketing (Ebscohost Online, 2007). The research of the publications was narrowed down by overviewing only peer reviewed titles in order to ensure a higher level of research credibility. Peer-reviewed 14 Chapter 2 Methodology publications referred to the fact that the articles are reviewed and approved by experts in similar topic areas (Proquest Online, 2007). Search Results The following two tables (2. 3 and 2. 4) illustrate the search results for titles of each database in relation to each search string. The tables refer to the two main academic databases ABI/INFORM Global/Trade and Industry (ProQuest) and EBSCO Business Source Premier. The relevant table for the Emerald database is cited in appendix-A. These tables aim to present all the likely combinations among the literature review elements and search strings by ensuring a higher possibility for appearing relevant to the investigated articles. â€Å"Refine† refers to the number of titles which were peer reviewed. The tables presented the potential articles from each database. However, the author, in order to proceed to the assessment of the literature which consisted of one of the following steps, decided to focus on one search string which was: (a) Supply chain (or) demand chain (or) value chain AND Fashion (or) textile* (or) garment* (or) apparel (or) cloth*. The reason for that decision was that the number of the resulting titles of this search string was manageable by allowing the search to remain broad but not out of scope. So there was no need to narrow it down further. Indeed, by including the additional search string of â€Å"Logistics (or) distribut* (or) manufact* (or) marketing† the resulting titles became even fewer (figures 2. 3 and 2. 4). However, in order to ensure that no valid information was missing these titles were reviewed in brief, during the literature assessment process, and it was discovered that the majority of them were included in the former (a) search string. 5 Chapter 2 Methodology Source: ABI database Supply chain (or) demand chain No. of articles in each search string Supply chain (or) demand chain (or) value chain Fashion Fashion (or) textile* (or) garment* (or) apparel (or) cloth* Logistics (or) distribut* (or) manufact* or marketing 39, 702 Refine: 6436 315 Refine: 71 54,005 Refine: 3,524 177,020 Re fine: 8140 1,291 Refine: 184 (or) value chain Fashion Fashion (or) textile* (or) garment* (or) apparel (or) cloth* Logistics (or) distribut* (or) manufact* or marketing 16,922 Refine: 2972 9,684 Refine: 953 34,616 Refine: 2227 1,164,875 Refine: 110,267 Three search strings together Supply chain (or) demand chain (or) value chain Fashion (or) textile* (or) garment* (or) apparel (or) cloth* Logistics (or) distribut* (or) manufact* or marketing (ABI) Total 719 articles Refine: 120 articles Table 2. 3: No. of articles in each search string for ABI database. Source: Author 16 Chapter 2 Methodology Source: EBSCO database No. f articles in each search string Supply chain (or) demand chain (or) value chain Fashion 30,526 Refine: 7,127 210 Refine: 84 33,458 Refine: 4,063 Fashion (or) textile* (or) garment* (or) apparel (or) cloth* Logistics (or) distribut* (or) manufact* or marketing 104,139 Refine: 9245 885 Refine: 179 Supply chain (or) demand chain (or) value chain Fashion Fashion (or) textile* (or) garment* (or) apparel (or) cloth* Logistics (or) distribut* (or) manufact* or marketing 18,918 Refine: 4, 988 10,920 Refine: 1,403 39,435 Refine: 3,555 ,774,721 Refine: 267,820 Three search strings together Supply chain (or) demand chain (or) value chain Fashion (or) textile* (or) garment* (or) apparel (or) cloth* Logistics (or) distribut* (or) manufact* or marketing (EBSCO) Total 543 articles Refine: 140 articles Table 2. 4: No. of articles in each search string for EBCO database. Source: Author Other sources Other non-academic sources, such as Google scholar and Mintel reports were investigated in order to approach the researching areas more effectively. Furthermore, due to the difficulty of finding enough sources related to the supermarket clothing departments and fashion marketing, these sources, along with books, provided further information. The additional sources that were used were: 17 Chapter 2 Methodology Google scholar Trade Publications (e. g. Traffic World) Newspapers (e. g. Financial Times) Mintel reports Case studies (e. g. Zara, and Marks and Spencer) Reference/ Reports (e. g. Just-Style) White papers (e. g. CFPIM Intentia Americas) Mintel offered efficient information for the clothing and supermarket sectors. Furthermore, books provided very useful information about the examined issues covering both theory and examples from the practice. The latter enabled the author to decide the case studies to be studied. Google scholar, apart from providing some efficient publications, facilitated a first overview of the issues investigated. Furthermore, it provided a good link to a college (London College of Fashion) which deals with the fashion industry. At this point, regarding the process of searching for relevant information about the issues investigated, apart from the development of the key words search, a â€Å"snowball search† was conducted. According to Maylor and Blackmon (2005), â€Å"snowball search† is the review of the reference and the bibliography list of a relevant article in order to discover any previous useful researches and information (figure 2. 3). 18 Chapter 2 Methodology Snowball search Original reference A References to A B C References to B D E F G Figure 2. 3: Snowball search strategy Source: Maylor and Blackmon, (2005). Case studies According to Yin (2003) the case study, as a method, enables researchers to preserve the holistic and meaningful attributes of real life events. These could include, among others, organisational and managerial processes. The primary aim of examining a case study was to identify the business models used in the fashion industry in terms of their supply chain management and the extent to which they enabled them to meet consumer requirements. As mentioned above, books provided information regarding case studies for some companies. Nevertheless, the majority of the case studies were found in the site of ECCH (European Case Clearing House) (ecch. com). Advisory groups The main advisors in the research were the supervisor and the sponsor of the research project. Furthermore, a formal presentation of the progress of the research was conducted on the 6th of June 2007. During this presentation useful recommendations were given by a panel of academics in terms of the issues investigated. Apart from the above mentioned advisors; the group included an academician (Sanaul Mallick, lecturer in corporative strategy) from the London College of Fashion, who contributed to the 19 Chapter 2 Methodology progress of the research by offering useful information and expertise. The interview was based on a semi-structured questionnaire, which was conducted on the 25th of July 2007 at the London College of Fashion. Finally, librarian staff provided assistance in terms of the source searching. 2. 3. 3 Assessment of the literature (Stage 3) In this stage, evaluation of the articles found in the electronic databases was conducted. For the purpose of this process, inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed. The latter was enabled by the initial search which was conducted in the first stages of the research as mentioned before. These pre-determined criteria which were slightly refined during the whole process enabled the avoidance of any bias and possible errors of judgment. According to Morgan (2007), this phase of the structure literature review is divided into two stages: â€Å"high level assessment of the literature† and â€Å"low level assessment of the literature†. High level assessment of the literature Firstly, the high level assessment of the literature review refers to an initial screening of each article’s title and abstract. In this point the inclusion criteria are: Empirical and theoretical studies. No time-frame restrictions. All the related sectors, for example in the broad meaning of apparel sector apart from fashion, basic clothing was taken into consideration as well. No strict geographical restrictions. Respectively, the exclusion criteria were: No relevance to the investigated area. Not written in the English language. The resulting numbers from this brief screening for each database are illustrated in the following table (2. 5): 20 Chapter 2 Methodology Databases ABI (Proquest) EBSCO Emerald Table 2. 5: Rele vant article results per database. Source: Author. No. of possible relevant articles for fashion industry 67 81 37 The above results were referred to the search string (a) and duplications were included. As mentioned before, from the 81 possible relevant articles founded in EBSCO only 49 articles were not included in ABI’s results, and the majority of the articles in Science direct and Emerald were found in the two former databases. As a result, the total relevant articles for the fashion industry which proceeded to low level literature assessment were around 115. Low level assessment of the literature Low level assessment of the literature is regarded as a more detailed and full text screening of the remaining possible relevant articles. In this stage the previous screening of the abstracts enabled the development of more restricted inclusion and exclusion criteria, closely related with the research scope. Inclusion criteria: Fashion industry background. Fashion industry related only to clothing. Supply chain strategies in both sectors and approaches such as Quick Response (QR) and agile. Related logistics operations in each sector including manufacturing, distribution and marketing. Geographical areas: UK, US, Australia; and generally developed countries. Exclusion criteria: Focus on corporate responsibility. 21 Chapter 2 Methodology Focus on related environmental issues. Geographical restrictions. Exclude countries such as India, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong. E-retailing related to internet sales For the fashion industry exclude fabric industry. The estimated final number from academic journals is 51 academic articles. Regarding other information sources the final number is 8 books, 11 case studies, 5 newspapers, 6 trade publications, 2 reference/ reports (including Mintel) and 1 white paper. 2. 3. Material Analysis (Stage 4) The material analysis included the presentation of the chosen articles in a descriptive way. The descriptive analysis referred to the categorisation of the articles in a number of comprehensive ways in order to present the overall analysis of the investigated issue. The descriptive findings are developed in Chapter 3. 2. 3. 5 Synthesis of the material (Stage 5) The approach of the first objective was based on ac ademic articles and books. However, newspapers, trade publications and white papers were used in order to approach the issue in a more robust way. Furthermore, the second objective, the assessing of business models followed in practice, was approached through case study review. Regarding the third objective, based on the literature and case study findings, a conceptual model was developed based on Hayes and Wheelwright (1979) model. The model presented the structure of the fashion industry and the way that the supply chains were organised and managed. This overall process enabled highlighting the learning points from the fashion industry in terms of supply chain strategies and tools. 22 Chapter 3 Descriptive Results CHAPTER 3 DESCRIPTIVE RESULTS . 1 Introduction The purpose of this chapter is to present a description of the finally selected articles. The descriptive analysis is regarded as findings and contributes to more robust overview of the further thematic analysis. The majority of the descriptive analysis is focalised on the academic papers (total 51 articles). However a brief presentation of the rest of the sources such as case studies and books is undertaken. 3. 2 Content descriptive analysis Academic papers A first review of the papers allowed a classification of the selected articles in terms of content. The four categories that the articles could be categorised into were fashion industry, apparel industry, supply chain management and logistics, and marketing. Supply chain management included manufacturing, suppliers, information issues, relationships and strategies. The following figure (3. 1) presents the percentages of each of these four categories in the total number of articles. Analysis of the fashion and apparel industries separately was conducted. Nevertheless, articles in which the title, the abstract and the keywords referred to apparel or clothing or textile, sometimes referred to fashion, as well. For that reason the classification regarding those two categories was based on the title, the abstract, the descriptors and the main points referred to in the article, reflecting in that way the focused area of each author. 23 Chapter 3 Descriptive Results 4% 29% 31% Fashion Apparel SCM/ Logistics Marketing 36% Figure 3. 1: Percentage of each content area. Source: Author Figures 3. 2 and 3. 3 present a further descriptive analysis of the fashion and apparel industry in terms of supply chain/ logistics and marketing. Regarding the two industries, the majority of the articles referred to supply chain and logistics. However, the percentages of the articles that referred to marketing were more in the fashion than in the apparel industry. But was there a reason for that? The market oriented nature of the fashion industry and the need for effective demand management, indicated that supply chain and marketing issues were both important. In so doing, marketing could be considered as an important factor to the success of a fashion firm; thus attracting the interest of researchers. However, the supply chain management seems to have been the area that has attracted the researchers’ interest more than marketing. This could be explained by the challenging nature of the industry in terms of manufacturing and general logistics issues. 24 Chapter 3 Descriptive Results 25% 75% Fashion SCM/ Logistics Fashion Marketing Figure 3. 2: Percentage of SCM/Logistics and marketing in the fashion industry. Source: Author 6% 94% Apparel SCM/ Logistics Apparel Marketing Figure 3. 3: Percentage of SCM/Logistics and marketing in the apparel industry. Source: Author 3. 3 Historical evolution of the ideas Academic papers In this section the characteristics of the selected articles were described based on chronological criteria. Figure 3. 4 presents the distribution of the articles both in number and percentage during the years. The majority of the selected articles were found after 2000, with more focused on 2006. Figure 3. 5 presents a comparison between the fashion and apparel sectors across the years. 25 Chapter 3 Descriptive Results 14 12 No. of Articles 10 8 6 4 2 0 1979 1989 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1999 Year No. of Articles Percentage 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Figure 3. 4: Articles per year. Source: Author 00% 90% Percentage of Articles 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1989 1993 1995 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Years Apparel Industry Fashion Industry Figure 3. 5: Articles referring to apparel and fashion industry per year. Source: Author The following figure (3. 6) presents the distribution of the â€Å"fashion† articles per year. The evolution of the ideas during the years could be that in the 90s most of the articles were referring to general supply chain/logistics and marketing issues whilst in the beginning of the next decade concepts such as quick response and agility became more aggressive. Over the last years, i. e. towards 2005 and 2006, concepts of fast fashion, customer driven, customisation and demand management were deemed as more popular. 26 Chapter 3 Descriptive Results Fashion Industry 60% Percentage of aticles 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1989 1993 1995 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Years Fashion Industry Figure 3. 6: The evolution of the fashion sector. Source: Author The following figure (3. 7) presents the apparel industry evolution during the years which could be characterised as more mature. Whilst the majority of the articles referring to fashion were found in 2006, the apparel sector presented a more â€Å"smooth† distribution both in number of publications and content. Quick response was always an area of focus. In the recent years, and a reflection on networks, the integration and explosion of technology use was found. Apparel Industry 30% Percentage of articles 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 1989 1993 1995 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Years Apparel Industry Figure 3. : The evolution of the apparel sector. Source: Author 27 Chapter 3 Descriptive Results 3. 4 Journal classification- Academic papers The following table (3. 1) and figure (3. 8) present the number and the percentage of selected articles in each journal. The ranking in terms of stars was given based on the â€Å"Academic Journal Quality Guide of The Association of Business Schools in 2007†. The majority of the articles, especially for the fashion industry, were derived from the  "Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management†. Journal Title Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management Journal of Enterprise Information Management International Journal of Operations and Production Management Business Strategy Review Supply Chain Management: an International Journal Industrial Management and Data Systems Management Science International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management Supply Chain Europe International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management International Journal of Agile Management Systems The McKinsey Quarterly International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology European Journal of Marketing California Management Review Competition and Change Harvard Business Review Industrial Relations Integrated Manufacturing Systems International Journal of Logistics: Research and Applications International Journal of Production Economics Journal of Marketing Management Technology in Society International Journal of Logistics Management The International Review of Retail, Distribution a nd Consumer Research Total No. of Articles 10 1 3 1 1 1 1 3 1 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 4 1 1 4 1 51 Ranking 1* * 3* 1* 3* 1* 4* 1* N/A 1* 1* N/A N/A 3* 3* 2* 4* 2* 2* 2* 3* 3* N/A 2* 2* Table 3. 1: No. of articles per Journal and star ranking. Source: Author 28 Chapter 3 Descriptive Results 8% 2% 2% 8% 2% 2% 2% 6% 2% 2% 2% 4% 2% 20% 2% 6% 2% 2% 2% 2% 6% 4% 4% 6% 2% Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management Journal of Enterprise Information Management International Journal of Operations and Production Management Business Strategy Review Supply Chain Management: an International Journal Industrial Management and Data Systems Management Science International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management Supply Chain Europe International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management International Journal of Agile Management Systems The McKinsey Quarterly International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology European Journal of Marketing California Management Review Competition and Change Harvard Business Review Industrial Relations Integrated Manufacturing Systems International Journal of Logistics: Research and Applications International Journal of Production Economics Journal of Marketing Management Technology in Society International Journal of Logistics Management The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Re search % of Articles per Journal Figure 3. 8: Percentage of articles per Journal. Source: Author The following table (3. 2) presents the journals in combination with the year of publication of each article. In the brackets are the numbers of the articles published each year for each specific journal. At this point it should be noted that there was no exclusion of papers that were a certain number of years old. The reason that most of the papers were published in 2006, especially in the â€Å"Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management† (where the majority of them were found), might be due to the end of the quota system in 2005; which encouraged even more the sourcing in low wage overseas countries such as China (McKee and Ross, 2005). So there might be an interesting investigated area from several authors on the fashion industry. 29 Chapter 3 Descriptive Results Journal Name Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management Journal of Enterprise Information Management International Journal of Operations and Production Management Business Strategy Review Supply Chain Management: an International Journal Industrial Management and Data Systems Management Science International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management Supply Chain Europe International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management International Journal of Agile Management Systems The McKinsey Quarterly International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology European Journal of Marketing California Management Review Competition and Change Harvard Business Review Industrial Relations Integrated Manufacturing Systems International J