Hate Crimes Agrumentative Paper Essay

On October 6, 1998, 21-year-old Matthew Shepard was beaten, tortured, tied to a fence, and left to die. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but succumbed to his severe injuries 6 days later. A young man, who still had his whole life ahead of him, lost the chance to experience it because he was gay. Hate crimes, such as this case, still happen today and at an increasing rate, according to the statistics gathered by the U.S Department of Justice. A hate crime is a criminal offense against a person or property motivated by the offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, or sexual orientation. Harsher punishments must accompany hate crimes because of their unique characteristics such as the impact it has on the American society, their high possibility of recidivism, and the immense amount of psychological trauma these cases can create. Although individuals are free to believe in what they want, there is a limit to how much an individual can practice it. Hate crimes attac k the very base of American society, built on freedom and equality. This is where the line must be drawn. It is America’s job to ensure that freedom and equality is available to everyone without the oppression of any individuals who think otherwise. Hate crime offenders practice their beliefs to the point that their actions are no longer safe on the individuals against their views. As with any case under the American law, crimes become hate crimes if, and only if, there is sufficient evidence that the motive was a bias against the victim. For example, the Shepard case involved a witness, an attacker’s girlfriend, which stated that the suspect’s actions were triggered by â€Å"how he felt about gays.† The trials resulted in both suspects receiving an additional life sentence due to the hate crime evidence. Another famous case is the Zimmerman case which involved a Hispanic man who shot, and ultimately killed, an African-American teenager because he thought the teenager was suspicious. Although the majority of the public believed it was due to the teenagerâ€⠄¢s skin color, the Zimmerman case was not labeled a hate crime due to the insufficient amount of evidence, and Zimmerman was later acquitted by the jury. Those harsher punishments allow hate crimes to be feared, thus, stopping the problem before it happens. Whether labeled as a hate crime or not, cases like these  taint the American image of freedom and equality. Hate crimes have a much higher recidivism rate than unbiased crimes, such as burglary, because it is a more deep-rooted hatred in which cannot be eased with just the death or injury of just one person, but rather, the group as a whole. Recidivism is the legal term for the tendency of a criminal to relapse into the same behavior that individual was convicted for in the past. This makes the group or community much more afraid than if it was a crime of hatred towards a specific person. The fact is, hate crimes involve a much bigger set of victims. Everyone in that specific group could have been a target and would still be a target. These cases don’t just involve the victim in question, nor their family members, but, rather, a whole community. Hate crimes are different from other crimes since the offender sends, whether directly or indirectly, a message to the members of that group that they are unwelcome and unsafe in that particular neighborhood, school, or other environment. Based on the studies observed by the American Psychological Association, the targeted communities often lose their sense of security and safety, This leads to depression and low self-esteem in the members of that group. If the law puts the suspects back onto the streets without any attention on their motive against the race or sexual orientation of the victim, that specific group will feel unsafe due to the fact the motive did not matter at all in the trial. It is absolutely necessary to add the harsher punishment in order to, at least, ease the minds of the targeted community and to show that the motive against that community does matter. Hate crimes involve more than just a traditional act of violence. They involve a whole community and a whole society. Hate crimes affect the American image set upon freedom and equality. They are also motivated by something an individual can not control nor does any harm to the offender. The special circumstances that these crimes have need special attention, and the harsher punishments are just one of the ways to reduce the frequency of these horrid attacks.

Netflix Business Risks Essay

For a low monthly price Netflix allows their customers not only to streamline videos on their mobile devices and computers but also choose from a wide variety of DVD’s. This allows for the consumer to watch as much which is beneficial for someone that has a busy schedule and would like to go back and catch up where they left off. As with every business there are risks associated with the everyday operations and I will go into detail as to what the risks are that Netflix has encountered. Business Risk I was a Netflix customer back in 2010 and I was pleased with the low monthly rate associated with a Netflix membership. This option was wonderful with a houseful of children that had different likes in what they watched everyone was pleased. As I carefully monitored my monthly bank statements the low price was at a constant rate up until the middle of July 2011. My monthly fee of $8.50 went up to $16.00 which nearly doubled. More than doubled. I made the honest mistake of not taking into consideration the economic downturn and what risks were associated with such a good deal. As the saying goes, if it is too good to be true it must be. With a household of 7 I had to outweigh the pros and cons of paying an additional $8.00 a month. While comparing the previous membership price along with the new membership price there was no return on the company’s part. I was still able to view movies via streaming online as well as DVD’s in the mail. So why did the the price jump? Pogue (2011) states, â€Å"This, as you can imagine, is not a popular decision. This isn’t a cost-of-living increase. This isn’t inflation. It’s a 60 percent overnight price increase — that gives you nothing new in return.† Not only was I the only irate customer. Netflix felt this chain of reaction across the globe, the consequence of a 60% price increased caused Netflix to lose 800,000 customers in their third quarter. Operational Risks Netflix’s Chief Executive Office Reed Hastings made the decision in splitting Netflix into two separate companies. One of the companies will be specifically for streaming movies on demand and the other company will be called Qwikster specifically for the DVD business. Blodget (2011) states, â€Å"And we can also certainly understand why, from the company’s perspective, it makes sense to split the DVD and streaming businesses into two separate companies: They’re different businesses, with different cost structures and different delivery, marketing, licensing, and management challenges, and they will be easier to run better if they’re managed separately.† Split in Two. It only makes sense to create two companies that would help them focus on their main objective. Since Qwikster will be for the dvd section library they have to take into consideration the costs of shipping out a dvd, the quantity of inventory in the warehouse as well as inventory turnov er. Online streaming does not the same costs associated since the consumer is just a click away from watching at their convenience. Consumers are sometimes forced in choosing the DVD’s because as I have experienced myself some of the older and newer versions of movies are not available to stream online. For example, Willow was an all-time favorite of mine during my childhood, while checking the streaming library I came across the movie but once I had clicked on the title it showed it was only available via DVD. I have a very bad habit in returning the Netflix dvd given there are no additional shipping costs associated with the dvd, but the downfall for Netflix is that there is one less dvd out in the world and the inventory won’t be replenished until I return this movie. Financial Risk Netflix domestic online streaming has a committed amount of customers while domestic dvd are hit the worst. Netflix membership plans include $8.00 a month for unlimited streaming, for an additional $8.00 more a month customers can add unlimited DVD’s, and if the consumer is interested in Blu-ray disks then they would add an additional $2.00 on top of dvd price bringing it up to $10.00 for Blu-ray’s. Hurley (2012) states, â€Å"Nevertheless, gross, operating, and net income margins have been sliding steadily and substantially for several years. Moreover, Netflix continues to rely on subscriptions to its DVD’s-by-mail service to prop up net income. Although management officially altered corporate strategy to place emphasis  on streaming services rather than DVD-by-mail services and there are more than twice as many streaming subscriptions as by-mail subscriptions.† Strong Force. In December 2012 it was announced that both Disney (DIS) and Netflix (NFLX) announced a deal that would allow Disney shows and movies to be available to only Netflix’s subscribers. The result of this announcement resulted in Netflix stock rise to 15%. This is great news for consumers like me who is a Disney fanatic, now I will have a reason to stay with Netflix so that I can watch Disney movies with an unlimited amount of time. Conclusion When the price increase occurred back in 2011, I did cancel my membership because I was still feeling the economic downturn in my household. I would rather use that $18.00 towards filling up my gas tank rather than watch TV, in my eyes needs are more important than wants in my household. In mid-2012 I had a career change that resulted in a higher income. I now had a little extra play money to apply to a want that I once had and since Netflix allowed my children to be satisfied and allowed for some quiet time on my end, I went ahead and renewed my subscription. Being on Netflix for a few months I can say that I was extremely stoked when the announcement of Disney and Netflix working together. References Blodget, H. (2011). With all respect to Reed Hastings, the Netflix-Qwikster split bad for customers. Retrieved from http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/respect-reed-hastings-netflix-qwikster-split-bad-customers-160148340.html Hurley, D. (2012). Could Netflix bounce in 2013? Retrieved from http://www.wealthlift.com/blog/netflix-bounce-2013/ Pogue, D. (2011). Why Netflix raised its prices. Retrieved from http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/14/why-netflix-raised-its-prices/

Admission to MBA Course

My principal objective and life’s ambition had always been to work in an atmosphere that not only demanded the utmost of my potentiality but also challenged my abilities.   It is commonplace for soldiers to be accoutered with fully loaded weapons and the requisite mental preparedness to emerge victorious in battle.In a similar manner, I have always possessed enormous experience, organizational abilities and psychological preparedness in meeting the demands of the contemporary work environment.I have experience of working in physical care and wellness and I completed an undergraduate course in Kinesiology and Nutrition. Prior to the year 2000 I worked for the United States Army as a Production Controller. My tenure with the US Army helped me to achieve organizing capabilities and expertise in management and supervision.During the years from 2000 to 2003, I was associated with the Women’s Hospital of Texas as an administrative assistant, where I gained expertise in the allotment of duties to office personnel, preparation of medical charts, physician’s reports and the radiology department’s clinical reports.These reports had to be prepared and submitted to the physicians of the hospital on a daily basis. I also assisted the radiologists, physicians, patients and their families and extended my moral support to patients and their near relatives, in order to alleviate their suffering. In this task, I invariably offered my best efforts and always lent a helping hand in a friendly manner.I developed a number of supervisory skills, like keeping track of office supplies and ensuring that stocks were always available. I maintained the secrecy of patients’ records filed with the hospital.My extensive experience helped me to assume positions involving multifaceted responsibilities. Consequently, I gained considerable organizing skill and the competence to be a part of large-scale facility projects.Thereafter there was no turning back. I became very proficient in budgeting, scheduling of events and the promotion of customer relations. All these activities enabled me to become very good at building teams and to assume the position of a role model for others. Subsequently, I acquired program management skills and was extremely successful in providing service in the corporate environment.In addition, I possessed adequate knowledge to recruit, train and encourage professional staff development. I also worked in group facilitation, and in this particular field I emerged as an undisputed leader. My communication skills were proved on many an occasion to be outstanding.I am extremely proficient with the Microsoft Office applications Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project, Publisher and software applications like FitLinxx, MediTech and Eclipse. Whilst working as a Product Sales Developer in TechnoGym USA, Seattle, WA and I developed programming around Easy Line circuit equipment and provided essential product information to the s ales personnel.This entailed the design of presentations, making conference calls and preparing product literature to improve sales and the preparation, execution and revision of project plans.I have faced a number of challenges in life. One of them relates to my tenure in the military. I joined up at the age of nineteen and to put it frankly I was all at sea. We had to undergo physical exercises six days a week for an hour at a stretch. It was not much different from physical torture.Then we were made to march for twelve miles with a rifle and a forty pound knapsack. Afterwards we had to stand at attention, without making even the slightest of movement. In addition, we had to memorize and answer a number of questions while waiting in line for food.Emotionally our psyche took a tremendous beating, as we were not allowed to see our family members or friends till a month had elapsed, which forced us to develop new friends.This experience proved to be a baptism by fire and I emerged mu ch stronger and better equipped to face the worst in life. I developed self reliance, team spirit and since the targets were never ending it became second nature to strive for attaining goals. This served to enhance my ambition and fighting spirit enormously.I have received several citations and certificates for the exemplary work performed by me. I am a trained instructor in Yoga, Spin, Pilates and CPR. My life’s ambition is to start a Health and Fitness enterprise. To this end I would like to commence studios that take care of fitness and provide personalized training.My observation has been that a significant number of institutions that offer fitness services do not cater to individual needs. My enterprise will take a very close look at the nutritional value of the food being consumed by my clientele. There will be stores for such purchases and these stores will offer customized shopping services.I will implement meal plans that will take into account the specific requirem ents of my customers. My principal objectives are to develop skills related to the management of projects, develop self – sufficiency and conduct a successful business. Moreover, I intend to travel extensively for both business and pleasure, because travel expands the mind.These are my aspirations and a few of my extensive accomplishments. The next logical step is to obtain suitable formal education in management.   This will not only improve my career prospects but also help me to perform at my optimum level. Thus, I made a survey of the different colleges offering the MBA program and concluded that the Marylhurst University’s MBA program was best suited to my unique needs.This program produces professionals with strong interpersonal, analytical and communication skills with a holistic view of the business process from the shop floor to the retail outlet. The faculty members are working professionals, who keenly and unstintingly, impart their professional experience to the students, which renders this course very valuable. Moreover, the curriculum is flexible and pragmatic in its approach and content and emphasizes the application of the principles taught in class to the real world.The cardinal objectives of this program are to enable the student to possess the latest knowledge in such diverse fields as accounting, finance, law, etc; to become extremely proficient in analyzing national and international business environments; to comprehend the latest business concepts and emerging trends in management and information technology and discover one’s professional competencies in order to enhance one’s career prospects.Obviously, such a combination of goals and competencies is unique in the MBA programs available in this country and management graduates from this university perform exceptionally well in the industry. Therefore, it is my intention to register with this great university’s MBA program (Master of Business Administr ation).ReferencesMaster of Business Administration. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2007, from Marylhurst University: http://www.marylhurst.edu/mba/mba.php

Essay Questions Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Questions - Essay Example By means of contrast, information technology is most effectively concerned with the infrastructural development of the way in which databases are administered, networks are organized, and information is shared. Through the information that is thus far been promoted, it can clearly be understood that the level of comparison and contrast that exists between information technology and information systems is somewhat less stark and distinct than one might otherwise assume. Ultimately, the interrelationship between these terms has a profound impact with regards the way in which both of these effective job tasks are conducted. The way in which a company operates would be severely impaired if both of these elements were not heavily leveraged by a particular entity. As such, the luxury of choosing which one of these approaches will be used is not a luxury that a successful firm can engage in; rather, they must choose to exercise them both concurrently so that different goals, strategies, and expect can be felt throughout the business entity. And information value chain for a group of movie theaters could engender a great many things. However, one of the most logical explanations for how such information value chain could be represented is with regards to the group of theaters actively seeking out information with respect to the clients that integrate with their service. For instance, age, race, and other demographic factors could be gathered and utilized as a means of seeking to engage further profitability with respect to the service that is offered. Similarly, information with regards to the overall seat availability, pink ticket times, peak sale prices, and particular types of movies that provide the greatest profitability can and should also be gathered as a means of time all of this marketing information back into the information value chain

Evolution of Gender Norms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Evolution of Gender Norms - Essay Example The first wave of liberation, which has been named feminism led to the allowance of women to vote. The success, however, was not achieved in all the other demands. The start of the industrial revolution led to discrimination based on sex, and despite the role accomplished by the women in the earlier slavery struggles, they were not allowed to assume offices. They were given positions that did not require decision making. The mistreating and discrimination based on sex resulted in the creation of and start of second liberation. The second liberation started in the 1960s addressed issues relating to employment discrimination and other social injustices that were not addressed in the earlier revolution. The urge for second liberation was brought about by the discriminatory laws passed by their male counterpart that barred discrimination in the basis of race originality, religion, color and not sex. This law did not address the feminine problems thereby forcing women to start lobbying, f or recognition and change of laws to cover them against discrimination. The resultant effect of their liberation was the inclusion of sex in the anti-discrimination law. The women's liberation movements were marked by the struggle against certain issues that needed to be addressed. Despite their involvement in the liberation wars and the Second World War, women were not respected in the society leading to the creation of the new approach in the fight for their right. Minority groups worked with them in the process of liberation. Several issues were highlighted as the major reasons for the liberation movement. Among the conspicuous ones are; equity, employment inequalities, freedom of choice and the ability to vote in the elections. The liberation movement witnessed in America was marked with several issues but the main focus of the liberation movement was the protection and development of women rights. The challenge of the liberation was the role of women in the society and the chan ging trends in the development of the various issues including change in marriage. In addition, the involvement of women in the social issues contributed to the increased awareness of the need for freedom (Davis, 1999, p. 135). Several authors have written articles based on personal experience and events that caused or propelled women liberation movement. Several events affected the speed and effectiveness of women liberation movement. These events include the Second World War, the tradition and culture of the different races. The liberation movement and trends The Victorian era was marked with several discrepancies, especially the rights of women. The women of that time were not allowed to own property, sue, and did not have suffrage rights. The Victorian England was distinguished by a strict social hierarchy (Drewnowski & Specter, 2003, p. 14). The explanation of the complicated nature of class social system is depicted by the position of the governesses. Additionally they were ex pected to participate in the labor as paid workforce during the era following the industrial revolution. Beginning after the industrial revolution in 1948, the revolution did face several changes and challenges. Women's liberation started as a result of the discussion in a small friendly meeting, where Elizabeth Stanton wrote the eighteen injustices facing women, resulting in the start of a

Design Differences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Design Differences - Essay Example Qualitative research is basically concerned with the social aspects of the research topics, such as, reasons for any specific behavior of people, reasons for differences between cultures and societies, reasons fro differences of behaviors, and the ways people shape their beliefs and opinions. On the other hand, quantitative research constructs statistical models based on the observations to explain issues in a statistical form. Quantitative research requires a good understanding of the statistics for the scientists in order to produce statistical results generated using large-scale surveys. However, all scientists are not good statisticians, so extensive statistical analysis can be a big problem for some researchers. Therefore, we can say that qualitative research is somewhat easier to do as compared to quantitative research. â€Å"Quantitative research is all about quantifying relationships between variables† (Hopkins, 2008). A quantitative research determines the relationshi p between an independent and a dependent variable in order to establish an association between the two variables. A quantitative research is a better way to prove a hypothesis based on numeric results of a research. Relationship with what is Being Researched Another difference between qualitative and quantitative forms of research is related to the relationship, which the researchers have with what they are researching. In a qualitative research, the researchers do not know much about the topic being researched; rather they have to make interactions with people in order to get a better understanding of the research topic. The researchers are interested in getting awareness of the meanings created by the people. In a qualitative form of research, the researchers interact personally with what is being researched whereas in a quantitative research, the researchers are independent of what is being actually researched. â€Å"Qualitative research may be necessary in situations where it i s unclear what exactly is being looked for in a study† (McGuigan, 2011). Qualitative research is purely a fieldwork in which a researcher needs to go to different people at different places in order to observe their actions and behaviors, whereas quantitative research is based on the opinions of different people, which the researchers use to produce the facts. In qualitative research design, researchers use focus group technique and in-depth interviews to explore attitudes and behaviors of people whereas in quantitative research design, the researchers measure opinions and behaviors of people using structured research instruments. In a qualitative research, the primary instrument used for data collection and analysis is the research, whereas in quantitative research design, researchers make use of interviews and questionnaires to collect data in a numeric form. â€Å"Quantitative research involves gathering data that is absolute, such as numerical data, so that it can be exam ined in as unbiased a manner as possible† (McGuigan, 2011). Time and Efficiency Another difference between the characteristics of qualitative and quantitative researches is based on time and efficiency of the two forms of researches. Qualitative research design consumes more time for completion as compared to quantitative rese

Nursing Model Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Nursing Model - Assignment Example In the article titled Holistic Nursing Care: Theories and Perspectives, published on the American Journal of Nursing Science, the authors reaffirm that the signs and symptoms of any given condition mirror a deeper disturbance within the patients biopsychosocial balance. Consequently, practicing nurses should embrace an all-inclusive approach that tackles the symptoms and at the same time focuses on the social and psychological needs of the patient. In addition, the authors re-iterate that nurses should employ the Roy Adaptation model, as it focuses on positive interaction between individuals and the relentlessly changing environment, an aspect that defines the long-standing condition of the entities involved. The Roy Adaptation Model is the best fit for nursing practice due to its extensive scope, which takes into consideration all the aspects involved in a clinical setting and ensuring that they regain a sense of balance (Vivien et al, 2014). Similarly, the model ensures that the patients remain cognizant and play a far-reaching role in achieving self-actualization and preserving their health. Papathanasiou, I. Sklavou, M. & Kourkouta, L. (2013 February). Holistic Nursing Care: Theories and Perspectives. American Journal of Nursing Science. Vol. 2, No. 1, 2013, pp. 1-5. Doi: 10.11648/j.ajns.20130201.11 Vivien, D. & Muder, A. (2014). The Validation of the Coping and Adaptation Processing Scale Based on the Roy Adaptation Model. Journal of Nursing Measurement. Volume 22,  Number 3, 2014, pp. 368-380(13). Doi:

Effective Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Effective Management - Essay Example The party- the core principal which may be the local city may decide to give contracts to the contractors to do the work in accordance to the stipulated guidelines. The contracts may invoke agency problems since the contractors may fail to deliver what their principle requires. For example schools with the help of school boards may decide to contract unqualified teachers on behave of the teachers unions because of the low price that the teacher has offered. Often, the contractors will do will always do their tasks to save costs at the expense of quality of the work that they have been contracted to do. They may also fail to finish the work or do the work at their interests. Normaly, recognision of the incentives is pivotal in the effectiveness of the management. The incentives that are given to the contractors should be increased so as to act as a motivation to the contractors. This will enable them to do the work without the desire to minimize costs thus compromising the quality of the work. In class most students rated others with high and perfect score, this was an agency problem since many revealed conflict of interest as per the requirements. I think the incentive should be changed and that the perfect score should only be given when there zero

Restoring Organizational Trust at Bayenne Medical Center Thesis

Restoring Organizational Trust at Bayenne Medical Center - Thesis Example As Shockley-Zalabak (2005) has asserted, the decline in organizational trust can be significantly influenced by changes in working conditions, the increasing need for fairness and integrity in the working place, problematic relations and partnerships, replacement of traditional activities, processes, and control mechanisms, as well as changes in the process of decision making. Consequently, these occurrences call for the need to establish an organizational culture that is not necessarily based on power and control, but rather on trust. Through organizational trust, a strong and transparent communication is established in organizations.HPAE members in the Bayenne Medical Center have experienced several issues concerning their hospital’s bankruptcy and its new owners. For instance, the employment of 35 staff members was terminated, attributing the layoff to their performance; however, the hospital had never been able to support this occurrence through documents or legal claims ( HPAE, 2010). Furthermore, although the terminated employees were provided with unemployment benefits, the BMC along with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development forced several of these members, who were to return to their position, to re-pay the unemployment benefits. This example of injustice within the workplace has led hospital staff members to become extremely concerned over its effects on their professional development and the quality of health care that they can provide to patients.

Distributed Database Management Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Distributed Database Management Systems - Essay Example In this case, users work with a subset of data that is on their workstation. Further, there is improved data processing due to multiple processes running at different sites. It also supports the addition of new sites while standard routines run on the other sites. Eventually, the cost of operation is significantly reduced since it is more costly to have a new mainframe system than just adding a user terminal (Baldoni, 2006). It has significantly cut down on cases of failures at individual points since the same work is available in other centers. The decentralized database is vital with hardware getting cheaper; As a result, these systems are more efficient and faster. The many processes in the institutions will handle their individual volumes of data which are very huge (Yu & Jajodia, 2007). If such data is by one central database, chances of failure are very high. Thus, the decentralized database will address the issue of database failure and bringing the activities to a halt. It further ensures the integrity of data is in place with each unit responsible for its data. Further, their overall functionality and speed of processing could be significantly

World War Holocaust Essay Example for Free

World War Holocaust Essay The Holocaust or The Shoah, as referred to by the Jews, was a systematic state-led persecution and genocide of the Jews and other minority groups of Europe and North Africa. It was committed during World War II by the Nazis of Germany and their collaborators (Wikipedia, â€Å"Holocaust†). This was what the Nazis considered as Endlà ¶sung der Judenfrage   or The Final Solution of the Jewish Question. Under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, about 9 to 11 million people were exterminated during this entire period. Other minorities (ie. Poles, Serbs, homosexuals, persons with mental illness, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc†¦) who the Nazis saw as inferior or undesirable were also killed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is considered by many experts as the most organized and systematic mass-killing in the history of mankind. Jews were herded into death camps and were allowed to suffer many indignities including torture and cruel medical experiments. Jews would be killed by the hundreds through poison gas, freezing or shooting. The women and the children were not spared. They were treated no less cruelly than the male adults. They were also sent to labor camps to serve as slaves to the Nazis. All these inhuman acts are based on the Anti-Semitism philosophy of Adolf Hilter. He laid down the foundations of this movement in his 1925 autobiography entitled Mein Kampf or My Struggle. According to Hitler, the Aryan race is the superior race of the world. Nazism, which followed his ideas, portrayed their interpretation of an Aryan race as the only race capable of, or with an interest in, creating and maintaining culture and civilizations, while other races are merely capable of conversion, or destruction of culture (Wikipedia, â€Å"Aryan†). Because of this belief in Aryan supremacy, the Nazis began by oppressing the Jews and other minorities through discrimination. Jews were not allowed to have jobs or were not given service in hospitals or government offices. These acts would worsen and escalate into an uncontrollable frenzy and would culminate in the infamous Final Solution. Bibliography Holocaust. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 8 June 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocaust. Aryan. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 8 June 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aryan.

Video game speech Essay Example for Free

Video game speech Essay Murder, assault, theft and even rape. This is the type of degenerate criminal influences shown to YOUR children on a regular daily basis. Series of dangerous, virtual and physical violence our preserved society has tolerated for far too long, but I say NO MORE. NO MORE influenced violence being shown upon our youths. NO MORE increased crime rates in our society and most definitely NO MORE children being denied their protected safety rights because as parents and guardians we OWE them at least this. I am not here today to tell you what you should and should not be showing to your child. I know that I have no right in telling you this. However I am here today to remind you of what YOU have already acknowledged, what YOU have been too afraid to admit to. Something YOU have been hiding from your children for a far more devastating way than you think†¦ a progressing life of freedom that is not bound to immoral games that are far below the approved age limit. I know, personally, that raising a child in a society maintained by constant evolving technology is hard and it can be beyond tempting to engage your child in the latest video games and games consoles. Nevertheless, I want to tell what the impact of you succumbing to your temptations have done to your children and potentially the generations after. Did you know that 70% of young children aged between 6 – 10 years old that regularly play any type of video game are mentally and physically inflicted by video games which can create a chain reaction to an aggressive and violent behavior? It is within these aggravating behaviors that your child is becoming more and more dangerous in this reality as well as in the virtual world. They are given the impressions that their life is relatable to the video games they are playing and that they must react to their life issues with violence the way the characters within the video games would react. An example of what I am initially trying to explain is the Norway massacre of 2012. One man. One man, who had become so mentally inflicted by playing violent video games and brutal games consoles since the young age of 9, had brutally massacred 77 people on the isolated island of Utoya, Norway. He became so mentally inflicted and attached to violent video games that he stated â€Å"I had trained and prepared by playing ‘call of duty’ for an average of 6 hours and 50 minutes every day to get ready for this day†. Imagine is this was your child doing these disgusting, ruthless and vicious actions. Many of you may not see the outstanding effect and impact of video games on your child right at this moment, but you WILL see the impact on your child in the nearby future and I can guarantee you will not like it. I know it is a terrible thought to think of your child acting as that man once did, but it is a potential circumstance. Video games are one of the key links between anger and violence most definitively with young children. Violent images and audio, brutal story backgrounds, realistic assassin characters are the main problems as they are most effective. The only thing stopping our society from becoming a brutal, vicious town run by mentally afflicted and aggressive people are YOU. You can change not only our future, not only our town but the entire world and even the generations to come. Not only is your child becoming mentally inflicted by video games by also physically inflicted. The whole body internally and externally are becoming more and more damaged through the constant use of video game consoles. With the lack of social interaction your child’s mind is being affected as it will slowly deteriorate and will become illiterately desensitized. This will impact them in their daily routines such as brushing their teeth, memory loss and even with their school performance. The amount of sleep will also become majorly affected for your child due to the constant use of video games resulting in the lack of sleep. The internal organs can also become majorly affected as the lack of outside oxygen, lack of essential foods and drinks, lack of daily exercise and even lack of basic body movements can deprive the body of the necessary requirements needed to obtain it. The internal organs can become numb and slowly wither away. This will make your child weaker and less protected internally leaving them open to all kinds of viruses and diseases that can potentially kill them. Alongside the internal organs becoming damaged, the external body can become immensely damaged as well. This can include vital parts of the body such as the eyes – as they are continuously focused upon a bright screen, they will become weaker and damaged. This can cause your child to become visually impaired and potentially blind, which would make life much more difficult for them especially at such as young age. Another body part which would become physically inflicted includes the hands and wrist area. With the hands constantly being used on the console controls, the thumbs and fingers would regularly cramp giving your child the increasing chance of arthritis. This includes the wrists cramping up also. This physically inflicted impairment can also create an unusual shape for your child’s hand and can cause disfigurement that can make it harder for them to write and use them for other regular duties such as picking up and holding items. A final and most important body part that is physically inflicted includes the entire lower body. With the lack of movement, your child’s body will slowly start to stiffen and cramp up again much like the hands and wrists and can lead to lower body arthritis which is known to be much worse. To conclude, I would like to make sure you have all acknowledged the major effects of children constantly playing violent video games and games consoles. I want you all to remember these effects and think of your child’s needs and benefits first before succumbing to your temptations. Think of the life your child would have to endure if they were sucked into the world of brutal and violent video games, but instead they could be living in a much healthier and less violent world of their own. Remember to live in a world with NO MORE influenced violence being shown upon our youths. NO MORE increased crime rates in our society and most definitely NO MORE children being denied their protected safety rights because as parents and guardians we OWE them at least this.

Hofstede Theory of Cultural Differences

Hofstede Theory of Cultural Differences As we know that today we are living in an era of globalization and culture has a very significant impact on the organization in which operates. Thats why so many researchers have placed too much importance to create a good relationship between the practices and culture of an organization in which it operates, but on the other hand according to the Earley (1994), if management practices are not according to the needs and demands of their employees so then the following problems will arise such as de motivation, low productivity and high turnover. So in order to overcome such problems, a very serious attention much is given to improve the culture of an organization as it ultimately effects the development and effectiveness of HRM strategies and policies. For better understanding of the effect of national cultures on development and effectiveness of HRM strategies, firstly the concept of culture must be clearly understood. A pattern of basic assumptions invented, discovered, or developed by a given group as it learns to cope with its problems of external adaption and internal integration that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems. Brewster et al (2008), p.14-15 This definition of culture basically defines that culture is a set of believes, norms and values that people acquire and share with others. The basic feature of culture is that, culture is adaptive. It is helpful for those people who are coming or joining a new place and easily come to know about the existing problems in an organization. Another definition for a culture is: the core of culture is composed of explicit and tacit assumptions or understandings commonly held by a group of people; a particular configuration of assumptions/understandings is distinctive to the group; these assumptions/understandings serve as guides to acceptable and unacceptable perceptions, thoughts, feelings and behaviours; they are learned and passed to new members of the group through social interaction; culture is dynamic it changes over time (Milliken and Martins, 1989). This definition by Milliken and Martins basically defines that culture has two characteristics, first is, its a collective phenomenon, everybody used to share it and secondly it shapes the way people of that culture thinks and respond. As discussed earlier, this is an era of globalization, every single nation has its own culture, their way of thinking, perceiving, responding is absolutely different from different nations. That is why every culture has its own set of values, beliefs and norms. And it easily be seen by different examples of nations like wise: if we see USA the rate of freedom is very much high over there similarly independence, individualism and level of competition tends to be very high in USA but on the other hand lets take Japan where much importance is given to belongingness, all the work is done on group consensus, seniority is also taken into account and cooperate with each other as much as they can similarly in Arab countries family harmony and parental guidance is high and much of the authority is given to the senior member of the society. In Asian countries like Pakistan, ratio of hospitality is very high, respect for seniors and aged people are also high, mostly a decision is taken by havin g guidance from a senior member of a family. Most of the cross-cultural researchers like Hodstede and Trompenaars argued that the culture of the society plays a vital role and helps a lot in reshaping the practices of the management. As the society vastly vary in cultures, management has to keep in mind different methods for motivation of the employees from different cultures and sometimes it creates a problem for the management in decision making process. Hofstede Cultural Dimension: Now I will explain in detail that how management practices differs when organization operates in diverse cultures. Taking into consideration the work done by Hofstede (1980), where he carried out a research by analysing the questionnaires filled up by IBM employees in 70 countries. He concluded that cultural differences depend on four factors: Power Distance: Power distance is the extent in which less powerful members of the society or organization enjoys unequal distribution of the power. For instance, Females and Minorities. In organizations where power distance is high, Hierarchy tends to be taller where all major decisions are taken by few members of the top level management and all decision making process is centralised. High power distance also means that low level management cannot challenge the decision taken by upper level management and also it is very difficult to meet them. But on the other hand where power distance is low, decision making process is decentralised, all the big and small decisions are approved by taking help from the low level management. The basic concept over here is the employee empowerment, and these organizations are found with flat hierarchical pyramid. For Instance: Virgin group of companies. Where chairman of the organization have made small departments and they are allowed to take all decisions regardi ng their department, this helps them out in good decision making skills and also the employee empowerment. Uncertainty Avoidance: Uncertainty avoidance is the extent to which people feel threatened about a typical situation and have created a set of beliefs in order to avoid these situations. High uncertainty avoidance companies or nations tend to have a strong belief on heir experts and their knowledge and their managers are low risk takers and have a high need for security and these countries are usually developed nations. And countries with low uncertainty avoidance tend to be more risk takers. All activities running in an organization are usually unstructured and there are few written rules, as the managers are willing to accept the risk that is why employee turnover is high in these organizations. From the perspective of HR, all employees are open to accept the new ideas and viewpoints. Individualism versus Collectivism: Individualism refers to the extent to which people look after for themselves and their immediate family only. People in individualistic society tend to gain individual rewards and want to take all decisions by themselves. As they are responsible for their decisions only, they also rewarded individually. Countries which are high in individualism tend to be wealthier and developed, where all promotions are made on the basis of market value. But on the other hand, societies with collectivism tend to work in a group and take care for each other in exchange of loyalty. Countries which are high in collectivism tend to be poorer, where individual initiatives are low and promotions are given on the basis of seniority. Hofstede argued that countries like America, Great Britain and Australia tend to be individualistic societies. Where employees are running behind the individual recognition and promotion in an organization is the major motivational force. But countries like China, Japan and Pak istan, tend to be collectivist society, where all decisions are made on group consensus. Everybody take care for each other and employees are more focused towards group recognition. And the most important over here is that, management encourages cooperation and loyalty and they are treated as a family rather than an individual working for the organization. In 1992 Holden mentioned collectivist society as: Japanese managers spend up to 30% of their time, in and outside normal office hours, educating their younger colleagues and initiating them in the lore and wisdom of the company, preparing them functionally and psychologically for the operations outside the firm (Holden, 1992, p.31) Masculinity versus Femininity: A Masculine culture is the one in which basic social values are success, money and things. A country which is high in masculinity, people laid great importance on recognition, advancement, showing off, material achievement and being outward. But on the other hand countries which are high in femininity, tend to be caring and loving. A great importance is laid on cooperation, group decision making, friendly atmosphere and more employee freedom. Organizations which are working in low masculine society, promotions are made on the basis of merits and all employees are treated as a member of one family, but in organization working in high feminine society, rewards are set in such a way so that more and more competition takes place between employees rather than cooperation. Conclusion: It can easily be concluded that, Hofstede shows that national cultures contain at least four dimensions and every organization has to come up with these dimensions as they are working in diverse cultures. After analysing these dimensions a company can easily operate in diverse cultured society as national culture has a significant impact on the organization. Knowledge of different cultures is very much essential for the organizations which are working as multinationals and also for HR Professionals, as people who are going to hired by the organization have different set of beliefs regarding motivation, loyalty, career development and decision making. So a proper match must be there between the organization practices and the national culture, in this way an organization can easily succeed in a society in which it operates. So that there would be a positive impact of national culture on the development and effectiveness of HRM strategies and policies.

The Record Companies Decrease in Sales :: Music

The Record Companies' Decrease in Sales The music business is experiencing a recession where record sales are reaching all-time lows. All record companies have in the last few years experienced a considerable decrease in sales. Finding the cause or causes of this has naturally become a major concern for all of them. Some blame the recession in the West in general, but that can hardly explain why one industry is losing out so much more than others. Music today is less from the heart than it used to be only ten years ago. It is mostly a purely commercial product to be used up and thrown away. A lot of modern music has a short but intense life span. People are not prepared to pay as much for a 'disposable' product as they are for a 'reusable'. The hit song of the week is fed to us all through radio and TV so intensely that we need not buy the record. And when it is no longer broadcasted no one remembers it. Attempts to change this and promote more quality, depth and originality in music have not been very successful. The whole entertainment business is ruled by trends and, quality seems to have gone out of style To simply lower the price of a CD is a commonly suggested solution, naturally advocated by the buyers. But no business favors such a remedy. Not only since it reduces their income but also because it sends out the wrong signals to people. It gives the impression that the product is worth less and that the customers have been charged too much before. And if the price can drop by ten per cent this year people might expect it to drop another ten per cent next year. A better settlement could be enhancing the product and giving people more for their money. Thanks to modern technology there can be so much more included on a CD than just music. A computer with a CD-ROM drive, which is becoming quite common, allows us to read several different kinds of information off a CD. A short interview with the artist or 'behind the scenes' features can be included as so called 'Quicktime movies'. Lyric sheets, discographies, extensive biographies and even sheet music can also be added easily. Text files have such small memory requirements compared to sound that the Bible can be stored in less space than a normal length song! There have already been several Cds released which include a

Winston Churchill as Man of the Twentieth Century Essay -- Exploratory

Winston Churchill as Man of the Twentieth Century During the twentieth century, there were many people, some well known and others not so well known, who contributed to society in one way or another. When determining which one of these people was the biggest contributor to society during the twentieth century, and, therefore, the person of the twentieth century, their lives as a whole should be taken into consideration. In addition to contributing much to society in various ways, the best candidate for person of the century should also have had struggles and experiences that they overcame or went through and from which they learned. Winston Churchill is the person who contributed the most to society during the twentieth century and made it what it is today. Throughout his life, like other good candidates for person of the century, Winston Churchill had many struggles and experiences that he overcame and from which he learned. One of these major struggles had to do with his family, or more specifically, his parents. Winston was born into a rich and famous family of England. Both his father, Lord Randolph Churchill, and his mother, Lady Randolph Churchill (Jennie Jerome), were well known throughout England. Lord Randolph was a well-known member of Parliament and, because of his popularity, his wife was also well known. Like other well-known people at the time, Winston’s parents were often busy with political and social meetings and didn’t have time to care for him. Mrs. Everest, a nurse/nanny to Winston and his brother, Jack, took care of him as he grew up. As one author writes, â€Å"It was to her [Mrs. Everest] that Winston turned when in need, and he always remembered her with affection† (Bailey 8). It wasn’ t that Winston was... ...h birthday, he died. People from all over the world paid tribute to him for all he had done for society (Bailey 60-63). Sir Winston Churchill fits the perfect description for man of the century. He used the abilities and qualities to not only lead England (and the other Allies) in a defeat against Hitler, but also prevent civilization from becoming to a more evil civilization, tainted with the evil of Hitler. Bibliography Bailey, Eva. Churchill. East Sussex: Wayland Publishers Limited, 1981. â€Å"Famous Quotes & Stories of Winston Churchill.† (Online). Available http://www.winstonchurchill.org/bonmots.htm, May 12, 2001. Microsoft Corporation. â€Å"Churchill, Sir Winston Leonard Spencer.† 2000. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000. CD-ROM. Sandys, Celia. The Young Churchill: The Early Years of Winston Churchill. United States of America: Dutton, 1995. Winston Churchill as Man of the Twentieth Century Essay -- Exploratory Winston Churchill as Man of the Twentieth Century During the twentieth century, there were many people, some well known and others not so well known, who contributed to society in one way or another. When determining which one of these people was the biggest contributor to society during the twentieth century, and, therefore, the person of the twentieth century, their lives as a whole should be taken into consideration. In addition to contributing much to society in various ways, the best candidate for person of the century should also have had struggles and experiences that they overcame or went through and from which they learned. Winston Churchill is the person who contributed the most to society during the twentieth century and made it what it is today. Throughout his life, like other good candidates for person of the century, Winston Churchill had many struggles and experiences that he overcame and from which he learned. One of these major struggles had to do with his family, or more specifically, his parents. Winston was born into a rich and famous family of England. Both his father, Lord Randolph Churchill, and his mother, Lady Randolph Churchill (Jennie Jerome), were well known throughout England. Lord Randolph was a well-known member of Parliament and, because of his popularity, his wife was also well known. Like other well-known people at the time, Winston’s parents were often busy with political and social meetings and didn’t have time to care for him. Mrs. Everest, a nurse/nanny to Winston and his brother, Jack, took care of him as he grew up. As one author writes, â€Å"It was to her [Mrs. Everest] that Winston turned when in need, and he always remembered her with affection† (Bailey 8). It wasn’ t that Winston was... ...h birthday, he died. People from all over the world paid tribute to him for all he had done for society (Bailey 60-63). Sir Winston Churchill fits the perfect description for man of the century. He used the abilities and qualities to not only lead England (and the other Allies) in a defeat against Hitler, but also prevent civilization from becoming to a more evil civilization, tainted with the evil of Hitler. Bibliography Bailey, Eva. Churchill. East Sussex: Wayland Publishers Limited, 1981. â€Å"Famous Quotes & Stories of Winston Churchill.† (Online). Available http://www.winstonchurchill.org/bonmots.htm, May 12, 2001. Microsoft Corporation. â€Å"Churchill, Sir Winston Leonard Spencer.† 2000. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000. CD-ROM. Sandys, Celia. The Young Churchill: The Early Years of Winston Churchill. United States of America: Dutton, 1995.

Arafat :: essays research papers

Yasser Arafat has survived any number of "defining moments" and "turning points" in his decades as a Palestinian leader. Now comes another, perhaps the final one. The horrific slaughter of more than two dozen innocent Israelis in attacks in Jerusalem and Haifa over the weekend makes it imperative that the Palestinian Authority president break the back of the terrorist groups that carry out such murders of pure hatred. Arafat's failure to do so would open the door to an all-out Israeli war on organizations such as Hamas, which claimed responsibility for the most recent attacks, and Islamic Jihad, surely with greater suffering for the Palestinian people Arafat claims to represent. Israel retaliated Monday, launching air strikes on Arafat's helicopter compound in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank city of Jenin. Israeli spokesmen also warned of greater, unspecified payback. The attack and counterattack are the latest tightening of the dreadful happenings that must and need to come to an end. Why can’t the people of both nations live in peace and agree to live within and alongside one another? I find these recent outbreaks of hatred as pure ignorance. They can’t even image agreeing with each other. In years past United States presidents have tried, but only to see more killing. I believe as a nation we need to hold a diplomatic session with both nations, and maybe this will have impact on them to see the mass destruction and economic hardships on their nations. I can’t understand, or imagine living in a world where you can’t even go to the mall for risk of some maniac that might come storming in and blow himself up, or riding the public transportation for fear of being killed by a bomb. They have been fighting since the beginning of time itself and it is time we look at this closer. Israel uses helicopters and foot soldiers, bullets and missiles in massive attacks that kill innocent Palestinians and inflame the hatred. Palestinian suicide bombers strap weapons around their waists and kill as many Israelis as they can. I don’t know about you but to strap a bomb to myself and let it explode is a different concept than to just drop the bomb, or throw a grenade. Doesn’t that do the same thing without killing yourself? Who are they trying to kill here? The thing is that Arafat must realize that the weekend attacks represent an assault on his own authority as well as on the tatters of the peace process. Israeli and Palestinian voices of peace have been reduced to whispers; the average person

Stalin – History

How far was Stalin’s victory in the power struggle between 1924 and 1929 the result of the popularity of his policies? Even though Stalin’s victory in the power struggle was partly due to his popular policies, it was not just this that allowed Stalin also because of the mistakes made by other rivals and factors that played into his hands. For example Trotsky was a former menshevik which helped Stalin accuse him of not been a true Bolshevik. There are many reasons that suggest Stalin’s victory in the power struggle was because his popular policies.For example Stalin’s popular policy of Socialism in one country put the needs of the USSR first, this was particularly popular because the conditions for the majority of the Russian people was unthinkable as extreme poverty was common for the average Russian in the the early 20th Century. It was a lot more popular than Trotsky's idea of World revolution, which would have seen many of the resources owned by the USS R sent abroad to try spread the Communist revolution abroad in other countries. Stalin developed his idea in Socialism in one Country because he did not like Trotsky.Stalin recognised that Trotsky’s policy was over optimistic and unpopular. The First World War and the civil war had destroyed the Russian economy and Stalin’s policy showed faith in the soviet people, almost portraying that Stalin believed in the Russian people. Stalin portrayed the Worldwide revolution as a policy that put the needs of other countries before those of the Russian people. Trostsky’s Jewish background marked him as a disloyal outsider among many party members anyway, and his international policy only seemed to confirm that he was not loyal to the people of Russia.It was not just his popular policies that saw Stalin replace Lenin as the leader of the USSR. It was also partly due to the mistakes and weaknesses made by the other leading Bolsheviks such as Trotsky. Trotsky was seen as to o powerful because he was the leader of the 5 million strong red army, he was known as the Red Napoleon. Trotsky was also Jewish, even though he himself believed that this reason would stop him from becoming the next leader, many argue that this was not such a big problem.However he was an ex menshevik which allowed Stalin to question his belief in Bolshevism, it was this fear that Trotsky was too powerful that led to kamenev and Zinoviev to side with Stalin. His popular policies were key to Stalin becoming the next leader of the USSR. Stalin’s commitment to the NEP until 1927 allowed him to defeat the united opposition of Trotsky, Zinoviev, and Kamenev. After the fall of Trotsky Zinoviev and Kamenev realised that Stalin was now the most powerful figure in the party and they began to speak out against the NEP.This was not only an attack on Stalin but an attack on Bukharin resulting in the two uniting. The NEP was particularly popular because it was following the line of Lenin and more than anything it seemed to be working as the Russian economy recovered in the mid 1920's. However Stalin was victorious in the power struggle not just because his policies were popular but because he had a great deal of luck. The two main pieces of luck that Stalin had was the ban on factionalism introduced by Lenin before his death and the appointment of Stalin as general secretary in 1922.Originally when Stalin was first appointed as General Secretary many Bolsheviks didn't realise the potential power which this now gave Stalin,one Menshevik described Stalin as the ‘grey blur'. However this gave Stalin power that nobody could have anticipated, it allowed for Stalin to appoint the regional secretaries, meaning that Stalin was able to rebuild the party by selecting the people who he wanted into key posts. This meant that slowly the party was been built up of people which were supporters of Stalin. The second bit of luck which inevitably benefited Stalin was the Ban o n Factionalism which was introduced in 1921.This ‘Ban on Factionalism' meant that everybody within the party were not able to speak out against official party policies and if somebody did then they were accused of been a factionalist and therefore expelled from the party. This benefited Stalin greatly as he could use this to his advantage, anybody that publicly spooke out against one of the policies which he supported could be branded as a factionalist and not a supporter of Lenin and therefore be defeated in the struggle for power. It could be argued that Stalin's policies were the main reason as to why he was victorious in the power struggle, however it is important to remember hat Stalin was extremely pragmatic when it came to what he believed in, changing his mind and supporting particular policies when it suited him, so the real fundamental reason as to why Stalin was victorious in the power struggle was because Stalin unlike the other leading figure of the party played h is cards right and was clever when it came to who he sided with. It was his cunningness combined with the amount of luck which he had which led to him eventually becoming the next leader of Russia in 1928.

Research Proposal for Internal Auditor Essay

Introduction The responsibility of the internal audit is to serve the Ministry of Justice in a manner that is consistent with the Financial Administration and Audit Act, Standards for the Professional Practise of Internal Auditing and with professional standards of conduct. This activity has the potential to provide hitherto unparallel services to management in the conduct of their duties. Background of Study The government of Jamaica established the Internal Auditing Agency as a means of strengthening accountability and reinforcing trust and confidence in financial reporting for public sector institutions. These audits help enhance economic prosperity, expanding the variety, number and value of transactions by means of written reports or consultations to prepare persons who are entering into transactions. (Institute of Chartered Accountants 2005) The value of an Internal Auditor lies in how well he/she is able to contribute to the overall achievement of the organisations objectives. The auditor should always strive to make himself relevantto the ogranisations using the proper methods of providing information to that will allow management make decisions that will impact the organization positively on their ability to achieve organisational goals. However according to the reports made by the Auditor General of Jamaica (2005) audits have been restrictive in terms of scope with the lack of technology in aiding auditor and fraud. This needs to be addressed if the required return on investment in the Internal Audit is to be attained. Problem Statement The Internal Audit Agency (2006) believes that the importance of internal audit is analytically obscure. This belief plagues the importance of an internal audit as a key function that can strengthen the oversight responsibility of the governing body and this attitude reflects management’s view on auditors. To sum it up, Public Sector agencies discredit auditors, The Internal Audit functions in the Jamaican public sector faces a perception and credibility problem as auditors are seen as value adders or fault finders in the government rather than solution providers. Management Question: Why is it that public sector managers find the function of the Internal Audit Agency an inconvenience and what can be done to curb it? Research Questions: 1. Why is there a low support for Internal Audit by Public Sector Managers? 2. What steps should be put in place in order to get the support of management for Internal Auditing in the Public Sector? 3. Is there a comparison between the quality of service the Internal Auditor provides for his organisation and the attitude of managers towards the Internal Audit function? Hypothesis: The quality of service provided by the Internal Auditors for their organization is in no way related to the attitude of managers towards the function of the Internal Audit. Objectives: 1. Examine the factors that are responsible for the low support of the Internal Audit by managers of the Public Sector institution. 2. Identify specific actions required to secure support of managers for the Internal Audit 3. Establish the relationship between quality of service and support of managers for Internal Audit Significance of Study: The significance of the study will be to: 1. Introduce the Agency to the Jamaican public not as evaluators but future planners 2. Improve the public understanding of the Agency’s role in the government 3. To show that the agency aids organizations in achieving their goals and objectives. Methodology Areas covered in this section include : research design, population, sample and sampling techniques, data collection and analysis. Research Design: Â  The design will involve evaluating the role of the Internal Auditors in the governance of the organisations in the public sector. This research is designed to validate the objectives set out by the researcher. Population: The public sector of Jamaica is probably the largest employers of internal auditors. These institutions involve several organisations including ministries, departments and agencies (A). It also includes metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (B). The targeted population for the study would include: 1. Directors and managers 2. Financial officers, coordinating directors and staff 3. Staff and heads of the audit departments Sampling and Sampling Technique The researcher will adopt the survey type of research in which a sample from the target population will be used for the study. A total of 150 elements will be selected from a target population of 500. The details are as follows: * 20 directors and 5 managers * 30 coordinating directors and 15 financial officers * 60 staff members and 10 heads of the audit department In this research, the researcher will adopt a multistage stratified sampling method to select elements. -The population will be separated accordingly into (A) and (B), as shown above. -Elements in group (A) are the Ministries, Departments and Agencies -Elements in group (B) are the Metropolitan, Municipal and Districts. This separates them to allow the research information to be more coherent and shows that their operations are significantly different. Data Collection: The focus of this data collection is to show the attitudes and perception and the importance of primary data. Secondary data will also be collected to reinforce the data collected. The researcher will have to provide the Public sector institutions with an introductory letter explaining the reason for the research with proper identification and request consent. The initial visit to selected institutions would be to familiarize himself with those institutions and members within the institutions . Data Collection Instrument A questionnaire will be the instrument used in retrieving the Data. It would include structured questions segregated into 4 sections. ‘Section 1’, ‘Section 2’, ‘Section 3’, ‘Section 4’. * Section ‘1’ will consist of questions seeking to answer the first research question * Section ‘2’ will consist of questions seeking to answer the second research question * Section ‘3’ will consist of questions seeking to answer the third question * Section ‘4’ will consist of questions to test and validating the hypothesis Data Analysis The answered retrieved from the questionnaire will be graded in each section and a percentage will be formulated. Limitations The researcher may not be able to cover all the institutions over Jamaica. Institutions may not allow the researcher to conduct research on the organization. References * The Institute of Internal Auditors (the IIA). (2007), The Professional Practices Framework. Florida, U.S.: The IIA Research Foundation. * Institute of Internal Auditors (2010) Role of Internal Audit, South Africa * Cahmbers, R. Internal Auditor: Chambers on the Profession (2012) Dilemmas Every Internal Auditor Will Face, http://www.theiia.org/blogs/chambers/index.cfm/post/Five%20Dilemmas%20Every%20Internal%20Auditor%20Will%20Face * Ministry of Justice, http://www.moj.gov.jm/internal_audit * Auditor General’s Department of Jamaica, Annual Report 200, http://www.auditorgeneral.gov.jm/ Table of Contents Introduction 2 Background of Study 3 Problem Statements 4 Management question, Research Question and Hypothesis 4 Objectives and Significance of study 5 Methodology 6 Research Design and Population 6 Sampling and Sampling Technique 7 Data collection, Data Instrument, Data analysis and Limitations 8 References 9

Macbeth Act 2 Summary

Summary Macbeth meets Banquo in the courtyard of his castle. Banquo is restless because he cannot decide how he feels about the witches and their prophecies. Macbeth pretends indifference, but casually agrees to talk about it if Banquo would like. They agree, and Banquo leaves. Macbeth again takes time to examine the pros and cons of going through with the plot, and begins to see illusions, starting with a dagger floating in the air in front of him. He seems to go back and forth, but eventually decides to kill Duncan. Enter To come on stage. Court A courtyard, possibly the forecourt. bearing a torch before himFleance is carrying a torch because this scene is set at night. Since the play was originally performed in the open air, in the afternoon, the torch helps us accept that it’s night. she The moon. I take’t, ’tis later I assume that it’s later than midnight. Most people had no accurate way to tell time. Clocks were few and watches had not been invented. There’s husbandry in heaven; / Their candles are all out. husbandry — conservation All the candles of heaven (the stars) are dark, unseen. The night is cloudy. Take thee that too. Banquo asks his son, Fleance, to take something else he’s been carrying, in addition to his sword.A heavy summons lies like lead upon me   . .  . Gives way to in repose! Banquo is tired and wants to sleep, but he can’t. This is a problem, since he knows he’ll worry over unwelcome thoughts if he stays awake. He prays, briefly, that he won’t be bothered by thoughts we naturally would think when we have the time to reflect on things. Give me my sword. Banquo immediately asks for his sword back again, since someone is approaching. It’s dark, so he can’t yet tell it’s Macbeth. Who’s there? Banquo asks â€Å"Who’s there? † — challenging the stranger to identify himself. not yet at rest? Why haven’t you gone to bed?The king’s a-bed The king has already gone to his sleep in unusual pleasure, and / Sent forth great largess to your offices. The king has been in an unusually good mood, and has given gifts in great measure to your household. This diamond he greets your wife withal, / By the name of most kind hostess Here’s a gem the king asked me to give to you, to give to your wife, as thanks for all her kindness as hostess. shut up / In measureless content. The king has now gone to bed in his private chamber, where he is locked in — â€Å"shut up† — for the night, completely happy with the way things are — â€Å"in measureless content. Being unprepared, / Our will became the servant to defect; / Which else should free have wrought. I wasn’t expecting all this (I was unprepared), so I left the dinner early (I â€Å"defected†). Otherwise I would have remained the whole time, and done what anyone would normally have done. Macbeth may be ma king excuses. Possibly he had so much on his mind that he couldn’t be a good host and left earlier than expected. Possibly he just wanted time, alone, to think. All’s well. / I dreamt last night of the three weird sisters: / To you they have show’d some truth. Banquo first says that there’s no harm done.He then invites Macbeth to talk about their meeting with the witches, by stating that he dreamed of the weird sisters — the sisters of Fate — the three witches. He also reminds Macbeth that they have spoken truth so far. I think not of them Macbeth is lying, trying to appear unconcerned. He definitely has been thinking about what the witches have said. Yet, when we can entreat an hour to serve, / We would spend it in some words upon that business, / If you would grant the time. But, if we have nothing better to do, we can talk about that, if you want. I don’t mind.Macbeth wants to conceal how eager he is to talk about this. At your kin d’st leisure. When it’s convenient for you. If you shall cleave to my consent, when ’tis, / It shall make honour for you. If you agree to act with me, join me, when it’s time to do so, you’ll benefit by it. So I lose none / In seeking to augment it, but still keep / My bosom franchised and allegiance clear, / I shall be counsell’d. As long as this doesn’t involve doing anything dishonorable, and as long as I can stay loyal and true, I’ll follow along. My bosom franchised and allegiance clear — my heart belongs to the kingI shall be counsell’d. — I’ll agree to your plans. The difference between the two men is becoming clear — Macbeth is willing to do anything, including murder Duncan, to get to the throne; Banquo won’t even pursue honor for himself if he has to give up any virtue to get there. Good repose the while! Sleep well until we get together to talk about this. Macbeth is probably just covering up, acting naturally. As we’re about to see, he has already decided to act, and probably feels no more need to discuss things with Banquo. Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand?Come, let me clutch thee. / I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. dagger — sturdy, medium-sized knife, with a blade up to a foot long. let me clutch thee. / I have thee not — Macbeth is trying to grasp the dagger’s handle, but there’s nothing there. Macbeth has begun to see things, guilty visions, even before he has started down the road of murder. He is afraid of the immediate future, afraid of what he is planning to do. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible / To feeling as to sight? or art thou but / A dagger of the mind, a false creation, / Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?Aren’t you able to be touched, just as you can be seen? Or are you just a vision, an imagined thing, an artifact of a fevered brain? I see thee yet, in form as palpable / As this which now I draw. I can still see you, just as solid-looking as this real dagger I now draw from its sheath. Thou marshall’st me the way that I was going; / And such an instrument I was to use. Your appearance encourages me to pursue what I was going to do (murder Duncan), and I was going to use a dagger to do it, so this must be a true indicator of what lies ahead.Mine eyes are made the fools o’ the other senses, / Or else worth all the rest; I see thee still, / And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, / Which was not so before. My eyes are either worthless (deceived by a false vision), or else they’re the most capable of my senses (able to perceive what my other senses cannot). I still see the dagger, and now I see flowing blood on the blade and handle — that wasn’t there earlier. There’s no such thing: / It is the bloody business which informs / Thus to mine eyes. This is unreal. It’s th e horrifying act I’m contemplating that makes these visions appear.Now o’er the one halfworld / Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse / The curtain’d sleep One half the world is in night, asleep, and nightmares take advantage of dreamers   . .  . witchcraft celebrates / Pale Hecate’s offerings, and wither’d murder, / Alarum’d by his sentinel, the wolf, / Whose howl’s his watch, thus with his stealthy pace. witches dance with Hecate (chief goddess of spells and witchcraft), and murder approaches (alarmed by its sentinel, the wolf)   . .  . With Tarquin’s ravishing strides, towards his design / Moves like a ghost. Tarquin was the son of a Roman king, infamous for his rape of Lucretia.This story has been the subject of many art works, including Shakespeare’s own poem, â€Å"The Rape of Lucrece. † For more information about this story, see the Wikipedia article regarding Sextus Tarquinius. Thou sure and f irm-set earth, / Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear / Thy very stones prate of my whereabout Macbeth is asking, dramatically, even the earth to not hear him walking, or know which way he goes, for fear the stones themselves would speak the truth they know — that he’s now going to murder Duncan. This is likely also a reference to Jesus entering Jerusalem — when told he hould quiet his disciples, Jesus responded â€Å"I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. † (Luke 19:40) Or, in other words, truth cannot be silenced. Macbeth is hoping to evade this proverb. prate — speak, talk And take the present horror from the time, Which now suits with it. Make the present less horrifying than it is. Whiles I threat, he lives: / Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives. While I stand here talking about it, Duncan is still alive. Words are cold and weak, compared to the heat and strength (impor tance) of deeds.I go, and it is done The bell has rung. It’s time to act. It’s settled. the bell invites me The bell summons me. Macbeth is still hoping he can evade at least part of the responsibility for what he’s about to do. Now he’s making the bell partly responsible. Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knell / That summons thee to heaven or to hell. Even now, Macbeth half hopes that the murder might not happen after all. He thinks that if Duncan doesn’t hear the ringing of the bell (the knell), maybe he (Duncan) won’t have to die. But Macbeth proceeds, in spite of his doubts and misgivings. AsideIn an aside, the character speaks privately to himself for a moment, or directly to the audience, or privately to some (but not all) of the other characters present. As a matter of convention, an aside is always a true statement of what the character thinks. A character speaking in an aside may be mistaken, but may not be dishonest. An aside (agai n as a matter of convention) cannot be heard by those not spoken to. Exit He leaves the stage. Exeunt Banquo and Fleance. Exeunt — Latin, literally â€Å"they leave. † Banquo and Fleance leave the stage, leaving Macbeth alone with a servant.

Koutons Retail India Limited Essay

The company went public in early 2006 and thereby became Koutons Retail India Limited (KRIL) with effect from June27, 2006. KRIL is primarily an integrated apparel manufacturing and retail company in India. They are in the business of designing, manufacturing and retailing under the brand names Koutons and Charlie Outlaw. Their main target customers are middle class consumers who are keen to trying out new fashions falling in the age group of 22 – 45 years. Find below a brief timeline of Koutons. 1991- Started as Charlie denim jeans showroom 1994 – Incorporated as Charlie Creations Pvt. Ltd 1997 – Diversified in non-denim apparel, awarded with Best Menswear Collection 1998 – Brand Koutons was launched 2002 – First exclusive brand outlet of Koutons opened 2006 – IPO. Name changed to Koutons Retail India ltd in June 27, 2006 2007 – Listed on BSE and NSE Koutons Financials Koutons has reported the fastest growth in its sales and profits among its listed and closest peers partly due to a smaller base. The Company’s restated total income and profit after tax were Rs 4036. 17 million and Rs 344. 87 million respectively as of and for the year ended March 31, 2007 compared to Rs 1583. 85 million and Rs 131. 8 million respectively as of and for the year ended March 31, 2006. (Exhibit 1). Koutons do not have any stock option scheme or stock purchase scheme for the employees of the company. Industry Overview The Indian retail sector, which is believed to be at an inflexion point, is valued at USD 270 billion (2006) with Food and Grocery being the dominant sector followed by clothing, textiles and fashion accessories which contributes nearly 9. 5%. The organized retail sector on the other hand has grown with a CAGR of 30% and stands at about USD 12. 4 billion (2006) which is only 4. 6% of the total retail market thus demonstrating its huge future otential. In the organized retail sector the major share is held by the clothing and accessories sector (39%) growing at a rate of 30. 3% during 2005-06, followed by food and grocery (11%). The Indian apparel retail industry(which mainly consists of sale of all menswear, womenswear and infantswear) grew by 12. 3% in 2006 to reach a value of $20 billion (INR 880. 9 billion); the CAGR growth for the period 2002-06 being 11%(Exhibit 2). The share of the organized apparel retail has grown steadily to reach 18. 9% in 2006. Considering an anticipated CAGR of 10%, the apparel retail industry in India is expected to reach USD 32. billion by end of 2011. Fuelled by strong economic growth, favorable demographics, easy availability of credits, availability of retail space, rising level of disposable income, rise in dual income families and shift of life style pattern, organized retail in India is expected to grow tremendously in the next few years. The emergence of the mall culture in India acts as catalyst in this growth story. By the end of 2007 approximately 68 million sqft of mall space is expected to come in India, majority being equally shared between North Zone (39%) and West Zone (33%). According to a 2005 KPMG retail survey report, the Specialty and Super Market format have the highest potential for growth (45%) followed by Hypermarkets(36%) and Discount Stores (27%). In terms of opening up of new retail outlets, the apparel retailers and brands attained a growth of 113% in 2006 compared to 84% in 2005. As on 2006, major share in the Indian apparel retail market is accounted for by Menswear (45%), followed by Womenswear (36. 1%), Infantswear (18. 8%). While the Menswear has witnessed a growth of 12% by value and 3. 9% by volume, Womenswear has grown 14. 9% by value and 5. 4% by volume. Almost comparable growth has also happened in the Infantswear sector (11. 5% by value and 3. 8% by volume). Competitive Landscape in Apparel Retail Porter’s Five Forces Model The competitive nature of the Indian apparel retail sector can be very well analyzed using the famous Five Forces Model as suggested by Michael Porter. Fig: Porter’s Five Force Model Bargaining Power of Buyers The bargaining power of buyers becomes weak because of three main reasons. First, majority of the buyers are individual consumers and hence has limited purchasing power. Second, the retailers can very easily differentiate their products. Third, only the retailers can provide the consumers with a wide variety of quality products. On the other hand, the fact that buyers have very low switching cost and retailers are obliged to act according to buyer needs provides the buyer with some bargaining power. Infact, it is believed that in Indian apparel retail, brand loyalty exists mostly for the brands and less for the retailers. Bargaining Power of Suppliers The sourcing happens mostly from the clothing manufacturers and the wholesalers. The manufacturing industry is highly fragmented in nature inducing a price war. Low product diversity on the part of the suppliers reduces the switching cost for the retailers. However, the only drawback of moving to a low cost supplier might be the threat of not being able to live up to the highly volatile trend of changing fashion. Entry Barrier Entry barrier is comparatively low, like any other retail sector. The industry itself is highly fragmented and requires low capital investment. The policy taken by the Government to open up the retail sector to foreign investments will definitely encourage entry of other foreign players. Threat of Substitutes We can identify three major threats to the apparel retail. First, with e-buying becoming popular with every passing day there may be an opportunity of buying directly from the manufacturers. Homemade apparels though can be a substitute has a very low threat mainly because of the ever changing fashion needs of the generation and the substantial increase in disposable income. The last and the biggest threat for substitute come from the sale of counterfeit apparels. Competitors The Indian apparel retail industry is highly fragmented in nature. Within the readymade segment there are both branded and unbranded players. There are many foreign brands that have established themselves successfully in the Indian apparel retail market using different channels. While brands like Allen Solly and Arrow have taken the licensing route, Benetton have entered the market through tie-up with domestic players. Again brands like Tommy Hilfliger, Mark’s and Spencers and Speedo have taken up the franchisee channel. On the other hand, Metro entered the market through cash and carry wholesale trading route. The private labels, by virtue of providing higher margins to the retailer and lower cost to the customers have also become extreme popular. Some of the well known private labels are John Miller, Bare and Stop. Although competition in the retail apparel segment is heating up, the inherent advantage of Koutons model – backward integration, positioning and first mover advantage – is not easy to replicate within a short period of time. On the back of the company? s aggressive rollout plan and diversification to high-margin segments, the company enjoys better valuations than its peers like Kewal Kiran and Zodiac Clothing, although not strictly comparable. There are approximately 23 major players in the branded apparel retail segment in India with Koutons coming next to Raymond Ltd. Exhibit 3 ; 4). Pentagon-Triangle Model Koutons mainly works on pentagon model. The key attributes of the pentagon model fit as follows: Place Size and Location: Out of 999 exclusive brand outlets (EBOs as Aug 20, 2007) 531 EBOs were present in northern region. West and east India has about 29 and 38 stores respectively. Koutons has o ver 1000 company managed stores and 18 manufacturing units. By August 2007 they owned 14 warehouse facilities spread around Gurgaon. They are present mainly in northern and north western region. By March 2006, there was no presence of Koutons in southern region. They have started slowly moving into southern region. Layout and Design: Koutons generally operate through a franchisee model. Traditionally, Koutons outlets used to store men? s apparel. But recently they have extended their product portfolio to include women? s and kid wear as well. Generally, the size of a Koutons outlet ranges from 1000 sq feet to 2000 sq feet; variations happening depending on the location, real estate rates and host of other factors as well. Their flagship stores have a size of 3000-5000 sqft. Koutons outlets may be single storied or multi storied. The outlets are generally spacious and display caters to need of middle class Indian customer segment. (Exhibit 5: Koutons EBO, Calicut). Product Style and Fashion: Go with latest fashion trends. Mainly target high fashion aspirants of the age group 22-45 years. If any type of fashion becomes obsolete, still Koutons tries to attract customers, but ultimately if situation does not improve they also stop keeping such fashioned garments and go with new trends and fashions. Assortment: Wide variety of men? s wear including shirts, trousers, jeans, jackets, T-shirts. Limited variety of kids and women? s wear. The assortment also depends on region. An EBO in north India might have little different assortment compared to one in south. Value Price: Low brand value. It sometimes offers 70% discounts which have diminished its brand value to a large extent causing a barrier in the way of moving up the value chain. Koutons follows a unique discounting policy wherein they claim to give a discount of x% + y% which is often criticized as a marketing gimmick and a way to mislead the customer. For example, a discount of 50%+40% often gives the customer the impression of availing a 90% discount – whereas effectively it means a 70% discount. Quality: Mixed conception among customers. Most people think its product quality goes down with increase in discounts. It has failed to maintain same quality of products throughout its EBOs across all regions. People Service: Koutons mainly deal with men? s apparels. But recently have started making garments for women also. Knowledge: For managerial position they mainly look for experienced people (at least 2-3 years of experience in apparel business). Climate: Koutons generally stocks apparel which are all-weather. Few varieties differ with region, e. g. sweaters are stocked in north EBOs but not in south. But most of the stock can be sold in all weathers. Communication Positional: Koutons have positioned themselves as „„value for money, but high on fashion†. They mainly target pro-fashion customers who are very much willing to try new fashion trends at nominal prices. They often offer attractive discount policies to attract middle class fashion minded customers. T heir target customers belong to age group 22 to 45 years. Promotional: Koutons mainly advertise through newspapers and they have a well designed website. They incur minimum advertising expense and rarely goes for any celebrity endorsement. Their presence in 450 cities of India is believed to have created an automatic brand visibility. Business Processes The two major business processes at Koutons are Manufacturing and Sales operations. The diagram below shows the processes involved in manufacturing. Some of the key differentiating factors involved in the business processes are : Procurement of raw materials: Procurement of raw material from India, China, Taiwan and Italy using third party suppliers. Third party manufacturers: To cater to the growing demand for outsourcing of manufacturing is also done. For this, the Company has executed 211 agreements with 211 fabricators. Manufacture of production sample: A product sample is produced in house according to the specifications provided for the range of products for a particular season. The first production report is prepared on the basis of this sample. All apparent and intricate corrections are made in the sample so as to make it error free. Accordingly, a detailed production plan is devised. Fabric cutting and stitching: A layout for cutting the respective products is done with the help of CAD plotter machines. Sales and distribution The company has a dedicated â€Å"Sales and Marketing† team which consists of 90 employees. Competitive Strengths The key strengths of Koutons are: ? Exclusive brand outlets ? Wide network of retail stores ? Low-cost sourcing capabilities (diminishing the cost of material as well as that of the final products hence resulting in low cost products) ? Proper brand positioning (identifying the proper target customer segment and meeting their requirements) ? Expertise in designing and merchandise (core competency) ? Efficient management ? Wide apparel range (customers can choose their required things from a well chosen stock) ? Efficient utilization of IT and making it a differentiating factor compared to other retailers. Koutons always follows proper strategic planning before taking any business decision. They are planning to increase their geographic penetration by increasing the number of brand outlets to distant areas, enhancing manufacturing capabilities, targeting new customer segments. Positioning the Koutons brand strongly (exporting apparels under the brand name), making potential mergers and acquisitions and most importantly constantly improving the cost structure. Some of the key differentiating strengths of Koutons are described in detail. Exclusive Brand Outlets: The majority of the apparel manufacturers cum retailers in India operate through a combination of retailing through exclusive outlets, national chain stores and multi brand outlets. This entails supplies being managed directly and through distribution agents. Koutons operate on a model of marketing apparel directly through a chain of exclusive brand outlets and thus are independent of external marketing pressures attributable to the national chain stores, multi brand outlets and other intermediaries. This enables them to focus quality maintenance and customer satisfaction without the interference of any external agency. This model also enhances the brand equity and recall as the shelf space on each of the exclusive brand outlets is controlled by company. In the process, Koutons has developed a greater brand visibility and an identity of its own and has thus reduced the chances of brand dilution. As of August, 2007, the â€Å"Koutons† brand was sold through 566 exclusive brand outlets and the â€Å"Charlie Outlaw† brand was sold through 433 exclusive brand outlets. The wide coverage of exclusive brand outlets from metros to tier II towns and through the various regions in India, allows them the flexibility to hedge against fashion changes given the general time lag in fashion trends between metro and tier II towns. The table below shows the growth in number of Koutons EBOs. The company? s brands are marketed through three outlet models ? Company owned / leased and company operated (COCO) ? Company owned / leased and franchisee operated (COFO) ? Franchisee owned / leased and franchisee operated (FOFO) The company had 17 outlets, 124 outlets and 858 outlets under COCO, COFO and FOFO models, respectively, on 20 August 2007. To accommodate all EBOs (Exclusive Brand Outlets) the company is also looking for spaces for extension. It has been allotted a manufacturing facility in Gurgaon at a total project cost of Rs 301. 85 million. Koutons has benefitted heavily by following a franchisee model as often large scale operation as theirs often becomes tough to be controlled by themselves alone. Also it helps Koutons in availing real estate easily. Besides, the franchisee owners bring in entreprenual energy to the business. This model has also helped Koutons in tackling to some extent the inherent attrition problem in the retail sector and cut down on loses happening due to staff related pilferage. Koutons, in the process, has also realized cost cutting by relieving themselves of the responsibility of bearing the social security liability of the employees. Koutons franchisee model is different from its peers as it offers its franchisee minimum guaranteed payments covering lease rentals, employee costs, and other establishment costs apart from incentivized sales. Products are consigned to the franchisees, who do not bear the inventory risk except for pilferage–the risk of unsold stock remains with Koutons. The company collects a security deposit (bearing nominal interest rate) from the franchisee towards the apparels that the latter stocks at the outlet. This model is highly attractive for franchisees who seek security and low investment, which is reflected in the rapid ramp up as well as the fact that franchisee churn rate has cumulatively been less than 1. 5 per cent since inception. Koutons has planned to expand their franchisee retail model to other products like home linen and furnishing and toys. Integrated player with low-cost sourcing capabilities: Koutons is an integrated apparel manufacturing and retail company with capabilities across the entire value chain of manufacturing and retailing. One of the major strengths includes in-house finishing facilities and rigid quality controls. Extensive logistics and supply chain management systems is put in place to maintain maximum flexibility, which enables them to meet needs in an efficient manner without relying on any one vendor, factory or country. The centralized purchasing system helps in achieving the standardization in quality control systems. Their involvement at every stage of the value chain has helped them successfully cut down on the intermediary costs. Unique brand positioning: Koutons positions itself as a „High Fashion Value for Money? brand. The â€Å"Koutons† brand is positioned in the middle to high fashion segment, offering a complete range of man? wardrobe (in the age group of 22 to 45 years). The â€Å"Charlie Outlaw† brand is a casual brand targeted at fashion conscious youngsters in the age group of 14 to 25 years. Foreign brands mostly target a niche market while Koutons cater to mass market. Koutons score over foreign brands in terms of fit and size they offer to Indian cons umers. Design and merchandising expertise, with a pulse on fashion: A team of designers and merchandisers who are supported by a staff of 40 professionals, including assistant designers and technical designers. Specialized design teams for each apparel categories are formed. Wide apparel range: A wide apparel portfolio which ranges from shirts, non denim trousers, denims, suits, blazers, T- shirts, cargos, capris, sweaters etc. It has also recently launched a range of apparel for women and children. IT Infrastructure: Until now Koutons has been using a specially developed computerized system (customized) to keep all records related to sales and inventories. To keep pace with the market competition and to make its operations more efficient, it has recently started using an enterprise resource planning system using advanced computer systems with the help of Ramco systems. This advanced system will help them to reduce inventory related problems (such as decreasing the inventory lead time, planning delivery schedules better), improving transparency and reducing redundancy. State of the art information flow system to maintain records relating to sales and inventory and integrate key work flows. In 2006 the company also installed a state of the art enterprise resource planning system. The company has been working on enhancing its IT capabilities for better management. This has helped it to bring down the average inventory days from 213 in FY07 to 202 in FY08. Huge sales per store due to hefty discounts offered by the stores. Weaknesses ? COFO model problems: Opening up manufacturing as well as retail outlets needs huge capital investments and hence limits the company? s ability to expand fast, as well as react to the changing market scenario. ? The company is not able to distribute from the multibrand shops and malls. This shuts it off from a major business opportunity and capitalizes on the retail revolution. ? Inventory problem: 340 days of inventory in an apparel industry where demand is seasonal. (Poor inventory turnover) ? Low Brand Value: Koutons stores only stock their own brands and perennial 70% discounts have completely eroded its brand value. This will prevent the company to move up the value chain. ? Concerns due to the nature of its business, Koutons finds large sum of money blocked up in the form of working capital. In FY08, working capital amounted to almost 68 per cent of annual sales which is on the higher side in retail sector. Acquisitions On January 2008, the Board of Directors decided to acquire 51% or more share in Touchwood International Pvt Ltd. , a Rs. 5 crore company and the owner of the brand „Upper Class?. The company has its presence in the ladies segments. „Upper Class? has its major presence in Delhi and has a strong foothold in the ladies garments segment. The brand specializes in casual bottom wear for women and has its presence in Multi brand outlets (MBOs) like Shoppers Stop, Pantaloons and Globus. Besides, it has its presence in the European market as well. Wh ile the acquisition will definitely give Koutons an exposure to the European market, it will help „Upper Class? gain a retail presence in the domestic retail market. Koutons has planned to open up 400 outlets of „Upper Class? by 2010. Expansion Koutons earlier was exporting Koutons and Charlie brand apparels to the Middle East. But it was halted in 2004 in 2004 as a part of the management strategy to focus more on the domestic market. But now that it has made its mark in the domestic market, it is actively trying to tap the exports market by 2008 with a view to target the Indian population in the Middle East region. It has initiated talks with large retail networks based in West Asia, whereby it plans to open 30 EBOs each of Koutons and Charlie brand by 2009. Koutons plans to enter the market through the route of Joint Venture wherein the majority stake will be retained by Koutons. While the designing, branding and production will be done by Koutons, their local partners will manage the supply chain and logistics. Koutons has already earmarked Rs 40 crores for rolling out the stores. Their first outlet is planned to come up in Dubai by 2008. The other cities under consideration are Abu Dhabi, Sarjah, Doha and Qatar. They also have plans to enter the Chinese market by 2008 and enter the European market very soon. All these would definitely provide the company with immense global visibility. Going Forward The company is aggressively rolling out its EBOs in southern India. Koutons would be enlarging its product portfolio in FY09 by adding categories like accessories and handbags for women along with belts for men and footwear collection for both men and kids by 2008. It is being done with a view to increase the footfalls in the outlets and thereby assist cross-selling and also to make it a one-stop-shop. The company has plans to introduce a new line of women? wear (Les Femme brand) and kids? wear. Koutons plans to open up 150 Koutons Junior and 200 Les Femme stores by 2009-10. To lessen the risk of stock obsolescence, the company has been deploying the strategy of shifting the unsold stock from metros to tier III towns to leverage the time lag in fashion trends between metros and tier III towns. For the year 2008-09, Koutons has planned to grow through the ladies wear and kids wear segments whi ch though being high margin segments are currently being dominated mostly by the regional players. Koutons plans to revolutionize these two segments by providing value for money products – which all throughout have been their core competency. The entry of foreign players in the Indian apparel market has one hand brought the threat the increased competition and on the other hand has increased the fashion awareness amongst the Indian population. However, which target mostly target the mass market can avoid direct confrontation with the foreign players who are more into niche segments. With the rising inflation and increasing cotton price, Koutons definitely has a challenge in their hands in the years to come.