To write a case discussing the following using the succession issue in Study

To write a discussing the following using the succession issue in the article as a filter - Case Study Example This short paper looks at some of the important considerations before Mr. Perez can make up his mind. Although Mr. Buffett and his co-manager, which is Mr. Munger, have both agreed that Mr. Todd Combs fits their criteria for their successor, the market did not react very favorably. In fact, on the date of their announcement of an heir apparent, the stock price of the Berkshire Hathaway shares had slumped by 1.3% on the news (Ng, Pulliam & Zuckerman 1). Obviously the market is not as enthusiastic about Mr. Combs as both Mr. Buffett and Mr. Munger are. There are several important issues that must be resolved in full satisfaction for such an important matter as succession as a fund manager of several billions worth of investments. In particular, the markets did not share their confidence in Mr. Combs purported ability to make the same investment decisions as Mr. Buffett had made over the years to build his Berkshire Hathaway into a real giant in the investment world. A memorandum-letter that follows in the next pages details some of the crucial considerations to arrive at a sound risk assessment. Greetings and good day! It has come to our attention that you are interested to make an investment in Berkshire Hathaway but is concerned about the succession issue at the firm once Mr. Buffett retires soon. The firm had found a worthy successor in the person of a Mr. Todd Combs whom both Mr. Buffett and Mr. Munger had announced to a be a perfect fit. In this connection, here is our assessment of the investment risks involved once Mr. Combs will take over the entire management of Berkshire Hathaway’s investing activities. Investment Philosophy – perhaps this is the most crucial issue or aspect whenever the issue of succession is discussed in any organization, more especially in an investment firm. In this connection, Mr. Combs was found by Messrs. Buffett and Munger to fit exactly with the

Global Business Cultural Analysis of Switzerland Research Paper

Global Business Cultural Analysis of Switzerland - Research Paper Example Switzerland is primarily a multicultural nation, despite its small size. The nation has four official languages, including German, French, Italian, and Romansch, with German as the most common language used for teaching in schools and reading of newspapers (Levin, 2002). With such a multicultural dimension, Switzerland remains a readily available prime test market for the European nations, used for the introduction of new technology products and services before such products are nationally launched to other global markets. The situation in Switzerland clearly shows that cultural diversity plays a significant role in enhancing global business, considering that the aspect of cultural diversity in Switzerland, establishes it as one of the best business hubs in the global perspective. Major Elements and Dimensions of Culture in SwitzerlandSeveral major elements and dimensions of culture occur in Switzerland, each of which distinguishes people of a particular culture to another based on t heir different preferences on the dimensions. The elements and dimensions of culture in Switzerland; therefore, include communication, Religion, Ethics, Values and Attitudes, Manners, Customs, Social Structures, Organizations. Communication ideally is one of the most important aspects every cultural setting. Being a multi-lingual nation, Switzerland has four major languages German, which takes up approximately 70% of the population’s main communication language, French, Italian, and Romansh.

Business Empowerment Using ICT In Poultry Farming Commerce Essay

Business Empowerment Using ICT In Poultry Farming Commerce Essay This study investigates factors affecting poultry farmers in Fufore Local Government area of Adamawa State, Nigeria. It also discusses ways through which these farmers can be empowered through the use of ICT. In this research, mixed research methods were adopted in obtaining the data that was used; this includes the quantitative and qualitative research methods. The study discovered that a general support to build up the poultry production is necessary in the area of ICT and business to empower their businesses. This is necessary for extensive improvements in the contribution of the project to domestic production and economic well being of poor farmers. Also this research demonstrates that the implication of high degree ICT may have extremely excellent effects on empowering business to the Rural Farmers and also increase their economic development, by providing the poultry farmers with well access to ICT, to enhance their business to greater and better general and global markets. Introduction Poultry farming is one of the major forms of Agriculture practiced in Nigeria and many other countries in the world. It provides employment with high income to many both in the rural and urban places. For example, the United States, The average net income of poultry farmers can vary from $13,900 per year to $20,000 or more per year. (Poultry Farmer Job Description, 2010). Apart from this, poultry farming also contributes to the gross domestic product GDP of many countries. Based on the research we conducted, we found out that poultry generates about 27% of the livestock share contribution to Nigerians gross domestic product (GDP). Poultry Eggs and meat contribution of the livestock share of the GDP increased from 26% to 27% in 1999 (Ojo, 2003). Based on this statistics and the neglect of poultry farming by the Nigerians Government especially in the rural areas, we intend to show the rural poultry farmers how they can empower their poultry business by using ICT and some of the recent technological devices. In this paper, we will be focusing our research on a rural part of Adamawa State know as Fufore Local Government Area. Fufore is a small town (a local government) located in the southern part of Adamawa State. The town is mostly dominated by the Fulani tribe of Adamawa state. Majority of them are into cattle rearing and poultry farming while a few of them are into farming. The main aim of this research is to introduce ICT to these rural people and show them ways they can use it to improve their business. Fufore poultry famers The poultry famers of this region (Fufore) are practicing the kind of poultry farming know as the backyard poultry farming. In this kind of backyard poultry farming, they rear their poultry chicken in the backyard space of their house instead of putting them in a chicken coop. A chicken coop is a structure where live chickens are kept either on a chicken homestead or, in our case, a backyard chicken farm (My Back Yard Chicken farm 2007). The kind of poultry farming practiced by these people has so many disadvantages, because in our opinion, the most important aspect of poultry farming is the housing. This is because poultry chickens are fragile and they easily get infected by diseases, harsh weather e.t.c which ends up killing many of the chickens if not wipe up the entire poultry. To avoid this, it is expected that the chickens are kept in an isolated place that is clean and well protected. A chicken house is not only designed as a place for keeping chickens or shelter for your hens to lay their chicken eggs, but for protection as well. Protecting your chickens from cold drafts or other sorts of poor weather should be your #1 concern when building your first chicken coop. (My Back Yard Chicken farm 2007). Methodology Mixed research method is used in this research, both quantitative and qualitative. Hence using survey data was collected from poultry farmers where some also practiced aquaculture residing in rural areas of Adamawa state, Nigeria. The population consists of rural dwellers and most of its inhabitants depend on subsistence poultry farming, crop production, and animal herding. The word rural can be defined as places with low level of services (e.g transport, water, and medical services), non-urban settlements (such as Fufore villages) and a very high incidence of poverty ( IJEDICT, 2008). Geographically, the Fufore areas utilize both raining rainy season and dry season utilizing the river bank of Benue. It is purely a domestic food producing community. Interviews with some elders in the community show all tribes have their own pattern of traditional industries. There are lots of tribes such as Bata, Verre, Laka and Pere and the largest the Fulani tribes all largely professing the Islamic faith. Some of their local industries include, stools, mortals, pestles, hoe handles, axe handles, axe, hoe etc (Ayaga: 2009). Using structured questionnaire to interview the respondents who are poultry farmers. In some situation where our respondents cannot understand English, their native language namely Fulani was used as medium of communication. This present finding on Which poultry farming resources are used by rural poultry farmers? Which ICT resources are used by rural poultry farmers and why? How do ICTs enhance rural poultry farmers and quality of life? What problems those poultry farmers experience when accessing and using ICTs. Profile of Respondents Respondents were between the ages of 20 40 yrs. The respondents were asked questions that sought to determine personal information with regard to their field of occupation, education. These were questions common to the rural environment. Table of ICTs used by rural people {n=10} to access educational, business/trade, health, poultry farming. Table Shows use and availability of ICTs in the rural areas of Fufore district ICTs Education of poultry farming Business of Poultry farm Health of poultry Radio 77% 88% 65% Television 38% 21% 19% Films 15% 13% 7% Cell-phone 5% 8% 2% Telephone 1% Video Computer/internet 1% Respondents felt that ICTs were too costly or entirely unavailable. ICTs particularly the radio and TV are what the often see and sometimes use to listen to current affairs and music which highly enrich their lives. In this rural area computer/internet and mobile phone is hardly seen or available in this area. Most likely only the community chief can afford computer/internet or mobile phone. Major Challenges Faced by Fufore Poultry Farmers The poultry farmers in this region are faced with a lot of problems ranging from technological to housing. Some of these problems includes: Lack of conducive atmosphere for poultry (coop), Lack of efficient machineries for the poultry, lack of proper maintenance of the poultry, lack of efficient medication for the chickens. Lack of efficient machineries Based on our research, we found out that these farmers not only do not use machineries for their poultry, but they dont even know about these machineries not to think of using them. With the aid to ICT, we will be able to introduce these poultry farmers to some of the machineries that will help promote their poultry business. An example of machinery that is used for poultry is the egg incubator. The egg incubator comprises a transparent chamber and the equipment that regulates its temperature,  humidity, and ventilation. For years, the principle uses for the controlled environment provided by egg incubators is used for hatching poultry  eggs (Frank 1991). The first incubators were used in ancient China and Egypt, where they consisted of fire-heated rooms in which fertilized chicken eggs were placed to hatch, thereby freeing the hens to continue laying eggs. Later, wood stoves and alcohol lamps were used to heat incubators. Today, poultry incubators are large rooms, electrically h eated to maintain temperatures between 99.5 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.5 and 37.8 degrees Celsius). Fans are used to circulate the heated air evenly over the eggs, and the rooms humidity is set at about 60 percent to minimize the evaporation  of water from the eggs. In addition, outside air is pumped into the  incubator  to maintain a constant oxygen level of 21 percent, which is normal for fresh air. As many as 100,000 eggs may be nurtured in a large commercial incubator at one time, and all are rotated a minimum of 8 times a day throughout the 21-day  incubation period (Frank 1991). With recent technology, there are small egg incubators that fit up to 30 eggs and cost ranging from $49.95 dollars. These incubators are cheap and with the aid of these incubators, the rural fufore poultry famers will be able to hatch the eggs of their chickens. By so doing, they will save a lot of cost buying chicks. An example of this kind of incubator can be seen below. Lack of proper housing for poultry The poultry farmers around here lack proper housing for their chickens. Instead of caging the chickens in an isolated area to prevent them from getting infected by some diseases and also to help insure their safety from animals like cats and dogs, they simply allow them to roam about in the backyard during the day. At night, they lock them up in a room where they spend the night. In order words, the chickens are only allowed to feed in the day time. All this is because they lack a proper housing because, in a well organized and standard poultry farm, they chickens feed day and night with the aid of light at night. This makes them get mature on time and also insure more productivity. Lack of Medications Medication is an important aspect of poultry; this is because poultry chickens are fragile and easily gets infected by germs and diseases. Based on our research, we found out that poultry disease is one of the major difficulty those farmers are facing. According to one of them named Musa, we lack medicines for these chickens and because of this, when one of the chickens is affected the others also follow suit and without proper medication which we lack, it results to the death of many (Musa, 2010). Lack of skills for poultry management The poultry farmers here lack the basic skills of managing and running a poultry farm. The farmers simply concentrate on the eggs that the chickens produce, and nothing else. They depend on those eggs as the major and only source of their poultry income meanwhile; the eggs are just one of the sources of income of a poultry. With the aid of ICT, we will be able to show these people some ways they can make money out of the poultry farm apart from the sales of eggs. Some of these include: slaughtering the old less productive chickens and supplying the meat to an organization like the American University of Nigeria or fast food like Yahaya Restaurant. Using their remains as manure on their farms or selling them to the farmers e.t.c Proposed Model Given an increasing digital divide, we need to ensure that the benefits of new technologies, especially ICT, are available to all. (UN: 2000). To achieve this and empower poultry farmers on the use of ICT, the government should do the following Establish Telecentres (Information Access Centers). Telecentres will provide poultry farmers information services on in the area of health of poultry, efficient poultry farming techniques, pest management, possible poultry business activities and market price information as well as skills training. The use of Telecentres should be free. The description includes the multipurpose community centre whose aim to demonstrate how to use technology for Poultry farming. The telecenters carry web-sourced information made available through various media such projectors, televisions, radio. Telecentres should have a website that has links to other websites which carry rich content on Poultry farming techniques, pest management, possible poultry business activities and market price information. Village telecenters should be equipped with computers with Internet capability, fax machines, telephones, televisions, VCRs and various printed materials. The village telecenters should also be network-linked with those established in other neighboring rura l telecentres; this will facilitate the exchange of experiences, information, and advertisement of community produce. Telecentres should provide services like voice telephony to fax, Internet and videoconferencing services to rural poultry farmers.. Telecentre requires the involvement of various institutions for the information processing and dissemination activities. Telecentres will also enlighten the rural dwellers of Fufore on information on basic government services such as health care, information for farmers and other essential support services in rural areas which the inhabitants are interested thus increase the use of ICT. Telecentres staffs should be well trained and have the eager and potential to learn in order to help rural poultry farmers who cannot read and write to get the appropriate information they need. Public call offices/public pay phones The government should install public pay phones or public call offices in rural area of Fufore. This will improve both connectivity and accessibility in rural Fufore by providing various levels and types of public ICT opportunities in the area. The objective is to provide information about poultry farming, e-commerce, ensure financial sustainability and bringing benefits directly to the local poultry farmers. Advantages of ICT to Poultry farmers in the rural areas Better Access to price information of Poultry products: With the use of ICT poultry farmers can be aware best prices of their products. Poultry Farmers in rural areas such as fufore are often found to be unaware of the value of their Poultry products ( e.g eggs, chickens ) markets. Poultry farmers often find themselves in a poor negotiating position with customers in the price of chickens and feeds, which farmers pay an inflated price for. Farmers are unaware of opportunities within their surrounding regions: for example which poultry breeds and commodities are fetching higher prices in surrounding towns; which products are in high demand, and so on. Accurate information on market standards can help the farmers in their cash returns. Better Access to national and international Markets. It is important to work towards increasing the level of access of information farmers have to potential markets, to facilitate contact between sellers and buyers, promote agricultural exports, facilitate online trading, and make producers aware of potential market opportunities including consumer and price trends in international markets. Greater access to poultry and agricultural information: Local farmers with the use if ICT will be educated concerning better practices in poultry farming, such as access information about poultry health thereby reducing disease of chickens(e.g Newcastle disease). And also to bridge the gap between information needs of farmers and the information provided, which is insufficiently localized and overly scientific in its presentation. With access to poultry farming/ agricultural information will give farmers greater awareness about new adapting techniques on droughts, changing weather, diseases and pests and hence increase their production efficiency. Conclusion This empowerment will go a long way in changing the lives of not only Fufore poultry farmers, but it will serve as enlightenment to as many Rural Poultry farmers as possible. If adopted, it will perceive an improvement in their income, social status; get greater sense of confidence in poultry business. ICT will ensure the provision of the following to the rural dwellers: Employment, improved market access, improved negotiation position, change in their levels of income, improved levels of cooperation, improved access to information about efficiency and production methods, improved infrastructure/connectivity in the rural areas and access to price information among others.

Henry Cavendish: The Shy Scientist Essay -- Science, Biography

Henry Cavendish: The Shy Scientist Henry Cavendish was born October 10, 1731 in Nice, France. His mother, Lady Anne Grey was the daughter of the first Duke of Kent while his father Lord Charles Cavendish, was second Duke of Devonshire. His ancestry links back to many of the aristocratic families in Great Britain. The chemist/physicist is most accredited for the discovery of hydrogen, the â€Å"inflammable air† and measuring the Earth’s density, but he also researched and discovered many other important scientific revolutions. Henry was described as being a very silent and solitary individual. Many called him eccentric and some believe Asperger Syndrome was the root of his behavior. He was shy of strangers and especially shy of women, so much that he only conversed with his female servants by notes. At one point he had a back staircase added onto his house to avoid his housekeeper. This shyness did not allow him to have close or personal relationships to those outside of his family. He dressed from the previous century wearing an old faded velvet coat and a three-cornered hat. When he did talk he spoke in a squeaky voice and with difficulty. His single social outlet was his membership in the Royal Society Club, in which members dined together before their weekly meetings. Cavendish rarely missed these meetings and was highly respected by his colleagues. Although admired, those who sought his intelligence were often given a response of a mumble or a vacant reply as Cavendish dashed off to find a more peacef ul area. Henry Cavendish began attendance to the University of Cambridge in St. Pete’s College on November 24, 1749 at the age of 18. On February 23, 1753, four years later, he left the university without graduating. After ex... ... the church now named Derby Cathedral and was honored by having the road he lived on named after him. William Cavendish the 7th Duke of Devonshire, Henry Cavendish later relative, donated the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. Works Cited Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. Henry Cavendish. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Cavendish; Dec. 1, 2011 Bruce Mattson. â€Å"Henry Cavendish 1731-1810†. History of Gas Chemistry. Updated September 25, 2001. Retrieved December 1, 2011 â€Å"Henry Cavendish†. Famous Scientists. http://www.famousscientists.org/henry-cavendish/. Retrieved Dec. 1, 2011 chemistry.mtu.edu/~pcharles/SCIHISTORY/HenryCavendish.html. Updated Oct. 30,1997. Retrieved Dec. 1, 2011 Eric Weisstein. â€Å"Cavendish, Henry (1731-1810†. Wolfram Research.1996-2007 Eric W. Weisstein. http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Cavendish.html

Respect Atticus Essay

â€Å"It is far better to be trusted and respected that is to be liked.† In the story To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is told from a child’s point of view, a girl name Jean Louise Finch that goes by the nickname Scout. Atticus Finch, her father, is the lawyer defending a black man, Tom Robinson, who has been accused of a crime. This story takes place in Maycomb, Alabama around the 1930’s. Atticus Finch does not care about age, appearance, or even skin color. He is not afraid to be himself and he is the same inside the house as he is on the streets. As the story progresses, Atticus presents himself as kind, wise, and calm. All the qualities which make him an admirable and respected leader throughout Maycomb. First, Atticus proves that he is one of the kindest men in Maycomb. He does not yell or swear and he treats everyone how he wants to be treated. One day, when Scout comes home from school, she tells Atticus that her teacher Miss Caroline does not want her father to teach her how to read anymore. Scout loves to read with Atticus and does not want to stop, so she explains to him that she would like to quit school. Atticus really didn’t like that idea so he makes a promise with her saying that they can keep reading together as long as she stays in school. Rather than threatening to punish his daughter for even thinking of that idea, Atticus speaks respectfully to Scout. Atticus always wants his children to come to him for advice so, that they grow up being kind and compassionate towards each other. Atticus also shows kindness when he tries to make Dill, Jem and Scout friend, feel better. After running away from home, Dill hides under Scout’s bed, cold and hungry, and Atticus decides to help him. Instead of telling Dill to go home without food, he talks to Scout. He says, â€Å"Scout, we can do better than a pan of cold corn bread, can’t we? You fill this fellow up and when I get back we’ll see what we can do.† Later on, Atticus realizes that Dill has a difficult home life, and with his kindness, he looks out for him as if he was his own child. Being kind is a way to be respected, because if you’re mean and mad all the time people won’t even acknowledge you. Next, Atticus is considered wise because he is able to use things he has been taught toward his children and others in distinct ways. When Mrs. Dubose, the Finch’s elderly neighbor dies, Atticus uses her death as an opportunity to teach Jem and Scout a lesson. Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict who was dying of old age. She wanted to die clean of any drugs even though with her giving up caused her much pain. Atticus believes her decision shows true courage and bravery. He explains this to his children, â€Å"‘I want you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you even begin, but you begin anyways and you see it through no matter what.† Atticus respects Mrs. Dubose for her courage as much as Mrs. Dubose respects Atticus for his wisdom and good advice. Atticus thinks when Tim Johnson had shot that rabid dog that does not make him brave. Also, Atticus wisdom never gives up during the trial. During his closing statement he says to the jury, â€Å"A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up. I am confident that you gentlemen will review without passion the evidence you have heard, come to a decision, and restore this defendant to his family. In the name of God do your duty.† Atticus was trying to remind the jury that Tom is a human being with a family. That was a wise way for Atticus to end his defense strategy at the trial, because his statement leads the jury to deliberate for hours rather than minutes. Atticus defending Tom Robinson was unacceptable in the town of Maycomb. People respected him because he stood up for what he believed was right. He believed that the court was the only place what provided equal justice but it didn’t. He had real courage to do something that other people were scared of. Additionally, Calm is another way to describe Atticus Finch. He never overreacts under pressure even in the worst situations. The day Atticus hears that Tom Robinson was shot, it was a horrible day for him, but he knew what he had to do. He had to stay calm and tell his family what had happened. Atticus explains the tragedy to Calpurnia, his cook, by saying, ‘â€Å"Depends on how you look at it. What was one Negro, more or less, among two hundred of ‘em? He wasn’t Tom to them, he was an escaping prisoner.† Atticus could have become angry with the guards that shot Tom, but instead he takes the time to see Tom’s death from the guards’ point of view. Staying calm is important, especially when dealing with someone who is unreasonable. For an example, Bob Ewell, the father who accused Tom of raping his daughter Mayella, is one of the meanest men anyone could come in contact with. Instead of being mature and talking to Atticus when he was upset, Bob decides to take his anger out on Atticus and spits on his face. Atticus controls his actions by simply wiping his face and walking away. He could have become mad but he maintains his self control. Atticus stays calm, even in the most difficult situations. That’s what makes him so respected by so many people. People doesn’t want a leader that over reacts or doesn’t stand up for what he believes. They want somebody that’s responsible and willing to stay strong in any circumstances. Throughout the Story, Atticus shows that being Kind, wise, and calm is the best way anyone can live his life and be respected. Atticus approaches the worst times with warnings and thoughtfulness while continuing to take care his children. Scout and Jem learn through their father that everyone makes mistakes and that resolving the problems takes skill and patience. Atticus’s experiences serve as important life-lessons for his children rather than situations too challenging to handle. His reminder to walk in someone’s skin rather than judging him teaches his children that all people can be misunderstood just as easily as they can be appreciated. People supported his actions and respected his courage. They just don’t have their own courage to speak up for justice. Atticus’s views towards the blacks in the community are not socially acceptable; however, so people criticize him for these bad choices or risks.

Levi’s Strauss: a case study from an organizational plan point of view Essay

Levis is undoubtedly one of the most recognizes brand of jeans on the planet. The business found by the Strauss family in 1875, initially manufactured jeans for miners out of tent fabric and canvas. However they later shifted to manufacturing jeans from denim which gained popularity amongst miners during the California gold rush. Strategic elements of an organisational plan The process of developing strategic elements of an organisational plan involves three broad categories. Analysing: Levi’s Strauss analysed its visions, mission objectives and external environments. This meant evaluation of the current market share and its segmentation, product range of competitors and what the company may want to do about it. Decision: From the findings of the analysis, the company had to decide on two main factors. What industries to try and expand into and how to be competitive in those industries. As such Levi commissioned market research agencies to carry out survey and research on the habits and attitudes of its customer base. This was all done with the idea of moving into the higher price clothing market since up until now Levi has mostly produced casual wear of the low price category. After such quantitative surveys the target market was selected. This target market comprised of Independent consumers with expensive tastes looking for classic designs which are not massed produced and rely on individual styling and fitting. It was then decided by Levi to carry out analysis of its target market in order to study their attitudes and behaviour in details so that further plans to enter the specific market segment can be made. It was decided by Levi to avoid direct price wars and as a result Levi decided to charge 10% above the prices of it closest competitors. In order to cater to the classic independent nature of the target market segment, Levi also decided to distribute through quality departmental store chains. The final stage of the decision making process involved carrying out tests for acceptability. This was done through the use of consumer discussion panels led by psychologists and were targeted at seeking out the real motivations behind the way the target market behaved. This led to the understanding that Levi was not just ready to produce classic suits because of the affiliation of its brand identity and value with casual standardised clothes and its strong ties and origins to jeans related clothing. This in turn led to the marketing team to focus on jackets and trousers rather than suits so that it can first overcome its image for casual apparel. Actions : The final step in the process for developing strategic elements for organisational plan involved the process of bringing all that planning and decision making to reality. The decision was made by levi to emphasise mainly on jackets and trousers in its new Tailored Classics line and so the initial idea of suits was dropped before the new line was launched. The organisational plan developed by Levi in order to move into new market segments, mainly the higher priced clothing market when put into effect, showed signs of underperformance. This was mainly because of the decision to abandon the manufacturing of suits based on its acceptability test findings. Those findings convinced the marketers in Levi to accept that Levi was too closely associated with casual only wear and customers were not favourable of the idea of Levi producing classic natured suits of non standardised but custom shape and taste. It was later evident that Tailored Classics failed to achieve its sales targets in the consequent months after its launch. Strategic effects on an organisational plan The implementation process of the organisational plan drawn up by Levi involved implementing its various quantitative and behavorial reseach findings in its final execution of the organisational plan. This meant moving away from its initial decision to produce what the target customer segment wants and manufacturing jackets and trousers instead. The decision was made on the basis of accpetability test results. In order to overcome the underperformance of the Tailored Classics line in its inital few months prices were reduced to meet sales targets which failed critically. The effects of these on the stakeholders was reduced returns for the investors, and a lack of faith in the brands ability to cater to the custom independent classic demand andconseuquential underperformance of the brand hindering its brand expansion. Strategy to communicate organisational plans to key stake holders To come up with an workable plan, the Levi public relations had to work through a sequence of steps. The first of such steps was setting out a communication objective. Ideally, whatever the objective is , it is best effective if its specific, measurable,achievable and realistic. The communications objective for Levi was to convey to the customer that levi is able to make a good suit when they put their mind to it despite its origins being in the jeans manufacturing industry and its past history of mostly casual only clothes. Secondly The Levi staff had to come up with a key message to its stake holders. The most important stakeholders group, the consumers themselves were made aware of the message with the help of the name for the new line â€Å"Tailored Classic†. This conveyed the idea that Levi is engaging in the manufacturing of non standardised custom classic wear that were more tailored to the customers individual need. Having decided upon the overriding key message each seprate group of stakeholders were prioritised and a seperate key message was set for them in order to make sure that most of the stakeholders were addressed and no one felt left out despite the aim of targetting the new line at the higher prices market. Different communications tactics had to be developed for each of the stake holders groups, ranging from the consumer, the media, the investors and the donors and volunteers involved with Levi. Finally the budgets and responsibilities were decided upon by the Levi directors based on their surveys and were allocated amongst its different departments and staff. Evaluation: Following all the steps regarding implementation of the strategic elements of the organisational plan and the process of communicating with the various stakeholders, Levi had to ensure that it was wrking to achieve the objective set. And depending on the results of the various surveys and research, starting from the consumer behaviour patterns and spending habits, the analysis of its target customer segment and finally the acceptability test of its new line before its launch all in term one by one allowed levi to review and change its key messages, communication tactics and finally its objectives. Ths led to the final decision to focus mostly on the jackets and trousers market rather than the tailored suits market because of the lack of the consumer confidence in Levi’s ability to produce tailored suits that meets individual reuqirements. Overall the assessment and evaluation process contributed to a great extent in the final decision to introduce the new line in a much differ ent form than intitally percieved.

Gender dysphoria in children Essays

Gender dysphoria in children Essays Gender dysphoria in children Paper Gender dysphoria in children Paper He even insisting to urinate in a sitting position as the manner of a girl does. His parents try to understand the condition of their son. But then, when he began schooling Rona hardly refused to go to school for the reason that he dont want to wear the appropriate uniform assigned for boys. He also wants to use the Female Comfort room which is prohibited. He feels that attending to school restrict him from everything he wants. Resulting Rona repeated tantrums in class. Causing recurrent suspended over 30 times for behaving badly at school for throwing chairs and lashing out at his teachers. Ronas mom ask him what does it take to make him change, Rona replied he wants a girl stuffs in his room and he wanted to be a girl and wear girls clothes. Some nights Rona H. Cries and screams out of distress. His mother caught him one night with a knife in his hand, planning to cut off his genitals. He says that it doesnt belong there and he doesnt want it there. Fortunately, this attempt Just leaves a scratched on his pens. Even though Ronas parents are now separated, they decided to support the Psychological needs of their son. They already allowed Rona to dress girls clothing at home. Mrs.. : H. Already oiled out Ronas room Feminine stuffs he likes and even designed his room into Princess inspired. But what Rona really wishes is to be called with a girls name, enable him to feel Just like a real girl. Right now, he uses the name Emma which he chooses, instead of his real name Rona. CASE ANALYSIS As according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder fifth edition (ADSM) all of the proposed signs of Gender Dysphasia in Children show in Rona H. Conditions. Rona exhibit strong belief that he was born with the wrong sex genitals and he fundamentally persons of the opposite sex. Individuals with gender dysphasia eke Rona H. Have a marked incongruence between the gender they have been assigned to and their experienced or expressed gender. Experienced gender may include alternative gender identities beyond binary stereotypes. As what presented in his background, Rona was distress out of this incongruence. School refusal, Development of depression, Anxiety, and Intense Crying when parents tell that he is not really a member of the other gender he desires are signs of distress in Ronas Condition. Indication of having the disorder shows strongly preferred engaging cross dressing and simulating female or woman attire. Desiring for toys, games and activities stereotypically used or engaged by the other gender. Another is Persistent preferences for cross-sex roles in play and in fantasies and also, a strong dislike of ones sexual anatomy. All of these are shown in Ronas Condition, thus, he meet the Diagnostic Criteria for Gender Dystrophy Children.. There are various disciplines offer perspectives on the understanding of Gender Dysphasia. Some are Biological theories offers many hereditary, hormonal, and anatomical cause, which merely act as precursors to the numerous environmental stresses to come. On the other hand, most of the contributing explanation are psychological theories identify parental influence, primary needs, and personal cognition as main factors. Based on Sigmund Freud psychosocial theory, he believed that childs gender role is determined during the phallic stage, wherein the focus of its libido was believed moves to the genitals and the development child diverges. Here, Boys enter the Oedipus complex in which the child realize that their father stands in the way of the satisfaction of their desire and this frustration of the ids desires results in aggressive feelings, which are directed towards the father. At the same time, the boy realizes that his father is more powerful than he is and starts to fear that if the father finds out about the boys desire for his mother he will castrate him (castration anxiety). In this phase, the child sexual desire for their mother leads them to acquire some feminine disposition on his mother. Gender Dystrophy child probably had a failure to separate himself with his mother in early boyhood, instead of identifying his father. Social learning theory regards gender identity and role as a set of behaviors that are learned from the environment. Gender identity develops as he result of imprinting and conditioning processes. The main way that gender behaviors are learned is through the process of observational learning and at the core of observational learning is modeling. Learning through modeling involves adding and subtracting from the observed behavior and generalizing from one observation to another. Children observe the people around them behaving in various ways, some of which relate to gender. They pay attention to some of these people (models) and encode their behavior. At a later time they may imitate the behavior they have observed. They may do this regardless of whether the behavior is gender appropriate or not but there are a number of processes that make it more likely that a child will reproduce the behavior that its society deems appropriate for its sex. However, Parents respond, verbally and nonverbally, to childs emerging sexuality has an impact on sexual attitudes and feelings that child develops with the father, the boy identifies with the mother. Another theory that might explain Gender Dysphasia is the theory of Cognitive Development Theory of Goldberg. His theory proposes that a child understands gender moves forward in stages. At each successive stage, the child thinks in characteristic ways about gender. As the child moves through the stages its understanding of gender becomes more complex. The first stage is gender identity, which is usually reached by the age of 2 years. At this stage the child is able to correctly label its own sex and this may serves as the core motivation for future gender-related behaviors. So, a child recognizing the fact that he is a boy leads him to seek and perform activities his society defines as boy like. The second stage is gender stability, which is usually reached by the age of 4 years. At this stage the child realizes that gender remains the same across time. However, its understanding of gender is heavily influenced by external features like hair and clothing. A boy at this stage might say that if he put a dress on he would be a girl. It is not until the third stage, gender constancy, where the child starts to understand that gender is independent of external features. This stage is usually reached by the age of 7 years. An alternative view, gender schema theory, suggests that children play a more active role in their own gender development from an earlier age. In cognitive psychology, a schema is a cognitive structure used to organize information bout a particular type of object, person or situation. People make sense of new information by matching it to the schemas they have produced from past experience. Gender schema theory suggests that a childs gender development reflects the increasing complexity of the schemas it develops around maleness and femaleness. By about the age of two the child is able to label himself and others as female or male. This reflects the development of a basic gender schema. The child then starts to seek out information from its environment in order to increase its understanding f maleness and femaleness and thereby to guide its own behavior. The child identifies activities and objects associated with its own gender and start to ignore or reject those that do not fit in with this. At this early stage their understanding of gender is simplistic and quite rigid and this is reflected in their behavior. As their gender schemas increase in complexity, however, the child becomes better at coping with ambiguity and their ideas about what is acceptable or appropriate start to relax somewhat.

About Norman Foster and Britains Modern Architecture

About Norman Foster and Britains Modern Architecture Pritzker Prize-winning architect Norman Foster (born June 1, 1935 in Manchester, England) is famous for futuristic designs - like Apple Headquarters in Cupertino, California - that explore technological shapes and social ideas. His big tent civic center constructed with the modern plastic ETFE even made the Guinness Book of World Records for being the worlds tallest tensile structure, yet it was built for the comfort and enjoyment of the Kazakhstan public. In addition to winning the most prestigious award for architecture, the Pritzker Prize, Foster has been knighted and granted the rank of baron by Queen Elizabeth II. For all of his celebrity, however, Foster came from humble beginnings. Born in a working class family, Norman Foster did not seem likely to become a famous architect. Although he was a good student in high school and showed an early interest in architecture, he did not enroll in college until he was 21 years old.   By the time he had decided to become an architect, Foster had been a radar technician in the Royal Air Forces and worked in the treasury department of Manchester Town Hall. In college he studied bookkeeping and commercial law, so he was prepared to handle the business aspects of an architectural firm when the time came. Foster won numerous scholarships during his years at Manchester University, including one to attend Yale University in the United States. He graduated from Manchester University School of Architecture in 1961 and went on to earn a Masters Degree at Yale on a Henry Fellowship. Returning to his native United Kingdom, Foster co-founded the successful Team 4 architectural firm in 1963. His partners were his wife, Wendy Foster, and the husband and wife team of Richard Rogers and Sue Rogers. His own firm, Foster Associates (Foster Partners), was founded in London in 1967. Foster Associates became known for high tech design that explored technological shapes and ideas. In his work, Foster often uses off-site manufactured parts and the repetition of modular elements. The firm frequently designs special components for other high-tech modernist buildings. He is a designer of parts that he elegantly assembles. Selected Early Projects After establishing his own architectural firm in 1967, the affable architect did not take long to be noticed with a portfolio of well-received projects. One of his first successes was the Willis Faber and Dumas Building built between 1971 and 1975 in Ipswich, England. No ordinary office building, the Willis Building is an asymmetrical, three-story blob of a structure, with a roof of grass to be enjoyed as a park space by the office workers. In 1975 Fosters design was a very early example of architecture that could be both energy efficient and socially responsible, to be used as a template for what is possible in an urban environment. The office building was quickly followed by the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, a gallery and educational facility built between 1974 and 1978 at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. In this building we begin to see the Foster enthusiasm for observable metal triangles and walls of glass. Internationally, attention was paid to Fosters high-tech skyscraper for the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) in Hong Kong, built between 1979 and 1986, and then the Century Tower built between 1987 and 1991 in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Asian successes were followed by the 53-story tallest building in Europe, the ecology-minded Commerzbank Tower, built from 1991 to 1997 in Frankfurt, Germany. The high profile Bilbao Metro in 1995 was part of the urban revitalization that swept the city of Bilbao, Spain. Back in the United Kingdom, Foster and Partners completed the Cranfield University Library in Bedfordshire (1992), the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge (1995), the American Air Museum at Duxford airfield in Cambridge (1997), and the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) in Glasgow (1997). In 1999 Norman Foster received architectures most prestigious award, the Pritzker Architecture Prize, and also  was honored by Queen Elizabeth II naming him Lord Foster of Thames Bank.The Pritzker jury cited his steadfast devotion to the principles of architecture as an art form, for his contributions in defining an architecture with high technological standards, and for his appreciation of the human values involved in producing consistently well-designed projects as their reasons for his becoming a Pritzker Laureate. Post-Pritzker Work Norman Foster never rested upon his laurels after winning the Pritzker Prize. He finished the Reichstag Dome for the new German Parliament in 1999, which remains one of Berlins most popular tourist attractions. The 2004 Millau Viaduct, a  cable-stayed bridge in Southern France, is one of the bridges youll want to cross at least once in your life. With this structure, the architects of the firm claim to be expressing a fascination with the relationship between function, technology and aesthetics in a graceful structural form. Throughout the years, Foster and Partners has continued to create office towers that explore the environmentally sensitive, uplifting workplace begun by Commerzbank in Germany and  the Willis Building in Britain. Additional office towers include the Torre Bankia (Torres Repsol), Cuatro Torres Business Area in Madrid, Spain (2009), the Hearst Tower in New York City (2006),   the Swiss Re in London (2004), and The Bow in Calgary, Canada (2013). Other interests of the Foster group have been the transportation sector  - including the 2008 Terminal T3 in Beijing, China and Spaceport America in New Mexico, the U.S. in 2014 - and building with Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene, creating plastic buildings like the 2010 Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center in Astana, Kazakhstan and the 2013 SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. Lord Norman Foster in London One need only visit London to receive a lesson in Norman Foster architecture. The most recognizable Foster design is the 2004 office tower for Swiss Re at 30 St Mary Axe in London. Locally called The Gherkin, the missile-shaped building is a case study for computer-aided design and energy and environmental design. Within site of the gherkin is the most-used Foster tourist attraction, the Millennium Bridge over the Thames River. Built in 2000, the pedestrian bridge also has a nickname  -    it became known as the Wobbly Bridge when 100,000 people rhythmically crossed during the opening week, which created an unnerving sway. The Foster firm has called it greater than expected lateral movement created by synchronised pedestrian footfall. Engineers installed dampers under the deck, and the bridge has been good-to-go ever since. Also in 2000, Foster and Partners put a cover over the Great Court at the British Museum, which has become another tourist destination. Throughout his career, Norman Foster has chosen projects to be used by different population groups - the residential housing project Albion Riverside in 2003; the futuristic modified sphere of London City Hall, a public building in 2002; and the 2015 rail station enclosure called Crossrail Place Roof Garden at Canary Wharf, which incorporates a rooftop park beneath ETFE plastic cushions. Whatever project completed for whatever user community, the designs of Norman Foster will always be first class. In Fosters Own Words I think one of the many themes in my work is the benefits of triangulation that can make structures rigid with less material. - 2008 Buckminster Fuller was the kind of green guru...He was a design scientist, if you like, a poet, but he foresaw all the things that are happening now....You can go back to his writings: its quite extraordinary. It was at that time, with an awareness fired by Buckys prophecies, his concerns as a citizen, as a kind of citizen of the planet, that influenced my thinking and what we were doing at that time. - 2006 SUMMARY: Triangulation in Norman Foster Buildings The Bow, 2013, Calgary, CanadaGeorge Rose/Getty ImagesThe people of Calgary call this building not only the most beautiful in Calgary and the best skyscraper in Canada, but it is also the tallest building outside of Toronto, at least for now. The crescent-shaped design of The Bow makes this Alberta skyscraper 30 percent lighter than most modern buildings its size. Named after the River Bow, Norman Fosters building was built between 2005 and 2013 as a mixed-use structure anchored by the headquarters of Cenovus Energy, Inc. Its curved design faces south  - gathering valuable heat and natural daylight  - with a convex facade toward the prevailing wind. Designed as a diagrid, six stories for each triangulated section, most offices of the 58 story skyscraper (775 feet; 239 meters) have a window view because of the curved design. Constructed of trussed-tubes, steel-framed with a glass curtain wall, The Bow has three interior sky gardens - on levels 24, 42 and 54.30 St Mary Axe, 2004 , London, EnglandDavid Crespo/Getty ImagesThe visual geometry of what locals call The Gherkin changes as point of view changes - seen from above, the patterns create a kaleidoscope. Hearst Tower, 2006, New York CityhAndrew C Mace/Getty ImagesThe modern 42-story tower completed in 2006 on top of the 1928 Hearst building is both award-winning and controversial. Norman Foster built the high-tech tower atop the six-story Hearst International Magazine Building designed by Joseph Urban and George P. Post. Foster claims that his design preserved the faà §ade of the existing structure and establishes a creative dialogue between the old and new. Some have said, A dialog? Oh, really? To the unsuspecting, the Hearst Corporation global headquarters is a shocking site as one crosses 57th Street at 8th Avenue in New York City. Like The Bow, the Hearst Tower is a diagrid, using 20% less steel than similar structures. True to Foster architecture, the Tower is constructed of 85% recycled steel and   high performance low emission glass with integrated roller blinds. Harvested roof water is recycled throughout the building, including to the Atriums three-story waterfall wall ca lled Icefall. The building received a LEED Platinum; certification. Sources Foster Partners, Projects, https://www.fosterandpartners.comJury Citation, The Hyatt Foundation, https://www.pritzkerprize.com/1999/juryLord Norman Foster. Interview by Vladimir Belogolovskiy, archi.ru, June 30, 2008, https://archi.ru/en/6679/lord-norman-foster-fosterpartners-intervyu-i-tekst-vladimira-belogolovskogo [accessed May 28, 2015]My green agenda for architecture, December 2006, TED Talk at the 2007 DLD (Digital-Life-Design) Conference, Munich, Germany,  https://www.ted.com/talks/norman_foster_s_green_agenda [accessed May 28, 2015]Project Description, foster partners, fosterandpartners.com/projects/the-bow/The Bow, Emporis, https://www.emporis.com/buildings/282150/the-bow-calgary-canada [accessed July 26, 2013]Specifications, The Bow Building, www.the-bow.com/specifications/ [accessed August 14, 2016]Project Description, foster partners, fosterandpartners.com/projects/hearst-tower/ [accessed July 30, 2013]Hearst Tower, hearst.com/real-estate/hearst-tower [accessed July 30, 2013]

How to Graduate With a Bachelors Degree Faster

How to Graduate With a Bachelor's Degree Faster Many people choose distance learning for its convenience and speed. Online students are able to work at their own pace and often finish faster than traditional students. But, with all the demands of daily life, many students  search for ways to complete their degrees in even less time. Having a degree sooner may mean making a larger salary, finding new career opportunities, and having more time to do what you want. If speed is what you’re looking for, check out these six tips to earning your degree as quickly as possible. Plan Your Work. Work Your Plan Most students take at least one class that they don’t need for graduation. Taking classes unrelated to your major field of study can be an excellent way to expand your horizons. But, if you’re looking for speed, avoid taking classes that aren’t required for graduation. Double-check your required classes and put together a personalized study plan. Staying in contact with your academic advisor each semester can help you stick to your plan and stay on track. Insist on Transfer Equivalencies Don’t let work you’ve done at other colleges go to waste; ask your current college to give you transfer equivalencies. Even after your college has decided what classes to give you credit for, check to see if any of the classes you have already completed could be counted to fill another graduation requirement. Your school will probably have an office that reviews transfer credit petitions on a weekly basis. Ask for that department’s policies on transfer credits and put together a petition. Include a thorough explanation of the class you have completed and why it should be counted as an equivalency. If you include course descriptions from your previous and current schools’ course handbooks as evidence, chances are you’ll get the credits. Test, Test, Test You can earn instant credits and reduce your schedule by proving your knowledge through testing. Many colleges offer students the opportunity to take the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams in various subject matters for college credit. Additionally, schools often offer their own exams in subjects such as foreign language. Testing fees can be pricey  but are almost always significantly lower than tuition for the courses they replace. Skip the Minor Not all schools require students to declare a minor and, truth be told, most people won’t make too much of a mention of their minor during the life of their career. Dropping all minor classes could save you an entire semester (or more) of work. So, unless your minor is critical to your field of study or would bring you foreseeable benefits, consider eliminating these classes from your plan of action. Put Together a Portfolio Depending on your school, you may be able to get credit for your life experience. Some schools will give students limited credit based on the presentation of a portfolio that proves specific knowledge and skills. Possible sources of life experience include  previous jobs, volunteerism, leadership activities, community participation, accomplishments, etc. Do Double Duty If you have to work anyway, why not get credit for it? Many schools offer students college credits for participating in an internship or work-study experience that relates to their major – even if it’s a paid job. You may be able to get your degree faster by earning credits for what you already do. Check with your school counselor to see what opportunities are available to you.

How does buying a cup of coffee from Starbucks affect the environment Dissertation - 2

How does buying a cup of coffee from Starbucks affect the environment - Dissertation Example Starbuck’s, use of non –recyclable cups of synthetic nature can pollute the planet greatly and can cause irreversible damage to it. Starbucks being a huge food chain have captured the coffee market globally by taking on the increased demand of coffee lovers. They also maintain their good will by means of powerful advertisement they display in the international business arena. This coffee chain have spread over much part of the globe and have influenced people many people in buying their product , as it is assured to be the best and perfect in the market. This coffee chain has attempted to take action to make it products eco – friendly, but was not successful in its efforts. Seven stores of Starbucks in Manhattan have launched a cup-recycling program in collaboration with Global Green USA’s Coalition for Recovery in an effort to reduce the usage of non – recyclable in their coffee chains (Mohan ,2009). Much of the countries on global level, are facin g natural adversities because of the extreme exploitation and pollution of the nature. Even though the governments and legislations of various developed and developing countries create strategies and plans to implement environmental protection, less can be seen in action.

The Function of Seduction in Maupassants novels Bel-Ami, Pierre et Essay

The Function of Seduction in Maupassants novels Bel-Ami, Pierre et Jean and Une vie - Essay Example First, the male characters in Bel-Ami and Pierre et Jean use seduction appealing to women in order to be accepted by them because perhaps they do not accept themselves the way they are. George Duroy (Bel-Ami) seduces all the women in the novel because he does not have what Roy (Engendrement du Romanesque) calls the â€Å"ideal self†. It is this lack of self-confidence, the weakness of his ego, that pushes him to seduce. Duroy comes from a modest family which he wants to change by becoming wealthy. Second, male protagonists often use seduction to change their identity, to take one some other identity. . In Bel-Ami, Duroy is frustrated of being part of the lower social rank, so he always tries to dissimulate his poverty from others. For example, when Duroy invites Mme de Marelle to his place, he changes the decor of his â€Å"shabby apartment† in order to hide his poverty. Also, in order to hide his peasant background, Duroy â€Å"forgets† to invite his parents to his wedding with Madeleine Forestier. Similarly in ‘Une vie’, Julien de Lamare disconcerts us by his successive metamorphoses all along the novel. The narrator portrays Julien as a handsome man, a seductor and as someone full of disguise and dissimulation. In fact, we realize that Julien is just a fortune hunter who knows how to play his physical appeal for seducing. Once he marries Jeanne, he drops his mask and reveals his true personality. Third, men use seduction to reach wealth and power. Indeed, in Une Vie, Julien de Lamare comes from a ruined family and that had a great impact on him. Julien will do anything to seduce and marry a rich commoner (Jeanne) in order to regain legitimacy and the glamour of his name (Ball 56). In Bel-Ami, on Madeleine Forestier’s recommendations, Duroy seduces Mme de Marelle and then Mme Walter. One provides him with housing and money while the other makes him chief editor. After Mme de Marelle remark about Mme

Appraising The Performance Of An Organizations Employees Essay

Appraising The Performance Of An Organizations Employees - Essay Example Indeed, making a business successful in a particular setting demands crucial and detailed studies and examination of the factors that will generate the best results that will serve the aims and objectives of the company. In this light, owners of big business organizations operating in a competitive business environment should be in constant look out with its competitors and the overall status and events in the industry. Taking advantage of the opportunities and intensifying the strengths while minimizing the risks and weaknesses of a business firm greatly helps in predicting the success in business enterprise. Graphic rating scale can be used in appraising the performance of an organization's employees. Ranking employees from best to worst on a particular trait, choosing highest, then lowest, until all are ranked. Another method is the Alternation ranking method - An appraisal method that aims at combining the benefits of narrative and quantified ratings by anchoring a quantified scale with specific narrative examples of good and poor performance. (bars) . Paired comparison method - Keeping a record of uncommonly good or undesirable examples of an employees work-related behavior and reviewing it with the employee at predetermined times. (critical incident). While in forced distribution method, uses a scale that lists a number of traits and a range of performance for each. The employee is then rated by identifying the score that best describes his or her performance for each trait. Similar to grading on a curve; predetermined percentages of rates are placed in various performance categories. (forced distribution) Management by objectives (MBO) - Involves setting specific measurable objectives with each employee and then periodically reviewing the progress made. Management By Objectives (MBO), is a traditional management approach to directing the efforts of managers and the organizational units for which they are responsible. It is intended to motivate stronger performance on the part of managers and employees through goal setting, participative decision-making, and objective feedback (Rodgers and Hunter, 1992). In its broadest construction, it is seen as a planning and control system which is designed to encourage self-control over an individual's work while assuring that managers' efforts are aligned with the organization's overall goals and priorities. According to Swiss (1991), the heart of a full-fledged MBO process is the negotiation between a higher level manager and a subordinate manager of a performance contract that has the components such as major objectives to be accomplished by the subordinate manager within specified completion dates, resource commitments to support these objectives, action plans and milestones for accomplishin g these objectives, periodic meetings of the manager and subordinate to review progress and make midcourse corrections if necessary, and an assessment at the end of the MBO cycle of the subordinate's performance, which should feed into both personnel appraisal processes and MBO planning for the next cycle. Swiss (1991) characterizes MBO as being particularly useful for providing direction and control over project oriented agencies where workloads shift and priorities tend to change frequently, as opposed to another major management approach, performance monitoring, which may be more appropriate for managing the continuing operations of organizations whose outputs are relatively stable. LearnInMotion.com: The Performance Appraisal Jennifer and Mel disagree over the importance of having performance appraisals. Mel says it's quite clear whether

Answer this question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answer this question - Assignment Example Those who earned more contributed more and hence will receive more. Those in the public sector either rely on their pensions or the 403(b) which is available for the church ministers, certain tax-exempt organizations as well as public school employees. The retirement money is provided through an insurance company, invested in mutual funds or a retirement account set up. The public employees’ retirement system is common in the state of Nebraska making it stand out from the other states such as Kansas as the retired public employees live comfortably on their retirement savings plan paid monthly (Fenge, De Menil and Pestieau 172). Americans have moved from the corporate sponsored retirement plan where the corporates were offering pensions. With the increase of people in this sector, the plan was simply too much to sustain and the employers moved towards the defined benefit (DB). The DB plan is sponsored by the employer in addition to employee contributions. The money is then pooled together with the available funding from government and other sponsors of the plan. Employees under this plan are therefore able to receive certain benefits based on their number of years in service as well as their average salary. The DB plan can also offer payment monthly for as long as the annuitants live instead of a lump-sum distribution option (Slesnick and Suttle, 115). There is also the retirement plan of defined contribution pension plan (DC) which works similarly like a regular insurance. The employer specifies the amount of money needed for the plan to be contributed on a regular basis. The money in invested and the performance of the investment over time as well as amount contributed will determine how much they will get in their retirement funds. Even though the plan provides more flexibility in payment, the investment risks are shouldered by the employee (Slesnick and Suttle,

Advertising and its Effects on Childhood Obesity Research Paper

Advertising and its Effects on Childhood Obesity - Research Paper Example This essay "Childhood obesity affected by advertising" outlines the connection between junk food advertisement and the level of children obesity. Young children are easily hooked when a product is displayed with the endorsement of role models or cartoon characters that they literally worship. For children who are not keen about cartoons, there are advertisements that portray peers of their own age, which is something that no child can resist following. Advertisements achieve success in their mission of penetrating children’s most basic desires. On the flipside, a child who has to grow strong with lots of physical activity gets relegated to the menial position of a couch potato and in the bargain compromises his or her potential for proper development and becomes obese. Considering the case of children that fall in the age group of 6-11, 22% of Mexican American kids are found to be overweight, 20% African American kids and 14% of non-Hispanic White kids also fall under the same category. â€Å"The childhood obesity epidemic is a serious public health problem that increases morbidity, mortality, and has substantial long term economic and social costs. The rates of obesity in America’s children and youth have almost tripled in the last quarter century. Approximately 20% of our youth are now overweight with obesity rates in preschool age children increasing at alarming speed. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled among children ages 2 to 5 (5.0% to 12.4%) and ages 6 to 11 (6.5% to 17.0%)†

Business and society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business and society - Essay Example Therefore, when a few employees are causing a hindrance in the achievement of any or all of these goals, it is naturally the employer’s responsibility to approach the employee with at least constructive criticism, if not a serious warning. This restaurant chain employs hundreds of people to perform its daily operations. Most of them are young adults, due to the nature and the low wage rate of the job. As recent reports have indicated, in Western society, the abuse of drugs for recreational purposes is extremely high in the case of this age group. This fact automatically leads to the assumption that quite a few of this restaurant’s employees may be included in this national statistic. At a superficial glance at this assumption, there seems to be no need to explore the matter. As long as the employee performs at par at his or her job, there is no reason to interfere with what they choose to do in their personal life. It can even be labeled an ethical dilemma as to whether the employer should give this much attention to an employee’s personal life outside the job. However, if one chooses to explore the statistic that the reports have laid out, with more depth, there is more reason to explore the problem. As the reports go on to elaborate, this drug abuse has a major negative impact on the professional lives of these young adults too. The companies that they work for suffer major losses each year, due to the drug problem of these employees, as it causes delays, accidents, lower productivity, and expensive healthcare. The report estimates these losses to be around seventy five to a hundred billion dollars per year in the US. Considering these significantly huge figures, the directors of this company realize the importance of addressing the problem. They realize how relevant this issue could be to their own workforce, and how urgently it needs to be addressed. There is still the argument of whether it is fair to take on such a serious matter when it can be a very private matter for the employees. A casual drug abuser would not want their employers involved in such a matter, because not only would it they be in the danger of losing their jobs, but it would harm their reputation in society as well as for future employers. This major ethical dilemma would pose a problem for the employers wishing to take action against this possible drug problem. It would help, perhaps, to view this problem in the light of the ethical theory of utilitarianism. This theory preaches that the actions one takes should be those, which maximize the utility that can be derived from the action. Enforcers of this theory believe also, that one should always seek to maximize the benefit that their actions have on the whole of society, instead of just themselves. This is often a guiding principle for people who find themselves at a crossroad, and have to choose between an action that would seems right, and one that seems moral. In this case, it would be be neficial to view the problem at hand in the light of utilitarianism. It seems like the wrong thing to do to approach a group of employees and try to screen out the drug users from amongst them. Nevertheless, this action would be in the best interest of the employee, her coworkers, her family as well as the restaurant’s productivity. As this ethical theory states, one should always prefer the action which ‘brings about the greatest good for the greatest number’

Advertising and its Effects on Childhood Obesity Research Paper

Advertising and its Effects on Childhood Obesity - Research Paper Example This essay "Childhood obesity affected by advertising" outlines the connection between junk food advertisement and the level of children obesity. Young children are easily hooked when a product is displayed with the endorsement of role models or cartoon characters that they literally worship. For children who are not keen about cartoons, there are advertisements that portray peers of their own age, which is something that no child can resist following. Advertisements achieve success in their mission of penetrating children’s most basic desires. On the flipside, a child who has to grow strong with lots of physical activity gets relegated to the menial position of a couch potato and in the bargain compromises his or her potential for proper development and becomes obese. Considering the case of children that fall in the age group of 6-11, 22% of Mexican American kids are found to be overweight, 20% African American kids and 14% of non-Hispanic White kids also fall under the same category. â€Å"The childhood obesity epidemic is a serious public health problem that increases morbidity, mortality, and has substantial long term economic and social costs. The rates of obesity in America’s children and youth have almost tripled in the last quarter century. Approximately 20% of our youth are now overweight with obesity rates in preschool age children increasing at alarming speed. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled among children ages 2 to 5 (5.0% to 12.4%) and ages 6 to 11 (6.5% to 17.0%)†

Online Shopping Essay Example for Free

Online Shopping Essay Online shopping or online retailing is a form of electronic commerce allowing consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet without an intermediary service. An online shop, e-shop, e-store, Internet shop, web-shop, web-store, online store, or virtual store evokes the physical analogy of buying products or services at a bricks-and-mortar retailer or shopping center. The process is called business-to-consumer (B2C) online shopping. When a business buys from another business it is called business-to-business (B2B) online shopping. The largest online retailing corporations are E-Bay and Amazon.com, both of which are based in the US. History In 1990, Tim Berners-Lee created the first World Wide Web server and browser.[1] It opened for commercial use in 1991. In 1994, other advances took place, such as online banking and the opening of an online pizza shop by Pizza Hut.[1] During that same year, Netscape introduced SSL encryption of data transferred online, which has become essential for secure online shopping. Also in 1994, the German company Intershop introduced its first online shopping system. In 1995, Amazon.com launched its online shopping site, and in 1996 eBay appeared. Customers Online customers must have access to a computer and a method of payment. Generally, higher levels of education, income, and occupation of the head of the household correspond to more favorable perceptions of shopping online. Also, increased exposure to technology increases the probability of developing favorable attitudes towards new shopping channels.[2] In a December 2011 study, Equation Research found that 87% of tablet users made an online transaction with their tablet device during the early holiday shopping season. Logistics Consumers find a product of interest by visiting the website of the retailer directly or by searching among alternative vendors using a shopping search engine. Once a particular product has been found on the website of the seller, most online retailers use shopping cart software to allow the consumer to accumulate multiple items and to adjust quantities, like filling a physical shopping cart or basket in a conventional store. A checkout process follows (continuing the physical-store analogy) in which payment and delivery information is collected, if necessary. Some stores allow consumers to sign up for a permanent online account so that some or all of this information only needs to be entered once. The consumer often receives an e-mail confirmation once the transaction is complete. Less sophisticated stores may rely on consumers to phone or e-mail their orders (though credit card numbers are not accepted by e-mail, for security reasons). Payment Online shoppers commonly use a credit card to make payments. However, some systems enable users to create accounts and pay by alternative means, such as: * Billing to mobile phones and landlines[4][5] * Cash on delivery (C.O.D., offered by very few online stores) * Cheque/ Check * Debit card * Direct debit in some countries * Electronic money of various types * Gift cards * Postal money order * Wire transfer/delivery on payment * Invoice, especially popular in some markets/countries, such as Switzerland Some sites will not accept international credit cards. Some require both the purchasers billing address and shipping address to be in the same country in which the site does its business. Other sites allow customers from any country to send gifts anywhere. The financial part of a transaction might be processed in real time (for example, letting the consumer know their credit card was declined before they log off), or might be done later as part of the fulfillment process. Product delivery Once a payment has been accepted the goods or services can be delivered in the following ways. * Downloading: This is the method often used for digital media products such as software, music, movies, or images. * Drop shipping: The order is passed to the manufacturer or third-party distributor, who ships the item directly to the consumer, bypassing the retailers physical location to save time, money, and space. * In-store pick-up: The customer orders online, finds a local store using locator software and picks the product up at the closest store. This is the method often used in the bricks and clicks business model. * Printing out, provision of a code for, or emailing of such items as admission tickets and scrip (e.g., gift certificates and coupons). The tickets, codes, or coupons may be redeemed at the appropriate physical or online premises and their content reviewed to verify their eligility (e.g., assurances that the right of admission or use is redeemed at the correct time and place, for the correct dollar amount, and for the correct number of uses). * Shipping: The product is shipped to the customers address or that of a customer-designated third party. * Will call, lCOBO (in Care Of Box Office), or at the door pickup: The patron picks up pre-purchased tickets for an event, such as a play, sporting event, or concert, either just before the event or in advance. With the onset of the Internet and e-commerce sites, which allow customers to buy tickets online, the popularity of this service has increased. Shopping cart systems * Simple systems allow the offline administration of products and categories. The shop is then generated as HTML files and graphics that can be uploaded to a webspace.the systems do not use an online database. * A high end solution can be bought or rented as a stand-alone program or as an addition to an enterprise resource planning program. It is usually installed on the companys own webserver and may integrate into the existing supply chain so that ordering, payment, delivery, accounting and warehousing can be automated to a large extent. * Other solutions allow the user to  register and create an online shop on a portal that hosts multiple shops at the same time. * Open source shopping cart packages include advanced platforms such as Interchange, and off the shelf solutions as Avactis, osCommerce, Shopify, Magento, Zen Cart, VirtueMart, Batavi, PrestaShop, E-Junkie, Clickbank, Fetch, DPD, Pulley, BitBuffet, Dbox, PayLoadz, FastSpring, Cerizmo, Digital Content Center, byteCommerce, PHPurchase.[6] * Commercial systems such as BigCommerce can also be tailored to ones needs so the shop does not have to be created from scratch. By using a pre-existing framework, software modules for various functionalities required by a web shop can be adapted and combined. Online shopping Like many online auction websites, many websites allow small businesses to create and maintain online shops (ecommerce online shopping carts), without the complexity that involved in purchasing and developing an expensive stand-alone ecommerce software solutions. Design Customers are attracted to online shopping not only because of the high level of convenience, but also because of the broader selection, competitive pricing, and greater access to information.[7][8] Business organizations seek to offer online shopping because it is much lower cost compared to bricks and mortar stores, offers access to a world wide market, increases customer value and builds sustainable capabilities.[clarification needed] Information load Designers of online shops are concerned with the effects of information load whether consumers can be given too much information in virtual shopping environments. Information load is a product of the spatial and temporal arrangements of stimuli in the webstore.[10] Compared with conventional retail shopping, the information environment of virtual shopping is enhanced by providing additional product information such as comparative products and services as well as various alternatives and attributes of each alternative, etc.[11] Two major dimensions of information load are complexity and novelty.[12] Complexity refers to the number of different elements or features of a site, often the result of increased information diversity. Novelty involves the unexpected, suppressed, new, or unfamiliar aspects of the site. The novelty dimension may keep consumers exploring a shopping site, whereas the complexity dimension may induce impulse purchases. Consumer needs and expectations A successful webstore is not just a good looking website with dynamic technical features, listed in many search engines.[13] In addition to disseminating information, it is about building relationships and making money. Businesses often attempt to adopt online shopping techniques without understanding them and/or without a sound business model, producing webstores that support the organizations culture and brand name without satisfying consumers expectations. User-centered design is critical. Understanding the customers wants and needs and living up to promises gives the customer a reason to come back and meeting their expectations gives them a reason to stay. It is important that the website communicates to the customer that the company cares about them.[13] Customer needs and expectations are not the same for all customers. Age, gender, experience, culture are all important factors. For example, Japanese cultural norms may lead users there to feel privacy is especially critical on shopping sites and emotional involvement is highly important on financial pensions sites.[9] Users with more online experience focus more on the variables that directly influence the task, while novice users focus on understanding the information.[14] To increase online purchases, businesses must expend significant time and money to define, design, develop, test, implement, and maintain the webstore.[13] It is easier to lose a customer than to gain one and even top-rated sites will not succeed if the organization fails to practice common etiquette such as returning e-mails in a timely fashion, notifying  customers of problems, being honest, and being good stewards of the customers data.[13] Because it is important to eliminate mistakes and be more appealing to online shoppers, many webshop designers study research on consumer expectations.[15] User interface An automated online assistant, with potential to enhance user interface on shopping sites. The most important factors determining whether customers return to a site are ease of use and the presence of user-friendly features.[16] Usability testing is important for finding problems and improvements in a web site. Methods for evaluating usability include heuristic evaluation, cognitive walk through, and user testing. Each technique has its own characteristics and emphasizes different aspects of the user experience.[16] Market share E-commerce B2C product sales totaled $142.5 billion,[3] representing about 8% of retail product sales in the United States.[17] The $26 billion worth of clothes sold online represented about 13% of the domestic market,[18] and with 72% of women looking online for apparel, it has become one of the most popular cross-shopping categories.[19] Forrester Research estimates that the United States online retail industry will be worth $279 billion in 2015.[20] There were 242 million people doing online shopping in China in 2012.[21] For developing countries and low-income households in developed countries, adoption of e-commerce in place of or in addition to conventional methods is limited by a lack of affordable Internet access. Advantages Convenience Online stores are usually available 24 hours a day, and many consumers have Internet access both at work and at home. Other establishments such as internet cafes and schools provide access as well. A visit to a conventional retail store requires travel and must take place during business hours. In the event of a problem with the item it is not what the consumer ordered,  or it is not what they expected—consumers are concerned with the ease with which they can return an item for the correct one or for a refund. Consumers may need to contact the retailer, visit the post office and pay return shipping, and then wait for a replacement or refund. Some online companies have more generous return policies to compensate for the traditional advantage of physical stores. For example, the online shoe retailer Zappos.com includes labels for free return shipping, and does not charge a restocking fee, even for returns which are not the result of merchant error. (Note: In the United Kingdom, online shops are prohibited from charging a restocking fee if the consumer cancels their order in accordance with the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Act 2000).[22] Information and reviews Online stores must describe products for sale with text, photos, and multimedia files, whereas in a physical retail store, the actual product and the manufacturers packaging will be available for direct inspection (which might involve a test drive, fitting, or other experimentation). Some online stores provide or link to supplemental product information, such as instructions, safety procedures, demonstrations, or manufacturer specifications. Some provide background information, advice, or how-to guides designed to help consumers decide which product to buy. Some stores even allow customers to comment or rate their items. There are also dedicated review sites that host user reviews for different products. Reviews and now blogs gives customers the option of shopping cheaper organise purchases from all over the world without having to depend on local retailers. In a conventional retail store, clerks are generally available to answer questions. Some online stores have real-time chat features, but most rely on e-mail or phone calls to handle customer questions. Price and selection One advantage of shopping online is being able to quickly seek out deals for items or services with many different vendors (though some local search engines do exist to help consumers locate products for sale in nearby  stores). Search engines, online price comparison services and discovery shopping engines can be used to look up sellers of a particular product or service. Shipping costs (if applicable) reduce the price advantage of online merchandise, though depending on the jurisdiction, a lack of sales tax may compensate for this. Shipping a small number of items, especially from another country, is much more expensive than making the larger shipments bricks-and-mortar retailers order. Some retailers (especially those selling small, high-value items like electronics) offer free shipping on sufficiently large orders. Another major advantage for retailers is the ability to rapidly switch suppliers and vendors without disrupting users shopping experience.. Disadvantages Fraud and security concerns Given the lack of ability to inspect merchandise before purchase, consumers are at higher risk of fraud on the part of the merchant than in a physical store. Merchants also risk fraudulent purchases using stolen credit cards or fraudulent repudiation of the online purchase. With a warehouse instead of a retail storefront, merchants face less risk from physical theft. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption has generally solved the problem of credit card numbers being intercepted in transit between the consumer and the merchant. However, one must still trust the merchant (and employees) not to use the credit card information subsequently for their own purchases, and not to pass the information to others. Identity theft is still a concern for consumers when hackers break into a merchants web site and steal names, addresses and credit card numbers. A number of high-profile break-ins in the 2000s has prompted some U.S. states to require disclosure to consumers when this happens. Computer security has thus become a major concern for merchants and e-commerce service providers, who deploy countermeasures such as firewalls and anti-virus software to protect their networks. Phishing is another danger, where consumers are fooled into thinking they are dealing with a reputable retailer, when they have actually been manipulated into feeding private information to a system operated by a malicious party. Denial of service attacks are a minor risk for merchants, as are server and network outages. Quality seals can be placed on the Shop web page if it has undergone an independent assessment and meets all requirements of the company issuing the seal. The purpose of these seals is to increase the confidence of the online shoppers; the existence of many different seals, or seals unfamiliar to consumers, may foil this effort to a certain extent. A number of resources offer advice on how consumers can protect themselves when using online retailer services. These include: * Sticking with known stores, or attempting to find independent consumer reviews of their experiences; also ensuring that there is comprehensive contact information on the website before using the service, and noting if the retailer has enrolled in industry oversight programs such as trust mark or trust seal. * Before buying from a new company, evaluate the website by considering issues such as: the professionalism and user-friendliness of the site; whether or not the company lists a telephone number and/or street address along with e-contact information; whether a fair and reasonable refund and return policy is clearly stated; and whether there are hidden price inflators, such as excessive shipping and handling charges. * Ensuring that the retailer has an acceptable privacy policy posted. For example note if the retailer does not explicitly state that it will not share private information with others without consent. * Ensuring that the vendor address is protected with SSL (see above) when entering credit card information. If it does the address on the credit card information entry screen will start with HTTPS. * Using strong passwords, without personal information. Another option is a pass phrase, which might be something along the lines: I shop 4 good a buy!! These are difficult to hack, and provides a variety of upper, lower, and special characters and could be site specific and easy to remember. Although the benefits of online shopping are considerable, when the process goes poorly it can create a thorny situation. A few problems that shoppers potentially face include identity theft, faulty products, and the accumulation of spyware. Whenever you purchase a product, you are going to be required to put in your credit card information and billing/shipping address. If the website is not secure a customers information can be accessible to anyone who knows how to obtain it. Most large online corporations are inventing new ways to make fraud more difficult, however, the criminals are constantly responding to these developments with new ways to manipulate the system. Even though these efforts are making it easier to protect yourself online, it is a constant fight to maintain the lead. It is advisable to be aware of the most current technology and scams out there to fully protect yourself and your finances.[20]. One of the hardest areas to deal with in online shopping is the delivery of the products. Most companies offer shipping insurance in case the product is lost or damaged; however, if the buyer opts not to purchase insurance on their products, they are generally out of luck. Some shipping companies will offer refunds or compensation for the damage, but it is up to their discretion if this will happen. It is important to realize that once the product leaves the hands of the seller, they have no responsibility (provided the product is what the buyer ordered and is in the specified condition). Lack of full cost disclosure The lack of full disclosure with regards to the total cost of purchase is one of the concerns of online shopping. While it may be easy to compare the base price of an item online, it may not be easy to see the total cost up front as additional fees such as shipping are often not be visible until the final step in the checkout process. The problem is especially evident with cross-border purchases, where the cost indicated at the final checkout screen may not include additional fees that must be paid upon delivery such as duties and brokerage. Some services such as the Canadian based Wishabi attempts to include estimates of these additional cost,[23] but nevertheless, the lack of general full cost disclosure remains a concern. Privacy Privacy of personal information is a significant issue for some consumers. Different legal jurisdictions have different laws concerning consumer privacy, and different levels of enforcement. Many consumers wish to avoid spam and telemarketing which could result from supplying contact information to an online merchant. In response, many merchants promise not to use consumer information for these purposes, or provide a mechanism to opt-out of such contacts. Many websites keep track of consumers shopping habits in order to suggest items and other websites to view. Brick-and-mortar stores also collect consumer information. Some ask for address and phone number at checkout, though consumers may refuse to provide it. Many larger stores use the address information encoded on consumers credit cards (often without their knowledge) to add them to a catalog mailing list. This information is obviously not accessible to the merchant when paying in cash. Hands-on inspection Typically, only simple pictures and or descriptions of the item are all a customer can rely on when shopping on online stores. If the customer does not have prior exposure to the items handling qualities, they will not have a full understanding of the item they are buying. However, Written and Video Reviews are readily available from consumers who have purchased similar items in the past. These can be helpful for prospective customers, but these reviews can be sometimes subjective and based on personal preferences that may not reflect end-user satisfaction once the item has been received. Because of this, many consumers have begun going to real-world stores to view a product, before purchasing online, a practice known as showrooming[24] (using the store as a showroom for the online merchant). Brick-and-mortar merchants have responded with various countermeasures. For example, Target has requested distributors give them equally low prices, or alternatively, exclusive products available at their store only.[24] Product suitability This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help  improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2012) Many successful purely virtual companies deal with digital products, (including information storage, retrieval, and modification), music, movies, office supplies, education, communication, software, photography, and financial transactions. Other successful marketers use drop shipping or affiliate marketing techniques to facilitate transactions of tangible goods without maintaining real inventory. Some non-digital products have been more successful than others for online stores. Profitable items often have a high value-to-weight ratio, they may involve embarrassing purchases, they may typically go to people in remote locations, and they may have shut-ins as their typical purchasers. Items which can fit in a standard mailbox—such as music CDs, DVDs and books—are particularly suitable for a virtual marketer. Products such as spare parts, both for consumer items like washing machines and for industrial equipment like centrifugal pumps, also seem good candidates for selling online. Retailers often need to order spare parts specially, since they typically do not stock them at consumer outlets—in such cases, e-commerce solutions in spares do not compete with retail stores, only with other ordering systems. A factor for success in this niche can consist of providing customers with exact, reliable information about which part number their particular version of a product needs, for example by providing parts lists keyed by serial number. Products less suitable for e-commerce include products that have a low value-to-weight ratio, products that have a smell, taste, or touch component, products that need trial fittings—most notably clothing—and products where colour integrity appears important. Nonetheless, some web sites have had success delivering groceries and clothing sold through the internet is big business in the U.S. Aggregation High-volume websites, such as Yahoo!, Amazon.com and eBay, offer hosting  services for online stores to all size retailers. These stores are presented within an integrated navigation framework. Collections of online stores are sometimes known as virtual shopping malls or online marketplaces. Impact of reviews on consumer behaviour One of the great benefits of online shopping is the ability to read others reviews, which could be from experts or simply fellow shoppers on one product and service. The Nielsen Company conducted a survey in March 2010 and polled more than 27,000 Internet users in 55 markets from the Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East, North America and South America to look at questions such as How do consumers shop online?, What do they intend to buy?, How do they use various online shopping web pages?, and the impact of social media and other factors that come into play when consumers are trying to decide how to spend their money on which product or service. According to that research,[25] reviews on electronics (57%) such as DVD players, cell phones or PlayStations and so on, reviews on cars (45%), and reviews on software (37%) play an important role and have influence on consumers who tend to make purchases and buy online. In addition to online reviews, peer recommendations on the online shopping pages or social media play a key role[26] for online shoppers while researching future purchases of electronics, cars and travel or concert bookings.[27] On the other hand, according to the same research,[25] 40% of online shoppers indicate that they would not even buy electronics without consulting online reviews first.