The Women's Social Movement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Women's Social Movement - Research Paper Example For decades, women are relegated to a subordinate position to that of men especially in our patriarchal societies dominated by masculinity. In America national laws, traditions and religious doctrines only acted to sustain the women’s subordinate status and codified women’s lack of legal and political rights. Though the constitution states that men and women are equal since they have inalienable rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness women are often denied the opportunity to enjoy these rights due to their feminine status. This begins with families where men are viewed as the heads of the households and women as helpers or assistants to other institutions of society especially in politics. Even today, women are far from gaining equality with men as they rarely occupy important positions. In the 113th Congress of U.S there are only 20 women in the senate out of 100 senators and in the House of Representatives there are only 79 women out of 435 members (Center for American Women and Politics). It is in light of this oppression that women’s movements became an important of life. This essay will focus on the women’s suffrage movement formed in 1848 and continued up to 1920; how it was formed, its goals, problems and challenges and major achievements over the period as well as the key figures in the movement. The women’s suffrage movement was formed in the late nineteenth century and continued up to early twentieth century. It was founded in 1848 during the Seneca Falls Convention by women who were fed up with being treated as inferior members of society although some men who sympathized with the women’ s plight were also present. Just like it is stipulated by Staggenborg that social movements undergo a natural cycle of maintenance, growth, and decline, the suffragist movement was no exception (10). The period before the American Civil War was that of growth. However,

Discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Discussion Questions - Essay Example According to Maslow, â€Å"each level of need must be satisfied before an individual is ready to strive for satisfaction of the next higher level of need.†(Milliken, 1998) The drive for achievement has often overridden the drive for basic needs. Sometimes in a neglectful manner, as with Picasso’s need to create making him forget all other needs, or sometimes it is done with purpose in order to achieve a goal that satisfies one of the other needs. The artistic mind will focus so intently on its creation that all other needs are forgotten in the pursuit of the expression that is hoped to be expressed. The question then becomes, is the focus of the artist able to classify him or her as mentally healthy, or by virtue of the all consuming focus is mental illness present? Achievement does not always indicate good mental health. With the presumption that Maslow’s hierarchy is an example of a healthy mind, then ignoring basic physical and social needs that should come before the priority of creativity would indicate mental disability. However, not only an artist might forget to eat or sleep. Many professions might preclude the needs of the body for the need to accomplish a goal. A scientist on the verge of discovery could easily forget to eat or sleep while focusing on that goal. Any goal that has priority in the mind of the one who is hoping to achieve that goal might interfere with the basic needs. To ignore the D-needs, or deficiency needs in favor of the needs at the self-actualization level is a situation that comes from a the concept of drive. That drive that compels those of great talent or intellect to pursue the focus of that gift is not included in the conceptual idea of Maslow’s theory. The concept of higher purpose is also not taken into consideration in Maslow’s theory. Sacrifice for a greater need often will be taken by an individual who believes that the purpose of their actions out way the

Socio-Cultural Factors in Banking Adverts

Socio-Cultural Factors in Banking Adverts This paper formulates a foundation using various variables to gauge advertising in ethical respect. It describes ethics as a way of formulating a certain behavior accentuating fairness in all deals regarding personal and external environments. The argument that has been raised in this research was whether ethical advertising is followed by Consumer banking institutes while advertising credit cards or not. Its effects on the consumer perception and the limitations under which the consumer perceives them are shown light upon. In the theoretical framework the factors that might influence ethical advertising are stated namely legal, social, environmental, personal/individual, situational, social, economic and consumer trend. The research was conducted in 5 banks in Lahore, through survey method. Questionnaires were floated amongst a sample size of 30 professionals related to the field of advertising in each banking institute. Once the date was collected and referred through facts from th e conducted interviews it was found out that all the above mentioned independent variable indeed did affect the dependant variable of ethical advertising. Introduction to Advertising The two basic functions of advertising are to inform and to persuade. It can be defined as a form of communication used to influence a certain target audience to purchase products, services or ideas. Advertising has diversified to being personal as well as a non personal way of approaching an audience. It has evolved into various types covering indoor and outdoor advertising. The major ways of deliverance are newspapers, magazines, television, radio, billboards or direct mail (internet). Advertising is no longer restricted to commercials promoting products or services, it has advanced to deliver public service adverting, on behalf of various institutions, programs and causes and also political advertising in the interests of parties and candidates. Advertising is a complex process which differs for various audiences from form to form conveying information to keep them indulged. However cultures and standards of living differ from person to person or country to country and so does advertising. This holds true as far as ethical aspect is concerned too, something that maybe considered ethical in one community might not be the same for another, for example advertising alcohol. Background The advertising business first discussed the need for a professional code of ethics in the years from 1900 to 1917, often called the Progressive Era. During that period individual practitioners in the Midwest formed the first national advertising organization, the Associated Advertising Clubs of America, for the explicit purpose of making the business a profession. What is the difference between unethical and ethical advertising? Unethical advertising uses falsehood to deceive the public, while ethical advertising us truth to deceive the public. Vilhjalmur Stefansson, anthropologist (1870-1962). Ethical advertising is such a vast terminology that it cannot be defined in a definite statement. One of the key issues here is that ethical is a subjective term- what is ethical to one person may not be to another. Moreover the concept of what is ethical is not fixed- for example it used to be thought ethical to advertise cigarettes but not condoms, however these days the position has completely reversed. In actuality ethical is not an absolute term and the word ethics, strictly speaking merely means the moral code by which someone decides right from wrong and is therefore highly personal. The term ethical has acquired a specific meaning over the recent past. When the word ethical is used it usually means an activity that does no harm. For example the term ethical advertising implies that money will not be invested in those advertisements that cause harm to people, animals or the environment. In this sense ethics really come down to respect for the world and the consequences of ones actions. Every advertisement should be prepared with a due sense of social responsibility and should conform to the principles of fair competition, as generally accepted in business. All the advertising should be legal, decent, honest and truthful. Decency Advertisements should not contain statements or visual presentations which offend prevailing standards of decency. Honesty Advertising should be framed such that it does not abuse the trust of consumers or exploit their lack of experience or knowledge. Social Responsibility Advertisements should not condone any form of discrimination, including that based upon race, national origin, religion, sex or age nor should they undermine human dignity. Advertisements should not appear to disregard or incite violence or unlawful behavior. Truthful presentation Advertisements should not contain any statement or visual presentation which directly or by implication, omission, ambiguity or exaggerated claim is likely to mislead the consumer in particular with regard to: The value of the product and the total price actually to be paid Delivery, exchange, return, repair and maintenance Terms or guarantee Copyright and industrial property right Social aspects of advertising Advertising as a part of the firms marketing efforts operates in the society for which it should follow social norms. Key areas of debate regarding society and advertising are: Deception Manipulation Taste Deception: it refers not only to the information content in advertising but may also arise from misplaced emphasis in presentations. Advertising as a whole must not create any sort of misleading impression although every statement, separately considered may be literally truthful. Manipulation: the freedom of choice for consumers is restricted by the power of advertising since doing so can manipulate buyers into making against their will or interest. Manipulations are usually done through emotional appeal. Taste: sometimes ads are offensive, tasteless, irritating, boring and so on. Deceptive Advertising Key area of debate regarding ethics and advertising is the truth in the advertising which involves deception and puffery (commercial exaggeration). Deception: deception exists when an advertisement differs from the reality of the situation and it affects the buying behavior of the consumer Puffery: this takes two general forms the first is the advertisement of opinion about a services quality using terms such as best or greatest. The second form of puffery is an exaggeration extended to a point of outright spoof that is entirely not true. In these case words such as perfect and amazing are regarded as mere puffing. For example the consumer banks advertising credit cards, now these adverts show the attributes that would get the audience to buy it. However certain details like the fact that credit will be putting consumers in heavy debts is held off from the consumer Significance of the Study The significance of our study is to determine the widespread issues regarding ethical advertising in consumer banking relating to credit cards adverts. There are certain ethical codes in our society and this study will help gauge if the banks follow on those codes. The dependent and independent variables defined in this study help establish a relationship between such advertising and the environment in general. It goes on to explain the ethical norms and the degree to which consumers rely on these norms to make their purchasing decisions regarding a commodity or service. Study Objectives Distinctively, our study objective is to identify and develop certain questions and then to find the answers to justify those questions. To study whether ethical codes being followed in general? To study whether consumer banking sector is following the ethical codes. To determine the independent variables of ethical advertising and its effects on morality. To determine whether these variables are interlinked and their combined effect on the organizations environment. How much are consumers relying on ethical norms or perceived consequences in forming a specific ethical judgment about their buying behavior? Theoretical framework ENVIORNMENTAL FACTORS SOCIAL FACTORS LEGAL FACTORS ETHICAL ADVERTISING PROFESSIONAL FACTORS CONSUMER DEMAND ECONOMIC FACTORS PERSONAL AND INDIVIDUAL FACTORS SITUATIONAL FACTORS Variables affecting Ethical Advertising Social factors Environmental factors Professional Environment Situational Environment Legal Environment Personal and Individual Factors Consumer Trends Economic factors Dependent Variable Ethical advertising Independent Variables Social factors Social factors are associated to the values and the beliefs about how a society operates. Regarding the organizational environment, it signals to the characteristics of work in that organization. These characteristics tell us how the employees perform a certain given set of tasks and what factors do they keep in mind while perceiving ethic. This in turn affects the organizational environment that determines what is considered ethical or unethical in performing organizational assignments. Environmental factors Environmental factors include the values and behavior determined by the cultural environment of an institution originating from the moral intentions of the policy makers. Moral intention is the probability of an organization to engage in a certain behavior which tells us about the moral values which determine the basic convictions that underline the conduct and dealing of that organization. Professional factors This deals with the top management policies, the codes of conduct followed by the society in general, the corporate organization in particular. Its the moral reasoning through which they determine whats right and whats wrong. Basically outlining the organizational regulations that determine what is to be regarded as ethical and what not. Situational factors They deal with stages of development of moral values and determinants of moral attitudes. Moral values are the convictions underlying decision making process regarding ethics. Moral attitudes are the result of an evaluation of moral behavior while moral behavior is denoted by action taken. After moral attitudes, moral reasoning results in moral judgments which are decisions regarding whether a certain alternative is morally good or bad. Legal factors Legal factors are of great importance since these are the first barrier that advertising needs to cross in terms to reach its target audience. Legal clearance in other words ensures that the advert is based on principles of ethical conduct and highlights rules and regulations regarding ethical decision making. Personal and individual factors Individual factors are the individual attributes which include personal goals, the motivation, experiences, personality, and demographics. While personal factors are influenced by the company we keep and the social class that we associate with. These factors are linked together via moral perception, knowledge and moral evaluation. Moral perception is when ethical problems are perceived and the amount of knowledge people hold regarding their moral standards. Specific knowledge about these standards then lead to moral evaluation which is the final decision making determining ethical or unethical conduct Consumer Demand (trend) The trend in what the consumer wants and if the offered product is catering to those changing trends, affects the sales of the product immensely. Without d demand, any product, however much advertised will not be able to attract the target market. Economic factors These include the trends in inflation or economic stability and growth that in return affect the buying power and patterns of the consumers. These are the major determinants of demand for a certain product. Research Hypotheses On the basis of theoretical framework the following hypotheses are formulated: H0 : The social factors will not significantly affect ethical advertising H1 : The social factors will significantly affect ethical advertising H0 : The environmental factors will not significantly affect ethical advertising H1 : The environmental factors will significantly affect ethical advertising H0 : The professional environment will not significantly affect ethics in advertising H1 : The professional environment will significantly affect ethics in advertising H0 : The situational factors will not significantly affect ethical advertising H1 : The situational factors will significantly affect ethical advertising H0 : The legal environment will not significantly affect ethical advertising H1 : The legal environment will significantly affect ethical advertising H0 : The personal and individual factors will not significantly affect ethical advertising H1 : The personal and individual factors will significantly affect ethical advertising H0 : The consumer trends will not significantly affect ethical advertising H1 : The consumer trends will significantly affect ethical advertising H0 : The economic factors will not significantly affect ethical advertising H1 : The economic factors will significantly affect ethical advertising LITERATURE REVIEW JudithÂÂ  W.ÂÂ  Spain, in Ethics and Geography -Impact of Geographical Cultural Differences on Students Ethical Decisions, conducts an exploratory survey to determine if there are differences in ethical decisions by business students based upon cultural backgrounds. Students responses to a vignette concerning advertising of cigar products in a variety of different media provided evidence of significant cultural differences between three groups of students from different geographical locations within the United States. This article suggests that the presumption that an individuals ethical beliefs and behaviors do not change after childhood may be in error. In Ethical Dimensions of Advertising Executions, Nebenzuhl and D.Jaffe determined the ethicality of disguised advertising presented to consumers under the assumption that itll gain potential benefits for the organization. For evidential proof a consumer survey was conducted in which exposure to the object message is followed by unaided recall and recognition tests. The results, however, unearthed the fact that conspicuous approach to advertising is not only unethical but also the gains to the sponsors of such advertising could not outweigh the losses to independence and privacy of the large number of consumers exposed. ScottÂÂ  J.ÂÂ  Vitell, in his paper, The effects of culture on ethical decision-making: An application of Hofstedes typology addresses a significant gap in the conceptualization of business ethics within different cultural influences. Though theoretical models of business ethics have recognized the importance of culture in ethical decision-making, few have examined how this influences ethical decision-making. Therefore, this paper develops propositions concerning the influence of various cultural dimensions on ethical decision-making using Hofstedes typology. Over the last decade, the topic of social responsibility and ethics in business has been made the focus of just a few studies, even though existing theoretical models recognize the importance of this factor. Great emphasis is laid on the importance of the role of culture in ethics decision-making identifying cultural factors such as values and customs, religion, law, respect for individuality, national identity and loy alty (or patriotism), and rights of property as influencing ethics. Kennedy and Lawton (1993) in the article Ethics and Services marketing states that marketing lacks an important component for ethical decision making while identifying the conceptual marketing approaches to the field of marketing ethics. This field consists of component such as the inter-organizational variables including professional environment, individual attributes and legal environment. Furthermore, while defining ethical behavior in a broader term a behavioral model of ethical and unethical decision making related to organizations has been presented. It links the inter-organizational relationships and ethics in terms of power, dependence and uncertainty and what effects these inter-organizational factors have on ethics. Ethical advertising: How ethical business is good business practice by Mike Catherall stresses on how any businesses should be accountable, transparent and responsible to their clients, suppliers and employees alike to characterize it as good business practice. He moves on further describing how a business must be true to its word since this acts as the hallmark for good business practice, and consequently ethical business. The article analyzes that in recent years, social-consciousness has become a buzzword, and ethical business practices more lip service than a philosophy. Legislations, regulations and self regulations was information that I came across on the website of Pakistan Advertising association which helped me gauge a few aspects to what really accounts as code of ethics here in Pakistan. The article states that although there is not any one specific law or piece of legislation that encompasses all aspects of advertising, there are codified pieces of legislation and frame wares. These include the Pakistan Advertising Associations (PAA) code of ethics. The article goes on to say that the advertising codes, although generate broad and comprehensive in nature; have suffered from a lack of effective implementation and a new specific focus. The majority of codes with respect to content are based on widely accepted concepts of social and moral decency. The occasionally vague and non specific nature of the regulations has often led to problems, where specific parties or social groupings take it upon themselves to exclude what is moral and what is not . Likewise Wenling Chen and Mei-Chyi Lui (1998) in the article Agency Practitioners Perceptions of Professional Ethics in Taiwan conducted a survey on the advertising practitioners in Taiwan concerning their experiences of ethical challenges at work. The study made use of a semi structured questionnaire which combined both quantitative and qualitative approaches to collect relevant information attempting for satisfying interpretations from the collected data. Among 120 respondents, 67.5 percent admitted that ethical problem was a commonplace at work. According to these respondents, the most frequently mentioned ethical problems area representing unethical products or services, the message of advertisements, agency-client relationship, the creditability of research, under table rebate, and the quality of service. Due to its preliminary nature, the present study should be considered exploratory and descriptive rather than conclusive, with the hope to inspire more research on advertising ethics in Taiwan as well as in other countries in the world. Candy A. Bianco and Susan M. Bosco in their article Ethical issues in credit card solicitation of college students, states how credit card companies aggressively solicit college students, without regard for the consequences of high credit card debt for these customers. The ethical conflict of the sale of easy credit to college students too often results in hazardous outcomes. This paper will investigate the dangers that credit card use presents to the young customer, the unethical manner in which the companies that issue these cards promote their products to this audience, and the role of institutions of higher education. A majority of students are not only using credit unwisely (average balances of over $1000 regardless of who reports the data) but are paying overpriced interest (18%-22%). The credit card companies call this responsible use. They are collecting enough interest and fees to more than cover losses resulting from bankruptcy. They use a variety of marketing techniques to lure college students glitzy MTV type shows, free prizes and gifts, special interest rate offers, and now they can pretend through Educational services to explain to college students why credit cards are important. This Paper investigates current solicitation policies of colleges and universities are also. Bank Credit Cards: Not-Illegal Does Not Equal Ethical by Charles H. Green strongly criticizes banks for deceiving the consumers where credit offerings through credit cards is concerned. The article talks about how for organizational profits the banks not only use unethical advertising as a tool but also neglect the distinction between illegal and unethical. The article goes on to say that most people can intuitively understand the difference between ethical and legal, and between unethical and illegal. Most of us want to live in a society where laws are ultimately derived from a sense of ethics-not the other way around. Just because something is not illegal hardly implies it is ethical. The article Opportunities vs. ethics by White, Phillip D points out how, in the area of fee income, bank marketing officers are being increasingly called upon to do two things the first being to assist the bank in identifying more fee income opportunities while the second states how to help the bank optimize or maximize fee income performance through the refinement of existing pricing strategies. The purpose of this article is to briefly review how bankers involved in marketing analysis and decision making should be aware of arguments and developments regarding potential ethical issues. Ethical standards in advertising: a worldwide perspective by Maria Cecilia talks about a study that was conducted that indicates how close advertisers from all the continents have been from the natural law and other fundamental moral principles. The ethical problems have not been equated with objectivity and the realist approach is appointed as a solution. The paper moves on explaining how there have been comments about the difficult practicability of ethically behaving in the advertising world due to problems faced by private companies, marketing research and advertising agencies, media and government. In many western countries, conflicts between ethical/moral and social/economic values can be observed. Many professionals see themselves disoriented concerning the correct attitude to take when facing the dynamic and diversified possibilities of their advertising campaigns. The objective of the paper was to call the attention of academicians and professionals who deal with advertising and to their responsibility toward the market. The intention is to encourage them to consider the values implicit in the campaigns they develop, guiding them toward the common good, helping them to find a wise and sensible way of acting rather than acquiring ways that misguide and mislead their consumers. Laczniak and Inderrieden (1987) in the article The Influence of stated organizational concern upon ethical decision making did the experimental study and evaluated the influence of stated organizational concern for ethical conduct upon employee behavior at managerial levels. A sample was tested on scenarios suggesting illegal conduct and others suggesting only unethical behavior. Only in the case of suggested illegal behavior tempered by high organizational concern were managers influenced by organizational policy to modify the morality of their actions. However the responses to the illegal scenarios were significantly more ethical than the reactions given to the unethical (but not illegal) situations. This particular study adopts an in-basket framework in order to investigate the influence of various levels of organizational sanctions upon ethical decision making. Methodology The methodology I will implement has two aspects and is going to be based on survey strategy: Questionnaires will cover the general trends in responses from the bankers also keeping in mind to structure them to be able to gauge some consumer trends. Interviews, of the bankers, will further help evaluate results gathered from the questionnaires The sample for this research will be the banks that offer consumer banking I will attempt to cover as many banks as I can since credit card issuance is foreign to none keeping in mind the growing trend. The sampling frame would be all the banks in Lahore City. The sample size would be 30 people from consumer banking sector involved in advertising credit card facility. The Research Study would start off from the questionnaire and thereafter statistical measures will be applied on the results to obtain analysis by using computer software SPSS. Analysis Q1. Do you think that the ethical codes of advertising are being followed? Q2. Do you think that the government is concerned with the censorship of advertisement through different mediums? HYPOTHSIS: H0- The legal factors will not significantly affect ethical advertising H1- The legal factors will significantly affect ethical advertising Analysis We know from the data analyzed using SPSS that our degree of freedom is 28 and I have supposed the confidence interval 95% (0.95), hence using the T-Table and determining the T-critical value against Degree of Freedom 28 and Confidence Interval of 95% (0.95), the value comes out to be 2.048, which is less than the T-stat of 4. 436. Since this proves my T-stat to be greater than my T-critical, the H0- The legal factors will not significantly affect ethical advertising is rejected. Q3. Has your business increased over the recent years in credit card financing? HYPOTHSIS H0- The consumer demand trends will not significantly affect ethical advertising H1- The consumer demand trends will significantly affect ethical advertising Analysis We know from the data analyzed using SPSS that our degree of freedom is 28 and I have supposed the confidence interval 95% (0.95), hence using the T-Table and determining the T-critical value against Degree of Freedom 28 and Confidence Interval of 95% (0.95), the value comes out to be 2.048, which is less than the T-stat of 4.254. Since this proves my T-stat to be greater than my T-critical, the H0- The consumer demand trends will not significantly affect ethical advertising, is rejected. Q4. Do you think that the rules and regulations of the bank affect moral reasoning determining the ethical behavior of advertising? HYPOTHSIS H0- The professional factors will not significantly affect ethical advertising H1- The professional factors will significantly affect ethical advertising Analysis We know from the data analyzed using SPSS that our degree of freedom is 28 and I have supposed the confidence interval 95% (0.95), hence using the T-Table and determining the T-critical value against Degree of Freedom 28 and Confidence Interval of 95% (0.95), the value comes out to be 2.048, which is less than the T-stat of 5.737. Since this proves my T-stat to be greater than my T-critical, the H0- The professional factors will not significantly affect ethical advertising, is rejected. Q.5 The culture of a bank determines the behavior of employees regarding corporate social responsibility. HYPOTHSIS H0- The environmental factors will not significantly affect ethical advertising H1- The environmental factors will significantly affect ethical advertising Analysis We know from the data analyzed using SPSS that our degree of freedom is 28 and I have supposed the confidence interval 95% (0.95), hence using the T-Table and determining the T-critical value against Degree of Freedom 28 and Confidence Interval of 95% (0.95), the value comes out to be 2.048, which is less than the T-stat of 6.343. Since this proves my T-stat to be greater than my T-critical, the H0- The environmental factors will not significantly affect ethical advertising, is rejected. Q.6 Do you think economic factors are a major determinant for the demand of your product (credit cards)? HYPOTHSIS H0- The economic factors will not significantly affect ethical advertising H1- The economic factors will significantly affect ethical advertising Analysis We know from the data analyzed using SPSS that our degree of freedom is 28 and I have supposed the confidence interval 95% (0.95), hence using the T-Table and determining the T-critical value against Degree of Freedom 28 and Confidence Interval of 95% (0.95), the value comes out to be 2.048, which is less than the T-stat of 5.125. Since this proves my T-stat to be greater than my T-critical, the H0- The economic factors will not significantly affect ethical advertising, is rejected. Q.7 Corporate social responsibility is an important factor in ethical advertising HYPOTHSIS H0- The social factors will not significantly affect ethical advertising H1- The social factors will significantly affect ethical advertising Analysis We know from the data analyzed using SPSS that our degree of freedom is 28 and I have supposed the confidence interval 95% (0.95), hence using the T-Table and determining the T-critical value against Degree of Freedom 28 and Confidence Interval of 95% (0.95), the value comes out to be 2.048, which is less than the T-stat of 4.938. Since this proves my T-stat to be greater than my T-critical, the H0- social factors will not significantly affect ethical advertising, is rejected. Q.8 Do individual attributes such as personal goals, life experiences and education determine the perception of the consumer regarding advertising? HYPOTHSIS H0- The personal and individual factors will not significantly affect ethical advertising H1- The personal and individual factors will significantly affect ethical advertising Analysis We know from the data analyzed using SPSS that our degree of freedom is 28 and I have supposed the confidence interval 95% (0.95), hence using the T-Table and determining the T-critical value against Degree of Freedom 28 and Confidence Interval of 95% (0.95), the value comes out to be 2.048, which is less than the T-stat of 7.408. Since this proves my T-stat to be greater than my T-critical, the H0- personal and individual factors will not significantly affect ethical advertising, is rejected. Q.9 Does your bank tends to suppress pertinent information about your services from consumers? HYPOTHSIS H0- The situational factors will not significantly affect ethical advertising H1- The situational and individual factors will significantly affect ethical advertising Analysis We know from the data analyzed using SPSS that our degree of freedom is 28 and I have supposed the confidence interval 95% (0.95), hence using the T-Table and determining the T-critical value against Degree of Freedom 28 and Confidence Interval of 95% (0.95), the value comes out to be 2.048, which is less than the T-stat of 8.773. Since

Problems in the Further Implementation of Sage Philosophy :: Philosophical Africa Essays

Problems in the Further Implementation of Sage Philosophy ABSTRACT: With the recent death of Prof. H. Odera Oruka, founder of the ‘sage philosophy’ school of research based at the University of Nairobi, there is a need to look at some now-problematic issues. I suggest that the original impetus for starting the sage philosophy project-the defense against Euro-American skeptics who thought Africans incapable of philosophizing-has been outgrown. The present need for studies of African sages is to benefit from their wisdom, both in Africa and around the world. I also suggest that the title ‘sage’ has to be problematized. While there were good reasons to focus earlier on rural elders as overlooked wise philosophers, the emphasis now should be on admiring philosophical thought wherever it may be found—in women, youth, and urban Africans as well. In such a way, philosophy will be further relevant to people’s lives, and further light will be shed and shared regarding the lived experience in Africa. Odera Oruka’s Own Criticism of Sage Philosophy Despite his pride in launching what many consider an important project in African philosophy, the writings of Odera Oruka himself express some doubts about the project. For example, in his essay "Philosophy in East Africa and the Future of Philosophical Research in Africa," he seems to refer to his own project as one of passing historical significance. There, after criticizing Tempels and other ethnophilosophers, he admits that he himself "indulge(s) in some kind of anthropological-cum-philosophical research." He said projects like his own sage philosophy and Sumner's researches into historical texts of Ethiopian philosophy were necessary at that historical point, but would soon give way to nationalist-ideological and professional-technical philosophy, trends he saw as more central to the future of African philosophy. In "Sage Philosophy Revisited," he states that "sage philosophy started as a reaction to a position which Europeans had adopted about Africa that Africans are not capab le of philosophy." So, does this imply that once Europeans change their perceptions of Africans, there will no longer be a need for professional philosophers to search out the ideas of wise rural sages? Even in this late essay, Odera Oruka continues to suggest that his work merely serves as a "base" for other forms of philosophy which will emerge in the future, but which he can't imagine right now. By "base" he seems to mean a collection of texts to which professional academic philosophers can turn, instead of always consulting European ones [Odera Oruka (1996, Ch.

Religious beliefs Essay

In What Pragmatism Means, James writes that the central point of his own doctrine of truth is, in brief, that â€Å"truth is one species of good, and not, as is usually supposed, a category distinct from good, and coordinate with it. Truth is the name of whatever proves itself to be good in the way of belief, and good, too, for definite, assignable reasons. † Richard Rorty claims that James did not mean to give a theory of truth with this statement, and that we should not regard it as such; though other pragmatism scholars such as Susan Haak and Howard Mounce do not share an instrumentalist interpretation of James. Bruce Kuklick, (Kuklick, tells us that, â€Å"James went on to apply the pragmatic method to the epistemological problem of truth. He would seek the meaning of ‘true’ by examining how the idea functioned in our lives. A belief was true, he said, if in the long run it worked for all of us, and guided us expeditiously through our semi-hospitable world. James was anxious to uncover what true beliefs amounted to in human life, what their â€Å"Cash Value† was, what consequences they led to. A belief was not a mental entity which somehow mysteriously corresponded to an external reality if the belief were true. Beliefs were ways of acting with reference to a precarious environment, and to say they were true was to say they guided us satisfactorily in this environment. † In this sense the pragmatic theory of truth applied Darwinian ideas in philosophy; it made survival the test of intellectual as well as biological fitness. If what was true was what worked, we can scientifically investigate religion’s claim to truth in the same manner. The enduring quality of religious beliefs throughout recorded history and in all cultures gave indirect support for the view that such beliefs worked. James also argued directly that such beliefs were satisfying—they enabled us to lead fuller, richer lives and were more viable than their alternatives. Religious beliefs were expedient in human existence, just as scientific beliefs were. † William James gave a further direction to pragmatism, developing it as a theory of truth. True ideas, according to James, are useful â€Å"leadings†; they lead through experience in ways that provide consistency, orderliness, and predictability. John Dewey was another leading pragmatist whose influence on educational and social theory is still prevalent in American society. We learn from (American Pragmatism I), that â€Å"James elaborated his theory of pragmatism in works such as Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking (1907) and The Meaning of Truth: A Sequel to Pragmatism (1909). He considered pragmatism to be both a method for analyzing philosophic problems and a theory of truth. He also saw it as an extension of the empiricist attitude in that it turned away from abstract theory and fixed or absolute principles and toward concrete facts, actions, and relative principles. James considered philosophies to be expressions of personal temperament and developed a correlation between â€Å"tough-minded† and â€Å"tender-minded† temperaments and empiricist and rationalist positions in philosophy. Theories, he felt, are â€Å"instruments† that humans use to solve problems and should be judged in terms of their â€Å"cash value† or practical consequences for human conduct. Reference American Pragmatism I. â€Å"Pragmatism†. Adventures in Philosophy. James, William. (1902-1920). â€Å"What is Pragmatism†. The Library of America. Lecture II Kuklick, Bruce. â€Å"William James†. The Introduction to William James’s Pragmatism. Wikipedia, The Free Dictionary.

Global Warming Affects International Business

During the 20th century, the earth's average surface temperature increased by 0. 6 °  ± (). 2 °C (Folland et al. 2001), and there’s strong evidence that human activities are the main cause of this trend (Mitchell et al. 2001). This increase in global surface temperature is thought to have at least some effect on the frequency of extreme weather events due to climate changes (Folland et al. 2001), and there is concern that these changes will have an enormous impact on various industries (Hitz and Smith 2004). Balancing environmental measures with economic development, that is, working toward sustainable development, is the fundamental goal of global environmental policies, including those for global warming (Hijioka, Masui, Takahashi, Matsuoka, and Harasawa 2006). Over the last decade, scientists have extensively studied the greenhouse effect, which holds that the accumulation of carbon dioxide (CO2) is expected to produce global warming and other significant climatic changes over the next century (Mendelsohn, Nordhaus and Shaw, 1994). In this essay, we will be discussing about the impact to an analysis of global warming change effects on agriculture and insurance industries, and some qualitative conclusions on the relative importance of the government decision. Numerous studies indicate major impacts on agriculture, especially if there is significant mid-continental drying and warming in the country (Mendelsohn et al. , 1994). Normally, sky-high food prices reflect scarcity caused by crop failure. Stocks are run down as everyone lives off last year's stores. This year harvests have been poor in some places, notably Australia, where the drought-hit wheat crop failed for the second year running. And world cereals stocks as a proportion of production are the lowest ever recorded. The run-down has been accentuated by the decision of large countries (America and China) to reduce stocks to save money (Peterson, 1979). With respect to research on global warming, United States and other international research programs are aiming towards improving future predictions. Such programs are arguably weakest in modelling feedbacks from human activities, including effects of trends towards greater urbanization and deforestation on local and regional climates. Economic incentives and culturally motivated practices are in large part driving changes in land use. Understanding incentives and responses by individuals, companies, and governments in developing countries will strengthen the human behavioural component of feedbacks to the climate system. U. S farm policy merits reform to increase farmers’ flexibility in responding to climatic changes without financial penalties that government programs may potentially give to such responses. Besides, government also introduce price support programs to inhibit climate change adaptation. Subsidies, tariffs and non-tariff barriers continue to distort world trade in agriculture and food. Subsidised prices reduce the ability of farmers in non-subsidising countries to earn a sustainable income and generate the capital required to increase production and improve productivity (Hill, Cronk and Wickramasekera, 2011). For example, today’s farmers are paid any positive difference between the support price for any program commodity and the international market price. International commodity markets smooth the price effects of production and consumption shocks, so changes in the patterns of food consumption induced by climate change thus are tempered by open trade or called free trade (Robert and Sally, 1995). Free trade occurs when there is an absence of barriers to the free flow of goods and services between countries Free trade might also increase the efficiency with which a country’s stock of resources of resources, as increased supplies of labour and capital from abroad become available for use within the country (Hill, Cronk and Wickramasekera, 2011). One manifestation insight is the joint implementation approach to greenhouse gas reductions initiated by several countries, including the U. S. Under joint implementation, the least costly projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or enhance carbon sinks can be pursued jointly across countries by, in essence, giving private agents and governments opportunities to meet emission reduction targets anywhere and in cooperation with ay others around the world. For example, forestry projects are one of the important outcomes of joint implementation in agriculture industry. Planting trees in reforestation or afforestation projects enhances the absorptive capacity of the biosphere and leads to carbon dioxide reductions in the atmosphere(Robert and Sally, 1995). Besides, Tesco, a European supermarket chain, is beginning a program to provide a global warming rating for everything it sells (Scot, 2007). The chain is creating an index to measure the â€Å"carbon footprint† required to produce, package, and transport ach product in its stores. Consumers can then include the carbon footprint along with price and product quality when making purchasing decisions. Weather and climate are ‘‘core business’’ for the insurance industry. Many extreme weather events such as cyclones, hailstorms, bushfires and floods are projected to increase in either intensity or frequency under climate change. A changing, less predictable climate has the potential to reduce the insurance industry’s capacity to calculate, price and spread this weather-related risk. In Australia, 19 out of the 20 most costly natural disasters, in terms of property insurance losses, have been weather related (Michael, 2007). While insurers face huge risks for society’s failure to act to curb greenhouse gas emissions, there are untapped opportunities for the insurance industry to use its financial muscle to push for changes in government policies as well as damaging business practices of the oil and fossil fuel power generating companies and the auto industry, to name the most obvious (Carrie, 2003). Analysis of the risks associated with climate change provides insurance companies with a working example of the benefits in considering long-term as well as short term issues. Understanding long-term risks and opportunities enables insurers to ensure our business is sustainable in the long term, while generating enduring shareholder value (Michael, 2007). Insurers and reinsurers using their considerable financial resources as â€Å"catalysts† for the development of renewable, emission reductions and energy efficient technologies could serve the industry by reducing risks and opening up new lines of business activity (Carrie, 2003). Government is committed to undertaking further research to increase the scientific understanding of the impacts of global warming, to identify ways to reduce the impact that global warming is expected to have on society and to identify insurance based, policies incentives for a reduction in future greenhouse gas emissions. However, success in dealing with this global problem requires action across the entire economy. While we are learning more about the economics and geophysics of global warming, policy makers should continue to seek ways to minimize social costs of climate change and change mitigation, a process which the economics profession has much to contribute. Prominent examples of efficiency-enhancing policy measures are he promotion of free trade, the liberalization of farm policy, and the joint implementation of greenhouse gas reduction objectives under the Framework Convention on Climate change (Robert and Sally, 1995). Climate change presents a strong case for the need for business, governments and community groups to work together to find sustainable solutions to this critical challenge of the 21st century (Michael, 2007).

Sometimes sadness

Sometimes sadness is feeling blue where someone just needs a caring friend or family member who can offer encouragement. Sometimes sadness is much more. Severe sadness can cause frequent crying spells, sleeping too much, or eating too much or too little. Women may resort to drugs or alcohol to make the pain lesson. What starts this kind or severe sadness? It can begin with a painful experience such as divorce, the death of a loved one, a lost relationship, or a troubled marriage. It can also begin with an event from childhood, such as, physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. Some women have Chemical Imbalances which cause them to be severely sad, and complicates them being able to solve everyday problems. Severe sadness is a type of illness called depression, and can be treated. Twenty-five percent of women are expected to experience depression at some point in their lives. Depression effects many women in today's society, and many of them do not understand what i! t is. Women also do not know how to identify the signs, or symptoms of depression. No one is immune from depression, and it affects everyone, from personal experience to depression in a family member. Depression is defined as the act of being sad, the state of being depressed, or low in spirits. Depression interferes with normal functioning, and can cause problems with work, family, and friends. Serious depression can destroy a family life as well as their own life. Melissa's life was going very well for her. She was recently married, and starting her new life. Melissa's life starting falling apart as she got news about her mother. Her mother had cancer, and wasn't going to make it. Soon her mother passed away, and she was left feeling abandoned, and alone. She felt as if a part of her was gone, and that she wouldn't be able to go on. Melissa and her mother were very close. They shared everything together, and were viewed as best friends. ...

Alienation and Capitalism

Alienation and Capitalism Introduction The idea of alienation was developed by Karl Marx and it can be used to analyze the nature of human interaction in the current world. Alienation is widespread today and it can barely be witnessed in almost all societies. â€Å"Marx developed his theory of alienation to reveal the human activity that lies behind the seemingly impersonal forces dominating society† (Meszaros 45). Marx contends that the modern world is a product of past human activities.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Alienation and Capitalism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More He further explains that the future world will also be influenced by human activities. The materialist theory as put forward by Marx indicates that human beings were influenced by their societies. Marx believes that alienation is entrenched in materialism and not in religion or the psyche. However, Hegel and Feuerbach associated alienation with the former and no t the latter. Alienation in essence meant loss of the capacity to have power over labor. Human Nature â€Å"Marx criticized the notion that humans possess a fixed nature regardless of their society† (Marx 398). He clearly explained how the myriad factors associated with the unchanging human character, vary considerably in various societies. He contended that the necessity to influence nature to fulfill human requirements was the only systematic aspect of all human cultures. Just like animals, people should work in order to stay alive. Nonetheless, human labor was differentiated from animal labor since human beings developed perception. Ernest Fischer noted that human labor is unique since people consciously work on nature, and formulate new mechanisms of getting the items they require. Working on nature changes both the laborer and his environment. â€Å"Consequently, labor is a dynamic process through which the laborer shapes and moulds the world he lives in and stimulates himself to create and innovate† (Ollman 156). According to Marx, â€Å"the individual is the social being† (Ollman 157). In this context, Marx implies that as people struggle to obtain their daily needs, they are all compelled to interact with others. Society is not merely comprised of people; it conveys the totality of relationships and connections that people find themselves in. labor makes people to interact physically with the world. Development of humanity is partly determined by labor. Moreover, human relationships are a product of labor itself. â€Å"Our ability to work, to improve how we work and build on our successes, has tended to result in the cumulative development of the productive forces† (Macionis 456). This is what produced class society. Surplus production caused division of societies into classes. This process was significant in developing and controlling dynamics of production. However, it also meant that most producers could no longer have co ntrol of other people’s labor. As a result, labor alienation emerged with social order.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More â€Å"The emergence of class divisions in which one class had control over the means of producing what society needed, led to a further division between individuals and the society to which they belonged† (Marx 345). Even though alienation is persistent in the world, it can still be altered. Alienation and Capitalism â€Å"Alienation arose from the low level of the productive forces, from human subordination to the land and from the domination of the feudal ruling class† (Macionis 134). Nonetheless, these types of alienation exhibited some restrictions. For instance, peasants labored independently on their land, and produced their necessities within their autonomous family systems. Capitalism had dynamics and constraints that were different from those of feudalism. The bourgeoisie envisaged a society where transactions could primarily be based on money. In this case, alienation is practiced through selling. In the capitalist society, many individuals were restrained from accessing the vital modes of production. As such, the majority of people were rendered landless. This compelled them to sell their labor in order to meet their daily necessities. Hence, labor was commoditized and it could be sold just like other items in the market. â€Å"Capitalism involved a fundamental change in the relations between men, instruments of production and the materials of production† (Marx 234). Production shifted from homes to factories. Division of labor came into sight with the onset of factory production, and it was really devastating. Workers became over dependent on the bourgeoisie, who dominated production. Forced labor also emerged because laborers had no influence in their jobs. Alienation was worsened by capi talism. In this case, workers were extremely alienated from the items they produced. â€Å"Marx argued that the alienation of the worker from what he produces is intensified because the products of labor actually begin to dominate the laborer† (Macionis 367). Part of a worker’s produce is embezzled by his employer. Therefore, the worker is continuously exploited. Workers also use their wages to purchase what they have produced themselves. The labor patterns today have been seriously fragmented by the current production models.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Alienation and Capitalism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Conclusion From this discussion, it is evident that alienation has consistently developed from the ancient world to present. At present, alienation is manifested clearly by the kind of interaction that prevails between modern industrialists and their laborers. In this parasitic interaction, the capitalists have a tight grip on production channels. Conversely, workers are only left with the option of selling their skills. Therefore, Marx’s alienation concept is relevant in examining the existing production systems. Macionis, John. Sociology. New York: Pearson Prentice Hall, 1997. Marx, Karl. Theories of Surplus Value. New York: Humanity Books, 2000. Meszaros, Istvan. Marxs Theory of Alienation. New York: Merlin Press, 1986. Ollman, Bertell. Alienation: Marxs Conception of Man in a Capitalist Society. London: Cambridge University Press, 1977.

An exploration into irony, its meaning, and its consequences in Romeo and Juliet Essay

An exploration into irony, its meaning, and its consequences in Romeo and Juliet Essay Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs; this is the definition of irony, but what really is it? The answer, though not told in this essay, is definitely well explained through examples from William Shakespeares The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. This play is filled with paradoxical happenings that ultimately lead to the death of the hero and heroine. Of them, we see circumstances dealing with verbal, dramatic, and situational irony. To help with describing the definition better, we shall go into each of these types of ironies in turn.First, lets take a look at verbal irony. Verbal irony is basically sarcasm, saying something that means something completely different. We see it in R and J at the beginning when Romeo first meets Juliet and talks philosophically about pilgrims and praying. We see it again when the nurse talks about Juliets age and marriage later on in the same act. It both places, the speaking characters have an underlying meaning to what they really are saying, they are superb examples of verbal irony. Next, we have dramatic irony. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something the characters do not. This type of irony plays a crucial role in Romeo and Juliet because it is what, in the end, leads to the demise of our heroes. We mainly see this in the end of the play when we learn of Juliets faked death and Romeo has not. We also see it at the death of Tybalt who was completely unaware that he would set Romeo into a killing rage and lose his life to it. These both are cases of dramatic irony.Thirdly and probably most importantly, is situational irony. This is when the story takes a completely different turn than expected by the readers and the characters. I say this plays the most important role in the play because it is what brings us to the death of Romeo and Juliet through the friar. You see, we play into its trap when the friar gives Juliet the potion and we believe that everything is going to be fine. Only later do we find out that it is his failure to plan that kills the young lovers. In the end, it is situational irony that makes the story of Romeo and Juliet a tragedy. Through this essay, we have generally learned what irony is through examples in the text Romeo and Juliet. We have looked at what ironys three main types are and examples. There was verbal irony, such as at the beginning of the play. There was also dramatic irony such as Juliets fake death. Finally, the play went out with a bang by using situational irony.Hopefully, by going into these types of irony, irony itself is better understood.

Marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 4

Marketing plan - Essay Example The collections include ancient vessels and artefacts. These vessels were mostly used in the period between 17th and 18th century. The pricing structure is such that individuals willing to subscribe as members pay $15 while household customers pay a fee of $20.The Museum is one of the leading museums in UK. Television, Magazine and radio advertisements are mostly used in promoting events. The strategy for implementing the market plan focuses on three main areas. These are product, promotion and pricing. The Museum intends to increase the quality of services it offers while at the same time employ a pricing technique that will attract more customers and the same be financially satisfying. Promotions and advertisements are crucial in any marketing plan and a strategic approach shall be used to ensure this is done correctly. Aberdeen Maritime Museum gives the story of Aberdeen city’s lengthy bond with the Sea (Lamb, 123). The award-winning museum is situated on the famous Shiprow and integrates Provost Rosss House. The Museum is home to a unique collection made up of fast sailing ships, port and fishing history. It is a unique site being the only place in Britain where one can see North Sea oil industry. A marketing plan is a document that helps managers in strategizing on how to improve the performance of that business in a given sector (Runyard, 105). A good marketing plan should be able to give solutions to performance issues relating to a business. A marketing plan contains various components that analyze the current scenario and design a strategy to improve the performance of a business (Burnett, 108). This marketing plan sets out a convincing and inclusive vision for Aberdeen Maritime Museum; a vision, which is firmly in line with mission of the biggest public art gallery in the north of Scotland. Aligned with Scotland’s national strategic and performance agendas, this plan and its

Article Analyses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Article Analyses - Essay Example It has been opined by scholars that such organizational â€Å"dysfunctions can be overcome when members of well-designed teams collaborate to formulate and implement a performance strategy that is uniquely suited to task and situational requirements †¦. Explicit co-ordination processes are necessary for tasks that are highly interdependent †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Woolley, et. al. 354). Any work of analysis encompasses several steps and unless there is a close proximity between all these steps it becomes tough for members to produce an effective team work. Thus, simple integration with specific strategy planning is not sufficient but it is also equally important that leader of the team should attempt to ensure the elements of mutual communication as well as assistance. Unless the leader has sufficient â€Å"spatial† and â€Å"object memory ability† (Woolley, et. al. 355), the members cannot be managed properly. More or less, members of a team are required to have these qua lities but in practical situation, it is not possible that they would be experts in exercising of both these qualities. Thus, for the purpose of maintaining balance in team performance, it is required that members would complement and supplement each other. However, such process of complementing cannot be fulfilled only with expertise of the leader (â€Å"coordinating member†); rather â€Å"interpersonal diversity† of members and their respective â€Å"personal skills and experience† are also necessary to fill up the gaps (Woolley, et. al. 356). In order to overcome these problems, in case of organizational functioning of a team associated with analytical jobs, systematic evaluation of data and searching for proper modes of evidence are very important. Unless proper coordination can be ensured among team members, there will be gap amongst assimilating these two most crucial steps of analytics. Consequently,

The Concept of Wisdom in Judaism and Confucius Essay

The Concept of Wisdom in Judaism and Confucius - Essay Example For Aristotle the acts of the Gods had to be contemplative since they did not engage in acts of justice or bravery, where as Plato thought that imitating the Gods included both ethical and political values. In Judaism Imitatio Dei is centered on ethical values and striving to be the best that humans can be, not wise like God, because wisdom is what God used to create the world. Wisdom is the search for the knowledge of God (Shapiro 1971 pg 3). This idea is related in Genesis. The Lord by wisdom founded the earth, by understanding He established the Heavens. By His knowledge the depths were broken up, and the skies drop down the dew. How manifold are Thy works, O Lord! In wisdom hast thou made them all. According to the Pentateuch, the knowledge of God is the fruit of wisdom and a faithful path toward Imitatio Dei. Knowledge of God in Judaism is tied to the instructions God gave to Moses. The Israelites were captured because they had no knowledge of God, that is, they did not follow the rules Yahweh handed down to Moses. In Proverbs it states that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the All-Holy is understanding. True wisdom is the pursuit if the knowledge of God and all other goals serve only to be wise to other humans or oneself. Man can search for God's wisdom by reading Torah since Torah is the reflections of God's knowledge. David Shapiro makes an interesting observation when he points out that Israel avoids the pagan ideas of actually gaining the wisdom of a deity and becoming a God because the pagans subscribed to the belief. In Genesis 9:6 the Bible does say that man was created in the image of God, but that aspect is not mentioned again after that chapter and verse. While pagans strove to become Gods, Jews strove for the knowledge of God, a fundamental difference. This may also be a reaction to information in Genesis that wisdom is a quality of Satan. The snake talked Eve into eating from the Tree of Knowledge, thus becoming "wise" and knowing good and evil like God. In Judaism the limitations of man's knowledge contrasts with the pagan goal of actually gaining God's wisdom. In the pursuit of Imitatio Dei it was necessary to build God's dwelling place on earth. The Tabernacle, and later, the Temple served as the Imago Mundi, God's house on earth. This was the start of wisdom being incorporated into architecture, sacred geometry of a meta-physical nature. In the Jewish religion then God had a sacred book and a sacred house on earth. The Talmud as interpreted by Raba of Babylonia, states that wisdom is repentance combined with good deeds. One should not spend hours reading Torah then disrespect his parents and elders. This notion maintains the hierarchy sanctioned in the Torah where one's own wisdom is a reflection of superiors. Judaism began with humans having direct contact with God. Abraham founded the one God religion and Moses accepted the Covenant and the rules of following Yahweh. This one on one relationship is an on going central part of Judaism. Confucius lived around 550 to 480 B.C.E. in the Zhou Dynasty. The name is the Latinized version of Kong fu-zi or Master Kong (Nadeau pg 1). He is one of China's most important

Social network marketing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social network marketing - Research Paper Example A good communication network can give an organization an upper hand in the advertisement sector; this can either be marketing or conveying urgent information to the public. In an education institution for example, it is very useful in educating people, a good communication network can be used efficiently in conveying information to the students. It attracts even those people who are not even directly involved in the institution hence it reaches out to a large area network. In the past the means of communication were not so advanced and it took long to convey information to a wide area network, this, however has changed over time and the communication network is getting more and more efficient such that you can reach anyone you like , anywhere and with very minimal time (Bosari, J. 2012, pp 53). The social media has been the core of communication in this era, hence for an institution it is very recommendable that there is a social media means of conveying information to the members an d public. Social media is the best tool for marketing available to the people right now, communication is simplified, and there are minimal delays. However for one to come up with an efficient social networking site it takes a lot of dedication and patience, it is not built in a day and one has to work hard to make their social network site efficient in the field. Social media marketing is a branch of internet marketing that entail the use of the internet to reach out to other people. Social network marketing therefore is a fundamental tool for an organization aiming to maximize on their marketing chances. Social media networking is open to many different form of communication, this include; the use of video calls, audio or voice messages, and written messages. This is possible when using social sites to convey information (Cambia, E. Et Al. 2011, pp 59). It goes without doubt that social media networking is the most efficient method for educational institutional marketing, in addit ion to the many advantages of social media; it also gives the liberty to navigate through different links and access more information from the internet. It can be used as a way of uniting other communication networks. The advantages of social media marketing are almost limitless; this mode of communication gives room for even very small corporate or business entities to, market their products without any form of victimization so long as they have an effective social media account, one that can be easily accessed by many individuals. Engaging in online conversations is a very effective way of using the social media to convey information to individuals (Deis, H. & Kyle, H. 2010, pp 87). One could also use the social media to combine it with other promotional brands to better their products; it gives room for research on the products and gain extra information on the marketing strategies. This is done in an entertaining and more interactive way such that you have direct access to your target audience. It is like having a personal conversation, but from very different geographical positions. Having online conversations is the most effective way of having a basis for a better background in making a reliable social site. It helps one to gain the confidence of other institutions such that they can give you access to some of their internet products hence expands the range of potential contacts and audiences. Social media network is no longer a trend, it is a necessity in the marketing industry and a must have for every serious institution. Research has it that more than 94% of all institutions in the world use social media network as their preferred marketing option. social media not only

Continuity Planning Overview Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Continuity Planning Overview - Assignment Example e role and task of Business Continuity manager also demand the induction of policies and procedures that may prove beneficial towards the continued business operations if something disastrous happens. The most important aspect of this role is to foresee and preempt the upcoming challenges that may hinder or cause delay in normal business operations. Wallace, Lawrence & Larry (2011) states, â€Å"The Business Continuity Manager leads the company’s planning and recovery efforts. This person’s duties encompass the entire program from assisting in editing plans for providing strategic leadership and vision.† After a detail analysis of the present policies and company wide procedures few changes are deemed essential to ensure pursuance of business continuity objectives in case of a serious calamity or disaster. Salman (2006) observes, â€Å"Identifying key problem areas during audits of business continuity plans can enhance an organizations disaster recovery efforts and ensure the quick return of business activities and services.† An immediate revamp of existing policies in following areas is suggested; A training program is required to be started immediately to educate employees on various concepts and philosophies related to business continuity. This will help to achieve a smooth transition from the existing policies and procedures towards an innovative strategic policy which is sustainable in extraordinary circumstances that the company may face in case of a disaster. The skepticism within the organizational setup needs to be addressed intelligently because the management and the Board are the core decision makers and their support is indispensable for a successful business continuity plan. It must be born in mind that the strategic plan for business continuity is an expensive decision and management can only buy this idea if they can understand the value of the investment. The presenter needs to roll out the new policies in an attractive package to ensure

The Concept of Wisdom in Judaism and Confucius Essay

The Concept of Wisdom in Judaism and Confucius - Essay Example For Aristotle the acts of the Gods had to be contemplative since they did not engage in acts of justice or bravery, where as Plato thought that imitating the Gods included both ethical and political values. In Judaism Imitatio Dei is centered on ethical values and striving to be the best that humans can be, not wise like God, because wisdom is what God used to create the world. Wisdom is the search for the knowledge of God (Shapiro 1971 pg 3). This idea is related in Genesis. The Lord by wisdom founded the earth, by understanding He established the Heavens. By His knowledge the depths were broken up, and the skies drop down the dew. How manifold are Thy works, O Lord! In wisdom hast thou made them all. According to the Pentateuch, the knowledge of God is the fruit of wisdom and a faithful path toward Imitatio Dei. Knowledge of God in Judaism is tied to the instructions God gave to Moses. The Israelites were captured because they had no knowledge of God, that is, they did not follow the rules Yahweh handed down to Moses. In Proverbs it states that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the All-Holy is understanding. True wisdom is the pursuit if the knowledge of God and all other goals serve only to be wise to other humans or oneself. Man can search for God's wisdom by reading Torah since Torah is the reflections of God's knowledge. David Shapiro makes an interesting observation when he points out that Israel avoids the pagan ideas of actually gaining the wisdom of a deity and becoming a God because the pagans subscribed to the belief. In Genesis 9:6 the Bible does say that man was created in the image of God, but that aspect is not mentioned again after that chapter and verse. While pagans strove to become Gods, Jews strove for the knowledge of God, a fundamental difference. This may also be a reaction to information in Genesis that wisdom is a quality of Satan. The snake talked Eve into eating from the Tree of Knowledge, thus becoming "wise" and knowing good and evil like God. In Judaism the limitations of man's knowledge contrasts with the pagan goal of actually gaining God's wisdom. In the pursuit of Imitatio Dei it was necessary to build God's dwelling place on earth. The Tabernacle, and later, the Temple served as the Imago Mundi, God's house on earth. This was the start of wisdom being incorporated into architecture, sacred geometry of a meta-physical nature. In the Jewish religion then God had a sacred book and a sacred house on earth. The Talmud as interpreted by Raba of Babylonia, states that wisdom is repentance combined with good deeds. One should not spend hours reading Torah then disrespect his parents and elders. This notion maintains the hierarchy sanctioned in the Torah where one's own wisdom is a reflection of superiors. Judaism began with humans having direct contact with God. Abraham founded the one God religion and Moses accepted the Covenant and the rules of following Yahweh. This one on one relationship is an on going central part of Judaism. Confucius lived around 550 to 480 B.C.E. in the Zhou Dynasty. The name is the Latinized version of Kong fu-zi or Master Kong (Nadeau pg 1). He is one of China's most important

Continuity Planning Overview Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Continuity Planning Overview - Assignment Example e role and task of Business Continuity manager also demand the induction of policies and procedures that may prove beneficial towards the continued business operations if something disastrous happens. The most important aspect of this role is to foresee and preempt the upcoming challenges that may hinder or cause delay in normal business operations. Wallace, Lawrence & Larry (2011) states, â€Å"The Business Continuity Manager leads the company’s planning and recovery efforts. This person’s duties encompass the entire program from assisting in editing plans for providing strategic leadership and vision.† After a detail analysis of the present policies and company wide procedures few changes are deemed essential to ensure pursuance of business continuity objectives in case of a serious calamity or disaster. Salman (2006) observes, â€Å"Identifying key problem areas during audits of business continuity plans can enhance an organizations disaster recovery efforts and ensure the quick return of business activities and services.† An immediate revamp of existing policies in following areas is suggested; A training program is required to be started immediately to educate employees on various concepts and philosophies related to business continuity. This will help to achieve a smooth transition from the existing policies and procedures towards an innovative strategic policy which is sustainable in extraordinary circumstances that the company may face in case of a disaster. The skepticism within the organizational setup needs to be addressed intelligently because the management and the Board are the core decision makers and their support is indispensable for a successful business continuity plan. It must be born in mind that the strategic plan for business continuity is an expensive decision and management can only buy this idea if they can understand the value of the investment. The presenter needs to roll out the new policies in an attractive package to ensure

Data Protection Act 1998 and Broad Based Hr Essay Example for Free

Data Protection Act 1998 and Broad Based Hr Essay Assignment The main purpose of my current job role is the responsibility for processing all aspects of the Company’s payroll from start to finish and providing HR support to the other members of the team to ensure the effective day to day running of the HR function. This includes assisting with the recruitment of new staff and maintaining personnel records relating to employees in compliance with relevant legislation and regulation. To successfully undertake my role a wide range of skills, knowledge and behaviours are required.   The two professional areas Insight Strategy and Solutions and Leading HR are the heart of the profession and are the most important to all HR professionals. Very important is to understand the Company’s HR Strategy. The core of the Company’s HR strategy identifies two broad based HR objectives: Ensure that the talent and abilities of staff are recognised and developed to their full potential Ensure that the individual and collective skills and abilities of staff support the on-going delivery of Company objectives Develop understanding of the Company and use the insights to tailor strategy and solutions to meet organisational needs now and in the future Helping employees understand their role in change, the reason for it and the results that are expected In the design of the annual HR plans all members of the department work collaboratively to ensure the plans are challenging and deliver positive results for the company. As a leading HR it is important to support development plans and programmes. Provide advice confidently based on sound understanding of organisation’s policy and practice. Act as a role model leader, support, develop and measure others across the organisation. Work collaboratively with colleagues to deliver good policy, practice and advice. Employee engagement is important so that all employees have connection with their work, colleagues and to the organisation so that employees are more fulfilled by work and make a greater contribution towards organisational  objectives, therefore particular attention is needed to good leadership and management. To be effective in my role I need to refer to eight behaviours: 1. Curious- to be open to trying ideas reflect, analyse and test them and insight with others, take on board change, implement changes to payroll system and procedures try new ides 2. Decisive Thinker – analyse payroll data to ensure details and facts are correct, complete and consistent; use experience, standard procedure and common sense and knowledge to solve payroll problems while recognising limits of experience and authority within the organisation 3. Skilled influencer – understand how to influence within the culture, governance of performance framework and politics, identifying the key points to communicate on any interaction, selecting the right message and audience 4. Personally credible – improving own experience, knowledge, skills shearing it with colleagues, considering how to add value and ensure expertise is developed, accept and act on feedback on own performance to both criticism and praise 5. Collaborative – passing information promptly, keeping colleagues up to date, support them in their day-to-day work, handle disagreement as they occur, seeking a constructive solution, showing respect for diversity 6. Driven to deliver – identify the steps to achieve agreed tasks, goals and objectives in the immediate or short term, keep track of own progress, keeping deadlines or inform others when targets can’t be met, deliver to expectations and commitment, meeting or exceeding agreed standards 7. Courage to challenge – stand by own proposal in the face of difficult questions, providing supporting evidence, explore the full range of viewpoints, consult others when facing problems, undercover pertinent facts to move a debate forward 8. Role model – consistently act according to organisational and legal principles and agreed processes, deal with personal date and information in a highly professional manner and relevant legislation such as Data Pr otection Act, deliver expectations and promises Experience of processing all aspects of Payroll A good understanding of tax codes, tax and NI rates, thresholds, allowances  and deductions from pay Ability to calculate payroll manually A good understanding of SSP, SMP, SAP and Employment Law Experience of recruitment campaigns A good understanding of HR policies and procedures Ability to maintain confidentiality and ensure data protection principles are adhered to at all times Ability to work on own initiative and deal with difficult and sensitive situations Ability to organise and prioritise workload and to meet agreed deadlines and targets Excellent interpersonal skills

Anahorish And Digging | Comparative Essay

Anahorish And Digging | Comparative Essay Anahorish and Digging are two poems written by acclaimed Irish poet, Seamus Heaney, from the 1972 anthology Wintering Out and the 1966 anthology Death of a Naturalist. Anahorish was the name of the school Heaney attended (the Anglicized version of the Irish word anachgeeor uisce meaning place of cold water), and focuses on Heaney going back to visit his old school, going back in time to make sense of the present, whereas Digging is about Heaney expressing his admiration of his forefathers, and how they dug for survival, whereas he uses his pen as opposed to their spades to dig into the past of his fellow Irish people. I have chosen to compare Anahorish with Digging as I feel that Digging shares many common traits with Anahorish such as the references to land, the reminiscing of the poet, the slow, reflective language, and yet they differ, particularly context-wise. Both poems share the key theme of reminiscing/looking back in time, and the earth, and can be analysed in terms of shari ng this key theme, as well as context and language. Both Digging and Anahorish employ the two themes of looking back in time, and the earth. This is immediately evident in both poems, where in Digging Heaney instantly describes how his fathers spade sinks into gravelly ground, whilst in Anahorish, land references are instantaneously made the first hill in the world where springs washed into the shiny grass and darkened cobbles in the bed of the lane. Cobbles in particular has a strong Irish cultural reference attached to it. We can now see that a direct comparison can be made between the two poems, as they both have a focus on the land, just in different contexts. In Digging, Heaney needs to vividly describe the land so he can transport the reader to what it was like for the potato diggers of Northern Ireland, and how harsh their conditions were; the intense description of how Heaney saw his fathers straining rump among the flowerbeds also conveys to the reader how clear this memory is to the poet, and how it must be imprinted in his mind. Excerpts from the poem such as how he rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep indicates to the reader how painful and laborious this work must have been; the adjective rooted, as well as being a typical Heaney-esque device in which the poet uses nouns as verbs, also has very negative connotations to it, being quite an emotive word as it expresses feelings of suffering and very hard work. In Anahorish, Heaney uses the land as a representation of what he remembers, using the landmarks he sees to inspire his memories of his old primary school, helping him to delve deep into his past so he can make sense of future. Andrew Green notes that the land, in Heaneys early poetry, represents many things, but always encapsulates a continuity of experience. Whether he is searching for personal meaning or attempting to locate a source and possible context for the troubles that plague his native Ireland, he finds his language and inspiration firmly rooted in the land. So integral is the part it plays in the verse of the early collection that we can see in the earth no mere means to end but an end in itself. To summarise Greens points, Heaney often uses the land as a source of inspiration, a method of evoking some of his past memories, helping him explore his past and assist in determining his present. Clearly, the land is of great importance to Heaney, which is expressed through to the reader. Both poems also explore Heaneys reminiscing. In Digging Heaney clearly goes back in time to remember his grandfather digging the land My grandfather cut more turf in a day than any other man on Toners bog. Once I carried him milk in a bottle corked sloppily with paper; in this context, Heaney recalls this moment to stress to the reader the strong ethics instilled in his grandfather (the excerpt goes on to say how his grandfather would have one drink of milk, then get straight back to digging). However, in Anahorish, Heaneys going back in time is of a much greater importance. He describes how the springs used to wash into the shiny grass; clearly, Heaney is trying to remember aspects of his school, in the hopes he can remember who he once was, and thus remember who he is again Heaney is using his history to find himself. It could be stated therefore, that a third theme in both poems is a loss of identity for Heaney in Digging he feels almost uncomfortable with himself for not diggin g like his forefathers, whereas in Anahorish the poet is unsure of who he is, taking measures such as visiting his old school when he was a childhood, and using the land to evoke early memories and rediscover himself; as stated in The Times Magazine article entitled The Poet, those links to whats gone before physical, psychological are the power behind much of his work. Clearly, the land has a direct link to his physical and psychological memories/psyche, and Heaney therefore uses the land to inspire his poetry and memories. So, even though both poems share the same themes, reminiscing and the earth are used in different contexts. Clearly, both Anahorish and Digging take place in different circumstances. For one, in Digging Heaney is using the poem as a way to almost hail the workmen of Northern Ireland, praising them for their patience and strong work ethic. Clearly, the living roots of the poem both become, for the reader, symbols of the poets memory (Andrew Green); indeed, the poem is essentially one long recollection of his forefathers living, and Heaney is using it to bring attention to the plight of the Irish workers. At the time of the poem, it can be assumed that there was a potato famine in Ireland, resulting in mass death by starvation, due to the fact that the potato was the food that the majority of the impoverished Irish survived on; its loss was devastating. In Anahorish, Heaney is presumably in a fragile state of mind, perhaps unsure of who he is, so he goes to Anahorish to see if he can stir up any memories, and hope that the site will help him find himself again. In both poems, the language is relatively slow and reflective. The vocabulary in Digging is descriptive, the poet clearly able to vividly recount his experiences watching his father dig the coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft against the inside knee was levered firmly; therefore we can clearly see that Heaney watching his father dig left a lasting impression on him. Therefore, the language shows how vivid Heaneys memories are. This is also evident in Anahorish where Heaney can remember the after-image of lamps swung through the yards on winter evenings. In Digging, Heaney notes how he once carried him milk in a bottle corked sloppily with paper. He straightened up to drink it, then fell to right away nicking and slicing neatly. The juxtaposing terms of sloppily and neatly in Digging reinforce how at this time in the poem, Heaney is a young boy, with his clumsy manner, whilst his grandfather is an experienced, concise man, who has been digging for many years. So in Digging, cont rast is used to emphasise Heaneys childlike immaturity when he was a boy, again, a clear allusion to the poems theme of reminiscing. In Anahorish, there is a clear contrast to break the light ice at wells and dunghills. It can be assumed that this conflict of ice and dunghill is meant to act as a break, a reminder to the reader that Heaney was looking back into time, and now has to return back to the present. Both poems also use onomatopoeia, Digging describing the squelch and slap of soggy peat and Anahorish noting how the springs washed into the shiny grass. These onomatopoeias are particularly important in helping create atmosphere, and involve the reader in Heaneys train of thought; onomatopoeic words partially close the gap between language and reality as said by Bernard Richards, who further notes that Seamus Heaney is a master of sound effects. An extended metaphor is also present in each poem. In Digging, the entire text is an extended metaphor for Heaney digging into the pa st using his poetry; the phrase Between my finger and my thumb the squat pen rests. Ill dig with it perfectly encapsulates this sentiment. Meanwhile, in Anahorish, the excerpt springs washed into the shiny grass is a metaphor for the passing of time, continuing on in the poem, as the whole point of visiting Anahorish was to arouse any memories which are too deep to stir though thought alone. Both poems are very similar, in which they both express the themes of reminiscing, the earth, and use a lot of the same linguistic techniques. However, in terms of context, the two poems differ substantially; Heaney clearly feels the same sentiments in both, a desire to use the Irish landscape to evoke deep memories, which he communicates to the reader so he can find himself. Development of Global Expansion Strategy: India to Britain Development of Global Expansion Strategy: India to Britain What started as an export house has today become a successful retail business presenting Indian textiles in a variety of natural fibers, and home products including furniture, lights and lamps, stationery, home accessories, pottery and cutlery. In 2004, food products range was launched and in 2006, FabIndia Sana, their authentic body care products range, was launched. Recently, it has also ventured into the jewellery segment. However, the major chunk of FabIndias product range is textile-based. The company has continued its focus mainly on the artisans and sources its products from over 40,000 craftsmen across India. With a strong foundation, the company has been successful in increasing its presence all over India. The concept, now a Harvard Business School case study, is simple. A fully-owned subsidiary of FabIndia, Artisans Micro Finance, a venture fund, facilitates the setting up of these companies, which are owned 49 per cent by the fund, 26 per cent by the artisans, 15 per cent by private investors and 10 per cent by the employees of the community-owned company. After a successful 50 years in India and after creating a niche market and millions of loyal customer base, company is going global. It is already present in 3 cities around the world. In this report we are going to look at the option of taking the company to one of the biggest economies of the work the Great Britain. We will study the market using the concepts of global marketing and try to analyze how successful venture it will be for FabIndia. The Porters five forces are used to study framework for the industry analysis and business strategy development. This reports also talks about what are the reasons for entering into UK. The study of Birmingham and Liverpool, as potential cities for initial setup of the FabIndia store and later expanding to other places as the demand rises. This report will give us the in depth of setting up the FabIndia operations in the UK. Introduction: The history of Indias freedom struggle is interwoven with the Charkha the unusual weapon, employed by Mahatma Gandhi to spread the message of Swadeshi. Gandhi gave the art of Khadi, a special status through this movement. Khadi simply means cotton, usually hand-spun. Khadi is Indian hand spun and hand-woven cloth. The raw materials may be cotton, silk, Polyester or wool, which are spun into threads on a spinning wheel called a Charkha. Khadis earliest avatar was fashioned some 5,000 years ago in India, the original home of cotton, hand spun and hand woven by crafts persons who in all likelihood followed the precise instructions on weaving, spinning and dyeing laid out in the Vedas. Khadi is part of Indian dressing from thousands of years and now is becoming one of the most sought out fabric in fashion industry. John Bissell worked as a buyer for the American departmental store, Macys. In 1958, under a program run by the Ford Foundation, he came to India to advise the Central Cottage Industries Corporation created by the Indian government, on showcasing Indian handlooms and handicrafts. His role was to advise on issues relating to marketing Indian handicrafts. Determined to showcase Indian handloom textiles, and providing equitable employment to traditional artisans, and sensing an entrepreneurial venture, Bissell established FabIndia in 1960. It was also to fuse the best aspects of East West collaboration. Initially, FabIndia started as a wholesale export company, concentrating on the export of upholstery fabrics. In 1999, on John Bissells death, his son William aged 32, formally took over as the Managing Director of FabIndia. The Companys domestic expansion had been spectacular after William took over. By 2001, FabIndia had six stores concentrated in the metro cities. By the end of 2004, these had increased to 20, and the company was seriously considering expanding its stores into the tier-II and tier-III, cities as well as overseas. By the end of 2010 FabIndia had 121 retail stores across India and in addition, stores in Dubai, Rome and Qatar. Company Philosophy: FabIndia is Indias largest private platform for products that are made from traditional techniques, skills and hand-based processes. FabIndia links over 40,000 craft based rural producers to modern urban markets, thereby creating a base for skilled, sustainable rural employment, and preserving Indias traditional handicrafts in the process. FabIndia promotes inclusive capitalism, through its unique COC (community owned companies) model. The COC model consists of companies, which act as value adding intermediaries, between rural producers and FabIndia. These are owned, as the name suggests, by the communities they operate from; a minimum 26% shareholding of these companies is that of craft persons. FabIndias products are natural, craft based, contemporary, and affordable. The essentials of FabIndias new business model are simple. Bissell first created Artisans Microfinance (AMFL), an investment company, which identified and helped fund 17 community-owned firms that FabIndia calls supplier-region companies, or SRCs. Many of these firms had at their core non-profits and cooperatives that had been FabIndia suppliers for two generations. But when they were restructured, their artisan-workers bought shares in the future and a guaranteed piece of FabIndias pie. By tapping the locals and angel investors, FabIndia got a 50-percent boost in investment. More importantly, the SRC shares have already appreciated 50 percent and more. Returns like those and the jobs they generate could spell an end to rural poverty and the ills of urban migrants. The steps taken by FabIndia for the development of the weaker sections of the societies are well appreciated by the customers and also by the Industry, the rewards and recognition with the loyalty of the customers to support the causes for which FabIndia works are also the USP of the brand. Why FabIndia Should Go Global? Going Global for any organization promises tantalizing possibilities. It helps a company in increasing the international brand recognition, grasp greater market share, and achieve top line revenue growth. FabIndia is well established in India with almost 100 plus stores in all major cities of India. The option of going global is very much a strategic decision of the company as the brand FabIndia has got its footprints in the minds of international customers of ethnic Indian products. The domestic markets is well captured and catered to, so the it the time when FabIndia should look for expanding in global market. Some of the reasons specific to FabIndia expansion are: Demand of Khadi (hand-woven fabric) and handicraft products in international market as it is one of the most sought out product in fashion industry and by designers. Demand of Indian handicraft is also increasing in the global market. The world market for handicraft products and ethnic products is approximately  £152 billion. This is increasing at 15% per decade, out of which Indian share is only 2% as there is no major established retail store like FabIndia internationally. Most of the product which reaches to international market is through unorganized sector. So company has got a first mover advantage. Thirdly, FabIndia works as a co-operative so the percentage profit is shared by the shareholders (weavers and artisan). So when a company like FabIndia goes global the cause for which they work also gets promoted which help them to make a loyal customer base. FabIndias Presence in UAE and Rome has given them the ground to know and research about the products which are widely accepted by people of not only Indian origin but also Western Expatriates working in that region. The store in Rome is the reflection of Thinking Global Acting Local, as the products are designed keeping in mind the taste of Italian culture and aesthetic. Selection of Country: After doing the research, on various countries, like, USA, Australia, Canada, Japan, Germany, France etc. we have decided to launched new stores in United Kingdom. The main reason of selecting UK as our target market can be many, but we have mention some of those here which are as follows, Geographic-Economic Environment: The United Kingdom is a country and sovereign state located off the North-Western coast of continental Europe. It is an inland nation spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northern part of the island of Ireland and many more small islands. The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy and unitary state consisting of four countries, England, Northern Island, Scotland and Wales. The UK is a developed nation with the worlds sixth largest economy by nominal GDP ( £1.3billion) and the sixth largest by purchasing power parity ( £23,188). It provides healthy environment for foreign direct investment and has low corporate and income tax rate that is 28% and 40% respectively in the Europe. It is also a member of European Union which has round about 28 member countries in the Europe. UK is considered as higher income country with peoples power of purchasing rising day by day. Besides this, some more reasons as follows, The easiest place to establish and run a business is Europe: According to a World Bank study, it takes only 13 days to establish a business in the UK. The World Bank has ranked the UK first in Europe and sixth in the world to operate business. Stable Political Environments: Transparency International rates the UK high on the transparency list. The UK is the country with the least corruption in the world. It achieves a higher rating in comparison to the US, Japan, Germany and France. Stable Regulatory Environment: the UK follows a consultative approach for formulation of regulation which is beneficial for a business environment. Gateway to the EU market: The UK acts as an excellent gateway to the European market which has 27 member states and an approximate population of 500 million. Social-Cultural Environment: Britain is often described as a secular society but also, confusingly, as a multi-faith society. The first term refers to the claim that the influence of religion has dwindled in modern societies. Although the 2001 census showed that 77% of people in Great Britain have a religious faith, the secular description is based on the claim that for most this faith is very shallow, with only a tiny minority being actively religious. The multi-faith label refers to the co-existence within British society of many faith communities, largely as a result of immigration. For every company it is dream location as British people are getting very open and accepting the other culture. Due to it peaceful atmosphere and the ethnic, modern and stylish lifestyle, it is a dream business destination for the companies. Now the culture is like Conglomerate that means a traditional company like is still having the opportunity to do the business and the same chances would likely available for international marketing companies. Due to global fashion trend this open consumer behavior would widen the opportunity in fashion and company like FabIndia must have the opportunity in the casual and formal dressings. Handicraft, Furniture and Organic Food Industry in UK: The handicraft industry is contributing  £ 100 millions to the UK economy. In terms of growth, this sector is growing on an average rate of 7%. Gifts and furniture industry contributes  £ 9.2 billion to the economy and organic food industry contributes  £280 to national economy. However, gifts and furniture are increasing at very slower rate because of financial downturn in October 2008. But, now after recovery of financial crisis, these two industries slowly covering and the growth of it expected to rise very soon. The apparel industry in UK is both vertically and horizontally integrated for maximizing returns. Strong laws protecting patents, designs and brands play a vital role in attracting foreign direct investment in the apparel industry. Joint ventures and investments in apparel have also been greatly enhanced by the wide network of European Union which UK signed with 28 countries in 2007. Handicraft Trade: After entering in the European Union, the handcrafts sale in the UK has been raised and it is continuously increasing by 7% annually which is very higher than last decade. Mostly UK imports handcrafts from various countries around the world, like, India, China, Japan, Vietnam etc. however, Indian and Chinese handcrafts and crafts carry the most of the weight of the import because of its popularity, attractive and uniqueness. Target Cities: After deciding on the country the next stage of our operations was to look for cities where we can step-up a business and get great response from the customers. Therefore, at the end we landed on two main cities in UK which are Birmingham and Liverpool. Why Birmingham? Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midland county of UK. It is the second largest city in the country after London with population of 1 million. Out of which 21% population is Asian British which will the prime target for FabIndia at the initial stage of opening stores. The population age between16-59 is 57.7% which is the main target customer for the company. As well as, it is industrial hub and second commercial centre of the UK. Its location is in the middle of the country therefore; it is much closer to cities like Leicester, Nottingham and Northampton where more Asian or Indian ethnic population stays. The city has highest number of foreign visitors after London therefore; there are high chances of getting business from this tourist who come from all over the world. It is shopping hub in the West Midland regions. The purchasing power of the city population is high as compared to other cities in the UK. The store will be open on the New Street which is shop ping centre of the city and very popular place. Therefore, we think Birmingham is the best city for us to introduce a store of handicraft goods. Why Liverpool? The city of museum, Liverpool is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside of UK. It is a fourth largest city in the country with population of almost 0.5 million. Liverpool status as a port city has contributed to its diverse population which historically was drawn from a wide range of people, cultures and religions. The economy of the Liverpool is one of the largest in the UK and per capita income of the local people is  £ 17489. Another important component of the Liverpool economy is tourism and leisure sector. It is a shopping hub in the region and people of the city are very fashionable and like to wear handicrafts products. Liverpool One is the most famous place and main shopping centre in the city; therefore, we are opening a store at that place, where we can easily attract customers to the store. Entry Strategy: To entering the UK market, we have gone through the various factors of investment, but at the end we have decided to enter in the market with the Foreign Direct Investment. We will use Greenfield Investment and start our operation from the scratch. The reasons for taking a FDI may be many; some of those are as follows, As we will get the total control of operation and do not need to depend on anyone in the business. The government provides a good support for FDI and gives concession in the corporate and income tax rates. It will helps us understand the UK market and in future our network and distribution channel which will be develop at the first phase of operation can be usable for future expansion in UK and in Europe. The soft loans from government and local banks will be easier to get when it required for future expansion. Global Marketing Strategy: For marketing of our products at the first stage Focus Strategy will be applied. A strategy in which, an organization aims to achieve market share, by focusing its efforts on serving a narrow range of market segments well. At the beginning of the business Asian and Asian British will be the first target customers in both cities and in the later stage British consumers will be targeted. The reason for this, FabIndia is follow word of mouth publicity and people who are already aware of the brand and its product will be targeted easily. Competitors Analysis: Porters Forces Analysis: This is used to analyze the competitive environment in each country market. The model identifies five sources of competitive pressures on the firm in a given country industry. It deals with global competition across several country markets. New Entrants: From the political analysis we could find that the country has an attractive business environment. Research also shows that entry barriers are low, so it is quite easy to set up a business in the country. Indian handcrafts and ethnic wear are popular among Indians and Europeans in UK. So, stores exclusively for Indian clothes are favorable in the country. This shows there is a high threat of new entrants who might want to set up a business in similar segments as well. Substitutes: The company has certain substitutes products which are served by brands like Wonderworld and Marks Spencer. But, the good thing is there are only a moderate number of substitutes. This would be an advantage to the company. But still the company must have an eye on these substitutes which might face a threat to them. Thus, the company must provide service and improvise in their products, such that these substitutes do not become a threat. Untitled11.jpg Buyer: The bargaining power of the buyer is high. FabIndia is exclusively into the Indian ethnic and contemporary segment. There are moderate substitutes in the country and research shows that there are more Asians in the region. FabIndia is also a brand well known in India and there is quite some brand awareness amongst the people. Thus, the bargaining power of the buyer is high. Supplier: Most of the raw materials which the companies mainly require are readily available in the country. But, the main point of importing from India is because of its workmanship and the purpose of the company. Opening a new branch overseas involves risks too. All these indicate that the suppliers have a low bargaining power. Rivalry: There are only are a few local competitors that offer the similar products and the company positions itself away from the international competitors and regards them as substitutes. Thus, the rivalry among the competitors is low. FabIndias purpose is quite different unlike other companies whose motto is only to make money. Thus from this analysis, we could draw a conclusion the country has a good market potential and the company could do good business in the United Kingdom. Segmentation and Targeting: Every company should embrace target marketing. Here, sellers distinguish the major market segments, target one or more of these segments and develop products and marketing programs tailored to each. Target marketing requires taking three major steps: Identify and profile distinct group of buyers who differ in their needs and preferences. Select one or more market segments to enter. For each target segment, establish and communicate the key distinctive benefits of the companys market offering.(Kotler, 2003) We did analysis on our target market and split into the following parts for Fabindia: Geographic: Region: United Kingdom Density: Urban (Birmingham and Liverpool) Climate: Both winters and summers Demographic: Age: 5-15, 15-30, 30-65+ Gender: Male and Female Nationality: Asian Expatriates, Asian of British Origin, British, Institutions (Designers, Hotels and Restaurants) Race: Asian and Asian British, White British Social Class: Lower, Middle and Upper Psychographic: Lifestyle: Culture oriented, Ethnic Indian, Contemporary Behavioral: Occasions: Regular and Special Benefits: Quality, Service, Economy , Speed Loyalty Status: None, Medium, Strong, Absolute Attitude Towards Product: Enthusiastic, Positive, Cultured, Indifferent, Hostile Positioning: Todays economies are afflicted with surpluses, not shortages. No company can win if its product and offerings resembles every other product and offering. Positioning is the act of designing the companys offering and image to occupy a distinctive place in the mind of the target market. (Kotler,2003). All products need to be distinctive and differentiated. FabIndias brand can be differentiated as, Niche yet affordable. Handcrafted yet high quality This perceptual map helps the organization to identify where it stands in the market and also identifies its positioning strategy. When plotting a perceptual map two dimensions are commonly used. Below is a very basic perceptual map. If we plot the UK Indian handcrafts and clothing market we can identify those brands which are high price and high quality. Both FabIndia and Wonderworld are plotted as high quality and high price. But, the former leads its way in the perceptual map. C:UsersacerDownloadsPerception Map.jpg In our basic map, we can see there is competition within that particular area. Though we have stiff competition and substitutes from the likes of Marks Spence and websites like lehengahouse.com, we provide the real worth for the peoples money with no compromise on quality and design and that is why FabIndia attains its high quality and high price position in the perceptual map. Marketing Mix: Product: FabIndia has a variety of products in different ranged and caters from clothing to organic products. Men, Women Apparel and Home Linen: The textile-based product range includes ready-to-wear garments and accessories for men, women, teenagers and children; bed, bath, table and kitchen linen; floor coverings, upholstery fabric and curtains. Cotton, silk, wool, grass, linen and jute are the basic fibers used. We also have considered the weather conditions in United Kingdom and have altered our products to support this. We have used more woolen products, as it is the best material for cold weather. Our home Linen line will give our customers a traditional Indian decor in their home. Home Dà ©cor: Our home products range carries furniture, lighting, stationery, tableware, cane baskets and a selection of handcrafted utility items. Indian handicrafts have been accepted worldwide and since there is heavy demand we will offer wide variety of furnitures which will give our customers an opportunity to have and Indian theme and ambience in their very own homes. Organic Food: We carry several types of cereals, grains, pulses, spices, sugar, tea, coffee, honey, fruit preserves and herbs in our organic food range. The Organic food industry is one of the biggest industries today as it considered highly healthy and nutritional. Jewellery and Gift Accessories: In 2002, FabIndia launched a new jewellery line which was made with wood, copper silver and gold. The jewellery line was well accepted. They also have products product line as gifts like clutches, purses and wall hanging. All handcrafted and made in rural India. Ayurvedic Skin Care: Our range of Authentic Personal Care Products includes soaps, shampoos, hair oils, pure oils, moisturizers, body scrubs, face packs, hair conditioners and special skin care products. Ayurvedic treatment using Indian herbs is very popular in the western world today and is a big industry. Price: Our Pricing strategy will be made with the main objective on current profit maximization. In our entry strategy we will follow price-skimming strategy, as this is a new market and it would help establish ourselves and gain market position. Cotton Wool Silk.jpg Our price range will range from  £15 to  £150 as there are different materials that are used. After our second quarter we will follow the market based pricing strategy. Pricing will differ from Product to Product and will be at least 50% more than what it is in Indian market. Place We are looking at opening up our first 2 FabIndia stores at two prime locations Birmingham and Liverpool. 1.jpg * Traditional shopping area at Birmingham New Street 2.jpg *Liverpool One Shopping Center These are the two locations where our store will be located, as all the local people know them as a shopping hub. Our stores will have an ethnic yet contemporary design. Our stores will be big as we need to display a wide range of products and this would also give our customers a wide variety to choose from. Promotion: We have various Promotion plans to attract customers and earn their loyalty. Given below are a few of the Promotional activities that we intend to organize and implement. Customer Loyalty Program: In this scheme we will give our customers membership cards and allow them to collect points and allow them to redeem these points in forms of discounts and offering them gifts. We will have different Tiers, which will give our esteemed customers various privileges. Sponsoring Indian Events: India has various festivals that are celebrated worldwide, so we will approach the Local Indian Communities and sponsor events as this would help our brand to reach various customers and at the same time build a wide network and help in Brand Recognition. Organizing Fashion Shows: We will organize fashion shows to show-off our clothing line and this would help attract customers and make them aware on the actual appearance of our clothing line. 3.jpg We will also Invite children and organize a fashion show for them to show our clothing line for kids. Organizing an Indian Food Festival: 4.jpg As we already know that Indian Food is very popular all over the world we are planning to organize an Indian food festival offering various delicacies from all regions of India. Inviting Artists and Authors: We will Invite Popular artists and Authors to our store and support their new launch of books or paintings as this will give our customers to talk to them and understand how they work. Discount Sale in Festive Seasons: 6.jpg We are planning to offer discount sales on festive seasons to encourage consumers to choose our clothing line for their entire ethnic requirement. Promotion of Cause: It is one of the USP of Fabindia in International market like UK. The cause for which they work i.e. for the benefit of weaker section of society. This cause has to be promoted in a way that more people contribute and they realize that when they are buying fabindia product they are giving back to the society. Implementation Plan: Phase 1: This is one of the most important phases in our set up as we would start by setting up our corporate office to handle all operational and official responsibilities. We would also have to take the step of importing all the products and arranging all the logistics activities. At any initial its very important to set up a system as this would help in us to carry out a smooth operation. Corp office.jpg Phase 2: Now we will have to look out for stores in the locations suggested earlier and we will have to make sure the place is big enough to accommodate all our products as we want our customers to see our variety of products and choose. Once this step is complete we will have to recruit staff and train them on certain Indian festivals and also as to what clothing is to be worn on particular festive season as this would give our customers a comfortable atmosphere and an excellent FabIndia Experience as, A loyal Customer is a Permanent Customer. GoldCard.pngSilver Card-send.png Phase 3: Once our store is set and we are ready to kick off we will have to introduce the promotions that were suggested earlier in this plan, as this would encourage more customers to come and have a FabIndia Experience and also help enhance the brand value and recognition. FabIndia has never done too much marketing as they heavily depend on word of mouth and this has really worked for us because they already have a commendable marketing position in India. Phase 4: This is a final Phase where we successfully established ourselves in the United Kingdom and have to keep updating on our clothing line by introducing new designs and also keep modifying our other products. Once we have a commanding market position we can look at expanding into new areas and opening up more stores as the risk will be much lower. Risk Management: Retailing is one of the worlds largest industries. As retailing and wholesaling have become more global, competition has intensified. In addition to the global economic downturn, todays retailers face a wide range of challenges, including industry consolidation, employee attraction and retention, and business continuity. And as always, consumers are demanding ever-higher quality at ever-lower prices for the products they buy. For a retail business, these trends create a host of risks: strategic, financial, operational, and hazard   that can prove costly. Claims Consulting for company like Fabindia, employee and customer claims constitute the largest share of total cost of risk. Many claim consultants have partnered with these types of companies to manage these claims more cost-effectively. Merger, Acquisition, and Divestiture Mergers and acquisitions are common in the retail industry. They need to be efficient enough to minimize the risks associated with these complex transactions. Property Prices-Ever increasing price can affect the revenues of the company. So Fabindia will opt for long term leasing of store space. Competitors- Though highly unorganized there is threat of new entrance. So changes in strategies are important to keep competitive edge. Forex rate and Economy: after the 2008 economic downturn European Economy is still recovering so a close watch is required by management team about the future plans and expansions. Conclusion: