Who Is Responsible For Starting Wwi Essays - Causes Of World War I

Who Is Responsible For Starting Wwi Who is Responsible for Causing World War I? In August of 1914, the war to end all wars began. The First World War saw incredible amounts of casualties because of new fighting techniques and technology, among other reasons. While it is clear who the victors of the war were after the battles had been fought and the Peace of Paris signed, what is not clear is who started this war. Historians have debated this question since the very early stages of the war and it is one that still remains without one concrete answer. A common elementary history textbook will explain the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria as the sole cause for World War one, but further research seriously brings this statement into question. I feel as though it was not one single person, or even a single country who/that caused the war, but rather a series of events and situations which include the following: the allying of countries and preparing for war which preceded the fighting itself, the actions of the Black Hand as a message of Serbian national ists, the persuasion of Austria-Hungary by Germany for a swift retribution for this act, and Russia's swift mobilization of troops along the Central Powers' eastern border in the early stages of the war. The first and possibly most important cause of World War I may have been the allying of the countries involved in the war and the posturing for action which they participated in. Although many treaties were signed and many alliances made previously, the start of the time line of WWI may be traced to the Dual Alliance signed by Germany and Austria-Hungary in 1879, to which Italy joined in 1882 forming the Triple Alliance. It was an agreement that was one of military protection, stating that if any member of the alliance were to become involved in the war with two other powers, they would respond with military aid and intervention. This agreement was countered by the Franco-Russian Alliance signed in 1894. Its terms were similar to that of the Triple Alliance's. These two agreements directly opposed one another. Who would there be to oppose these groups but one another? These drawing of allies basically served to prepare Europe for eminent war. After their signings, it seems very plausible and likely that the many power struggles in Europe would only be solved by warfare. At this point in time, many countries started to prepare for a war that they were unsure would even occur, much less who it would be fought against. The first of these movements was the incredible investment of France's resources into Russia. The French knew that to be a valuable ally, Russia would have to be better equipped and more able to fight, if needed. Therefore, by the time Russia started to mobilize in the early stages of war, France had invested incredible amounts of money and resources to support and build up its principle ally. However, They were not the only countries preparing for possible war. Germany took this opportunity to construct a naval fleet. The chief result of this naval production was an equal production from England, which held a common interest of having a two-to-one naval advantage over all other countries. The ongoing one-upping between these two countries led to huge fleets being assembled with no other primary function, save for war. Because of this, these new navies only increased the probability of a costly war. By the beginning of war, the German to English ship ratio was in proportion of 10 - 16 which the English often regarded as unmenacing. These events were causes of the war in that they affected many other countries besides those directly involved. Neighboring countries noticing increased armament would only want to arm themselves, which is what happened in this instance. The result was the cause of a widespread nervousness in regards to a war that more and more people were not only coming to expect, but also one that many were starting to realize would be quite great in scope. The next significant event, in my opinion, was the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria by the Serbian nationalist group, Black Hand.

merit and distction 2 Essay

merit and distction 2 Essay merit and distction 2 Essay Unit 41 M1/ d1 Discuss how organisational policies and procedures are influenced by legislation and guidelines with regard to the administration of medicines Evaluate the effect of legislation and guidelines on the administration of Medicines. In this report I will be discussing how polices and procedures are influenced by different factors this being legislations and guidelines to how medicines are administered and evaluating the effect of legislations and guidelines on the administration of medication in an health and social care setting this would be Rockwood surgery. An example of this would be doctors or nurse each professional in care would interpreted these legislation and guidelines differently so effect there way of care in administration of medicines like doctors only see the problem well the nurse trying to see the hall picture meaning pain medication or how the patient feeling well the doctor just want to fix them with their health problem. Policy -a course or principle of action adopted or proposed by an organization or individual Procedures-an established or official way of doing something Legislation -laws, considered collectively Guidelines -a general rule, principle, or piece of advice Policy is a course or principle of action adopted or proposed by an organization or individual like in this case the legislations document would be look at than make the policy .Policy are important in any health and social care setting because these are the policies in place for the staff to follow to comply with the legislation in place that is law . They aim to give people high standard of care and constancy in the care this leading to good practice in any health care setting this is why policy are important in any heath care setting . Why is a policy on ‘working with medication’ important this is because medicines are powerful compounds that control disease, ease discomfort and prolong life for millions of people and are generally beneficial. Unfortunately no medicine is without side effects and some are worse than others. Side effects are not the only potential problem with medicines; sometimes people take medicines when they do not need them or use them in the wrong way or even take someone else’s medicines. Usually these things happen by accident or because of misunderstandings. Often the consequences are mild but sometimes they can be severe or even life-threatening. In any situation where care-workers are responsible for the looking after and giving of medicines to other people, being young or old, healthy or sick, it is important to follow the set policy in place in any setting like health and safety at work this policy from these legislations are there for client or staff leading a range of policies to ensure that administration is done safely. So the policy on working with medication is important as it stop death, injury to the body and many more these can range by having these policy people know that they are safe and secure when they have medicines given to them . Every health and social care setting has policies and procedures that the workers have to follow and understand them clearly. They also need to make sure that they practise policies and procedures when they are work regarding medication. Policies and procedures are a course method of action to guide and possibly determine future decisions, within all policy and procedures there is a guideline a guideline is a statement of both policy and procedures to help people follow the regulations. Any person involved with medicines has to adhere to certain rules and regulations, whether this is the doctor, pharmacist, nurse or a person who administers them to other people. Legislation is one of the most important instruments of government in organising society and protecting citizens. It determines amongst others the rights and responsibilities of individuals and authorities to whom the legislation applies. On the other hand, a law has little or no value if

Biography of Diego Velazquez de Cuellar, Conquistador

Biography of Diego Velazquez de Cuellar, Conquistador Diego Velazquez de Cuellar (1464-1524) was a conquistador and Spanish colonial administrator. He is not to be confused with Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velazquez, the Spanish painter generally referred to simply as Diego Velazquez. Diego Velazquez de Cuellar arrived in the New World on Christopher Columbus Second Voyage and soon became a very important figure in the conquest of the Caribbean, taking part in the conquests of Hispaniola and Cuba. Later, he became governor of Cuba, one of the highest-ranking figures in the Spanish Caribbean. He is best known for sending Hernan Cortes on his journey of conquest to Mexico, and his subsequent battles with Cortes to retain control of the endeavor and the treasures it produced.   Fast Facts: Diego Velzquez de Cuà ©llar Known For: Spanish conquistador and governorAlso Known As: Diego VelzquezBorn: 1465 in Cuà ©llar,  Segovia,  Crown of CastileDied: c. June 12, 1524 in Santiago de Cuba,  Cuba,  New SpainSpouse: daughter of Cristà ³bal de Cuà ©llar Early Life Diego Velazquez was born to a noble family in 1464 in the town of Cuellar, in the Spanish region of Castile. It is probable that he served as a soldier in the Christian conquest of Granada, last of the Moorish Kingdoms in Spain, from 1482 to 1492. Here he would make contacts and gain experience that would serve him well in the Caribbean. In 1493, Velazquez sailed to the New World on Christopher Columbus Second Journey. There he became one of the founders of the Spanish colonial effort, as the only Europeans left in the Caribbean on Columbus First Journey had all been murdered at the La Navidad settlement. Conquest of Hispaniola and Cuba The colonists from the Second Voyage needed land and slaves, so they set about conquering and subjugating the unfortunate native population. Diego Velazquez was an active participant in the conquests first of Hispaniola, and then Cuba. In Hispaniola, he attached himself to Bartholomew Columbus, Christophers brother, which lent him a certain prestige and helped get him established. He was already a rich man when Governor Nicolas de Ovando made him an officer in the conquest of western Hispaniola. Ovando would later make Velazquez governor of the western settlements in Hispaniola. Velazquez played a key role in the Xaragua massacre in 1503 in which hundreds of unarmed Taino natives were slaughtered. With Hispaniola pacified, Velazquez led the expedition to subjugate the neighboring island of Cuba. In 1511, Velazquez took a force of more than 300 conquistadors and invaded Cuba. His chief lieutenant was an ambitious, tough conquistador named Panfilo de Narvaez. Within a couple of years, Velazquez, Narvaez, and their men had pacified the island, enslaved all of the inhabitants, and established several settlements. By 1518, Velazquez was lieutenant governor of the Spanish holdings in the Caribbean and for all intents and purposes was the most important man in Cuba. Velazquez and Cortes Hernan Cortes arrived in the New World sometime in 1504, and eventually signed on to Velazquez conquest of Cuba. After the island was pacified, Cortes settled for a time in Baracoa, the main settlement, and had some success raising cattle and panning for gold. Velazquez and Cortes had a very complicated friendship that was constantly on-and-off. Velazquez initially favored the clever Cortes, but in 1514 Cortes agreed to represent some disgruntled settlers before Velazquez, who felt Cortes was showing a lack of respect and support. In 1515, Cortes dishonored a Castilian woman who had come to the islands. When Velazquez locked him up for failing to marry her, Cortes simply escaped and carried on as he had before. Eventually, the two men settled their differences. In 1518, Velazquez decided to send an expedition to the mainland and chose Cortes as the leader. Cortes swiftly lined up men, weapons, food, and financial backers. Velazquez himself invested in the expedition. Cortes orders were specific: he was to investigate the coastline, look for the missing Juan de Grijalva expedition, make contact with any natives, and report back to Cuba. It became increasingly apparent that Cortes was arming and provisioning for an expedition of conquest, however, and Velazquez decided to replace him. Cortes got wind of Velazquez plan and prepared to set sail immediately. He sent armed men to raid the city slaughterhouse and carry off all the meat, and bribed or coerced city officials to sign off on the necessary papers. On February 18, 1519, Cortes set sail, and by the time Velazquez reached the piers, the ships were already underway. Reasoning that Cortes could not do much damage with the limited men and weapons he had, Velazquez seems to have forgotten about Cortes. Perhaps Velazquez assumed that he could punish Cortes when he inevitably returned to Cuba. Cortes had, after all, left his lands and wife behind. Velazquez had seriously underestimated Cortes capabilities and ambition, however. The Narvaez Expedition Cortes ignored his instructions and immediately set out on an audacious conquest of the mighty Mexica (Aztec) Empire. By November 1519, Cortes and his men were in Tenochtitlan after having fought their way inland and making allies with disgruntled Aztec vassal states as they did so. In July 1519, Cortes had sent a ship back to Spain with some gold but it made a stop in Cuba, and someone saw the loot. Velazquez was informed and swiftly realized that Cortes was trying to fool him once again. Velazquez mounted a massive expedition to head for the mainland and capture or kill Cortes and return command of the enterprise to himself. He placed his old lieutenant Panfilo de Narvaez in charge. In April 1520, Narvaez landed near present-day Veracruz with more than 1,000 soldiers, nearly three times the total that Cortes had. Cortes soon realized what was going on and he marched to the coast with every man he could spare to fight Narvaez. On the night of May 28, Cortes attacked Narvaez and his men, who were dug in at the native town of Cempoala. In a short but vicious battle, Cortes defeated Narvaez. It was a coup for Cortes because most of Narvaez men (fewer than 20 had died in the fighting) joined him. Velazquez had unwittingly sent Cortes what he needed most: men, supplies, and weapons.   Legal Actions Against Cortes Word of Narvaez failure soon reached a dumbfounded Velazquez. Determined not to repeat the mistake, Velazquez never again sent soldiers after Cortes, but rather began to pursue his case through the Byzantine Spanish legal system. Cortes, in turn, counter-sued. Both sides had certain legal merit. Although Cortes had clearly overstepped the bounds of the initial contract and had unceremoniously cut Velazquez out of the spoils, he had been circumspect about legal forms once he was on the mainland, communicating directly with the king. Death In 1522, a legal committee in Spain found in favor of Cortes. Cortes was ordered to pay back Velazquez his initial investment, but Velazquez missed out on his share of the spoils (which would have been vast) and was further ordered to undergo an investigation of his own activities in Cuba. Velazquez died in 1524 before the investigation could be concluded. Legacy Diego Velzquez de Cuà ©llar, like his fellow conquistadores, had a profound impact on the trajectory of Central American society and culture. In particular, his influence made Cuba a major economic center and a location from which further conquests could be made.   Sources Diaz del Castillo, Bernal. Trans., ed. J.M. Cohen. 1576. London, Penguin Books, 1963.Levy, Buddy. Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma and the Last Stand of the Aztecs. New York: Bantam, 2008.Thomas, Hugh. Conquest: Montezuma, Cortes and the Fall of Old Mexico. New York: Touchstone, 1993.

Exam - 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Exam - 2 - Essay Example s not able to collect a team of dedicated members who have expertise in software, hardware and technological elements of the project then it is likely that the risk associated with the project would enhance. Applegate, Austin and Soule (2009, p. 312) postulate that a minimization of this risk is indeed possible if companies hire technology consultants that can work on every technological aspect of the project, address weaknesses and rectify issues. Lastly, the varying nature of projects determines certain requirements that are relevant to the project. These requirements are not similar for every venture therefore, in some cases the presence of stable requirements has the ability to minimize risk while, more difficult requirements translate into a greater probability of risk. The development of system projects may not be able to meet the specified aim and objectives due a number of underlying factors. Most importantly, if the senior management that is responsible for executing the project and leading the team that is involved in the project does not demonstrate unparalleled commitment to the project then the project maybe steered towards implementation failure (Lecture 6). Another factor that contributes to the incidence of implementation failure is that of gutless estimating. This notion implies that when a middle level manager prepares the cost schedule for a project then in certain situations the manager maybe forced by members of the senior level management to present a cost schedule that hides the true extent of costs and expenses for the project (Lecture 6). As the deceptive figures are entered as a part of the project cost schedule the future success of the project is comprised. Moreover, if the project is not characterized by the presence of change control frameworks then the absence of these components enhances the possibility of an unexpected increase in the costs of the project which is also unfavorable (Lecture 6). Lastly, it stands true that if the

Evaluating TQM of Emirates Airlines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Evaluating TQM of Emirates Airlines - Essay Example By providing a skeletal support for the strategies, it will be easy to allocate resources to the important goals respectively without wastage of precious resources. They also make the task easier for ever employee as it makes clear what they have to do or aim to do and they will be motivated towards a strategy. (Basil Henry Liddell Hart, 1967) Mission and vision of Emirates: The mission statement of Emirates is: â€Å"To become a leading airline with good customer relations by encouraging transparency and fair competition and adopting open skies policy.† The vision of Emirates is: â€Å"To become a leading airline by setting new industry standards that has focus on innovation, diversity and customer service.† Strategies and Goals †¢ To become a global airline and carrier of choice all over the world. †¢ To promote UAE especially Dubai as one of the safest, modern, technologically advanced. Progressive and modern commercial centers of the world. †¢ To encourage sustainability and economic efficiency through various programs †¢ To encourage diversity by having multi-cultural staff †¢ To develop and train employees and provide them opportunities to enhance their skills. To apply and develop new technologies internally as well as in the services and products that are offered t the customers. To expand and grow in the new markets. Core Competencies The core competencies of Emirates include its: Strong leverage to brands: Focus on marketing and promoting the brands by investing on them Competitive cost structure: Focus on low costs so as to offer low fares. Spoke and hub operation: The mega hub of Emirates Airlines is at Dubai International Airport that is the centre connecting the whole world. (Emirates, n.d.) Strategic Control Strategic control is very important to monitor the internal and external environment. It helps in evaluating the company’s programs from a long term perspective. For Emirates it is very important to systematically and continuously check the implementation of plans, monitor all the events that take place inside and outside the company in all situations. (Porter, 1996) Stakeholder analysis Government: Government of UAE is the major stakeholder of Emirates Airline as it is also one of the owners of the company. They have high power and are very much interested in the operations of the company. The government has the authority to build pressure and question the decisions. The government is so much involved with the company that it created a liberal market for the Airline to operate in Fast east Share holders: they are the people who have bought the shares of Emirates. They have high level of interest in the affairs of the business as they have invested their money, but they have low level of power. It is very important to develop engagement strategy for them and keep them informed about the activities. Employees: employees are one of the main stakeholders of a company as they have the power that can either make the company or break it. They are directly linked to the company. It is thus very important to keep them satisfied by providing training and development opportunities, good compensations and a good environment. Their needs should be catered and taken care of. Customers: without the customers a company cannot survive. Customers thus are very important and play a very important role. They have the power to influence the company and its success. Strategies should be made to keep the customers engaged and updated about the products and services. Public: on a larger scale the

Investment Management Essay Example for Free

Investment Management Essay Both hedge funds and mutual funds are â€Å"pooled† instruments, but there are more differences than similarities between them. Three kinds of differences are going to introduce in the following part which are strategy, risk and reward. Strategy: The hedge funds managers have fewer limits to deal with, they can sell short, use derivatives and use leverage, and otherwise, they can also change the strategy significantly if they think it is appropriate. The mutual fund managers cannot be as flexible as hedge fund managers. In case they changes the strategy of the fund, the may be accused of â€Å"style drift†. Risk: As hedge funds are managed much more aggressive than the mutual fund, they can take speculative positions in derivative securities and have the ability to short sell stocks. This will obviously increase the leverage and the risk of the fund. Mutual funds are the opposite of the hedge funds, taking highly leveraged positions is not allowed and managers should take solid strategy to make the funds safe. Reward: Hedge funds take an aggressive strategy which has high risks to seek absolute returns (it means they want to produce positive return no matter what the market performance is). Mutual funds are managed relative to an index benchmark which means their return is steady because they are judged on their variance from that benchmark. 3. Arbitrage opportunity 3. 1 According to the case study, during the IPO of Ubid, there is only 20% equity offer to public, and remaining 80% will distribute to CC’s shareholders after 6 months. The arbitrage opportunity is appear because if we own CC’s share that we will receive Ubid’s share after six months. In that reason, we should form a portfolio which combines long position of CC and short position of Ubid. In Dec 9, there was 10,238,703 CC’s share outstanding and 9,146,883 Ubid’s share outstanding. However the 80% of Ubid’s share will distributed to CC’s shareholders after 6 month of IPO. In that reason, we can assume that 80% of Ubid’s share is subjected to CC’s share. (10,238,703? 80%)/9,146,883=0. 715 If we have long position on 1 share of CC, we should take 0. 715 short position of Ubid’s share. 3. 2 Based on the output in section 3. 1, the arbitrage opportunity has arise when we have 1 long position on CC’s share and 0. 15 short position on Ubid’s share. Therefore we need short sell the Ubid’s share and buy CC’s share. Assume that we buy 1 share of CC and short sell 0. 715 share of Ubid. After 6 months later. In addition, after 6 months, the 80% Ubid’s share will distribute to CC’s shareholders, therefore, after 6 months we have 1 share of CC will receive 0. 715 share of Ubid. Subject to 1 s hare of CC, we have 0. 715 share short position of Ubid. In that reason we will have a portfolio that combine 1 long position of CC and 0. 715 short position of Ubid. The total payoff of portfolio is sum of payoff in both position is: Price of CC after six month price of CC + 0. 715? price of Ubid. As we mention before, our return is the total payoff of portfolio. According to the equation of payoff of portfolio, even the price of CC is drop to Zero, we also will generate positive return which is price difference between Ubid and CC, and this is our minimum return Price difference of Ubid and CC is 0. 715? 35. 6875-22. 75=2. 767 and the initial margin is 50% for long and short position, therefore the capital required is 50%? 2. 75+50%? 35. 6875=29. 22. The minimum rate of return is 4. Risks in arbitrage The arbitrage means that investors find temporary risk-free profit from misprice at inefficient market. Therefore, arbitrageurs will face risk lower than other investors. However, some of risks can limit arbitrageur to seek risk free profit. Firstly, arbitrageurs need to bear the fundamental risk. Although arbitrageurs can eliminate unsystematic ( firm-specific) risk by portfolio diversification, they cannot mitigate systematic risk which arises from market contracture. This lead to some of bad news or policies can cause negative effects on fundament value and arbitrageurs’ profits. Thus, the fundamental risk can limit arbitrageurs to invest in inefficient market. Secondly, noise trader risk will limit arbitrage. High percentages of noise traders who make irrational investment of decision in market will lead price and risk level to be different with expected level for arbitrageurs, and cause misprice to be reduced. Thus the profit of arbitrage will be limit by noise trader risk. Finally, arbitrageurs will also face high implement cost. Implement cost includes commission, bid-ask spread, price impact, short sell cost and identification cost. High cost will cause arbitrageur loss interest on seeking misprice in inefficient market.

The Search for Utopia in The Great Gatsby Essay -- The Great Gatsby F.

  Ã‚  In Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, the reader discovers multiple interpretations of utopia. Each character is longing for one particular paradise. Only one character actually reaches utopia, and the arrival is a mixed blessing at best. The concept of paradise in The Great Gatsby is â€Å"a shifting, evanescent illusion of happiness, joy, love, and perfection, a mirage that leads each character to reach deeper, look harder, strive farther†(Lehan, 57). All the while, time pulls each individual farther from the moment he seeks.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is Myrtle Wilson's gaudy, flashy hotel paradise in which she can pretend that she is glamorous, elite, wanted and loved. She clings fiercely enough to this threadbare dream to brave the ire of Tom Buchanan by voicing her jealous terror that he will return to his wife. There is a desperation to her full, vivacious style of living, she wants so much to escape the grey, dead land of the Valley of Ashes that she colors her life with any brightness she can find, be it broken glass or diamonds. Nick describes land she finds herself in as a wasteland, a desert, saying "this is the Valley of Ashes -- a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens, where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air" (Fitzgerald, 27).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is from this that Myrtle is trying to escape, this life-in-death valley that epitomizes the underbelly of New York's glitter and lights and finery, and this that she is dragged back to by the dawning jealous rage of a normally unassuming husband. To run away from the grey and the death, the colo... ...any falls from grace, Nick alone resurfaces, burdened by his understanding of the entirety of the tragedy.    Works Cited and Consulted: Claridge, Henry, ed. F. Scott Fitzgerald: Critical Assessments. 4 vols. Robertsbridge, UK: Helm, 1992. Donaldson, Scott, ed. Critical Essays on F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby." Boston: G. K. Hall, 1984. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Ed. Matthew J. Bruccoli. Toronto: Simon & Schuster Inc, 1995. Lehan, Richard D. F. "The Great Gatsby": The Limits of Wonder.   Boston: Twayne, 1990. Rowe, Joyce A. â€Å"Delusions of American Idealism.† In Readings on The Great Gatsby. edited by Katie de Koster. San Diego, California: Greenhaven Press. 1998. 87-95. Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.

Phonics Primer for Year Five Remedial Class in Primary School Essay

1.1 Description of the Area of Research Title of the Study: Phonics Primer for Year Five Remedial Class in Primary School. Phonics is letter-sound correspondences. The units of sound can be syllables, onsets & rimes, or phonemes (EdResearch.info). Phonics Primer is a way of learning the sounds of the alphabet in order to decode the English language. It is recognized by a quick pace of teaching letter and the sound or grapheme and phoneme matches and immediately getting students to use this knowledge to read and spell regular words. Words are read by using the phonological skill of blending the sounds together – synthesis (hence the term â€Å"synthetic phonics†). Words are spelled by using the phonological skill of hearing the sounds in words (segmentation) by means of which words are segmented into their constituent phonemes (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia) Research Questions 1. What is the strategy in teaching synthetic phonics? 2. Can the method be successfully taught in shorter periods? 3. Can the 44 sounds of Phonics Primer help in teaching non-English speakers who have other sounds that is found in English? 4. Can Phonics Primer be used to teach cohorts in higher levels with reading difficulties? Research Variables The instruments that I will use in my research will be: 1. Questionnaires 2. Interviews 3. Classroom Observation Checklist 4. Tests 5. Document Reviews Gay and Airasian (20030 defined population as â€Å"The population is the group of interest to the researcher, the group to which the results of the study will ideally generalized†. The respondents of the research will be for remedial students from the outskirt of Sarikei in Sarawak. The majority of the students will be of the Iban race. The research will be conducted on two groups of selected students. One group will be used for study, called the experimental group. Another group would be the controlled group and they will be taught with the conventional teaching procedure during English lessons. Both groups will be cohorts who will need assistant in reading. About six students will be involved in this study. They will be remedial students from the cohort of year five students who are in the remedial class. The respected students and school will be chosen simply to fulfill the requirements of the research that will use the Primers phonics approach to teach reading for remedia l students. 1.2 Theoretical Framework Often we find that in schools, there are always students who are very poor in reading English. It is even worst when the students cannot read in a language that is very similar to theirs. This means that the students are having problems in basic reading. We can say that these students are too slow in picking up during their reading lessons in English. In classes where we have been teaching, oftentimes we see that students cannot recognize words and even there are some who cannot read. The students in rural Sarikei, in Sarawak, specifically are mostly Ibans. They are non-English speakers. They only encounter the language when they come to school. English therefore is very unfamiliar to them. Many English sounds don’t even exist in their mother tongue. Synthetic phonics has all the 44 sounds of the English Language. It is a very systematic way to teach basic reading in English. By using the method of teaching, students can read faster and easier. The method of teaching and the instruments used in teaching it can enable the remedial students of the primary schools to remember the sounds made by the letters and enable them to read. Research instrument are devices to measure the objects of the study. Instruments come in multiple forms. For this research, the researcher will be using multiple forms like questionnaires, observation forms, interview forms and tests to get information. The questionnaires and interviews will be used to get information about experiences, suggestions and ideas related to the study. The observation forms will be used to make observations during the study. From observation forms, the researcher will be able to see weaknesses and strengths during the teaching of Phonics Primer and also the current teaching method used by the school to make comparisons. The tests which will be given before and after teaching Phonics Primer will help the researcher to find out if the case study that they are doing is suitable and good for teaching remedial students. Questionnaires Questionnaires are familiar to most people (Berdie, Anderson, and Niebuhr, 1986).It is a written or printed form used in gathering information on some subject or subjects, consisting of a set of questions to be submitted to one or more persons (Your Dictionary.Com) It is a communication method of designing questionnaires to collect the requisite information. It is a list of questions framed to get facts. A questionnaire is defined as a group of printed questions used to elicit information from subjects by means of self report. Questionnaires will be distributed to both experimental and controlled group. Teacher Questionnaires. A teacher questionnaire is designed to gather information administered to English teachers in school. The questionnaire will be done two times, that is before the start of the Phonics Programme. A second questionnaire will follow at the end of the programme. This is to find out the status of remedial reading before and after the programme. If there are any differences before and after the programme, it will be noted down for analysis in the research later. Students’ Questionnaires Students’ questionnaire will also be done. It will be done with students who are involved with the study. They are the experimental group of students and also the controlled group of students for comparison later. Questionnaires can help the researcher discover the experiences, knowledge and backgrounds of the students and the school which is related to the case study that is going to be done. These information will help the researcher to know more and understand more about the stand of the students involved in the study. The questionnaire is also important in helping the researcher to make conclusion and give suggestions for future study of similar case. Interview The interview is a dialogue between the teachers with the researcher. The most commonly accepted objective of the interview is to determine whether there is a match between the candidates’ education, experience, interest and goals and the goals of the researcher related to the study for which the researcher is interviewing. In this study, the researcher conducts the interview with the remedial students’ teacher. This interview is designed to elicit data using a set of predetermined questions that are expected to elicit the subjects thoughts, opinions and attitudes regarding the teaching of reading to remedial students. Group Interviews with Teachers. To identify the major issues surrounding the planning and implementation of reading instruction in schools of a rural school, group interviews will be conducted with English remedial teachers. An interview will be used to facilitate discussion. Responses to the uniform standard questions will contribute to the final analysis of the study findings. Individual Interviews with Teachers. To investigate all of the major research questions. presented earlier, interviews will be conducted with English remedial teachers in the selected schools. An interview will be used to facilitate information gathering. Responses to the questions will contribute to the final analysis of the study findings. Observation Instruments Observation is a technique of gathering data through direct contact with the subjects. In this study, the researcher will observe two classes. The researcher will observe ongoing class using Primer Phonics and the normal teaching of remedial students in the school. Observation instrument is necessary to detect any strength and weaknesses for both types of methodology in teaching remedial students. The detections will be noted down in the researcher’s note book for making analysis, conclusion and suggestions for future researches. Classroom Observation Classroom observation will be done to make sure that Primer Phonics is taught accordingly. A checklist will be used. Classroom observations will also be done for the normal teaching of remedial students in the same school. The need for making observation for the normal method of teaching is to enable comparison among the two types of methodology later. Additional data collection and review will occur during the observations. Researchers summarized notes after each observation. Test The researcher will conduct two types of tests, the Pre test and the Post test, for two groups of students from the remedial class only. The students will be divided into the experimental and controlled group. A Pre test will be used to see the students’ ability to read before teaching using the Primers Phonic Method. The Post test will be used to see the achievements made after teaching using the Primers’ Phonic Method. Both the experimental and the controlled groups will take the tests so the researcher can compare if there will be any differences in the achievements after teaching using the Primers’ Phonic Method for the experimental group. The Controlled group will be taught by their own remedial teachers using the usual syllabus in the school. In the tests, subjects are to read a short text of about 150 words. These tests aims to see how good the students can or cannot read before and after teaching using the Primers’ Phonic Method. To assess the students reading, 5 criteria will be ticked accordingly. Students who gets two out of five ‘Yes’ are considered to have pass the Pre Test or the Post test Document Review Document review will inform the research process to varying degrees. Among the documents analyzed were student work samples, report cards, forms, letters to parents, lesson plans, lists of reading books, and other relevant documents pertinent to current reading instruction. The Theoretical Framework Diagram 1: The Diagram depicts the theoretical framework. 1.3 Review of Related Literature The literature reviews forwarded here will help us to understand more about the case study that will be done. A literature review is a body of text that aims to review the critical points of current knowledge and or methodological approaches on a particular topic. Literature reviews are secondary sources, and as such, do not report any new or original experimental work. Most often associated with academic-oriented literature, such as theses, a literature review usually precedes a research proposal and results section. Its ultimate goal is to bring the reader up to date with current literature on a topic and forms the basis for another goal, such as future research that may be needed in the area. A well-structured literature review is characterized by a logical flow of ideas; current and relevant references with consistent, appropriate referencing style, proper use of terminology and an unbiased and comprehensive view of the previous research on the topic I would like to make a review of related literature which is in my area of research, Instruction, Development, and Achievement of Struggling Primary Grade Readers by Elizabeth Campbell Rightmyer, Ellen McIntyre, and Joseph M Petrosko. Reading Research and Instruction. Coral Gables: Spring 2006. Their study examined the phonics and reading achievement of 117 primary grade students in 14 schools and 42 classrooms. Students received instruction in one of six different reading programs or models based upon the school they attended. Through qualitative data collection and analysis of specific instructional practices, they determined that no model or program proved more effective for the learning of phonics in the first grade after one year of instruction. Purpose The purpose of their study was to examine the phonics and reading achievement of primary grade students receiving instruction in six different instructional programs or models (referred to as â€Å"models† in reference to their study). Then, through a qualitative analysis of the specific instructional practices within these models and their understanding of young children’s literacy development, they explain the relative differences in achievement gains of these primary grade struggling readers. Method They examined the instructional practices and achievement of low performing students in first through third grade classrooms in which teachers used one of the following reading models: Breakthrough to Literacy (www.btl.com); Early Success (Cooper, et al., 1997); Early Intervention (Taylor, Medo, & Strait, 1995); Four Blocks (Cunningham, Hall, & DeFee, 1991); SRA Reading Mastery (Engelmann & Bruner, 1997); or Together We Can, a locally developed model based on small group guided reading and explicit teaching of reading strategies and skills. Participants The study included 117 â€Å"struggling† primary-grade readers in 14 schools and 42 classrooms. Schools that had recently received a state grant to implement one of the reading models were invited to participate. They then contacted the principals, asking them to recommend teachers who were particularly successful at implementing the instructional model for at least one year; they believed that principals would avoid selecting teachers who were struggling with the model, classroom management, student diversity, or any of the myriad complexities that teachers face daily. Independently, they checked the teachers’ credentials by using a state-developed data base and found that the majority of them held advanced rank in the profession; 73% had earned at least 30 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree. They also found that 84% of the teachers had taught in their current state of employment for more than five years. The principals distributed consent forms to interested teachers, and when they were returned, the researchers explained to each teacher that the children they wanted to study were those struggling with reading or learning to read. They had no control of the models that were proposed or the schools that were selected to receive the grants. Like many states under accountability mandates, their state is becoming heavily invested in direct instruction models of reading and mathematics, and this predilection was seen in the numbers of students who received scripted early intervention in reading. They asked that by October 1 of the first year of the study, the teachers identify the lowest achieving 20% in their classes. Again, they did not control for socioeconomic status, gender, or ethnicity of the identified children or in any way second-guess the teachers’ selection. Consenting students became the targeted group of children the researchers tested on the phonics application and reading tasks. There were two to five children in each of the classrooms, although due to attrition and a few flawed tests, this number was reduced in some classrooms. Researchers studied one group of children from the beginning of first grade through the end of second grade, documenting growth in phonics for one year. These children are hereafter referred to as â€Å"first graders,† even though they followed them through the end of second grade. The children in this group were all served by a single reading model – one of the five models that appear in Appendix A – across two years; however, most of the children had different teachers implementing the model the second year (in second grade). The study followed a second group from the beginning of second grade through the end of third grade, also documenting growth after two years. These children are hereafter referred to as â€Å"second graders,† even though they followed them through the end of third grade. Like the first graders, the children in this group were served by the same reading model across two years; however, most of the children had different teachers implementing the model the second year (in third grade). Table 1 lists the participants by model. Procedures for Data Collection and Analysis of Student Achievement Instruments The researcher pre- and post-tested first grade children on clay’s Hearing Sounds in Words Test (1993), a phonics application task that included encoding a sentence. This measure was conducted only with first graders, as this was the norming sample. It will hereafter be referred to as the â€Å"phonics measure† or â€Å"phonics achievement.† On the clay test, the examiner reads two sentences to the child, â€Å"The bus is coming fast. It will stop here to let me get on.† Then the sentences are read again, word by word, and children encode the sentence as the researcher dictates. The children are encouraged to do the best they can with the spelling and â€Å"use the sounds of words to write as much as you can.† The children score a point for each letter or group of letters they write that correctly correspond to the sounds in the words. Children can score from O to 37 on this test. The researchers selected this test because they believed it to be a more authentic assessment of phonics understanding and use than phonological tests on which children call out letter sounds they see or sound out semantically disconnected word lists. Data collection Researchers were trained using each of the testing instruments given. The training involved an explanation and demonstration of the testing procedures and observation of videotapes of the project director testing various children. The researchers scored those children, discussed results, and adjusted their expectations through more explanation and demonstration by the director. Children were pre-tested during the months of September and post-tested during the month of May during each of the two years of the study. Children were tested in one-on-one situations in quiet places, arranged by the classroom teacher or grant administrator for periods of no more than 30 minutes at a time. While the pre-testing took approximately 30 minutes per child, the post-testing took 60-90 minutes per child for most children, thus each child was met two or three times. The researchers attempted to make the children comfortable and rewarded them afterwards with stickers. All reading passages were tape-recorded. Quantitative analysis of achievement data For ease in comparing achievement, the researchers used the benchmarks provided by each of the tests. Clay’s Hearing Sounds in Words phonics test has a range of 1-37, with intervals of 1. Two trained researchers individually scored every Clay test, and these scores were compared against one another for accuracy. Where there was discrepancy in scoring, a third researcher also reviewed the data, and the group negotiated the final score. Scores were entered into a data base, and two team members reviewed each of them for accuracy in data entry. In this study, test score data were statistically analyzed in two ways. First, pretest scores were subtracted from posttest scores. The resulting gain scores were used as dependent variables in a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), with the reading models as the independent variables. Test 1 was a comparison of phonics achievement of students in the different reading models (one-year gain). For each test, students’ achievement in only five models was compared. Importantly, due to the unequal number of students in each of the comparison groups, and the small numbers of participants in some of the models, the interpretations about the findings of these tests are made with caution and based on trends in the data. Data Collection and Analysis of Instructional Practices The researchers collected data on the instructional models in three ways: a) by observing the teachers and taking field notes, b) by interviewing the teachers about their practices, and c) by completing an observation instrument after leaving the site (which required reflection and quantification of what was observed). For this analysis, they specifically gathered data on: 1) the focus of instruction, 2) the primary literacy activities conducted, and 3) the length of time children spent reading connected text. Other salient characteristics of the models, such as whether the model was considered an intervention for struggling readers or a whole class model, are also described. Observations and interviews Schools were contacted and arrangements were made to observe the teachers who had been previously identified as fully implementing the instructional model adopted through the state program. The researchers visited each teacher four times and observed between 90-180 minutes during each visit, depending on how long â€Å"literacy instruction† was conducted in that classroom. Researchers sat in the room and recorded what the teacher said and did in the form of field notes. One important feature in our field notes was the regular marking of time. In an effort to understand how teachers distributed their instructional time for various activities, they recorded the time in the margins of their field notes approximately every five minutes. After each visit, the researchers interviewed the classroom teacher the same day the observations were made. Among the questions they asked were about how typical the observed instruction was and how the children were selected for testing to ensure that they indeed were studying the bottom 20%. Observation instrument After exiting the field site, the researcher used the field notes and interview to complete an observation instrument that summarized and quantified instructional patterns. A small section of instrument was used to help determine the teacher’s focus of instruction. The instrument, the field notes, and the interview made a â€Å"data set† for analysis. Analysis of instruction In the first phase of analysis, researchers gathered to examine the data sets. Using a form created by the project director, the researchers summarized what happened during each of the visits. From these summaries of the field notes and interviews, the project director created a set of codes that reflected much of the data, a content analysis of sorts (Miles & Huberman, 1994). Then, the research team partitioned the field notes into â€Å"activity settings† (Tharp & Gallimore, 1988) in order to create smaller, bounded units of analysis. This meant that whenever there was a change in activity (the people, place, or product of instruction), the ensuing activity was considered a unit of analysis and coded separately. The Researcher did not consider as â€Å"change in setting† instances in which children had to leave a group early or if a lesson was interrupted. Thus, the lessons were coded holistically by setting. Settings lasted from five to 45 minutes. For example, one setting for analysis might be a 10-minute whole class lesson on which the teacher guided the children to â€Å"correct† a message she had written without punctuation. When the same teacher signaled to the children it was time to work in learning centers, a new unit of analysis was begun. Sometimes there were multiple simultaneous activity settings, and the researcher usually made the decision to follow the teacher. For each activity setting, they coded the teacher’s primary activity, followed by what researchers interpreted, from both observations and interviews, was the teacher’s focus for the activity-either to help students develop phonologically (ACTIV-phon), or to help students learn something else (ACTIV-other). The primary instructional activities observed in each class were listed on the summary sheet. Finally, to determine the time children spent reading connected text, they used an earlier analysis of these data (Authors, 2005). They first defined connected text as â€Å"texts of meaningful sentences or longer; that is, more than one connected sentence;† although, in this study, connected text was usually an entire story. Then, they clarified activities that comprised examples of opportunities to read connected text. The following practices were categorized as such: choral reading; echo reading (even though technically the teacher was doing half of the reading); guided silent reading; guided oral reading; and established periods for independent reading. Activities not included as â€Å"opportunities for reading connected text† included read aloud story time, times when the teacher was directly teaching something, times when students completed worksheets that included only words or unrelated sentences, drill of individual words, or time on non-print responses to literature. Then, the researchers highlighted in field notes when students were provided opportunities to read connected text. They calculated the percentage of time in such activity against the total time designated for language arts instruction. They examined all four observations of each teacher together as a unit because they knew they were going to categorize them. Using group consensus, they defined classrooms as having much opportunity to read connected text during all four observations, a moderate amount of time, or little time. After each data set was analyzed and each teacher categorized, they compared instructional foci and practices across models. They listed all the teachers in a given model together, and looked across these data sets for patterns.

Heredity, Environment and Development Essay

Development of a person includes physical, mental, emotional and social aspects. These developments are associated with his genetic factors and also the factors related to the environment in which he is interacting with. Most of the personality traits were developed through these factors alone. â€Å"In the late 20th century, some of the key genes that control developmental processes (such as the Hox genes) were at last discovered.† (Heredity) Heredity means the transfer of the characteristics of parents to their off-springs through genes in their chromosomes. Every child enters the world with certain physical and mental features of their parents. These factors will affect his development throughout his life. Environment means all those factors which are contributed to the development of a person from the home, family, neighborhood, peer group, the school and the entire community in which the person is interacting.   â€Å"Environmental effects appeared broad and dynamic whereas the adolescents’ effects on environment appeared direct and specific† (Reciprocal Relationship between Home Environment and Development of TMR Adolescents) â€Å"Environmental influences can be divided into two classes, shared and non-shared (or unique) environment. Shared environment is the environment shared by siblings reared in the same family. This includes such variables as socioeconomic status and parent education. Non-shared environment is the environment unique to the individual. This includes such variables as peer group.† (Behavior Genetics) Conclusion The development of a person is controlled by nature and nurture or heredity and environment. Most of the personality traits are the contributions of heredity and environment. References 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Heredity, Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2008, Retrieved on March 20, 2009 from http://uk.encarta.msn.com   Ã‚ © 1997-2008 Microsoft Corporation,   All Rights Reserved. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reciprocal Relationship between Home Environment and Development of TMR Adolescents, Retrieved on March 20, 2009 from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ291590&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ291590 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Behavior Genetics, 2001, Retrieved on March 20, 2009 from http://www.personalityresearch.org/bg.html

Zara Fast Fashion Case Analysis Essays

Zara Fast Fashion Case Analysis Essays Zara Fast Fashion Case Analysis Paper Zara Fast Fashion Case Analysis Paper In 1 975, a Spanish entrepreneur first opened Ezra as a retail store in La Crouch, Spain. He then created the corporate group, Inedited. Inedited had become one of the worlds largest specialty retailers; it had six different chains, through which Inedited designed, manufactured, and sold apparel, footwear, and accessories for women, men, and kids around the world. Stability distinguished Inedited from other apparel retails. Although Inedited had become a public company with increasing stock price and high margins, Inedited always aimed to become a very sustainable company rather than cost profitable one in the world. Ezra was the largest and most internationalization chain for Inedited. Its headquarter was located in Artesia, Spain. Ezra was well known for its success in creating fast-fashion by selling fashion items at affordable prices and responding the market trend very quickly. Its business system and international expansion had become Indiess proudest decision. Inedited became increasingly international after 2001. It announced that Saras strategy in international expansion was the main reason for the groups sales growing globally. Ezra was no doubt the ash cow and key business for Inedited. However, Ezra itself faced some difficulties when expanding internationally. The differences in cultures and regulations made the expansion much riskier. After its failure in Italy in 1998, and competitors failures in U. S. Market, Ezra and Inedited had to be more concerned and careful about entering into a foreign new market. Moreover, top management in Inedited started to think about further plans for the group. Managing six different chains, they planned to develop other chains (or new chains) into a star business as successful as Ezra. This report will focus on loving Saras international expansion issue, as Ezra was so far the largest business for Inedited, and its issue was relatively urgent. After Ezra establishing a sustainable and more successful long-term international business, Indiess other chains could learn from its experiences. Inedited would be more capable and confident in managing and developing other chains into another large and international model like Ezra. ISSUE STATEMENT Inedited had to allow Ezra to expand and develop primarily, in order to grow into a stable and large organization rather than only focusing on home business (focusing in Spain). But International expansion was very expensive, and not that easy as different countries had different regulations, cultures, market demand and preferences. Large apparel firms like Ezra, H and Benton had met difficulties attempting to enter foreign markets. Meanwhile, Ezra had almost covered the whole market in Spain; in order to grow, it demanded larger market outside the home country. Thus, the issue statement discussed in this report is the future geographic focus for Ezra: Which foreign market should Ezra focus in its international expansion, and what are the strategies to enter the market? SITUATION ANALYSIS Saras Business System Ezra was the largest and most internationalization of Indiess chains, which are six independently operated chains and was responsible for their own strategy (Ezra, 8). In 2001, Ezra generated 85% of Indiess earnings and 76% of total sales. It generally targeted medium and high-income level and fashion sensitive consumers; while the income level of target market may be different in different countries. It was the leader in the fast fashion industry. The business system distinguished Ezra from other retailers, and enabled it to have a quick response to the market and fashion trend. Saras success came room its highly vertical integration strategy. It owned different levels of supply chain, from design, sourcing and manufacturing distribution and retail. This strategy allowed Ezra to better control the performance and quality of product, be highly efficient in delivering consumers preferred product to the market. Saras goal was to create a sense of scarcity, and to offer consumers fashionable product with reasonable quality and affordable price. The vertical integration strategy contributed to this goal by shortening the cycle time from design to retail to four weeks (over 6 months for the traditional industry), educing the working capital intensity, and reducing the inventory pressure. Design Ezra had three product lines: women, men and children. All of them had their own creative designers, sourcing and product development specialists. Several dozens items were designed each day, but only 1 13 of them would actually go into production (Ezra, 10). Ezra designed almost all products in-house. The designers cooperated well with store managers, and used an advanced technology system to track the data to analyze the market trend. Sourcing Manufacturing Ezra had purchasing offices in Barcelona and Hong Kong to help it source fabric, other inputs, and finished products from external suppliers. It bought endued fabric in order to adjust with the most recent updating in fashion trend. Ezra outsourced the production of basic item (price sensitive but time insensitive), and produced the fashionable item (40% of products) in-house for better control and quality. Large amount of outsourced goods were from Europe, so that Ezra saved time in transportation process. Only 20% of finished garments were manufactured in Asia, while H outsourced nearly all of the products to Asia. Distribution Majority of Saras sewn garments were produced in small workshops and sent to Saras centralized distribution. It was located in Artesia. Ezra only allowed most Of the products to Stay there for a few hours. Third-party delivery services shipped the items twice a week to stores over the world, mostly by truck. Only 25% was shipped by air because it was expensive. Retailing The price of Saras products was relatively low, and Ezra located its stores in prime areas of different cities. Ezra saved costs by investing little money in advertising and by efficient, vertically integrated supply chain. Ezra maintained a competitive price in every market. Although prices in different countries varied due to transportation cost, tax and exchange rate, the advertisement promotion strategy was generally maintained in every country. Store managers played a significant role. Ezra offered them large power to manage the store like their own business, and also offered high compensation and bonus as incentives. They provided critical data and feedback to designers and contributed to the design process; they were responsible for the selecting and training in-store personnel; they also made decisions on ordering and store operations. International Expansion After 2001, Ezra had 282 stores in 32 foreign countries, it had most foreign stores in Europe and only 5 in Asia (Japan). Ezra owned the stores in less risky and large market, but the costs would be higher. Ezra used franchising to enter small, risky markets with cultural differences and regulation barriers. Ezra used joint venture when the market was large and important but with barriers. STOW Analysis of Saras Business Strength The fast fashion concept, quick response and sense of scarcity were attractive to the consumers. The price was relatively low and competitive. The business cycle time was short from design to retail. Inventory was controlled low. The designers were creative. The strong centralized distribution system and vertical integration were distinctive feature of Saras business and made it hard for other brands to copy. Weakness Promotion was weak compared to HM, due to little advertising investment. Production or outsourced costs were relatively high, as HM outsourced mostly to Asia while Ezra focus more on Europe manufactures with higher costs. Since there was only one distribution center, there might be discomposes of scale if Ezra developed more stores. The only distribution center may not have enough capacity to handle too much stores around the world. It would also be risky to handle all items in one center. The goal of low inventory sometimes could not satisfy the demand. The joint venture agreement with foreign partners was sometimes complex in responsibilities, and there were risks that Ezra had to buy out the partners interest. Also, under international expansion, store managers would be hired from different countries and may not understand Saras concept well. Thus they may not operate Saras business in an efficient and standardized way. Purport unity The potential market was very large because apparel industry was needed in every country. The Internet was increasingly popular since 2000 and might be a new chance to promote brand or to reach customers. Threats Competitions was all around the world. There was direct competition with local firms. And many of the large apparel retailers were considering entering into international expansion. The product design was easy to copy. There would be social, cultural, political, economic and regulation differences if entering into foreign new market. ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS 1. Fully focus on European market 2. Expand aggressively into North American and Asian market 3. Expand globally, specifically, cover European market in a more aggressive way than other places in short run, then in long term open more stores in North America and Asia. Alternative 1: Fully Focus On European Market Pros The European market was lucrative. Ezra had most of its foreign stores in Europe so far, thus it would had more experiences. The home country and distribution center were both in Europe, which would save more time and made the business easier to control. There would be less cultural differences. The consumers preference into fashion was more similar within Europe than other countries oversea. The major potential market could be Greece, Sweden and Italy. Italy was the largest single apparel market in Europe, its consumers visited apparel stores more frequently and they Were more fashion conscious (Ezra, 19). Saras distribution center and current distribution system allowed it to operate well in Europe, as most of the shipping would be using truck (inexpensive), and most of Saras manufacturers were in Europe. Cons Some of the markets like Italian market were difficult to enter alone due to the regulation barriers. Ezra failed for the fist attempt entering Italy in 1998. The barrier required Ezra to enter with joint venture agreement with a large local partner, which may also be Saras competitor. Europe was relatively small compared to Asia and America. Since Ezra had opened its foreign stores in around 20 cities in Europe after 2002, the potential market that could be further explored in Europe was even smaller. Major competitors like H, Benton were all European companies. Alternative 2: Expand Aggressively into North American and Asian market Pros These two markets had larger population, and were relatively rosaceous compared to South America or Africa; hence the sales could be high. They had less apparel cultural differences compared to the Middle East. Cons Costs would be high especially in terms of marketing, research and transportation. Ezra had very limit experiences in certain larger cities in these markets (e. G. Had only entered Japan for Asian market) and did not know those markets and consumers well. The designs were the same for all stores, but consumers preferences would be different (e. G. North American people were less fashion forward; Asian consumers may dislike the European style). With only one centralized distribution center it would be time consuming and costly, if items were manufactured in Asia (items would be sent to Europe first and then sent back to Asia). Size requirements were different (the U. S. Consumers requires larger sizes while Asian consumers preferred smaller sizes), so there would be difficulties to standardize and control the product quality. U. S. Market was fragmented, retailing overcapacity and full of local competitors. Outside Europe, Ezra didnt have strong in-house production and distribution facilities to ensure the low cost and timing. As Ezra cared the mime for items reaching the market, it had to increase the usage of air shipping which was much more expensive. Also, longer time for reaching the stores would make it ineffective to response to consumers need and taste. The Foreign exchange risks could be also a threat. Alternative 3: Expand Globally. In the short run, Ezra should aggressively enter the European market. Since the European market was closer, more familiar and less risky compared to other large markets, Ezra should take full advantage of it. Meanwhile, Ezra should keep a look on North American and Asian market and open a few lightship stores in their prime cities. In the long run, Ezra should enter more aggressively into these two large markets by opening more stores. Pros: It would combine the advantages of the first two alternatives. By Opening a very few but critical flagship stores in North America and Asia in the short run, Ezra could get more experiences from those markets and understand the consumers well. Flagship store was also a promotion strategy to attract more attention. The cost would be relatively low in the short run. Ezra would be more experienced and financially capable to open more stores n those two new markets in the long run. Expanding globally would allow Ezra to grow as large as it could in the long run, and develop into a real international business. Cons: It would still be restricted by the only one centralized distribution center for entering Asia and North America, and still have the risks for entering them. The decision criteria would be revenue and profit, awareness, sustainability and consumer loyalty. According to the analysis above, alternative 3 would collect sales both from all three large markets, and thus should have more market share. It would be more sustainable due to the short term and long term focus. By successfully growing into a stable, large, profitable and global organization, Ezra would have awareness and thus better brand image and consumer loyalty. Recommendation Based on the analysis, the report recommends alternative 3. It would maximize the profit by reaching all the potential markets in the world in long term. Since there were risks and concerns for each market, the best way for Ezra to grow would be expanding its market by following a short-term and long-term strategy. However, because of the limitation of each market, Ezra till have to adjust its current business system when adopting alternative 3. Action plan Short Run Although expanding the business globally required Ezra to enter all three large markets (Europe, Asia and North America), in the short run, Ezra should focus more on European market. In 2002 Ezra planned to open 55-65 new stores. It is recommended to open 90 stores in the next year with around 75% in Europe. France, Germany, the ILK, Italy, Portugal, Greece should be major European markets outside Spain, since they are larger, less risky, relatively stable and advanced. Ezra also had more experiences and resources operating in them in the past. As they are important markets, Ezra could own the stores (or consider joint venture if there was regulation concerns) for better control and profit minimization. Although countries like Cyprus and Israel were risky and small, Ezra could still open more stores with Franchising. Also, Ezra could open new stores in new countries like Russia (Moscow) to establish the foundation for future development in the countries. Ezra should take opportunities in other large demand areas while consolidating its presence in the European market at the same time. It could open around 10 tortes in the U. S. And Asia (especially outside Japan) respectively. Specifically, it could choose New York, Los Angels, Lass Vegas, Singapore and Hong Kong since they are densely populated, prosperous and multi-cultural. There would be less cultural differences. It would be a great chance to present Ezra to the local city but also the visitors around the world. It would be safer if Ezra considered enter those markets initially with joint venture. Ezra could consider open flagship stores rather than normal stores in new cities, in order to attract more consumers, promote and build a better brand image. After 1-2 years, when newly opened stores became stable and profitable, Ezra could consider stepping into Internet. As mentioned in the opportunity part, this would be a chance for Ezra to promote itself or to develop a new distribution and retail method. Ezra should improve its website quality, use the website to deliver its style, company value and latest fashion design information. Ezra should have website for every major country that Ezra had entered, with standardized style but unique store and product information. This would be a great chance for Ezra to approach consumers. Moreover, Ezra should prepare for the online shopping. For North America and Asia, Ezra should have new distribution center and also manufacturers in South America and Asia, as these close places required lower costs. This strategy would save transportation costs and time, and solve the problems of over capacity and discomposes of scale with centralized distribution center. Since different markets had different fashion taste, now Ezra could efficiently and easily manage the distributions to each market. Ezra should also seek for and build good relationship with local deliver services like UPS and Fed for a rower cost and better performance. Also, since the U. S. ND Asian markets were both full of local competitions, Ezra should not insist on minimizing advertising and promotion investment in those markets. As also mentioned, different markets had different tastes. For example, the North American people were less fashion sensitive and required larger sizes. Ezra should update its IT system to have better track and record of the consumers behavior, in order to make better decision on design and distribution in the future. Long Run After 3 years expansion, as the European market would be stable in the long UN, Ezra could start entering Asian and North American market more aggressively. It could open more stores in areas including Canada and China. They were two largest countries with similar tastes and culture with the U. S. , Hong Kong and Japan market. Previous success in those markets would also positively affect the consumers choice and awareness in Canada and China. It could also consider opening flagship stores in Australia later. In terms of distribution, Ezra should maintain the good relationship with delivery services. In terms of design, Ezra should utilize the data from IT and track yester to design fashion product specifically for markets with different cultures and tastes. For example, Asian consumers preferred more colorful patterns, while North American consumers value more simple and basic designs. Moreover, Ezra should have head officers in North America and Asia for efficient control and management. These offices would be responsible for internal training as well, since it would be hard for every store around the world to send their managers to headquarter for training. The store managers were the key elements for the Saras operation and design, it was important for Ezra to maintain highly qualified managers in stores all around the world. Ezra could launch internship program to attract more talented and capable people. This program could deliver the Saras concept well, and contribute to a better cooperate culture, which was important for the sustainability of a large international brand. Lastly, in the long run, Ezra should consider buy back the joint venture stores which turn to be profitable, so that Ezra could have better control. CONCLUSION Ezra should enter the global market but focus on different markets in a short term and long term phases. It should establish new offices, distribution center and manufacturers in North America and Asia to catch up with its expansion. After successfully growing into a sustainable and more profitable international business, Inedited could have better experiences and resources to consider further development of new chains. It is not suggested for Inedited to grow an existing apparel chain as it might confuse consumers and compete with Ezra. It could launch a new brand with new product line under a name similar to Ezra (e. G. Ezra Home), as consumers would be more attracted to it.

Barriers to Health Maintenance and Disease Prevention

Barriers to Health Maintenance and Disease Prevention Redante Castro Introduction: There are many factors that interfere with health equity and the ability of the patients to get their healthcare needs met. Whether people are healthy or not, is determined by their circumstances and environment. There are challenges that a patient and healthcare providers encounters in securing and providing health services. These social determinants of health, such as income, education, transportation, housing, and race or ethnicity, have powerful influence on a patient’s life long before they arrive at a hospital or clinic. According to literature, persistent social exclusion and inequities in wealth distribution and in access and use of services are reflected in health outcomes. Social exclusions and inequity are obstacles to human development. It poses barriers to poverty reduction strategies. It hinders social unity and improved health conditions of the populations. Social exclusion and inequity are further compounded by racial and gende r discrimination. There are health disadvantages due to differences between segments of populations or between societies. There are health gaps arising from the differences between the worse-off and everyone else. Lastly, there are health gradients relating to differences across spectrum of the population. Studies have shown that the poorest of the poor have the worst health. This is also a global phenomenon, seen in low, middle, and high income countries. Within countries, studies showed that a person with low socioeconomic position has worse health- this is the social gradient of health. The poorest have the highest mortality rates. Improvements in income and education has a positive effect on health. One’s occupation is also relevant to health in terms of workplace risks exposure and its role in positioning the person along a society’s hierarchy. There is also demographic transition to consider that affects health, i.e., increasing life expectancy, increasing number of youths, growing number of elderly persons in the population, increased migration, and rapid urban growth. Population distribution and population age structure are crucial determinants of social, economic, and health-related services. For example, people in poverty are likely to be exposed to higher level of stress, economic uncertainty, and unhealthy conditions than their wealthier countrymen. It was recognized by some policymakers and stakeholders that the population’s health cannot be sustained by focusing solely on the financing and distribution of medical services. A more comprehensive and integrated strategies are necessary to foster health in all policies. An approach that integrate considerations of health, well-being, and equity in the development, implementation, and evaluation of policies and services. Determinants of health are being acknowledged and incorporated into health reform processes and policy changes are made. Examples of these policy changes are: reg ulation of alcohol and tobacco products, the expansion of healthier transportation systems (bicycle paths, pedestrian-friendly roads, and pathways), improvement in air and water quality, expansion of primary health care services, and improvements in nutrition programs. This new focus has helped divert the emphasis away from individual lifestyles and from a focus on disease towards broader determinants and actions that created a big impact on population health. However, it is probably fair to say that all community issues are political to some degree. For example, if a factory is poisoning town water system with its effluent and poisonous waste, local officials are faced with the choice of not dealing with the actual cause of the problem, i.e., the dumping of waste and endangering citizen’s health, or addressing the dumping and endangering citizen’s job. Differences of political opinion can have enormous consequences in the health of the community.

Criminal Law Foundations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Criminal Law Foundations - Research Paper Example Finally, the 6th Amendments to the United States Constitution provides a constitutional safeguard by giving the citizens a chance to know the evidence presented against them and to confront their accusers (Family Rights, 2013). This remarkably includes the substantial point of incurring speedy and public trial to be officiated by impartial juries. The accused must then be able to know the nature and cause of the accusation. Transparency is encouraged as the witnesses and the accused must confront each other. In this regard, it is important to create a compulsory process to take witnesses that would stand on individual’s favor. Furthermore, to guarantee remarkable defense, an individual should have to acquire Assistance of Counsel. In this paper, the proponent tries to evaluate the constitutional safeguards provided by the above Amendments to the US Constitution as they apply to both adult and juvenile court proceedings. Concerning this, the discussion of the impact that these safeguards have on the day-today operation of adult and juvenile courts is included. Constitutional safeguards and adult and juvenile courts A warrant is a form of formal and legal request that is legally binding for it seeks not to violate the individual’s right for reasonable search and seizure. ... tect their life and properties, the 4th Amendments to the US Constitution is a way of strengthening an individual’s constitutional right to feel the safety that everyone must freely enjoy within the state. Concering this, adult and juvenile courts are obliged to perform or observe this legal process in order to guarantee actual emancipation of the required constitutional safeguards to ensure actual implementation of consistent basic constitutional rights from all ages, particularly in hearing adult and juvenile cases. For instance, so as not to intimidate a child or a minor, who happens to have basic rights covered by the Constitution, the right legal process is necessary and so employing warrant to initiate reasonable search and seizure would simply make sense for this matter. The 5th Amendments to the US Constitution only strengthens the citizenship of the individuals and the privileges offered by the state that are set open to be equal for all. Under the criminal justice sy stem, this simply is a call not to violate the human rights especially by compelling a man or a child to tell something that may stand against one’s will or welfare, without substantial touch of truth and appropriate legal process. For this reason, a crime investigator has no right to initiate physical pain or harm to the accussed just to make sure that the suspect will tell something that will finally stand to witness against himself. Employing the same to minor could be considered as child abuse if the law relevant to it would be placed open for interpretation. On the other hand, the 5th Amendments to the US Constitution also provide a way to allow everyone to experience generally the liberty to use public property. Discriminations are entirely discouraged. Thus, allowing people, of all ages