Erving Goffman And His Legacy To The Modern Sociology Essay

Human beings are stage performers and human life is centered on performing our culturally defined fronts (Goffman, Erving, 1959 p. 22). Initially found himself working with the National Film Board in Ottawa from1943 to 1944, young Goffman discovered his special interest in sociology (Manning, Philip 1992, p. 53). Erving was the son of a shopkeeper named Max and Anna, a plain housewife. Erving’s parents are Jewish nationals but were driven by fate to Canada in 1897 when the Ukrainians were forced to evacuate to run away from the violence of the First World War. Born on June 11, 1922 in Manville, Alberta, Erving has the natural inclination for natural sciences, which was probably enhanced, or shall we say suggested by his decision to attend St. John Technical High School in Dauphin. Raised from a poor family of Ukrainian immigrants, his family can only afford to send him to the University of Manitoba to pursue an undergraduate degree in Chemistry. Although his biography did not expressly revealed relevant information, this writer speculates that his earnings with his temporary work in the National Film Board could have been one of his tickets which gave him an access to the University of Toronto to pursue his now increasing interests and sociology and anthropology. After graduating in 1945, Goffman went to graduate school at the University of Chicago where he, according to Manning, had taken â€Å"numerous courses† (Manning, Philip 1992, p. 99). Nonetheless, he has completed his graduate studies in 1949. His frustration with the results of his quantitative analysis of his mater’s thesis could have been one of the reasons, if there be anything else, for Erving to use employ qualitative analysis and reasoning for his works. According to Manning’s narration, Goffman â€Å"failed† to use the quantitative analysis method called Thematic Apperception Test (G. Smith, 1999 in Manning, Philip). Erving’s thesis was then about quantitatively analyzing the responses of the middle class women in Chicago over the famous radio soap opera entitled, â€Å"Big Sister†. Goffman immediately pursued his doctorate studies at the University of Chicago wherein he studied the life in the Island of Unst, a small community also known as â€Å"Dixon† (P. Manning). He focused his dissertation on the social interaction of the people in the small island where he stayed from 1949 to 1951. Instead of returning to Chicago, Goffman flew to Parish and returned to Chicago to get married. There are writers’ observations that say that Goffman gained his initial prominence in the community not as sociologist but as poor boy who radically transformed into a wealthy individual. As Manning noted, â€Å"Through both education and marriage, he was now part of an intellectual and economic elite. † This writer finds it important to look into the background of Goffman’s wife, Angelica Choate because this woman may have also played an important role in Goffman’s transformation to elite life. Choate was from elite American family who has connections with media companies. Choate was just 23 when she get married with Goffman whom she met at the University of Chicago. The two just got one child, Tom who was born in 1953. Meanwhile, Goffman completed his doctorate studies at the University of Chicago in 1949 and 1953 in sociology and social anthropology respectively (Blackwood, Diane B. 1997). Like all other theorists, sociologists or scientists, Goffman was never an exemption to criticisms. I would say that he has equally gained appreciation and criticisms for every work he had accomplished. There is one thing that one critique has noted of Goffman: he never named any of his theories, which is unusual in the field (Schweingruber 1994). One observer of Goffman also stressed that Erving was one kind of writer who never cites his influences (Miller, Dan E. ). This then suggests that Goffman really would want to be noticed or recognized as an original writer and of course a sociologist who developed his own and original theories. Goffman’s famous book entitled â€Å"Asylums† which was published in 1961 might have been conceived when he worked at the Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital at the time Goffman and his family moved to Washington D. C.  Three years after working with sociological studies funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, Goffman then secured work at the University of California in Berkeley on January 1958 (D. Blackwood, 1997). After another three years, Goffman’s credentials might have been recognized by the academy and was then promoted as a full professor at the said University. It is also safe to assume that his book Asylums had helped him get the said position after it was published a year before his promotion. In just a decade, that is from 1959-1969, Goffman’s academic achievements were already worth noting in the history of sociology after publishing seven remarkable books (Burns, Thomas 1992, p. 81). If we are to look into the other side of Goffman’s life, we will see that he was not at all focused on writing books and like other intellectuals, the sociologist also had other leisure activities that he probably had loved as much as he loved his career. Historical data revealed that Goffman was also in loved with antiques and had been addicted to playing blackjack and poker. What is interesting in these revelations is that these addictions did not at all paint a bad color on his reputation as sociologist. In fact, these had opened the opportunity for Goffman to enter and analyze the world of the gamblers. Performing regularly as a blackjack dealer at the Station Plaza Casio in Las Vegas, Erving, later promoted as a Pit Boss, it turned out that he had seriously considered to do an ethnographic work and completed a research project on the social life of gamblers. It was just sad to know that none of his works relative to this area was published. It was not all however well and good for Goffman. Behind his success in his career, he had experienced a tragic end of his wife’s life when the latter killed herself in 1964. It was after this event that Goffman’s tragic life behind his success was revealed especially his pains in taking care of his mentally-ill wife. All of his pains, frustrations and bitterness on the death of his beloved wife have been reflected in his book entitled â€Å"The Insanity of Place† which was published five years after the death of his wife. At the time he was probably recovering from losing his wife, Goffman spent time working at the Harvard Center for International Affairs with Thomas Schelling from 1966. Two years after, he had to resign from the University of Berkeley as a professor. In 1968 he was appointed as the Benjamin Franklin Chair in Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania. Because his appointment was opposed by the faculty of the sociology department of the said institution, he was transferred to the office of the Anthropological Museum where he enjoyed working. While working at the Museum, Erving had productive time as evidenced by several, and well-noted books were published in his name. In 1969, he published Strategic Interaction with his other two papers in game theory, Relations in Public in 1971, Frame Analysis in 1974, Gender Advertisements in 1979 and Forms of Talk in 1981. After having his daughter Alice with his new wife Gillian Sankoff whom he married in 1981, Erving died of stomach cancer on November 20, 1982. At age 60, Goffman could have written and published more books should he not had cancer. In fact he was just been elected as the President of the American Sociological Association on the year of his death. He was not able to deliver his presidential address which he prepared for several weeks. Nonetheless, his draft was read at the annual meeting of the said organization which he had entitled â€Å"The Interaction Order. † One of the most controversial works of Goffman was his â€Å"Gender Advertisements† where most critics regarded it as a picture gallery and a magazine rather than a book. With about 500 advertising and news photographs, I would have to personally agree with them. For others however, it is unique and distinctive sociological work that â€Å"represents a rare and exemplary instance of an empirical study which treats photographic materials as data, worthy of analysis in their own right, and not merely a handy illustrative resource intended only to vivify the serious business of analysis accomplished by the written text† (Ball & Smith, 1992). Gender Advertisements is actually album-sized book, with 56 of its 84 pages contains sets of photographs arranged in a way that they are supposed to be read if it they are in magazines and where each set has a commentary. First published in the United Kingdom, Gender Advertisements gained wide controversy with its cover â€Å"featuring two female models posed in a manner contrived to be alluring to the male gaze† (V. Gornick, 1979, p. 18). Other critics regarded it as an example of â€Å"the use of women as sex-objects to promote the sale and Goffman made use of some useful hints in this study of the advertiser’s trade† (P. Hunt, 1980, p. 443). Despite this, I regarded the book, although it did not look like based on its size and bulk picture contents, as something worth an objective analysis of what it had to say about human life. Gender Advertisements had in its own right established its purpose of revealing the realities of advertising trade and that those exploited pictures show evidences of gender role stereotyping. What could have been the reasons for its gained controversy are the interests of those in the advertising trade in using such as a communicative process. One of the bad realities in the world is that once you got something done that touches the interests, or ego of the others, you will surely have to face and endure the pains of skepticism because what it more painful is to hear the truth. For Goffman, â€Å"the differential treatment of males and females is often justified by folk beliefs which presume some essential biological differences between the sexes† (Gornick, p. 55). He however stressed that biology has nothing to do or at least cannot explain nor determine social practices. He sees biological and natural consequences relative to the differences between male and female as mere excuses for honoring and producing such differences. In his book â€Å"Behavior in Public Places† published in 1963, Goffman established the three types of co-presence namely: gathering, situation and social occasion. Goffman regarded â€Å"gathering† as the coming together of two or more persons while â€Å"situation† happens when there the mutual monitoring of the persons involved. On the other hand, a â€Å"social occasion† takes place when there is the presence of the props or special equipment and is bounded by time and space. From here, we can already see how Goffman’ background in theatre arts had influenced his work and they way he sees human existence. Meanwhile, the significance of such types of co-presence identified by Goffman is that they each present a â€Å"pattern of communication traffic order† which he termed as â€Å"situational properties† (Goffman, Erving 1963, p. 24). In all these situations, Goffman saw the necessity of interaction, either as â€Å"focused on unfocused† wherein people read each other through body idiom and perceived involvement (Goffman, p. 14). He also recognized the presence of the dominant and subordinate groups involved in such interactions and the attention one draws against the other. These are actually simple observations of the daily routine of people yet these simple interactions are realities of life that only few like Goffman paid attention to. Moreover these simple observations are realities from which we can base our analysis of more complex situations. In short, Goffman has done the simple and the basic for us to have a building block to understand the more complicated ones. Probably a product of his working experience with Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital, Asylum was one of Goffman’s still controversial works. It was regarded as â€Å"highly unusual: it provides very little detailed information about the hospital; rather it conveys a ‘tone of life’ (Fine and Martin 1990, p. 93). This book featured the â€Å"moral career of the mental patient† because it contained an analysis of his life as a pre-patient, an in-patient and his being an ex-patient† (Ibid, p. 89). According to Goffman, a mental patient’s life begins with the â€Å"betrayal funnel† wherein the family and the people he is most closed with conspire against him by questioning his actions. These people then decide to have the patient to be housed in the mental institution where everything in their daily lives will be regulated and any violation of such rules will be punished. Those whom the psychiatrists have seen good behavior will be transferred to the ward system indicating an improvement. Goffman’s observation that mental institutions are â€Å"forcing houses† for changing people can be justifiable based on the mentioned processes. They are actually being forced to changes because primarily they are subject to rules and regulations of the institution thereby losing their innate freedom to decide for themselves. However, I would argue that these people are subjected to such rules and with their state of mind, they cannot obviously decide for themselves, or if they can, it would not likely be good for them. The book was controversial because Goffman attacked the procedures psychiatrists undergo in treating the mental patients that such procedures are considered by Goffman as a mere â€Å"misunderstanding† of the patients’ behaviors which psychiatrists regarded as evidences of mental illness (Manning, Philip 1992, p. 183). The same concepts and theories lay in his book Stigma which was published in 1963. Stigma, according to Goffman is a ‘deeply discrediting’ attribute in the context of a set of relationships (Goffman, 1963 p. 3). In this book, he has identified three types of stigma as abominations of the body, blemishes of character and tribal stigma (ibid, p. 4). In his analysis, stigmatized persons try to make use of techniques in controlling information. What is bad about it is that these techniques are discrediting and undisclosed and therefore can cause damage to the person. Such damaging information, according to Goffman is â€Å"critical for three aspects of our identity: the ‘personal’, the ‘social’ and the ‘ego’ (ibid, p. 57). Goffman defined â€Å"personal identity as those attributes that make us unique with that of the others while our social identity is what others understand about us, identified by the characteristics of the group by which we belong. On the other hand, our ego identity refers to what we think about ourselves (Ibid, p. 69). In the Presentation of Self in Everyday Life published in 1959, Goffman’s theatre arts engagement is more evident wherein he lay out six general themes of human beings’ face-to-face interaction. The central themes in the book are: the performance, the team, the region, discrepant roles, communication out of character and the impression management (Barnhart, Adam, 1994). In this book, Goffman considered human beings as â€Å"performers enacting rehearsed lines and roles in places that are carefully constructed in order to maximize the potential for deception† (Blackwood, Diane B. 997). Goffman’s ten year effort of writing Frame Analysis is worth the sweat as it was considered his crowning achievement when published in 1974 (Manning, Philip 1992, p. 121). In this book, Erving plotted human experiences into frames wherein an organizational experience could have been a joke, a lesson, an invitation or a warning. Goffman also emphasized that in human experience, actions which he called frames can be misleading since not all what people sees as for example a fight can only in fact a joke, or vice versa. In short, there are actions that can only be considered as fabrications. The same theme as with the Frame Analysis, Goffman published another book entitled â€Å"Forms of Talk† in 1981. It has five essays that convey only one theme: the footing of talk which is portrayed or displayed by the person during his course of conversation with others. In Frame Analysis, Goffman has integrated the concepts of individual and social behavior while analyzing the interaction of both. As one writer saw this work as something that has a direct correlation with Perceptual Control Theory because of the presence of concepts of â€Å"acts† although Goffman considered them as â€Å"guided doings† (Miller, Dan E. ). Miller stressed that Goffman wanted to emphasize the fact that the actions of a person are guided by their expected or desired results of such actions. â€Å"A serial management of consequentiality is sustained, that is, continuous corrective control, becoming most apparent when action is unexpectedly blocked or deflected and special compensatory effort is required† (Goffman, 1974 p. 2). It is just surprising to know that Goffman insisted on his non-interest in understanding individual behavior rather on social behaviors. However Goffman might have realized that he has to in his statement: â€Å"I assume that the proper study of interaction is not the individual and his psychology †¦ None the less, since it is individual actors who contribute the ultimate materials, it will always be reasonable to ask what general properties they must have if this sort of contribution is to be expected of them† (Goffman 1974, p. 2). One critic of Goffman however argued that â€Å"it takes a self – not necessarily an ethnomethodologist or a sociologist – to see a self† (Travers, Andrew 1997). Travers further argued that it is first important to know the public self before one could fully understand the whole of society. This however makes sense of the issue. According to Travers, it not at all scientific to analyze the self by seeing others and then compare these to his own. In my opinion, it still make sense to compare one’s self to others in order to clearly see what makes him or her different or the same with others. I would say that an assurance of objective evaluation of the self is hard to attain if Travers is suggesting that it does not take an expert (sociologist or ethnomethodologist) to make the analysis. Let us say that I see myself as morally upright because I have compared myself with that of the criminals. But if I am to compare myself with those who does not even take the courage to lie, then I might come up with a different evaluation of myself. The point is, there is subjectivity in comparing oneself to others so it really takes someone who is more qualified to understand what is really going on with the self. Erving Goffman, however controversial his works maybe, had been generally a man worthy of noting in the history of sociology. Although he had undoubtedly, as had been presented in this paper, gained too many criticisms in his ideas and concepts on human experiences, what he had conceptualized and written were realities of life that man has somehow had to accept. Working mostly on typical and everyday human interaction, Goffman was able to present complex analyses of simple events that became bases for others in the same field. We have also observed that his works primarily was influenced by his personal experiences as a boy rose in a poor family, worked hard and became economically and academically successful. His developed interests in theatre arts had him benefited in analyzing facts of life of which he regarded as stage play where human beings are actor and actresses in a stage play with different and distinctive roles. Goffman in his own right has been a successful man in his own field. For those who are in the same field, Goffman had contributed a lot it the development of modern sociological theories which are evidently being used today.

To What Extent Are Conformity and Obedience Likely Outcomes of Human Behaviour

Conformity and obedience are forms of social influences which strongly affect our behaviour in social situations from following fashions to committing immoral acts because we are commanded to by someone who appears to be in a position of authority. This essay looks at to what extent are conformity and obedience likely outcomes of human behaviour and can individuals avoid these social influences? Conformity is a change in belief or behaviour in response to real or imagined group pressure when there is no direct request to comply with the group nor any reason to justify the behaviour change (Gross: 2010: P401).Research has shown that when confronted by social norms individuals will often adjust their behaviour closer to the perceived norm. The Asch (1951) experiment involved subjects performing a perception task saying which of a selection of lines matched a control line in length. The subjects were unaware that the other participants in the room were confederates. During the experimen t confederates would give the same incorrect answer to the question. Asch found that no one conformed on all the critical trials, and 13 of the 50 participants (26 per cent) never conformed.One person conformed on 11 of the 12 critical trials, and about 75 per cent conformed at least once during the experiment. (Gross: 2010: P403). This is backed up by Doms and Avermaet (1981) experiment they reproduced the same result as Asch. Obedience means behaving as instructed, but not necessarily changing your opinions. Obedience happens when you are explicitly directed to do something. Most obedience is reasonable, but when it is to unjust authority, the consequences may be disastrous. Flanagan: 2008: P125) In Milgrams experiment (1963) each participant took the role of a teacher who would then deliver a shock to the student every time an incorrect answer was produced. Whilst the participant believed that he was delivering real shocks the student was actually a confederate in the experiment. As the experiment progressed the teacher would hear the learner plead to be released. Once the 300-volt level had been reached the learner banged on the wall and demanded to be released.After this point the learner was completely silent and refused to answer any more questions. The experimenter then instructed the participant to treat this silence as an incorrect answer and deliver the shock. Most participants asked the experimenter if they should continue. The experimenter issued a series of commands to prod the participants along â€Å"please continue† and â€Å"the experiment requires that you continue†. The results of the experiment show that of the 40 participants 26 delivered the maximum shocks while only 14 stopped before reaching the highest levels.Some participants became extremely agitated and angry at the experimenter but continued to follow his orders. The findings from both these experiments would suggest that we conform and obey to a great extent. Howeve r levels of obedience did alter when we look at different variations of Milgram’s experiment (1963) for example proximity of learner – If the teacher was placed in the same room as the learner and had to press the learner’s hand on the shock plate, obedience fell to 30%. Flanagan: 2008: P125). Moscovici in his experiment of minority influence showed that people did not conform or obey. He placed 2 confederates together with 4 genuine participants all had no colour blindness. They were shown 36 slides which were clearly different shades of blue and asked to state the colour out loud. In the first part of the experiment the 2 confederates answered consistently green for each of the 36 slides. In the second part they answered inconsistent green 24 and blue 12 times.Moscovici found that the participants in the consistent condition yielded and called the slides green in 8. 4% of trials. 32% of the participants in the consistent condition reported a green slide at lea st once. Participants in the inconsistent condition yielded and called the slides in only 1. 3% of the trials. In this situation we can see that social influence occurs as a result of minority, rather than majority influence therefore minorities can influence the majority but not all the time and only when the confederates behaved consistently.Moscovici shows that if majority influence was the only process, then opinions would never change because we all would continue to follow the majority. Yet history is littered with examples of changing attitudes, such as those towards females and homosexuals. These changes are due to minority influence. These findings to somewhere towards answering the initial question of this discussion – to what extent are conformity and obedience likely outcomes of human behaviour?Obviously there is no definite answer and never will be as all humans are individuals with their own personality. Every person is born into society with their own particula r culture, language, style of dress and behaviour. However, every person is introduced to acceptable attitudes and beliefs, and learn certain norms and values which are thought ‘appropriate’ by other members of their group. This socialisation can effect peoples decision making and choices because we as humans feel the need to have acceptance and to be part of a group – therefore to conform and obide.In answer to the second question can individuals avoid these social influences? Social influence occurs when one’s emotions, opinions or behaviours are effected by others and can be seen in conformity and obedience. Social Influence is largely concerned with the factors that maintain the status quo by conforming to the views or behaviour of the majority or obedience to those in a position of authority. People with strong moral convictions are less likely to be influenced therefore avoiding social influence. (Flanagan: 2008).

How to Reduce Accident on Our Road?

Time to time, half a million of Malaysians died because of road accidents. Malaysia is the country that has the highest accident rate in the world. The rise in the number of road accidents is indeed worrying. Even the road safety campaigns aimed at reducing road accidents have met with little success. Only when there is a change in the mindsets of road users can we expect a decrease in the number of road accidents. Even though we cannot prevent the accidents from happening totally but we can help to reduce the many accidents to its minimum stage by taking the following several steps and ideas are suggested. The first and foremost, every driver should be advised to take good care of their vehicle. We have to make sure that our vehicles are in good running condition and rectify them at the earliest before travelling. It’s better to be shocked and to realize something was wrong while we were in the garage, rather than realizing the same while we were driving. If we are not sure with our own auto-mobile engineering skills, we should check our vehicle problem by using the help of mechanic. We should service our vehicle regularly as recommended by the manufacturer. So, we can drive our vehicles and arrived to our destination safely. Secondly, every driver should do not speed while driving their vehicles. This is the main reason that contributes to the road accident happen in Malaysia. The government should introduce deterrence to reduce the accident on our road. For instance, the government can install speed cameras in the accident-prone place. This will help authorities to identify and take legal action to the driver that do not follow the speed limit. Besides that, every driver should obey road sign and traffic rules. Every legal that have been made are for our own safety. On the other words, we have to follow the rules and we should try our best to prevent accident to happen frequently. In addition, we can reduce accidents on the road by introducing heavy penalties for traffic offenses. Authorities can increase the summonses for the drivers that break the rules. Every offender is compulsory to pay the summons. If they cannot make a payment, they will send to the prisons. This will prevent people to do not make the offense for the second time because of fear with punishment that have been made. Moreover, an individual’s penalty can be considered a mirror at which other people can look and try not to do the same thing. This method will help to minimize the accident from happening. Furthermore, we can take action to control this problem by educating the public on road safety. The government or NGO should educate people through a campaign or advertisement on television or radio. The public should be exposed to the way safety while driving a vehicle on the road. The government can implement campaigns to instil awareness to all Malaysians. In addition, the younger generation should be exposed to the rules of the road in Malaysia. So they can follow the legal and reduce the accident that happens on our road. As a conclusion, the road users must implement their obligations. So, they can guarantee their safety. Accordingly, all parties need to work together to mobilize energy to overcome this problem completely. Collective efforts that I suggest should be implemented immediately. If the above measures supported by the people of Malaysia, I'm sure the amount of road accidents in Malaysia can be reduced effectively.

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 21

Case Study Example Additionally, â€Å"Persuasion  is a matter of persuaders engineering actors decisions to produce the desired action† (Funkhouser & Parker, 1999, p.28). Jill presents raw data to her guests that require her to breakdown for them so that they may be emotionally appealed. She further makes the assumption that once they leave they will read the information in the folder that she presents to them. Jill completely fails to communicate to her guests effectively because of the lack of emphasis to the significance of her proposed research. Effective communication requires adequate appeal to the passion, logic and the character of an individual. Jill’s does not appeal to these aspects hence she is not able to convince her guests to donate towards her research. As pointed out by Barker (2010), â€Å"the key to effective persuasion is having powerful ideas and delivering them well† (p.75). Though Jill presents herself and her work in a systematic and orderly way, she does not convince the guests to be passionate about her work. In addition, she does not appeal to their logic by demonstrating clearly in very basic language how the project would be helpful to the society as well as the donors. Instead, she assumes that the guests (donors) will understand what she is up to. Nothstine & Michael (1989) have mentioned that â€Å"most people have never been trained in formal logic and reasoning† (p. 47). On the other hand, the potential donors are people that are rich and their character may be based on the need for self-actualization. Jill fails to clearly communicate to the guests by appealing to their character. It is clear that there is an aspect that is lacking in the communication, as well put by Mayo and Jarvis (1992), â€Å"Persuasive  communication  is more effective when salespeople create a sense of togetherness with those with whom they speak† (p.1). At the ends of the day, she ends up not getting any correspondence from

Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder - Essay Example ated with the disorder are often fixated on such effects as inflicting harm upon another person or creature, dealing with failures in one’s personal life, or sexuality. Very often those who must deal with obsessions and compulsions over which they have no control begin to feel as they might be slipping into insanity. The compulsions can be wide-ranging, but almost all are typically situated within the psyche as a means to relieve anxiety. OCD is often described as an exaggeration of the quite common ability of the human mind to force one to obsess upon a single idea. For instance, who hasn’t found themselves absently humming the same tune over and again in an almost compulsive manner? The difference between the normality of obsessive and compulsive desires like these is that when the average person become aware of the act they are capable of stopping themselves. The sufferers of OCD, by contrast, cannot. Though designated as a mental disorder, current research indicates that the cause of OCD is neurobiological. Neurons in the brain of those who suffer from OCD have been discovered to have a high sensitivity to serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical that assists in the transmission of signals to the brain. Further research indicates that the trigger of OCD may be the onset of puberty, the effect of mental stress, and possibly even a genetic predisposition toward the development of the diseases (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Part I). Successful treatment of OCD in the past few years has been accomplished through the use of medication, specifically that family of antidepressant drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The most popular drugs for treating OCD have been clomipramine (Anafranil), fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), and sertraline (Zoloft) (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Part I). These medications treatment the symptoms of OCD through altering the level of serotonin utilized in the transmission of signals to

LT1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

LT1 - Essay Example Those species who exhibit nature friendly characters and inherit from one generation to another generation would be successfully accepted by the nature. Hence he emphasizes the necessity of maintaining the environmental ethics in the process of modern development. Some environmental theories deliberated the importance of ecology, suitable acquired characters, quantum theory, and big-bang cosmology. Law of acquired characters as proposed by Lamarck explains the importance of possessing some desirable characters which would help the organisms to survive well with the changes in the nature or environment. In the present day context, the environmental ethics have to be made compulsory for implementation especially in developed nations or northern countries. Some theories suggest that higher coordination is called for between the developed and developing nations as the major forest area is present in developing countries where as higher capital bearing ability is the strength of developed nations. At the same time, the environmental ethical theories must strike a balance between the concepts of anthropocentrism and non-anthropocentrism. Over a period of time, the inclination of human beings towards handling the environment witnessed a tremendous change. As the technological advances resulted in higher mechanization and industrialization, the environmental safety has been severely neglected. In other words, the human ethics towards environment have undergone a significant variation in the last two centuries. Let us compare and contrast the varying ethics of human beings with a single perspective like forest conservation. In the ancient period, the human beings maintained very strong environmental ethics as they lived closely with the nature and they even worshipped Gods representing nature. They maintained strong affinity with other animals and plants. However, with the invention of

International Adoption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Adoption - Essay Example The adoption process brings an influx of emotions for anyone who is remotely involved within the process. This is true whether one is a child awaiting an adoptive family, a family who is desperate for a child or a social worker hoping to find a match between a waiting child and a waiting family. There are as many types of adoption as there are types of families who pursue adoption in order to complete their family. Domestic, international, familial, transracial, special needs and older adoption are just some of the adoption options available for individuals and families to pursue (Adoption.com, 2009). Whether a family is pursuing domestic (within the United States) or international adoption, many of the steps are similar, however international adoptions require an intensive paperwork collection, a knowledge of the sending country's culture and demanding financial costs. In order to understand the adoption process, an individual or family wishing to pursue adoption should conduct extensive research into the adoption process and choose an adoptive agency that is suited to their needs and beliefs. A quick perusal of the internet shows a multitude of agencies available both nationwide and worldwide, many with agency locations throughout the United States. One such agency, Bethany Christian Services, offers extensive services to both birth parents and adoptive parents and has a multitude of locations and support services. "Bethany Christian Services began in 1944 as the fulfillment of a dream shared by two women, Marguerite Bonnema and Mary DeBoer. The agency now employs nearly 900 individuals and is the largest national adoption agency" (Bethany Christian Services, Working at Bethany, 2009). Bethany Christian Services houses its corporate offices in Grand Rapids, Michigan and offers "70 locations nationwide and services in 15 countries" (Bethany Christian Services, Working at Bethany, 2009). One of the countries that Bethany Christian Services participates in international adoption with is China, which they began working with in 1992 and have two programs with. Per Bethany's website, "all adoptions in China are processed through The China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) in Beijing, China (Bethany Christian Services, Working at Bethany, 2009). China is one of 77 countries who participate in the "Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention)" (Intercountry Adoption, 2009)). The agreement was "concluded on May 29th, 1993 in Hague, the Netherlands, and established international standards of practices for intercountry adoptions. The United States signed the convention in 1994, and the Convention entered into force for the United States in April 2008" (Intercountry Adoption, 2009). "Children of Promise is a program that Bethany Christian Services provides for chidlren with speical needs as man y of the children from orphanages may have developmental or oganizational delays" (Bethany Christian Services, Working at Bethany, 2009). In 2001, China reported having "25% of the children adopted by United States citizens" (International Adoption Facts, 2009) and continues to be the top country of choice for international adoptions. Of note, China's adoption to the United States increased three times from 1992 until 2001 while in 2003, there were 4,681 children placed in the United States (travel state Government, 2009). "In October, 2001 the China

Death and Dying, Rituals and Afterlife, Beliefs of the Ancient Greeks Dissertation

Death and Dying, Rituals and Afterlife, Beliefs of the Ancient Greeks - Dissertation Example The ancient Greek had several beliefs related to the dead and dying, they had strong beliefs and rites which reflected the role of human soul, location and actions believed to have occurred after death and as a result they formulated strict rituals which were to be performed after a person died and their beliefs: which were interconnected with death played a fundamental role during the death rituals (Taylor 39-51). The funerals of the ancient Greek consisted of three acts which were observed to the minute detail. These acts comprised of the procedures of laying down the deceased’s body, the procession to the grave yard, and the actual burial of the cremated remains of the dead. Similar to most funerals in today’s civilized world; the ancient Greek displayed family wealth and kinship ties. It was both a ceremony and much like a social event to bid farewell to the dead as well as an act of consolation to the family of the deceased. However, this was a function that displa yed the family’s wealth and kinship, it was further a rite of passage from the living soul to the afterlife and the main purpose was to support the soul along its journey to afterlife. (Taylor 83-109). The ancient Greek strongly believed that if the soul was not buried; then its entrance into the Hades would be compromised and thus the fundamental purpose of these rituals was extremely important to the future of the soul after death. Most of the ancient Greeks believe that; if the soul was not allowed to enter into the Hades then it was not be able to gain peace for it was to be disembodied. This created great fear among the Greeks and the denial of proper burial rites was often used as a punishment for those who had committed serious crimes during their lifetime. The most feared type of death was at sea since the body could not be retrieved to be accorded proper burial (Robben 61-75). Death Deities in Greek Legend and Myth Like in most religions, there were deities in Ancien t Greek which were accorded roles and responsibilities during the personification of the deceased. There are various deities, who are either related to or are offered to the personification of the deceased and some of the most common deities that existed are as discussed below: Hades Hades was known as the underworld Greek god, it was the destination of the soul after the death of an individual. This god presided over the punishment of the deceased after he/she died. The name of the god was also the synonym of the underworld and it is similar to the Christian belief of the existence of Hell (Robben 93-117). Thanatos Thanatos was the brother of Hypnos and the son of Nyx; the god of sleep and also the goddess of night. Further, he was also the Greek death personification. When an individual passed away, it would be his responsibility to direct the soul to the underworld (Obayashi 24-33). The Fates Under Greek mythology, the Fates were three sisters which were responsible for the desti ny of the soul. They were also associated with death as they determined for how long an individual was supposed to live before he died. The three sisters were: Clotho who spinned and individuals thread of life, Lachesis who determined the lifespan of a person, and Atropos who after the others had made their decisions, she would eventually cut the thread of life of an individual hence ending his life (Taylor 113-148). Greek Concept of

Friends Owning the Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Friends Owning the Company - Essay Example The machine was to cost the company $500 thousand. When James returned, and spoke with his other partners, James explained about the machine, and the price of the machine. The other directors think the machine will cost the company too much money at this time, and the other partners are concerned that the company will be obligated to fulfill the contract. However, if a company enters into a contract of such there are certain limitations to how a company can enter into the contract, and make the contract a binding contract. As it is written with only James’ signature on the contract, and that the signature was not witnessed by anyone else the contract is not binding, and is considered null and void. There are only three ways a company can enter into a legal and binding contract. The contract can be signed with the seal of the company, or it can be signed without the official seal of the company. When the contract is signed without the official seal of the company the contract m ust be signed in the presence of two directors. The contract can be signed in the presence of one director, and a secretary of the company. In this case the contract was signed without the official seal of the company. The contract was signed while James was on vacation. The contract was not witnessed by any other director of the company. ... James should have consulted the other partners prior to signing the contract. Because all partners have managed the company together, and have until this time made decisions together. James thought because the machine offered a way of increasing productivity by 20% that the machine will increase the company’s profits. The remaining partners are not convinced that the machine will increase productivity, and increase profits. If the machine does not increase productivity, and profits, then the company might become bankrupt over the obligation of paying for the machine. The other partners do not want this to occur. When James did not consult the other partners in the decision making, he did not follow company procedures. Because the partners of the company have always discussed important decisions like this, and made decisions together, internal procedures at the company were not followed. James should have discussed with the other partners his intentions to purchase the machine. However, James did not discuss his intentions of purchasing the machine with the other partners. The four partners have always discussed important expenditures like this, because James did not discuss with the other partners the machine, and this large purchase the company procedure was not being properly followed. Company procedure is that all partners must discuss important expenditures with one another, and make a decision about the purchase together. Because, company procedure was not followed the company will not be held responsible for the purchase. James was the principle in the agency principle method of signing a contract for a corporation. James was considered to be doing business with the agent of the machines

Digital Technology and Cinema Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Digital Technology and Cinema Culture - Essay Example Let the paper analyze some of the specific examples that had some direct positive impact over the cinema culture and its horizon. The simplest example is that of video editing that comprised extensive efforts and demanded a huge amount of money before the technology entered the market. However, with the digital revolution, the visual effects tools made it easier for the filmmakers to manipulate the video in any form they wanted with desired animation and other editing. In 1984, computers such as Macintosh came in the market that were specially designed to have a graphical user interface, these were first ever of its kind that penetrated into the world of cinema giving it even more fame and multiplicity (Willis, pp.7, 2005). More tools such as Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects, Photoshop, Macromedia Director, Macromedia Flash and all the other kinds gave more horizon to the cinema culture and gave the filmmakers access to perform multiple tasks with perfection and novelty. The seque nces of images, special effects, distinctive colouring, imaginative animations and much more merely became possible with digital technology revolution (Willis, pp.7-8, 2005). It helped the cinema culture attract and gain more audience as compared to the earlier decades. Subsequently, when producing a film became comparatively hassle-free, more people started investing in this business and thus, the number cinemas grew with an increasing film being produced every year with the use of digital technology. Apart from the latest technological tools used by the cinema industry, the inventions such as newly-designed cameras and video-capturing tools that had modernized elements with specially designed features and functions made the videos look a lot more fascinating and compelling. On the contrary, cinema might have assumed new venues of popularity and fame due to digital technology and its implications on the cinema culture but, on the other hand, digital technology penetrated in the mar ket in such a fast pace that people became more interested in buying those technologies and making them a part of their aesthetically designed house. People started enjoying their micro cinemas at home rather than taking out time and going to the proper cinemas outside their comfortable houses (Lister, pp.22-23, 2001). The preference of buying techno products such as plasma screens, advanced audio speakers and other appliances became more preferable and a status quo than being interested in going to the cinemas to watch movies and other shows. It is possible that many of us must have heard about Marshall McLuhan’s popular phrase Medium is the Message. McLuhan, quite reasonably and with valid points, suggests that the medium that is used to convey any type of message or information holds a significant importance in the pace of that information being carried to the receivers (Yamamoto, pp. 500-501, 1998). It depends on the medium that is used to convey a message, that how long would it take for the message to reach to its targeted audience and how far would the message go. Thus, the influence of the message is not the message itself but, the way used to send it. This means that the receivers or the intended message focus more upon and take more interest over the kind of medium utilized. Their preference depends upon how effective is the medium and how much do they like it. The acceptability of the message is thus a later factor. In the same way, it is said that cinema comprises those elements that lure and attract the young generation more than any

John Galliano Fashion Marketing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

John Galliano Fashion Marketing - Research Paper Example The essay "John Galliano Fashion Marketing" concerns the fashion marketing and John Galliano. An enormous society stun anticipated Galliano, as he was uprooted from his more vibrant previous surroundings. His family prided itself gigantically on appearance and each time he went out as a tyke, Galliano was a perfect turn out. The gauges of dressing emerge when he contrasted himself and his even more careless English classmates, made him emerge and taught him significant principles of dress, which he might oblige sometime down the road. Notwithstanding, he was not viewed as a remarkable person. It was not until Galliano arrived at outline school and was around individuals more like him that he started to thrive. When Galliano had moved from City and East London College, he enlisted at Central Saint Martin's, where he made an amazing effect. His graduation accumulation, titled 'Les Incroyables,' made splendid by his sentimental pizzazz and ingenuity, gained tremendous approbation. In fa ct, his entire line was speedily gobbled up into the window of Browns boutique. Galliano left Central Saint Martin's in 1983 with a top of the line degree and a solid stockpile of discriminating the approval. In 1984, more approbation that is basic took after. His brave reinvention of sentimental subjects and sensitive, eminently custom-made articles of clothing were his trademarks. In 1987, he accepted the 'British Designer of the Year' honor. Notwithstanding, discriminating performance was not matched.

Virtual Teams and Virtual Project Management Essay Example for Free

Virtual Teams and Virtual Project Management Essay Like it or not, the marketplace is becoming global and many companies are taking note. The world is represented by a technological environment that changes at unprecedented speeds; seemingly overnight. The Internet and collaborative software have made it easier and faster to communicate across vast distances. Many companies have switched to complex and flexible organizational structures that allow them to operate competitively in a world shaped by globalization and the information revolution. Downsizing, outsourcing, and employee empowerment have become facts of life in the climate of many organizations, while job security is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. The survival of many organizations depends on the ability of the organization to rapidly change its structure, culture and products to match the changing demands of the environment. [1] This ever-changing environment has set the stage for a new dimension of project management†¦ Project Management (PM) is the discipline of planning, organizing and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives. This is hard enough to accomplish when the project is within a single department of a company and all team members are located on-site. Now, take all the stresses and difficulties normally associated with a project and scatter the team members all over the place; possibly in different countries and time zones. Wow, now it is really difficult and challenging to meet the three main goals of Project Management: time, cost and performance. With the scattering of the team, you have thus created the Virtual Team and the need for Virtual Project Management (VPM). Peterson Stohr define the Virtual Team – aka Geographically Dispersed Team (GDT) – as â€Å"a group of individuals who work across time, space, and organizational boundaries with links strengthened by webs of communication technology. They have complementary skills and are committed to a common purpose, have interdependent performance goals, and share an approach to work for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. † [3] Peterson Store list seven basic types of Virtual Teams: [3] Networked Teams consist of individuals who collaborate to achieve a common goal or purpose; membership is frequently diffuse and fluid. Parallel Teams work in short term to develop recommendations for an improvement in a process or system; has a distinct membership. Project or Product-Development Teams conduct projects for users or customers for a defined period of time. Tasks are usually non-routine, and the results are specific and measurable; team has decision-making authority. Work or Production Teams perform regular and ongoing work usually in one function; clearly defined membership. Service Teams support customers or the internal organization in typically a service/technical support role around the clock. Management Teams work collaboratively on a daily basis within a functional division of a corporation. Action Teams offer immediate responses activated in (typically) emergency situations. The focus of this paper will be on Networked and Project/Product Development Teams, as these most closely relate to this class and are the most prevalent in the virtual world of PM. The team does not have to be spread all over the globe for the project to be considered virtual; however, this paper will assume that is the case. Why Virtual Teams? In addition to some of the ones mentioned previously, there are several reasons and benefits that drive the formation of virtual teams. People can work from anywhere at any time, which allows employees with the required competencies for the project to be located anywhere in the world and still participate. It offers employees personal flexibility, and a flexible organization is more competitive and responsive to the marketplace. The global workday is 24 vs. 8 hours, which allows companies to keep up with the increasing globalization of trade and corporate activity. Employees typically are more productive because there is less commuting and travel time. This reduction or elimination of expenses associated with travel, lodging, etc. , results in a huge savings for the company. The list could go and on, but the point is, there is definitely a growing demand for and benefit of virtual teams. Obstacles The benefits and lucrative potential of Virtual Project Management are many, but like all good things, come at a price in the form of new management complications. Fostering open and meaningful communication, gaining the trust and respect of remote members, and building trust between members is the greatest challenge to the virtual PM. It is difficult for virtual team members to get to know each other well; consequently, they tend to communicate poorly because they often are less than comfortable with each other. [1] Communication is paramount in any project. Dennis S. and Michelle L. Reina define three types of communication that project managers must address for virtual work to be possible: contractual, communication, and competence trust. 4] Contractual trust – this is essentially doing what you say you will do. The virtual PM needs to manage expectations, establish clear boundaries, delegate appropriately, honor agreements, and, above all, be consistent in their words and actions. This kind of trust is especially frail in todays workplaces because of the legacy of layoffs, downsizing, and reorganization that reengineering and economic problems have brought to the modern corporation. Communication trust – this type of trust is, at its heart, a question of honesty and disclosure. The virtual PM has to be willing to share difficult truths with their employees, admit their mistakes, give honest feedback, and at the same time maintain confidentiality. Competence trust – this type of trust involves respecting your teammates abilities and skills, as well as your own, and helping others learn new skills. The virtual PM needs to involve others rather than trying to do it all themselves. Establishing these forms of communication can be difficult to do with local projects, and is only compounded by the lack of face-to-face contact between virtual team members. Members of virtual teams tend to develop relationships with those who are located with them rather than with those who are at distant sites. [1] The formation of these cliques can create an â€Å"us vs. them† mentality between the team members and/or project manager located elsewhere. Remote members often do not do a great job of sharing adequate amounts of information with each other and the interpretation of information may be different. Thus, not everyone is on the same page and sees the big picture. This results in members having a different perception of the project dependent on their location. Sharing information in a timely and effective manner, mainly because of time zone differences, is another concern for the virtual PM. This is becoming less and less of a problem with the latest and greatest technologies. Lastly, the lack of face-to-face interaction with the PM may cause remote team members to be unsure of what their role is in the project and what is expected of them. Technologies  Many of the forces that are driving the need for virtual project teams, namely advancements in technology, are the same ones that make it possible to overcome the many obstacles encountered in this type of project. Since it is seldom possible in the virtual project to meet face-to-face, experienced project managers recommend using a variety of electronic communications – cellular phones, pagers, faxes, e-mail, web pages, and computer-to-computer transmissions across local area and wide area networks—to distribute everything from key reports to jokes, logos, and mottoes. Effective and frequent communication helps establish that critical trust factor between virtual project members. Teleconferencing is still used extensively for communication within virtual teams; however, the Internet is what really makes the virtual project feasible these days. E-mail is hands down the main form of communication – it is cheap and just about anyone in the world can get access to it one way or another. E-fax can also be used if the remote members cannot read a file format or if a file is too large to be sent via email. Smartphones, though not as powerful as Netbooks, are essentially minicomputers. Team members may have a company issued smartphone they can use at all hours of the day for email, web access, etc. Out of all the available technologies used in the virtual environment, videoconferencing has done the most to develop that trust and familiarization between distant team members who have never met or worked together before. Members can see what their remote teammates look like and see their actions and mannerisms during the meeting. It used to be that video-enabled conference rooms had to be available in each location for all members to participate. Nowadays, with the advent of collaborative software, some of which can be free like Google Apps, videoconferencing is possible anywhere there is an available Internet connection. Conclusion There is no denying that the old way of doing business is becoming just that, â€Å"the old way of doing business†. Virtual projects are becoming more and more of a necessity and people with technical savvy and cultural openness are needed to run them. There is definitely a whole new world of opportunity and responsibility afforded to Project Managers who are willing to take on the responsibility of a virtual project. This may involve working from your hometown with people overseas or having to relocate to a foreign country. The main thing the virtual PM must do is figure out creative uses of the available communication technologies to make the virtual project more manageable. Mastery of this skill is quickly becoming mandatory for anyone who will be involved in virtual projects. Reference http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/2122.html

Business plan and marketing strategy for Nike

Business plan and marketing strategy for Nike The real value of creating a business plan is not in having the finished product in hand; rather, the value lies in the process of researching and thinking about your business in a systematic way. The act of planning helps you to think things through thoroughly, study and research if you are not sure of the facts, and look at your ideas critically. It takes time now, but avoids costly, perhaps disastrous, mistakes later. Exective summary Nikes is a world largest company that sell all kind of products in almost every country. Explain the fundamentals of the business: What is your product, who are your customers, who are the owners, and what do you think the future holds for your business and your industry? Make it enthusiastic, professional, complete, and concise. If you are applying for a loan, state clearly how much you want, precisely how you are going to use it, and how the money will make your business more profitable, thereby ensuring repayment Company history In 1962 nike was founded by bill bowerman and as blue ribbon sports.in 1985 the highly turned point of nike was when the world greatest player come into company.first they introduce their product like shoes shirts bags jeckets and with the passage of time they introduce almost every thing which man required.after that nike teamed up and more famous athlete like bo Jackson Andre Agassi, Charles Barkley and many more product. Planning Selecting mission and objectives as well as the action to achieves them which requires decision making.for example nike planning are mission or purposes 2objective 3strategy 4policies 5procedures 6 rules 7programs. Nike MISSION nikes mission is to alleviate poverty by providing quality and cost effective microfinance services to low income households, especially women, in order to enhance their economic role and decision-making capacity. We empower poor women and their families to become economically self reliant by providing financial services in a sustainable manner. We promote economic self-actualization by providing the poor with continuous economic opportunities so they can realize their potential and overcome barriers of poverty. At nike we believe access to financial services is the basic right of each and every individual. nike places the client at the center of all financial services that it offers and designs products and services in the light of the clients demands. We believe clients from low-income communities require innovative financial solutions to meet the many contingencies and crises they face as a result of vulnerable cashflows. With a constantly growing outreach of clients and a diverse product range, nike adheres to delighting its clients with client focused products that grow with their evolving needs. Our future goals are to: 1. Improve access and scale of microfinance services by demonstrating that women in Pakistan are credible and are active economic agents by reaching out to 750,000 female clients by 2010 2. Continue to innovate by creating client-driven products and services for low income households, including home improvement loans and a health insurance product Strengthen customer care processes by empowering field staff to listen to client feedback on a continuous basis 3. Sustain nikes financially viable business model of providing financial services to the poor and mainstream it with other financial institutions to ensure scalability Objectives or goals The ends toward which activity is aimed. In this part we know that nikes abjective is to achieve something in a specific or selected time just say for example nike planning is to sold women wear in 3 month so the employees of nike must have to sell these product within the time. Product and services Nikes product and services are too much and very cheaper because the make a strategy that the sell their product to all customer and get satisfication. For example in shoes product we see that all kind of shoes in nike company are very comfortable and very cheaper.nike almost sell their product in all over the world.for example in Pakistan every body in Pakistan like nike product and they almost use these products.but when we talk about nikes fitness In Pakistan mostly people are unaware about this because when women use nikes fitness items it is totally against islam and we know that Pakistan is a conservative country and people that already lived in Pakistan would,n like this.but on the other side we look that if we sell our product like shoes garments bags we see that these product we can easily sell. Nikes technology When we talk about nike technology we see that this is a multinational company and they almost use good raw and other material for their products.because when the use good material is initial they can get more profit because customer like their product. Market analysis summary Nike is the most successful producers of sports feetwear with rebook aswell as with the manufactures of causal footwear. However now company faces a number of challenges that they does not exist few years ago.now in market thay face a number of company that sell all these product that nike already sell It and these are less cheaper if we compare to all nikes product so now nike are going to change their strategy to face this challenges. Market Needs Now nike change their strategy now the see all the environment that now what market needs in these days for example in summer days they introduce their new product in rainy days they introduce their waterproof jackets. Market Trends Nikes need to use the new strategy just says fo example what is trend now a days in Pakistan we see that their we sell the product that match with the socity and we cant use other products because Pakistan is a conservative country. Main Competitors In Pakistan we see that there are a number of companies that sell all the products that nike also sell. But nike face a number of chelenges because other company sell all these products with the same rate that nike also.so nike should have to change their strategy.they should have to introduce less cheaper product that anybody can purchase easily. Marketing Plan Market research: Why? You spend so much time on marketing-related matters customers, competitors, pricing, promotion, and advertising that it is natural to assume that you have little to learn. However, every small business can benefit from doing market research to make sure it is on track. Use the business planning process as your opportunity to uncover data and to question your marketing efforts. It will be time well spent. Customers Identify your customers, their characteristics, and their geographic locations; that is, demographics. The description will be completely different depending on whether you sell to other businesses or directly to consumers. If you sell a consumer product, but sell it through a channel of distributors, wholesalers, and retailers, you must carefully analyze both the end user and the intermediary businesses to which you sell. You may have more than one customer group. Identify the most important groups. Then, for each consumer group, construct a demographic profile: Age Gender Location Income level Social class/occupation Education Other For business customers, the demographic factors might be: Industry (or portion of an industry) Location Size of firm Quality/technology/price preferences Marketing Strategy The first one is that you really dont need a fancy logo or catch phrase to get your fitness marketing plan to work well for you. The simple truth is that nobody really cares what your logo looks like, nor do they stop and consider using your services simply because you have a nice-looking logo or a really great catch phrase. They stop because youre showing them real, tangible results. Youre in the fitness industry, and thats what people want. They only care about results. Can you actually prove and show them results? How about a before/after photo of a previous client? Make sure theyre ok with you using their photo and/or name!. Location The city of lahore, which is popular as heart of Pakistan , is an important tourist centre in Pakistan . The city houses one of the seven wonders of world and is an established commercial centre. Besides other institutions the place has a good number of basic health facilities that provide services to the residents and tourists. Many healthcare centres operate in the city. The infrastructure include several government hospitals, private nursing homes, allopathic hospitals and dispensaries and primary health care centres. Including the medical college there are seven government hospitals. Some 15 nursing homes provide the services and facilities in the city. Primary Health Care Centers are primarily meant for rural areas and all the 56 centers are located in the rural areas. Out of a total of 45 allopathic centres 39 are in the suburbs. One special fact, as revealed by a study conducted in Lahore , there are many Ayurvedic practitioners in Agra whose average age is about 70 years. The prime hospitals and nursing homes in Lahore include District Hospital, sheikh zaid Hospital ,Cantonment Hospital, Centre Jalma Institute of Leprosy Tajganj, T.B. Hospital Near, Mental Hospital Billochpura, Ashoka Hospital , Amit Jaggi Memorial Hospital , Medical Institute, Sri Ram Hospital. Distribution channel The fitness equipment industry in Pakistan is witnessing significant growth as pakistanis increasingly become health and fitness conscious. The market is estimated to be worth INR 12.5 bn in 2008 and is expected to reach INR 63.3 bn by 2012. The end-user segments include individuals using fitness equipments at home and institutions like health clubs, corporate houses. The report provides a brief overview of the fitness equipment industry including market size, growth, types of equipments and key segments. An analysis of drivers explain growth factors such as increasing health and fitness consciousness amongst pakistan growing demand from corporate houses, entry of foreign fitness chains/clubs, reduction in prices and import duties and real estate boom. The key challenges identified include lack of RD facilities in the country, lack of consumer confidence in Indian equipments, lack of good fitness trainers and lack of space in residential complexes. The key trends identified include health chains entering equipment retailing market, introduction of innovative products and emergence of new distribution channels Operational Plan One of the biggest mistakes that people tend to make is to start a fitness program without planning how it will realistically fit into their everyday lives. As a personal trainer in a club with thousands of members, I have seen many new and eager faces begin programs, ready to commit to 7 days a week the minute they buy their membership. I feel very happy that they are taking such a big step forward but at the same time I cant help but wonder who will manage to make this significant lifestyle change and actually be there in six months. The statistics are not in favor of these new members. Only about 20 percent will actually be able maintain this commitment. . Production How and where do you produce your products or services? Explain your methods of: Production techniques and costs Quality control Customer service Inventory control Product development Legal Environment Describe the following: Licensing and bonding requirements Permits Health, workplace, or environmental regulations Special regulations covering your industry or profession Zoning or building code requirements Insurance coverage Trademarks, copyrights, or patents (pending, existing, or purchased) Personnel Number of employees Type of labor (skilled, unskilled, professional) Where do you find new employees? Quality of existing staff Pay structure Training methods and requirements New hiring in the coming year? Who does which tasks? Are schedules and procedures in place? Financial Plan The financial plan consists of a 12-month profit and loss projection, a four-year profit and loss projection (optional), a cash-flow projection, a projected balance sheet, and a breakeven calculation. Together, these spreadsheets constitute a reasonable estimate of your companys financial future. More important, however, the process of thinking through the financial plan will improve your insight into the inner financial workings of your company. GENRAL LOAN The GL focuses on building and sustaining economic opportunities of poor households and thus achieving nikes over-arching goal of alleviating poverty. The GL is based on group collateral where a group of 25 women jointly insure each other against default. In light of nikes strong commitment to customer care, center members have to wait only 7 days after their registration to get the first loan, while repeat clients can obtain a loan within 24 hours. The loans are advanced to female members of the household and it is the mutual decision of the household to decide on the economic activity that they will invest in. BUISNESS LOAN Clients requiring loans below Rs 500,000 cannot obtain access to formal financial sources, since such amounts are still too small for commercial banks. A quick estimate can show that the potential market for small enterprises is about 6 million with a negligible outreach to such entrepreneurs by the banking and the microfinance sector as a whole. ABC targets fast moving small entrepreneurs through the BSL, the entire methodology of which is based on a credit scoring model. The BSL is advanced to clients with a minimum of 2 years running experience of their businesses and has no collateral requirements. Generally the loan has a minimum processing time of less than 5 days. Strengths and weaknesses are initial and Kotler (1988) says these must cover the four areas of marketing, financial, manufacturing and organizational. Opportunities and threats look at the main environmental issues such as the economic situation, social changes such as the population getting older and technological developments including the internet. A SWOT analysis example for a cosmetics manufacturer might include: Strengths Strong and have a good market experience High brand recognition Better customer dealing Weaknesses Prices perceived to be too high Costs spiralling out of control due to increases from raw material suppliers Inconsistent brand identity Opportunities Growth of the internet leading to an increase in the number of consumers willing to buy online New emerging teen market Threats New affordable luxury entrants to the market threatening to take share from premium brands Major competitor planning to integrate vertically and sell direct to the consumer Rise in popularity of nail spas leading to decline in demand for nail products Management and Organization A project must be included in the general objectives of the business, because it generally mobilizes personnel for a long period of time. This is why it is necessary for an organization to determine its intentions in the medium term (one to three years) before even starting projects. Thus, the management organizational chart serves to provide prospective strategic orientation in order to provide a rough idea of the interrelation of the principal objectives over time. Thus, it makes it possible to define priorities in terms of achievement of objectives and to provide visibility to the organizations ambitions. The management organizational chart, in the case of large structures, may be useful in the form of a Strategic Organizational Chart (sometimes General Organizational Chart), combining several different management organizational charts. The management organizational chart is created by a Management Committee (or Strategic Committee), combining the repesentatives of the organizationss general management. The Management Committee therefore represents the general management of the company for all projects. However, the inclusion of a project in the management organizational chart does not guarantee that the related work will be done. In fact, the term project includes intention, which implies feasibility, which is one of the intermediate stages between the creation of the management organizational chart and the start of the project

The Real Chocolate Company Marketing Essay

The Real Chocolate Company Marketing Essay The Real Chocolate Company is a Gourmet chocolate company that offers a wide range of products as well as handmade gourmet chocolate. They specialise in organic chocolates and have over 100 varieties of chocolate making them a potential threat to companies such as Heresy and Ferrero-Rocher. The company was identified as one of the fastest growing small public companies this is according to the information provided in the case study. This assignment will look at the current strategic position of the real chocolate company, as well as their range of products and services. This assignment will also look at the key stake holders and the strategic purpose followed by an in-depth look at the strategist intent, External Analysis External Analysis examines the opportunities and threats that existing in the current environment in which the business practices. In every business opportunities exist and threats independently and in the ever changing markets opportunist and threats can emerge rapidly. In this section I will use pestle and porters 5 forces to examine the threats and opportunities 1.1PESTLE Analysis Threats The Real Chocolate company as well as almost every company that sells goods and services, must comply with government regulations in the country thy operate in, it can become a threat if the regulation change on the amount of chocolate that can be produced and consumed, according to (Morone, 2002) the obesity levels in the US have reached an all-time high and fast food and confectionery good such as Chocolate and sweets are to blame, this external force can threaten the Real chocolate company. Taxes on candy and other legislations would affect the cost of chocolates and confectionery products, this threat could seriously affect the real chocolate company, as the company do not sell their goods in local stores they are at a bigger disadvantage, but as products are made in store and by hand production can be stopped relatively easily. Health concerns can also affect the sales of the chocolate despite the fact that dark chocolate has numerous health benefits, but when taken irresponsibly can have a negative affect. As mentioned earlier, obesity is one concern that seems to be affecting very business and companies have to create healthier alternatives. Prices of raw materials could increase and decrease depending on the stability of the economy and or the market, in the case of environment wheatear conditions in cocoa farms can become harsh and affect the amount of coca produce, with limited supplies the demand for coca will be higher and the price for the raw material will be greater. This is the main threat that the real chocolate company faces, unlike other problems that can be solved with creating healthier alternatives, this threat cannot be fixed unless the real chocolate company invested in their own coca farm Opportunities Young people are becoming more independent from a younger age therefore they should become the target market for gourmet chocolate the real chocolate company, this group can serve as a potential opportunity to increase sales. Improvement of the company website can allow for better promotion of products as well as greater networking opportunities such as increasing client portfolio and hopeful gain international clients thus improving the companies chances of being successful overseas. Following Ferrero-Rochers designed of their packages; the real chocolate company should package their products in a unique design that helps them stand of from the competition, also they can take advantage of their varieties and package each particular chocolate in its personal package, this could be costly but it will include public awareness of the company. Join the health bandwagon, the real chocolate company can use the obesity threat to their advantage by creating more helter alternatives, it would help if the company stressed the fact that their product is health compared to the competitions. 1.2 Porter 5 forces Assess the competitive environment to find the threats and opportunities that the real chocolate company faces in their market. Rivalry in the chocolate industry is very high, according to the research conducted in other assignments the market is highly competitive, this means that more experienced companies in the market will have larger growth and greater returns compared to the real chocolate company, this threat means that the Real Chocolate company would need to create a new strategy in order to compete directly with the larger rivals Suppliers have the most power in the chocolate industry as stated earlier, in the even a war or weather conditions affect the coca supplies the price of chocolate will rise, this means the real chocolate company needs to pay more and to cover the cost would have to increase price. According to (Wearden, 2011) coca prises are on the rise this means that suppliers will have an even greater power over the real chocolate factory. Entry into the market is high but as the real chocolate sells organic gourmet chocolate they are not in immediate danger from new generic chocolate companies entering the market. Internal Analysis This section will identify the internal capabilities of the real chocolate company and match them against factors commonly found in the industry. 2.1 Strengths and Weaknesses A company motto might not seem so important but Perfection in handmade gourmet chocolate is an excellent way to inform customers of the quality and care than goes into the chocolates. The companys high regard for the community is a real strength wherein the company provides sponsorships and provision for educational opportunities, as stated in the case study this method is low-cost but has a high publicity return. Publicity is an essential for small companies and the more people know about the company the greater the potential for new customers. The larger varieties is a competitive advantage that other chocolatiers lack, the larger pieces of gourmet and the variety doesnt limit the customers which promotes higher sales as they have enough variety to cater to every customer. The real chocolate company strengths include their new integrated management system , Manufacturing resource planning (MRP II) makes sure the companys system are maintained, the new system allows the company to predict and planning for any issues that might affect the company on a daily basis. Ideally it addresses operational planning units and is capable of answering what-if questions, constantly readjusting to the every changing units, this is according to (Investopedia, 2009) Bad promotion can be the down fall of any company, in the case of the Real Chocolate company advertisement or lack of it is one of the biggest weaknesses of the company. With the proper advertisement tools the real chocolate company would increase the number of customers they have as well as increase sales. One of the biggest weaknesses the real chocolate company has is there lack of innovations; competitors have branched out into different markets or even different aspects in the same market, for example Hershey (a rival chocolate company) has kept in the same market but has created a number of confectioneries goods to increase their sales and market portfolio. Staff strength http://essayblog.org/wp-content/samples/chocolate.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Porters_five_forces.PNG http://www.ukessays.com/essays/business/using-strategic-analysis-and-strategic-management-business-essay.php

Essay --

There are advantages and disadvantages of experiencing childhood in the military. For instance, the effects of separations and reunions with families and friends. Many people report difficulty in identifying where they belong due to a lifestyle of constantly moving, being wrapped up in the military lifestyle as well as foreign cultures. Rather than the regular person society of their local terrains, while growing up numerous military families frequently feel like outcasts in association with the citizen society of their local grounds. Moving frequently can have unexpected benefits too, such as experiencing and appreciating the diversity in our world, making lots of new friends, and sometimes finding out where you belong or want to reside. The point when a kid has a challenging time conforming to another circumstance, if it’s a parent deploying or a move to another area, it can prompt uneasiness, misery and behavior issues. Some children might not have a behavioral disorder, but their behavioral problems cause these difficulties. Even infants and toddlers can experience difficulti...

The Formulaic and Episodic X-Files and Supernatural Essays -- Televis

The subjects of this study, The X-Files (Carter, 1993-2002) and Supernatural (Kripke, 2005-), can be seen as innovative pioneers of ‘narrative complexity’ and of the ‘monster-of-the-week’ (MOTW) concept. Mittel identifies narrative complexity, ‘At its most basic level, narrative complexity is a redefinition of episodic forms under the influence of serial narration—not necessarily a complete merger of episodic and serial forms but a shifting balance. Rejecting the need for plot closure within every episode that typifies conventional episodic form, narrative complexity foregrounds ongoing stories across a range of genres. Additionally, narrative complexity moves serial form outside of the generic assumptions[.]’ (Mittel, 2006, p.32) The monster-of-the-week concept is rather self-explanatory, but can be described as telling standalone stories that literally feature a monster, or enemy, every week however, The X-Files have challenged the serial, standalone nature of the concept (Kruse, 1997-8, p.110). The X-Files stars FBI agents, Mulder and Scully, as they take charge in investigating the ‘X’ files (cases that occur through unknown phenomena). Mulder, the believer, and Scully, the sceptic, face corrupt government officials and monstrous mutants while trying to uncover the meaning to unknown phenomena that otherwise, cannot be explained. The episodic and formulaic series allow Mulder and Scully to face phenomena after phenomena while being spliced with an undercurrent of the more serial format of a greater ‘mytharc’ concerning government corruption and of the alien colonisation of earth. Supernatural tells the story of Dean and Sam Winchester, brothers-in-arms, who also, within formulaic and self-contained episodes, hunt monsters... ...d Everyday Life in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In: M. Hammond and L, Mazdon, eds. 2005. The Contemporary Television Series. Edinburgh: Edinburg University Press, pp.159-182. Hodges, L., 2008. Mainstreaming Marginality: Genre, Hybridity, and Postmodernism in The X-Files. In: J. P. Tellote, ed. 2008. The Essential Science Fiction Television Reader. Kentucky: Kentucky University Press, pp.231-246. Mittel, J., 2007. Film and Television Narrative. In: D. Herman, ed. 2007. The Cambridge Companion to Narrative. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp.156-171. Mittell, J., 2006. Narrative Complexity in Contemporary American Television. The Velvet Light Trap, 58(32), pp.29-40 Nixon, N., 1998. Making Monsters, or Serializing Killers. In: R. Martin and E, Savoy, eds. 1998. American Gothic: New Interventions in a National Narrative. Iowa: Iowa University Press, pp.217-236.

Africanisation of south African Ratiling Essay

The internationalisation of retail businesses has become a global phenomenon as retailers around the world expand their operations beyond national borders. This phenomenon has attracted some academic attention. In Africa, South Africa appears to be more advanced in this regard, with Shoprite at the forefront of the Africanisation of South African retailers. A review of Shoprite’s expansion into the continent results in two propositions and some challenges that affect this process. The wider significance of the propositions is further examined by a study of other South African retailers expanding into Africa. The review finds that although there are opportunities for retailers in African countries, there are also significant challenges that can negate the opportunities. Most importantly, the chosen mode of entry into African countries plays a significant role in the overall internationalisation process and should be a primary concern of management teams considering making such a move, and it is established that the mode of entry comprises at least five areas of critical decision making. Key words: Africanisation, retailing, international retailing, South African retailing, African markets, mode of entry, ICTs, international business. INTRODUCTION Since 1994, South Africa has moved to become part of  the African continent, even to the point that it developed  1  and championed an African agenda . This move opened  up opportunities for South African businesses within the  continent. In this regard, leading South African retailers  (including Shoprite, Woolworths, Massmart, Truworths)  have already invested in, and now operate in diverse  African countries. In the past decade, the continent has  also seen shopping centres and malls built in most  African cities, some of which are also South African  investments (Miller, 2006). There is still huge potential for all kinds of South African businesses to expand within the  continent, and there are benefits for all concerned. Already the six primary sectors of the South African  economy: mining, retail, construction and manufacturing,  financial services, telecommunications, and leisure and  *Corresponding author. E-mail: naadakora@gmail.com. 1 African agenda in this case refers to former president Mbeki’ s vision of an African renaissance, and the establishment of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). tourism, are in one way or another investing in the  continent (Daniel et al., 2003). Furthermore, the  completion of the SEACOM’s East African submarine  cable and the up coming West African cable system that  will provide fibre optic connection from Africa to the rest  of the world will open more business opportunities on the  continent. It is, therefore, not surprising to see an  increasing number of South African retail companies  expanding into the rest of the continent to seek growth  and explore new strategic opportunities.  The Shoprite Group operates its own stores in 15  African countries outside South Africa, including Angola,  Botswana, Ghana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius,  Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Swaziland, Tanzania,  Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe (Shoprite, 2008). The  group’s operations have been generally successful in  most of these countries and in some cases income has  exceeded their projections and expectation s. This  performance has triggered numerous growth and  expansion plans for most of the countries listed above.  For example, with the opening of one supermarket in  Accra, Ghana (in November, 2007), the group  immediately started investigating the possibility of  opening five more stores around the Accra area  (Shoprite, 2008). This report also indicates that their  Dakora et al. African operations have produced higher turnover growth than their South African counterparts. However, this is not the case with their operation in India where foreign retail ownership is forbidden by government regulations. Shoprite had to operate by means of franchising in Mumbai (Shoprite, 2008). Revenues do not match those achieved in Africa, highlighting the mode of entry as a key factor in the successful achievement of retail internationalisation. Yet, even in Africa, it has not all been easy. Due to lack of suitable acquisition targets and alliance partners, and given the informal nature of the retail sector in most African countries, they are obliged to open their own stores (Games, 2008). The Shoprite annual report (Shoprite, 2008) indicates that they are currently facing competition from other South African retailers who are also moving into Africa. For example Massmart, also expanding into Africa, will give Shoprite a run for its money in markets for hard goods. Also, as a consequence of their go-it-alone approach to Africanisation, Shoprite often does not gather enough market knowledge and contacts before entering and establishing a foothold in these new markets, which in itself becomes a problem (Games, 2008). There are also reports of supply issues haunting the company in its Africa operations. Nigeria is reported to have government-imposed import restrictions on some products. This is in a bid to protect the local economy and suppliers. Miller (2008) points out that the issue concerning local suppliers is politically controversial for South African companies operating in foreign African countries. Although South Africa has moved to be part of the continent and has championed an African agenda (as noted at the start of this paper), there are concerns that this commercial activity might become another form of colonisation. As a result, these companies have to demonstrate their support and participation in local development in those foreign countries or risk being accused of â€Å"exporting Apartheid† into Africa (Miller, 2008). Of course, the circumstances of each country might vary: Miller found that the Shoprite Group entered Zambia under favourable conditions that did not attempt to protect local producers and suppliers. Despite the increase in retail internationalisation in Africa led by the South African retailers, little research has been done in this area. This paper is a review based on a study of annual reports and other publicly available sources; it seeks to develop a foundation for more detailed case study work on the phenomenon. The paper discusses how the Shoprite Group’s expansion into Africa has been achieved, and how it secured its position as the largest food retailer on the continent. Two propositions concerning challenges affecting the decision of entry mode are established, based on the Shoprite study. The issues that inform these propositions are, however, limited to the results of the Shoprite’s review, and, therefore, preclude other issues that might be relevant to 749 the phenomenon but not obvious in this study. The propositions are further examined by looking at a range of other cases of South African retailers’ expansion into Africa. GENERAL PERSPECTIVE INTERNATIONALISATION ON RETAIL In recent years, the world of retailing has seen a dramatic increase in international activities by retailers around the world (Park and Sternquist, 2008; Myers and Alexander, 2007; Dawson and Mukoyama, 2006). The phenomenon of retail internationalisation has become an important feature of global business. As consumer products and services become global, and around the whole world consumers’ styles of consumption and attitudes increasingly become similar, retailers are prompted to respond to this trend. This results in the emergence of international (and in some cases global) retail companies (Federzoli, 2006). As Jack Shewmaker, director of Wal-Mart points out; â€Å"it is absolutely clear the biggest opportunity facing retailers [today] is internationalisation† (McGarriagle, 2008:12). In exploiting this window of opportunity, the world has seen retail businesses grow into multinational corporations contributing to economies on a worldwide basis. The rising levels of internationalisation among retail businesses can be attributed to three factors: growth in size, growth in technological sophistication and the need to respond to the changing demands and behaviours of customers (Myers and Alexander, 2007). However, retailing is geographically tied, and international companies must have a physical presence in the foreign countries concerned in order to conduct their business (Sternquist, 2007). According to Dawson and Mukoyama (2006), the internationalisation of retailing is evident in many ways including: the sourcing of products for resale, the operation of stores in foreign countries, the use of foreign labour, the adoption of foreign ideas and the use of foreign capital. There has been an increase in all these aspects in terms of volume and spatial reach, Dawson and Mukoyama indicate. This increase in retail expansion has continued across the world, characterised by large retail chains, mainly from the most developed countries, moving into less developed ones, and this has attracted some academic attention. However, most research in the area of retail internationalisation has focused on the developed world with little attention being paid to developing economies, especially those in Africa. Zhang and Dodgson (2007:336) observe that most research in the field of international business and entrepreneurship concentrates on â€Å"early internationalisation of firms based in developed countries, especially Europe and United States†. Where Africa is studied, little attention is paid to retailing, as 750 Afr. J. Bus. Manage. most previous research has always focused on manufacturing and pure service industries despite the recent increase in retail internationalisation (Park and Sternquist, 2008). METHODOLOGY The review takes into consideration South African retail companies that have expanded their operations beyond their home region, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in a significant way. Pure service retailing is beyond the scope of this paper. Shoprite is the largest food retailer in Africa, and also the pioneering retailer to embark on a continent wide expansion strategy. A review of Shoprite’s Africanisation process is carried out with the view of gaining some understanding of the phenomenon. Therefore, the propositions and challenges around the issue of modality are limited to what is obvious in the Shoprite study. The significance of these propositions and the relationships between them are further examined by the study of other cases of purposively selected South Africa companies moving into Africa. Since the intention is to understand the phenomenon under study, purposive sampling enhances the potential of understanding (Devers and Frankel, 2000). As indicated earlier, the study has largely been based on annual reports and other publicly available sources, and, therefore, the review took a content analysis approach. Due to its ability to assess the effects of environmental variables like regulation, socio-economic issues, and location characteristics such as market attractiveness, credibility and likability (Kolbe and Burnett, 1991) in the internationalisation process, content analysis techniques was useful in this study. A REVIEW AFRICA OF SHOPRITE’S EXPANSION INTO The Shoprite Group of companies came into existence with the acquisition of a supermarket chain in the Western Cape, in 1979 (Shoprite, 2009a). This expansion strategy has continued and has helped the expansiondriven company to show its presence across the country, and the group now comprises Shoprite, Checkers, Checkers Hyper, Usave, OK Furniture, OK House and Home, OK Power Express and OK Franchise Division (with a number of stores and brands under it). The national growth and expansion strategy of Shoprite, as observed, has been through mergers and acquisitions, but it modified and extended this strategy when moving abroad. It achieved international expansion by opening its own stores in the foreign countries in which it operates, so that in 2008, out of a total of 984 stores, 100 supermarkets were being operated in 16 countries outside South Africa (Shoprite, 2008). The company claims that the international stores operate with the same standards of sophistication as in the home country, South Africa. Hence, Shoprite now confidently proclaims its name as the largest food retailer in Africa. The expansion into African was a bold decision that has continued to influence the future of the Shoprite Group to the present day. However, this could not have been possible without clear vision, strategy and the appropriate choice of mode of working. The following points highlight some of the key factors that contributed to Shoprite’s success in Africa: Suitability of business model Most of Africa’s populated cities are home to middle to high income earners who yearn for quality of life, and Shoprite’s provision of a world class shopping environment and a wide range of products at arguably affordable prices meets their dreams of a better life. The opening of shopping centres and malls has been a feature of the Shoprite business model, as expressed by the Chairman of the group, C H Wiese in their annual report (Shoprite, 2008:8), â€Å"we have brought a developed country’s shopping experience to millions of people who have never been exposed to trading of this nature†. In essence, this goes beyond the activities of retailing; it is actually development, as the bright shopping outlets and malls have become part of a new urban development and modernity (Miller, 2006). Mode of working Shoprite’s choice of mode for its expansion programme has largely been by opening up its â€Å"own stores† in the countries where it operates. This strategy allows the company to have absolute control over all its operations, both local and foreign, and managing them from its head office in Cape Town. Park and Sternquist (2008) found that retail companies embarking on global strategies prefer opening branches or establishing wholly-owned subsidiaries for their international operations, although franchising has been widely used in this regard. This is because the wholly-owned entry mode allows for more control and involvement in the operations of the new establishment. Opening their own stores also offers potentially greater returns in terms of profit (Park and Sternquist, 2008). However, wholly-owned subsidiaries or own stores are seen as the most expensive mode of internationalisation for any particular company as it requires more resource commitment, including management time and finance (Doole and Lowe, 2004). Doole and Lowe contend that this mode is used when a retail company is certain that its products and services will do well in the long-run, in a foreign market of a politically stable country, since it allows the internationalising company to have full ownership and the control necessary to meet its strategic objectives. Whatever ever the situation, the choice of entry mode is one of the most critical and strategic decisions the company has to make before attempting to internationalise (Venter et al., 2007). Empowerment, jobs and training Despite Shoprite’s approach of opening its own stores and shopping centres, it also invested and continues to Dakora et al. invest in the human capital of the foreign countries where it operates. The group employs more than 8 000 local people in its stores outside South Africa, some of whom have been trained to become managers (Shoprite, 2008). Further, local small scale farmers are being supported to upgrade their production standards so as to supply the Shoprite stores. It has also been reported that the Shoprite Zambian operation is already self-sufficient in vegetable supplies, thanks to the engagement with local farmers. Supply chain efficiency Selling fresh foods in multiple countries through whollyowned stores could pose a logistical nightmare. But, thanks to Shoprite’s sophisticated supply chain network and strategically located distribution centres this has been possible and it has been a success (Shoprite, 2008). Another important element here is their ability to develop the necessary skills, backed by advanced information systems, to enable them to source and deliver products to all their stores from anywhere in the world, says their 2008 annual report. This element summarises the whole essence of retailing – delivering the right products and/or services to the right customers, at the right place, in the right condition or form, and certainly at the right price. As indicated by Dawson and Mukoyama (2006) the most important function of retailers is to make a range of products available to consumers for potential purchase. Information systems and technology Information systems and technologies not only support supply chain management, but also management processes. For the Shoprite Group to manage all its stores and operations from one head office, it has to have reliable information systems and technology in place. They have invested in the most sophisticated information technology and systems available to the retail industry, and employ talented people to manage them, according to the Chairman’s report (Shoprite, 2008). With this advancement in information technology, their systems are able to place up to 490 000 orders per month to reorder products automatically from their existing suppliers, the report indicates. In his report Whitey Basson (Chief Executive Officer) indicates that their investment in information technology and infrastructure has improved efficiencies at all levels of the business, and no doubt the capacity to handle increased supply chain activity in an international context (Shoprite, 2008). DISCUSSION It has come to light from the Shoprite review that both political issues and company-level issues affect South 751 African retailers in their quest to tap into the African market in a fulsome way. In an interview with the Classic FM business programme on 18 February 2009 (Shoprite, 2009b), Basson said: South Africa has not woken up to the fact that they are part of that big global village, and there are a lot of laws that need to be changed to make African traders work better with each other, in and out, it’s a hell of a job to actually get through the red tape and make trading easier. So I feel very strongly about it that they should look at that and say listen, as SA become part of the African continent and a leading role player, we should actually form some committee†¦that makes the trading easy; get [taxes] structured properly†¦, [so that] a truck can go to and be cleared within an hour going from one border to the next and not stand and wait for four or five days in between borders†¦ I think we [are] just lagging in that process. Moreover, in her research into the conditions of Shoprite workers in Lusaka (Zambia) and Maputo (Mozambique), Miller (2006:36) found that â€Å"across the categories of age, gender, skill and permanent or casual status, workers felt misused and mistreated by Shoprite management†. Miller’s research reveals that workers complain about wages, working conditions, hours, and overtime pay. Due to high costs of living, the wages earned could not support their basic needs, although Shoprite’s pay bettered the legislated minimum wage at the time. In general, the expansion of the Shoprite Group into the rest of Africa has shown that modality is important; and the issue of mode is much more than opening wholly owned stores, franchising and others, as it also concerns the relationship with local producers, suppliers and workers and other stakeholders. Speaking to Fin24 (Shoprite, 2009c), Basson had this to say about going into Africa: We can double our African business if we can get rid of all the red tape and all problems of just getting stores and merchandise out there. So it’s really still very, very tough and there is very little help from anybody, be they manufacturers or government from both sides to make the African continent a global trading area like you have in Europe or the Americas. The review of the Shoprite story, and its African expansion strategies, demonstrate that the mode of entry into African markets is of strategic importance. While it is evident that there are still more opportunities for expansion into African countries, there are significant challenges, and these challenges revolve around the choice of entry mode. Therefore the concept of mode and mode differences are important as businesses have to 752 Afr. J. Bus. Manage. take some important decisions about mode. These observations from the Shoprite study suggest the following propositions: Proposition #1: It is not easy getting into African markets; there are significant mode differences which present various challenges. Proposition #2: Components of the modal issues and the nature of the challenges include: a. Support for local economies, producers and suppliers, and labour is critical; b. Efficient supply chain management, and good information systems help; c. Movement of goods across borders can pose logistical problems; d. Competition emerges as many South African retailers expand into the continent; e. Government interventions are needed to open up the continent for trade. The mode is therefore a mix of how these challenges are handled, and this is indicative of the mode choices. Moreover, the challenges regarding support for local producers and labour, and supply chain management are particularly important. South African retailers have come under scrutiny in recent years for dumping South African products in African markets, little support for local labour and pushing local companies out of business (Games, 2008); an issue Shoprite is said to be working hard on (Shoprite, 2008). Also, although most of the newly economically empowered populations of Africa want to spend their money in shopping mall, there are those people who are driven to be concerned about climate change because of the globalisation of the issues of climate change and the significance of carbon footprint management in running a business. This raises the importance of merchandise range management, as some consumers might prefer locally produced organic products. Therefore, there might be a need for the re-ranging of product lines of South African retailers in their African operations. The wider significance of the propositions established, and the relationships and interdependencies between them can be investigated by a review of other South African retail businesses moving in the same direction. OTHER SOUTH AFRICAN RETAILERS EXPANDING INTO THE REST OF AFRICA that the company now operates 12 Game stores in 10 sub-Saharan African countries outside of South Africa including: Botswana, Ghana, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia; most of the stores are said to perform better (in terms of sales) than their South African counterparts (Massmart, 2008). Other format stores are located elsewhere. The report also indicates that the company buys from local suppliers and also import from different countries including South Africa. According to the annual report, the excellent performance of stores in Africa caught management’s attention, and â€Å"this prompted us to revise our earlier policy to limit our African footprint to one store per country (with exception of Botswana and Namibia)†. As a result there are new stores under development for Malawi, Zambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Angola, and others, as reported. However, in an interview with fin24 the Massmart CEO, Grant Pattison indicated just how difficult it is to operate in African markets outside of South Africa, especially when it comes to acquiring property (Massmart, 2009). He said â€Å"we can work on a property for ten years† and explained how that can hamper their expansion process. Having said that, he also indicated that â€Å"the more difficult it is to operate, the more opportunity there is for a good operator† and in the final analysis they do not consider it particularly difficult to operate in foreign African countries (Massmart, 2009). Truworths Truworths is one of the leading South African apparel retailers, selling multiple brands of women’s, men’s, teenager’s and children’s fashions and related products (Truworth, 2008). Truworths is an investment holding company with subsidiaries. Like other South African retailers, the group is expanding into the continent, and currently operates 25 franchised stores in both foreign African countries and in the Middle East (Truworths, 2009). Unlike the Shoprite and Massmart Groups, however, Truworth’s strategy for expansion has been through franchising. The group has a presence in the following African countries beyond the borders of South Africa: Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho and Tanzania under its multiple brand labels. However, reports of how well those franchised stores perform are not indicated. Massmart group Woolworths Massmart is a wholesaler and retailer of general merchandise and other streams of goods. Since 1994 the company has expanded its business operation beyond the borders of South Africa to tap markets in the rest of the continent. In its 2008 annual report, it is explained Woolworths, like Truworths, is one of the major fashion and accessories retailers in South Africa; the company also operates a supermarket chain and pharmacies. It operates nationwide and also offers franchise opportunities, both in the local market and foreign African Dakora et al. countries (Woolworths, 2008). As reported, the company operates franchise stores in foreign African countries, including Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The performance of the franchised foreign operations is, however, not indicated (Woolworths, 2009). RETAIL MARKET OPPORTUNITIES IN AFRICA Retail opportunities in Africa are extensive, as some African countries are experiencing strong economic growth and are benefiting from political reforms. The â€Å"doing business† report of the World Bank (2008) indicates an increasing trend of countries implementing reforms to facilitate cross-border trade globally, and shows that Africa is at the forefront of this trend. The report observes that Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Rwanda and Tanzania have all reformed in recent years, and that African countries such as Botswana, Mozambique and Rwanda and Ghana have been able to create positive and stable governments. The resultant boost in their economies has been noticed, and the opportunities are clearly visible (Mahajan and Gunther, 2009). As well as economic expansion, it is worth noting that the combined population of African countries is also growing rapidly. With Africa still showing the highest birth rate, its population is projected to reach two billion by 2050, despite average life expectancy remaining low (Venter et al., 2007). Within African countries there is a growing highly-educated labour force, that can make a contribution to companies expanding into the continent; there is also a growing proportion of middle-income earners who seek to enjoy the services of these companies. In talking about the continent’s market size, potential and opportunities, Mahajan and Gunther (2009:3) help to put things in perspective: Africa has more than 900 million consumers. Despite the challenges, every day they need to eat. They need clean water. They need shelter, clothing, and medicine. They want cell phones, bicycles, computers, automobiles, and education for their children. Businesses are already seizing these opportunities in building markets across Africa. As we have noted, prominent among the companies seizing opportunities in Africa are South African retailers, and this is evident in the rising shopping malls and South African retail stores in cities across the Continent (Miller, 2006; Mahajan and Gunther, 2009). Moreover, the increased communications connectivity and usage in African countries also opens up a lot of opportunities. The information economy report hailed this technology 753 expansion as the source of the strong wave of innovation that changed the face of the global economy during the th last quarter of the 20 century† (United Nations, 2007). With the launch of the East African Submarine Internet cable, that connects Eastern and Southern African countries to the rest of the world in cheaper and faster ways, ICTs will continue to be a positive factor. However, Mahajan and Gunther indicate that most emerging markets have serious problems that cannot be ignored by businesses operating within them, and Africa has its own unique situation; this issue is discussed under the next heading. DIFFICULTIES PROCESS IN THE INTERNATIONALISATION Infrastructure (including transport, electricity, water, sanitation, medicine, and technology) has always been at the forefront of challenges faced by companies operating in Africa, but these challenges actually present opportunities to businesses that can meet them (Mahajan and Gunther, 2009). All the same, it is still difficult and costly to move goods from one country to another when there are poor rail and road networks (Economist Newspaper, 2008). This poses logistical difficulties for retailers who need to move perishable or fast-moving consumer goods from warehouses to stores, in geographically far-flung locations within the continent, as indicated earlier in the discussion of Shoprite. Additionally, cross-border trade is affected by road blocks, red tape and slow custom clearances at most borders. As explained in his interview with Fin24 (Massmart, 2009), the CEO of Massmart said â€Å"[When] we supply goods into Lagos, it might take 12 weeks on the water, [but it can take] 14 weeks to clear†. Obviously, this precludes any consideration of the supply of fresh products. Conclusion As international retailing becomes a reality in Africa, the complexities of the phenomenon, coupled with the unique African situation, need academic attention to help demystify the process. South African retailers have moved into the continent quite cautiously, and most are achieving growth, in some cases even more than within their home operations. This generally positive experience merits more study so that it can be understood and used to accelerate the benefits for all, especially the African consumer. This paper has focused on the mode of internationalisation as an important issue that demands the attention of retail managements considering moving into Africa. For example, it is interesting that Shoprite and general merchandise retailer, Massmart have opened 754 Afr. J. Bus. Manage. their own stores, whereas clothing retailers, Truworths and Woolworths operate via franchising. As a result, while Shoprite and Massmart have full ownership and control over their operations in foreign African countries, they nevertheless have to shoulder the challenges in those markets as discussed. In the case of their franchised counterparts, this has been avoided, at the cost of ownership and some control. It is already evident that there are many variations on these simple themes that all need to be studied and understood. REFERENCES Daniel J, Naidoo V, Naidu S (2003). Post-Apartheid South Africa’s corporate expansion into Africa. Traders. .Afr. Bus. J. AugustNovember, issue: 15. 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