Thursday, October 31, 2019

Accounting ratio analysis for Hysan Development Company Limited Essay

Accounting ratio analysis for Hysan Development Company Limited - Essay Example The company has three segments in operating as such in the industry. First, is has its Office segment, which is in charge of leasing of office space and related facilities to various customers from office users. Second, it has its Retail segment, which takes charge of the leasing of space and related facilities, this time to a wide range of retail of retail and leisure operators. Third, it has its Residential segment, which takes charge of the leasing of luxury residential properties and related facilities. The company has continued to expand over the years and as of December 31, 2012, its investment property portfolio has reached an approximate level of more than 4 million gross square feet of office, retail and residential space in Hong Kong. The Companys subsidiaries as of 2012 included HD Treasury Limited, Admmore investments Limited, Hysan China Holdings Limited, Hysan Corporate Services Limited, Hysan (MTN) Limited and Hysan Leasing Company, among others (Reuters, 2014a). Profits are created from the surplus of revenues over expenses. This would require a way to gauge revenues and expenses which are extracted from the financial statements of the companies under study. Various categories of expenses according to functions, get deducted from the revenues for purposes of computing profit or income. First is the direct cost or called cost of sales or revenues is deducted first from revenues to arrive at gross profit. From gross profit, operating income will be derived after deducting further selling and administrative expenses will be deducted to arrive at operating income. From the operating income, net income determination will follow after non-operating incomes or expenses are added/deducted accordingly from the operating income (Johnson, et al, 2003). After producing the various categories of income --- gross profit, operating income and net income, each result

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Description of business Essay Example for Free

Description of business Essay This entrepreneur will be opening a new business which will operate as a sole trader. The name of this business is CJ’s Seafood joint.CJ’s Seafood joint will operate under the logo â€Å"Come have a mouthful of flavor. Operating as a sole trader would mean that the entrepreneur would make all the descions himself but would also have to carry the responsibilities for himself. The main aim of the business is to have every customer who comes comes through our doors impressed by CJ’s and will be excited to come again,also to create and maintain a surrounding that is comprehensive and exceptional in its attention to every detail of operation. The entrepreneur also wishes to provide a friendly, cooperative and rewarding environment which encourages longterm, satisfying, growth employment.To keep the concept fresh,exciting and on the cutting edge of the hospitality industry. The business will be opened on weekdays 8:00 am to 10:30pm,weekends,9:00 am to 11:30 pm also on public holidays. CJ’s is opened to a variety of different persons and age groups.It would be coveinienient to persons who are working long hours and so does not have the time to prepare a proper meal or even a family who is just looking for somewhere nice and beautiful to have dinner.CJ’s will also serve an as accommodation for catering at dinners,weddings and any other events. Justification of location CJ’s seafood joint will be loctated in Kingston at Ann’s Bay near the sea.The business will do exceptionally well at this location because of its proximity from the sea.Being located near the sea would mean that the raw materials needed for the running of the business would cost less money to transport the raw materials to the business.Also the business will have a dependable source of material this means there will never be a scarcity in production. Secondly, beach scenery would also serve as an attraction for both local and international customers,especially the tourist from which foreign exchange would be gained which means more profits for the business.A beautiful beach scenery would provide a relaxed and calm environment which would entise the customers into returning again and having a god reputation would mean more customers thus more profits. Selection of appropriate labour For this business to be ran successfully,the entrepreneur will need to employ both skilled and skilled workers.The skilled workers in this business will consist of: Two Chefs and one executive chef.These persons will be incharge of the preparation and meal planning of all the sophisticated menus and introducing new ideas which will motivate the customers in returning. 2 Bartenders.These persons would be incharge of making refresging beverages and liquors according to the customers preference. The business will also need 5 Cashiers.They will be incharge of the money made on a daily basis and will play a part in the monitoring of the business’s financial transactions and data. In this business the unskilled are just as important as the skilled workers as they play a vital role in the successful running of the business.The skilled will consist of: 10 Janitors.They will be incharge of the proper maintenance and sanitation of the premises which will give the business a good reputation for its emmaculate maintenance . 4 waiters and 4 waitresses. They will be responsible for satisfying the customers requirements and should try to meet all of them with no animosity and should be patient in dealing with their problems. 10 fishermen.They will be responsible for going out to sea and ensuring that the sea animals needed by the business is always on time and of good quality. Sources of fixed and working capital The business will need both working and fixed capital.The two sources of fixed capital to be used by the business are: A loan of US $300,000 from the National Commercial Bank, to be secured with a mortgage on the entrepreneurs home,which would go towards: the purchasing of new equipement renovating and upgrading the premisis purchasing of more delivery vehicles The second source will be: personnal savings of the entrepreneur of US$10,000 from the Jamaica Mutual Bank which will be used to do the same as the things listed above. The two sources of working capital will be a loan from the bank and personal savings of the entrepreneur .This money will contribute towards: paying salaries paying utility bills pay rent on the premises The money borrowed from the bank will be repaid from the profits accumulated during a period of 10 years of successful business management. Role of entrepreneur The entrepreneur is one who organizes the factors of production to create goods and services. The most suitable location, qualified workers, and the right equipment and machinery will ensure efficient production. It is therefore important for him to make the right decisions concerning the employment of the required resources for his business. He must also make decisions on systems and processes to be applied in the production process.An entrepreneur has many roles/responsibility, three of which are: PLANNING Planning is very important to every venture. It is more important to the entrepreneur’s venture because of the uncertainty of success and less room to make mistake. The entrepreneur’s focus is on the execution side and how to get the product to the market in the shortest amount of time so as to start earning revenue. OPERATING This is where the entrepreneur starts putting all its business ideas into place .He analyzes his ideas and sees if they are going according to planned. Conceptualizing This is where the entrepreneur gains an understanding of the business and what he hopes it will be, Production The action of making or manufacturing from components or raw materials, or the process of being so manufactured.There are three types of production.They include: Primary Production This includes all kinds of extractive industries such as agriculture, mining and fishing. Secondary Production This includes manufacturing such as assembling, refining and construction (building) industries. Tertiary Production This includes all kinds of service industries such as transportation, communication and tourism. The type of production used in the business is primary production.The fishes and other sea animals are extracted from the sea to be made in a finished product to be enjoyed by thousands of customers. Levels of production Production is the action of making or manufacturing from components or raw materials, or the process of being so manufactured.There are three levels of production.These include Subsistence This is the lowest level of production. Subsistence productions refers to output from the production process that is just enough for the survival. This amount of production is therefore not adequate to meet all needs and wants of a family, community or a country. For example, subsistence farming involves the production of crops to feed the family and for survival. Wealth is not created as whatever is produced is consumed. Domestic Production Domestic production refers to production that is more than survival level. It provides output that is enough to satisfy domestic needs and wants. Excess is not available for export. However, production is adequate to supply local demand. Surplus or Export This level of production is adequate to supply local demand and for export. Large industries can produce large quantities of output to satisfy local consumption and earn foreign exchange from export, for example, the sugar and banana industries. The type of production used by CJ’s Seafood Joint is domestic production.The business provides mostly for the local market.There is sufficient demand locally to absorb all the produce. Quality control measures The entrepreneur will make a daily report on the problems or difficulties face on a daily business and implement measures to correct them. The entrepreneur will also be responsible for inspecting the goods carried in on a daily basis to make sure that they are up to standard and are suitable for consumption. Technology In today’s world technology has become one of the fastest advancements.In CJ’s Seafood Joint it will play a vital part in its day to day running. Two types of technology used by the business are a refrigerator and a computer. The refrigerator is responsible for the preservation of foods and beverages.Without the refrigerators,items will start to them rottening resulting in a loss of money and customers due to a bad reputation of rotted foods The computers is most important as it contains all the business’s transactions and data.It provides order and allows information to be accessed easily,without the availability of computers everything will be chaotic. Potential for growth Internally We will be able to expand our initial operation by 80% by our 7th year, however expanding would mean a larger premisis which would require us to go elsewhere for the business to be successful in all its different aspects.We would need to buy additional delivery vehicles also an addition of ten (10) members of staff to share the extra work load.The business would have to move to a similar locatiom,near the sea, so as to not make things difficult in the purchasing and transporting of foods Externally If we can acquire a good record,we might be able to expand internationally,allowing us to open branches in different countries turning CJ’s into a multi-national business .The business would so make more money and foreign exchange,also more exposure for the business. Linkages The business turns raw materials into a delicious produce to be consumed by our customers. Having a backward linkage helps the business in that there is a reduced dependence on imported goods since local suppliers provide the raw materials for the producers.The linkage will allow the business to source fresh produce,to minimize delivery time and transport costs and to maintain a close relationship with the product suppliers to ensure product quality. Government Regulations The business must apply to the Commissioner of Taxes to be a registered taxpayer, the business will earn atleast at least JMD 2,000,000. The application for GCT registration must be submitted within 21 days after taxable activity has started. A temporary GCT certificate will be issued to the company upon receipt of the application for GCT. Documents to be submitted are the following: 1. Completed application for TRN Number Organisations 2. NIS number confirming that the company is not yet liable to National Insurance. 3. Certified copy of Articles of Incorporation 4. Authorisation letter if the TRN application is being made by a third party. The business will be affected by the health and safety regulations ,particulary with regard to oil spills.The entrepreneur must be familiar with all legal requirements for occupational health and safety,and must ensure full compliance. Ethical Issues CJ’s will make the aspect of ethical issues priority as it relates to the development of the business. CJ’S Cuisine will endeavour to do its best in not to be involved in ignoring health, safety and environmental standards. The business will ensure that all these aspects meet the necessary requirement in order to avoid instances such as food poisoning .we will aim to meet a good nutritional standard for all meals,with a balance of proteins and other requirements.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Sensation Seeking And N100 Psychology Essay

Sensation Seeking And N100 Psychology Essay This research seeks to examine the relationship between event-related potentials, specifically the N100 component, and the personality construct of sensation seeking. Nine students enrolled in a university level introductory psychology course received credit for participating in this study. With the use of an electroencephalogram, voltage information in the brain was recorded while the participant listened to auditory stimuli including a target, standard, and random tone. After separating participants based on high and low sensation seeking scores and comparing that with an event-related potential developed from the EEG information it was shown that those high in sensation seeking had higher amplitude and a longer latency at N100 than low sensation seekers. This shows that one of the components of sensation seeking, boredom susceptibility, may have had an effect due to the repetitive presentation of stimuli which resulted in lower amplitude at the N100. Sensation seeking and N100 This study seeks to examine the relationship between levels of sensation seeking and event-related potentials (ERP), specifically the N100 component. Using ERPs to compare with personality constructs is effective because the stimulus can be time-locked to the brain activity that is being recorded and analyzed to see how the person is reacting whether on a conscious or unconscious level. Sensation seeking, as described by Marvin Zuckerman (2007), is a trait defined by the seeking of varied, novel, complex, and intense sensations and experiences, and the willingness to take physical, social, legal, and financial risks for the sake of such experience. Sensation seekers are attracted to high risk sports such as sky diving and mountain climbing, they experiment with a variety of drugs, and are sexually promiscuous in that they have a varied range of sexual partners. High sensation seekers will assess situations as low risk vs. low that will see a higher risk; even still highs will anticipate more positive arousal whereas lows anticipate fear and anxiety. Sensation seeking correlates with dominance and adventurousness, but not with neuroticism or anxiety. High sensation seekers tend to be associated with non-conformist groups and are attracted to abstract stimuli. There are four dimensions of sensation seeking that are used in Zuckermans sensation seeking scale that help determine if a person is a high or low sensation seeker. The first component is thrill and adventure seeking (TAS). If someone is high in TAS they will exert a need to be involved in activities that give them unusual sensations and experiences such as moderately risky sports. This is where activities like mountain climbing and sky diving come into play. The second aspect is experience seeking (ES) which describes the attraction to non-conformist groups. A person scoring high in experience seeking will seek out sensations and new experiences through the mind and the senses and through a nonconforming lifestyle. Activities include things like enjoying abstract art and traveling to new and different places. Disinhibition (DIS) reflects the involvement in wild parties, susceptibility to drugs, and promiscuity. Disinhibition alone can be normal, but when paired with aggression it can be a sign of psychopathy. The last subscale is boredom susceptibility (BS) defines the aversion sensation seekers have to monotonous tasks and people they find to be boring. For example, Zuckermans stimulus deprivation task found that high sensations seekers, when in a room for any length of time with no visual or auditory stimuli got restless and bored (Zuckerman, 2007). Zuckermans theory for the biological basis of sensation seeking started with his monoamine oxidase (MAO) theory. He hypothesized that high sensation seekers have low MAO compared with low sensation seekers having high levels of MAO. Monoamine oxidase is a neurotransmitter regulator. MAO regulates the level of monoamines which include norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. High levels of MAO result in reduced sensitivity to a stimulus and conversely low levels increase sensitivity. This is because if there are high levels of MAO there are lower levels of monoamines and vice versa. In summary, high sensation seekers have low levels of MAO which result in an increase of sensitivity to stimulus. The negative correlation between MAO levels and sensation seeking is also indicative of a relationship between sensation seeking and the levels of catecholamine. High levels of MAO are found in the limbic system. The limbic system is involved in pleasure and sensitivity to reward. Zuckerman wor ked under the assumption that this sensitivity in high sensation seekers produces alertness and interest in novel stimuli associated with strong orienting responses. He then merged his theory of MAO with another theory that connects the limbic system activity with levels of catecholamine and sensation seeking. It explains that dopamine controls the readiness to explore and approach novel stimuli in the environment and norepinephrine regulates the sensitivity to, or expectation of positive reinforcement (i.e.) norepinephrine and dopamine together are two components of the reward system. The nucleus accumbens (NA) is part of the limbic (reward) system and hypothesized to be the major center for sensation seeking. This may be because there are higher levels of dopamine found in the NA. Therefore, this theory relates the attributes of sensations seeking to low levels of MAO, resulting in high levels of catecholamine (dopamine and norepinephrine) in the limbic system (reward center), whi ch ultimately increases readiness to explore and approach novel stimuli in the environment and sensitivity to stimulus and positive reinforcement (Zuckerman, 1983). An event-related potential (ERP) is a wave form developed by averaging epochs from data collected using an electroencephalogram (EEG) that is a time-locked representation of the voltage activity in the brain reacting to the stimulus presented (Rugg Coles, 1995). ERPs allow analysis of stimulus on a neurological level. Like this study, it can be used with personality constructs or psychological disorders to study their effects on the reaction to stimulus in the environment. The amplitude of different components in the waveform are indicative of the strength of the reaction and the latency represents the time it takes for the reaction to occur. The EEG itself is useful, but almost impossible to use its data because its such a general collection of information. ERPs act as a funnel for important information that fine tunes the data collected with the EEG that result in data that can pin point neurological reaction whether conscious or unconscious. This is another reason ERPs are useful , they allow researchers to collect data that the participant may not even be aware of (Rugg Coles, 1995). N100 (N1) is a negative spike at approximately 100 ms after a stimulus has been presented. N1 amplitude seems to be associated with detection of a stimulus. The onset and offset of a stimulus will elicit a N1 where as the repetition of a stimulus will show a reduction in N1 amplitude. N1 does not explain any content information about the stimulus presented, it will only express when a stimulus is in the environment. Within the confines of this study using the oddball paradigm with auditory stimuli, the N1 could have been increased in amplitude by creating a larger time gap between the presentations of stimulus. Since the N1 is elicited at the onset of stimulus, by increasing the time between auditory tones the recognition of a new stimulus is larger. Another way to manipulate the amplitude of the N1 is to repeat the stimulus in random time intervals for silence length (Atienza et al., 2001). N1 amplitude can also be increased by increasing the intensity or frequency of the continuous stimuli (Naatanen, 1990). Sensation seekers have a stronger curiosity or willingness to investigate novel stimuli which means they will have stronger orienting response (OR). Orienting response occurs when presented with a moderately intense or novel stimulus. Although this study is focusing on standard stimuli it can still be considered novel. Novel, in this regard, does not mean the complexity of the stimuli; it means novel to the participants environment. Sensation seeking has been positively correlated with orienting response to a novel stimulus. According to Naatanen (1990), N1 has high amplitude at the onset and offset of stimulus. It seems to represent the participants initial response to the onset of auditory stimulus which can also described as an orienting response. Research conducted by Atienza et al. (2001), found that components of the N1 were involved in the initiation of an orienting response. Operating on the assumption that N1 is indicative of an orienting response and that high sensation see kers have stronger OR it is hypothesized that those high in sensation seeking will have a shorter latency and higher amplitude at N1 than low sensation seekers. Method Participants Nine undergraduate university students were given course credit to be involved in the study. The male and female participants were recruited from introductory psychology courses. They were required to complete five personality questionnaires. The Eysenck personality questionnaire-revised, agency and affiliation questionnaire, BISBAS, ten item personality inventory, and the sensation seeking scale were used to assess the participants personality traits. From the total sensation seeking score participants were split into two categories: scoring high on sensation seeking (4) and low on sensation seeking (5). Materials The sensation seeking scale is based upon the four subscales of the personality construct: thrill and adventure seeking, experience seeking, disinhibition, and boredom susceptibility. The scores for these four subscales are added together to give the total sensation seeking score. An electroencephalogram (EEG) was used to record voltage activity in the brain while presenting the participant with auditory stimuli. It is hooked up to an amplifier that projects a variation in voltage over time. The electrodes were placed according to the 10/20 system. This system describes that electrodes are arranged based on their distance from the two main axis: anterior-posterior and the coronal (Rugg Coles, 1995). The electrodes Fz, Cz, Pz, linked mastoids, Fcz (ground), EOG, and Fp2 were used. The linked mastoids were used for references and the EOG and Fp2 were used together to get a bipolar recording. The auditory tones including: a standard high frequency tone, target low frequency tone, and a random sound were presented using an oddball paradigm. The participant was also equipped with headphones and a remote button. Procedure The participant was required to sit in an isolated room with headphones on and listen to a sequence of auditory tones including target stimuli, standard stimuli, and a rare sound. During the presentation of the auditory stimuli the participant was asked to respond to the target tone by pressing the remote button and to essentially ignore the other sounds. The EEG picks up frequencies that are not considered usable data for this study. With the computer program Neuroscan blinks and muscle reactions were removed from the data collected. The EEG is then separated into segments or epochs to represent each time the auditory tone was presented. The base line is manipulated so all recordings were at approximately 0 amplitude. The last step was to average all of the waveforms to produce a graph representing the event-related potential at each electrode. Results On average, low sensation seekers had higher amplitude at N100 and shorter latency than high sensation seekers. Those scoring high on sensation seeking had a longer latency and lower amplitude than low sensation seekers. Table 1: Average amplitude and latency at each electrode for high and low sensation seekers ERP.png Fig. 1: Event-related potential for high and low sensation seekers in reaction to standard stimuli at the Cz electrode Discussion It was thought that those who score high on sensation seeking would have higher amplitude and a shorter latency at the N100. The results contradicted what was hypothesized in that high sensation seekers actually had lower amplitude and a longer latency at N100. From the results, it is speculated that the repetition of stimuli played on one of the components of sensation seeking: boredom susceptibility. To recap, the N100 is indicative of the onset of stimuli in the environment and has no content information. In the perspective of the N100 component and neglecting the differences in the auditory tones presented, the high sensation seeker was presented with stimuli repetitively for an extended period of time. Zuckerman (2007) stated that people high in sensation seeking dislike monotonous tasks which would explain why they would have lower amplitude at N100 than low sensation seekers. When looking at the N100 alone, Nataanen (1990) explained that with repetition of a stimulus there is a decline in N1 amplitude. The presentation of auditory tones to participants was repetitive and would have resulted in lower N100 amplitude for both high and low sensation seekers. It was also shown, in research conducted by Budd et al.(1998), that stimulus presented too closely together will result in a smaller N1 because there is not enough time for neuronal recovery. There also may be a chance, because of the lack of statistical analysis, that there is actually no significant difference between the amplitude at the N1 for high and low sensation seekers. From the research done by Carol et al. (1982) on the correlation between sensation seeking and drug selection based on the optimal level of arousal theory, it can also be speculated that there would be no significant difference between high and lows at the N100. The optimal level of arousal theory would postulate that high sensation seekers, because their optimal level of arousal is higher than low sensation seekers, would choose stimulants over depressive drugs to heighten their level of arousal. It would also be expected that low sensation seekers would be more attracted to depressants because of its dampening effect on arousal levels. Their results showed that high and low sensation seekers both enjoyed the stimulants more. Looking at these results it may be concluded that it is more realistic that there is no significant difference between high and low sensation seekers at N1 (Carol et al., 1982). The sample size was quite small with a total of 9 participants. With a larger sample the results would be more applicable to the general population. The study used male and female participants, but there was no analysis of whether females or males scored higher on sensation seeking or what that meant in terms of the results. This made it so the results and the scores could not be compared on the basis of gender. The age range of participants was limited to 17-19. Also, all of the participants were from introductory psychology courses from the same university. In future research it would be interesting, using ERP, to compare gender and the scores on the sensation seeking scale and how that would affect the results. From previous research it was thought that levels of testosterone correlated to levels of sensation seeking. That higher testosterone, more prevalently in males, had a positive relationship with high levels of sensation seeking (Zuckerman, 2007). In reference to the results in this study and its possible origin from boredom susceptibility, new research could look at the different components of sensation seeking instead of the total score and how that would affect ERP studies. In the research from Zuckermans publications, it was found that the demographic factors that most affected levels of sensation seeking were gender and age, which supports the idea of future research being done with those two aspects (Zuckerman, 2007).

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Pessimistic W. B. Yeats’ in An Irish Airman Foresees His Death Essa

The Pessimistic W. B. Yeats’ in An Irish Airman Foresees His Death   Ã‚  Ã‚   There are countless manners in which a person can mourn the death of another.   Some become engulfed in a state of rage, while others may feel a calm, quiet grief or pity.   Some place blame on others for the loss while trying to discover a reason for death.   Others may roll several emotions into one large mourning process that includes several stages.   In â€Å"An Irish Airman Foresees His Death,† W. B. Yeats grieves the death of Major Robert Gregory, son of Lady Gregory, by providing the narrator with an overwhelming sense of apathy toward life.   The poem provides a variety of emotions that counter each other to produce a balance that is uniquely pessimistic.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The first-person narrator, presumably the voice of Robert Gregory, allows the reader to connect more easily with the thoughts of Yeats.   If the poem were written in the third person, the personal emotions would have been lost.   Illustrating a death in the voice of the dead adds sorrow and truth to the work, as an outside narrator would seem more distant from the feelings involved.   Yeats may have chosen to express his words through the narrator’s voice as a tribute to Robert Gregory, or because of his friendship with Lady Gregory—or simply because doing so brought him closer to the emotions of the situation in general.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In the final three lines of the poem, the narrator gives the sense that, because of death, there is little value in life.   He says that â€Å"the years to come seemed waste of breath, / a waste of breath the years behind† (14-15).   Such thoughts suggest existentialism, which provides a sense of the lack of meaning or purpose in living—that we simply â€Å"exist.†Ã‚   Yet the opening lines... ... when going into battle, and, ultimately, death (11).   This is not to say he feels delight in dying, but that some sense of delight in going to war him brought him there, via combat.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Taken as a whole, â€Å"An Irish Airman Foresees His Death† is a simple poem about a man dying.   Its intricacies lie in the juggling act performed by the narrator that leads to a pessimistic, balanced view of a soldier’s death.   When each line is considered carefully, the work becomes more and more complicated.   Several emotions are contrasted along the way—possibly an attempt by Yeats to capture the multitude of feelings that must run through the mind of someone dying.    Works Cited Yeats, William Butler.   â€Å"An Irish Airman Foresees His Death.†Ã‚   The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry.   Ed. Richard Ellmann and Robert O’Clair.   New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.   154-155.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Role of Group Work in Enhancing Speaking Skill

The Role of Group Work In Enhancing Speaking Skill In Primary Level The Role of Group Work in Enhancing Speaking Skill in Primary Level Effective language skills are essential for children to access the curriculum. In the classroom, spoken language is the primary medium through which teachers teach and children learn. In developing their speaking skills, children need to learn to adapt their talk to the listeners; use a range of ways to express themselves; use talk to clarify their ideas and sustain their talk to develop thinking and reasoning.It is expected that when children start primary school, they will be able to understand much of what is said, express themselves clearly, share their feelings and make their needs known. This level of proficiency in speech, language and communication is critical to the development of a child’s cognitive, social and emotional well-being. Speaking should include putting thoughts into words and sharing in groups; taking opportunities to spe ak at some length to explain ideas in different situations; giving a talk or presentation using gestures, aids and rhetorical devices.This paper will explore the different types of group work and its mechanism of enhancing the speaking skill in the primary level. This will be done through reviewing different research made in this field. The purpose of this paper is to look closely at the importance of group work in the early stages to enhance the speaking skill of students. Group Group work is a very important part of our culture and life; and businesses now look at team work skills when evaluating any employee. Therefore, it is important for both, students and teachers, to learn to function in a group work environment.Research indicates that students learn the tasks better through involving oral interaction, in group, which is based on a real attempt to find a collective solution to problems. We chose to explore this area to find out if group work serves as a meaningful activity fo r students to focus on meaningful negotiation and information exchange. We are very much concerned with getting students to talk and to stimulate their interest and imagination. Since group work can improve learning and is a much needed skill in enhancing speaking skill, it should be exercised regularly in the classroom.Annotated Bibliography: The Role of Group Work in Enhancing Speaking Skill in Primary Level Baines, E. , Kutnick, P. , Blatchford, P. (2009). Promoting effective group work in the primary classroom: a handbook for teachers and practitioners. USA and Canada: Routledge. This handbook explores how pupil group work can be made more effective in support of children’s learning. It is based on a research study, known as the Social Pedagogic Research into Group work (SPRinG), which developed and evaluated a new approach to group work in primary schools. Boussiada, S. (2010).Enhancing students’ oral proficiency through cooperative group work: the case of 3rd yea r LMD students of English at Constantine University. Master’s Thesis, University of Constantine, Algeria. In her study, Boussiada explores the effects of cooperative group work on improving learners’ oral proficiency and communicative skills. She is mainly concerned with making use of pair or small group to maximize learners? oral production. She also attempts to shed some light on the importance of establishing a relaxed and friendly environment as an attempt to get learners to use the language.Lee, W. (2008). Speech, language and communication needs and primary school-aged children. I Can Talk Series, Issue 6, 13-18. Retrieved March 21, 2012, from http:// www. ican. org. uk/~/media/Ican2/Whats%20the%20Issue/Evidence/6%20Speech%20%20Language%20and%20Communication%20Needs%20and%20Primary%20School%20aged%20Children. ashx This report outlines the nature and extent of Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) in primary schools, what this means for children and thei r families and what can be done to ensure primary school is a positive, enriching experience for children with SLCN.Richards, J. (2008). Teaching listening and speaking: from theory to practice. NY: Cambridge University Press. Richards explores approaches to the teaching of listening and speaking which have undergone considerable changes in recent years, and their implications for classroom teaching and materials design. His goal is to examine what applied linguistics research and theory says about the nature of listening and speaking skills, and then to explore what the implications are for classroom teaching Jones, L. (2007). The student-centered classroom. NY: Cambridge University Press.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Profitable Ratio Analysis of Thorntons Plc

Profitablity Ratio Analysis This analysis ratio based on FAME report and annual report of Thortons (PLC) from 2007 to 2010. 1. Gross Profit Margin During period 2007-2010, Thorntons was achieved the highest gross profit margin in 2007. It was increased the sales/revenue 5. 3% (from ? 176. 60m to 186. 00 m). In 2008 the sales was increased 11. 9% (from ? 186. 00m to 208. 12 m) however the gross profit margin was decreased due to the high cost of good sales compare to previous year which was increased 19. 7%. In financial report 2009, the gross profit was declined from 105. 05 m to 104. 969m and declined of gross profit margin from 50. 5% to 48. 87$. In 2010, there was increased in gross profit margin though the sales was decreased from the previous year. In terms of performance against its competitors in similar industry, the performance of Thortons is relatively higher during period 2007-2010 (Figure. 1). The performance of other competitors, Dunhills, only could achieve the 42. 16% in 2010. Compare to its competitors , it was indicated that Thorntons has high gross profit margin, meaning that Thortons has high production efficiency.Having High gross profit margin, Thorntons could pay its operating expense, tax , employee benefits etc. 2. Operating Profit Margin In view of its Operating Profit Margin, Thorntons performance was increased in two consecutive years from 2007 to 2008 with ratio 3. 81 % and 4. 03%. This increase in operating margin was followed by declining in two consecutive years 2009 and 2010 with ratio 3. 77% and 2. 86%. These declined of operating profit margin due to increased in the expenses, especially in employee benefit and inventories expenses which continuously rose from 2007 to 2010.In addition the strategy of company to introduce many new products, increased our multi-channel offer and invested significant sums in new point of sale systems and factory automation has increased the cost. Furthermore the economic downturn from 2009-2010 wa s pressured the company to achieve better income. Compare to the Thorntons’s competitors, the performance of operating margin is less than Dunhills which achieved operating margin average in four years 16. 8% far above Thorntons and Farrero. The decreased of operating margin was happened with Cadbury which fall from 2007-2008. . RETURN ON SHAREHOLDER FUND (ROSF) ROSF measures the profit against total equity invests by share holder. In this regard, the calculation of profit is using profit before tax while other calculation, using profit after tax. Thorntons has stability performance in the middle range to returning the shareholder funds from 2007 up to 2009 compare to its competitors. However the ROSF was decreased in 2010 due to decrease in profit before tax 2. 4% from 2009 to 2010. On the otherhand, Thorntons still achieved Basic earnings per share which increased by 20. % to 6. 5p (2009: 5. 4p) and its Board was recommended a final dividend of 4. 10p (2009: 4. 85p), making the total dividend for the year 6. 05p (2009: 6. 0) Compare to its competitors, the ratio of ROSF of Thorntons is in the middle level and relatively stable. The company generated profit in continuously 4 years with high level achieved in 2009 with profit attributable to share holder ? 6. 068 m. Cadbury was slump down in 2008 but it was achieved the high ROSF in 2009 almost 90% of other competitors with profit attributable to share holder ? 68. 55 m . 4. RETURN ON CAPITAL EMPLOYED(ROCE) Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) is measured the operating profit generated against the long term capital in the business. ROCE ratio of Thorntons was increased from 2007 to 2008, and decreased from 2008 to 2010. Though Thorntons has successfully reduced the Net debt since 2008 to 2010 , however the low achievement is influenced by decreasing in operating profit from 2008 to 2010. Compare to its competitors, the ROCE ratio of Thorntons was in the middle achievement lower than Cadbury in 2009 to 2010 .Cadbury was in the negative ROCE in 2008. Dunhills has relatively constant in its ROCE ratio and close to Thorntons in ROCE ratio. If it is further reviewed both Thorntons and Dunhill has very close in average operating profit during period 2007-2010. RECOMENDATION Considering evaluation and analysis of profitability ratios of Thorntons during period 2007-2010 and compare its performance against the competitors in its industry , the following is list of recommendation that could be considered by Thorntons: 1.Since the Revenue (sales) over the years is relatively flat and higher compare to its competitor, it is recommended to reduced the cost of good sales to increase the gross profit by identifying the possibility to reduce the cost from its supply chain operations from procuring raw materials, reducing number of inventories, optimization in line production and goods stock, reviewing the networks selling and model of distribution.It is indicated and might be high opportunity to gai n sales revenue by putting right model of contract sales to anticipate the seasonal conditions. 2. To increase the Operating profit, it is recommended that Thortons to reduce the administration expenses or divested especially in outlet which is indicated unprofitable and focus on the optimum selling and distribution model. 3.Increase revenue by continuously develop new innovative product to generate differentiation from its competitors and maintain the domination of market share. Reference: FAME Report http://investors. thorntons. co. uk/download/pdf/annual_report_Final_sep_2010. pdf http://investors. thorntons. co. uk/download/pdf/ar09. pdf http://investors. thorntons. co. uk/download/pdf/Thorntons_AR2008. pdf http://investors. thorntons. co. uk/download/pdf/Thorntons_AR07. pdf

Arthur Miller Bio Essay

Arthur Miller Bio Essay Arthur Miller Bio Essay Kaelin Johnson Ms. Tague AP Literature 14 Jan. 2013 Arthur Miller, one of the most influential writers of his time and the greatest playwright of the twentieth century, had a very difficult life growing up which indeed reflected the themes of his famous works of literature; one being Death of a Salesman. The great play, Death of a Salesman, was written by Arthur Miller in 1949. This world famous play was the recipient of the 1949 â€Å"Pulitzer Prize† and the â€Å"Tony Award for best play.† This play went on to showcase over 700 performances and it has been improved b Broadway four time which enabled the play to win three â€Å"Tony Awards for Best Revival.† Even though the play was filled with great actors and an excellent script, this was not the only reason for its success. The time period form which it was written attracted many people and the audiences were able to relate to the problems of the characters on stage. In the midst of a postwar boom in 1940, many Americans were optimistic about their future an d their hope for an improvement with their finances. They hoped to become rich from a commercial venture and then live a peaceful life with their families; This was their definition of the â€Å"American Dream.† Arthur Miller’s creation of Death of a salesman was completely opposite of this belief that people formed in their minds (Marino). They play’s main theme was a man’s quest to achieve the â€Å"American Dream† and his failure to ever reach it which then causes his death. This theme is well acknowledged in a quote from Death of a Salesman, â€Å"WILLY: What’s the mystery? The man knew what he wanted and went out and got it! Walked into a jungle, and comes out, the age of twenty-one,

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The Ageing Population in Mauritius Essays

The Ageing Population in Mauritius Essays The Ageing Population in Mauritius Essay The Ageing Population in Mauritius Essay Discussions Impact of aging population in Mauritius The first aim of this survey aims to supply a thorough apprehension of the existent impacts of aging population in Mauritius. Since old people retire from their occupations, the incomes they generate are reduced and therefore they have to trust on pensions or insurances. Consequently, the aging population is really frequently faced with income security and poorness. Among the 80 questionnaires that were distributed, there were 18.5 % of the respondents were above 65 old ages. This was a really important figure and was the 2nd larger per centum after the age group of 20-35 old ages. Furthermore, the Mauritius Statistics forecasts that 20 % of the Mauritanian population will be above 65 old ages by 2025. One of the chief impacts of an aging population is that it increases the dependence ratio. There are comparatively more people claiming pension benefits and less people working to pay revenue enhancements. With the ever-growing aging population in Mauritius, it is likely that this will do jobs in the hereafter. Though 14.8 % of the respondents still live with their grand-parents and 12.3 % of them still assist their grand-parents financially, the dependence on the pension benefits do non look to diminish. Another impact is the increased Government disbursement on wellness attention and pensions. In UK, the old age pension is presently ?113.10 per pensionaries per hebdomad ( Population Ageing Statistics, Rutherford ) as compared to Mauritius, where the pension fund is Rs5, 000 per pensionaries per month. Since the per centum of old age is said to increase to up to 25 % by 2025, the Government disbursement will increase even more. Soon, the budget for old age wellness jobs sums to about Rs9.7 billion per twelvemonth and with a promising and important growing in the figure of old people in the hereafter, Mauritius is likely to confront serious budget issues. As such, as demonstrated in table 4.5 in the old chapter, 56.8 % people have that working people should pay a item for the elders’ medical services. This gesture can take a immense load from the Government outgo since people are non prepared to take old age pension financess even if an option, such as edifice places for the ag ed with all their required demands, is given to the old people as shown by the bulk of people who voted ‘No’ to the suggestion. Furthermore, an aging population directs to a deficit of workers in a state. Since the old people retire and live on pension, and there are lesser figure of new-borns to finally work to pay revenue enhancements, the state faces a deficiency of workers. Mauritius is non far behind from a deficit of workers. In this consequence, 48.1 % of the respondents thought that promoting Mauritians to reproduce will work out the job whereas 50.6 % of them thought it would be better to engage immigrants to work here. Furthermore, since Mauritius will be seting a higher per centum of income into pension financess in the hereafter, due to the increasing sum of old people, it could cut down the sum of nest eggs available for more productive investings. Therefore, taking to take down rates of economic growing. Impact of security budget on aging population The 2nd nonsubjective emphasizes on the impact of security budget on aging population. With greater figure of old people, comes greater disbursals in footings of security. As of now, the Government is passing about Rs27.1 billion on societal security entirely in the twelvemonth 2015 and as per our research conducted by the questionnaire, 38.3 % people feel concern about this sum of outgo merely on societal security. 76.5 % of the respondents agreed that the well-off should be cut off from pension installations. This is a considerable thought because the Government is passing manner excessively much money on old people and acquiring nothing-in footings of finance-in return. Though many people ( about 75.3 % of the respondents ) thought that the freshly elected Government was right to increase old age pension from Rs3, 600 to R5, 000 in December 2014, a important per centum ( 61.7 ) agreed that it was simply a political technique to derive ballots. This addition in the pension fund has resulted in an addition of over 50 % in the Government outgo as compared in 2014. Over 186, 000 people benefit from the cosmopolitan pension. The National Monetary Fund ( IMF ) has already sounded the dismay about the aging population of Mauritius that could endanger the national pension fund. The fiscal establishment recommends an pressing reappraisal of the payment of this societal benefit expression. As concluded by aWorking Paperof the IMF entitledPension Reforms in Mauritius ; Fair and Fast Balancing Social Protection and Fiscal Sustainability, Mauritius’ old age pension state of affairs is considered unsustainable in the long term. While now it amounts to 5 % of the Gross Domestic Product ( GDP ) , funding for different pension strategies should make 11 % in 45 old ages. The aging population is seting strong force per unit area on public fundss. The figure of people over 60 old ages will be 50 % in 2050, whereas they represented 13 % of the population in 2013. The consequence of outgos on pension benefits, particularly the non-contributory pension strategy will be exacerbated ( Takoor, Petri, and Martin ) . If major reforms are non undertaken, the pension financess could do a deficit and could finally be liability for the province particularly when 79.0 % of the respondents said they are non ready to further prolong the societal security financially, besides their parts in VAT and NPF. Problems faced because of gender in an aging population Harmonizing to a survey made by the UN administration, adult females make up a significantly larger portion of the older population. This is because adult females tend to populate longer than work forces and therefore rendering them more dependent on wellness attention installations and pensions strategies provided by their state. In 2014, Mundi calculated the ratio of females to males above 65 old ages old to be 66, 643: 45, 145 of the entire population. The aged dependence ratio was calculated to be 12.8 % . Besides, the UN found that older adult females see some of the lowest literacy rates in the universe. Average degrees of illiteracy for adult females aged 65 or over are every bit high as 78 % in Africa and 53 % in Asia, compared to 58 % and 29 % severally for work forces in these parts. This earnestly impacts on the lives of the older adult females, forestalling them from accessing wellness services, procuring incomes, and traveling out of poorness. Furthermore, the fact that women’s life anticipation is greater than men’s means that wellness jobs that increase with age, such as disablement, affect a greater figure of adult females worldwide. It is anticipated that the overall prevalence and badness of disablement among older adult females will go on to increase, in line with the turning aging population and the higher proportion of adult females in the old age groups. For illustration, older adult females are more likely to endure from sightlessness than older work forces, particularly in low-income states where 44 % of instances are caused by cataracts. The greater the figure of older adult females, the greater is the dependence on wellness attention services. Furthermore, despite increased consciousness of maltreatment, favoritism, and force against adult females, concerns over the state of affairs of older adult females have mostly been ignored. Datas on force against adult females over the age of 60 is badly limited and research focussing on maltreatment of older adult females tends to be confined to developed states and based on little sample sizes. Impact of sustainability on the degree of protection of the old age The challenge for the hereafter is â€Å"to guarantee that people everyplace can turn old with security and self-respect and that they can go on to take part in societal life as citizens with full rights† . At the same clip â€Å"the rights of old people should non be incompatible with those of other groups, and mutual intergenerational dealingss should be encouraged.† ( United Nations, World Population Ageing 1950-2050, Population Division ) Social protection of the old age attack has addressed the multiple interlinked planetary challenges of poorness obliteration, environmental sustainability, and economic equity, and gender equality, just distribution of resources, human rights, and inequality. In Mauritius, though approximately 50 % of old people do non take public conveyance, the latter is still free for people above 60 old ages old. However, approximately 21.0 % find that this system should be abolished. Basic income security for people in old age is considered as necessary to avoid poorness among the old age. However, about 49.4 % of Mauritians find that Rs5, 000 is a hazard factor to the life of the seniors. This sum of money is considered to be excessively much and can set the life of the seniors at interest. Decision This chapter has discussed the assorted aims of the research work together with the informations that was obtained and calculated in the old chapter, information analysis. As shown, some informations obtained were in line with the aims of this survey. The following chapter will speak about the proposed recommendations. Recommendations and Decision Introduction In this chapter we will suggest a list of recommendations of how the impacts of aging population can be minimised. We will besides urge ways in which the security budget can be controlled, how gender equality and equity can be ensured, and how to guarantee a sustainability in the aging population of Mauritius. Housing for seniors: Elder friendly lodging Specific steps can be taken to ease the development of retirement lodging by the private sector, in peculiar, changing the length of land rentals to lower land costs, to ease elders’ demands in footings of lodging. Besides, through a reappraisal of the Code on Barrier-Free Accessibility, the Government can see presenting guidelines for the proviso of handiness and safety characteristics in the places for the senior people so that they have a more elder-friendly environment to populate in. in this manner, the seniors will more probably have a healthy life style and therefore decreasing the wellness outgo for the Government. Stretching the work force and working hours The engagement rates of adult females and aged people in the work force should be increased to guarantee more part is being brought economically to Mauritius. Harmonizing to the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) , 49 % of the people aged between 60 to 64 old ages old in USA are still gainfully employed. There are many ways in which a higher engagement of the ‘young’ seniors ( aged between 60 and 65 ) can be achieved. Among them, the most of import are to rectify the incentive of early retirement, cut down the period of entitlement to unemployment benefits, and extinguish high rupture payment, extended occupation dismissal protection every bit good as senior status rules. Besides, by implementing new child-minding agreements and more originative on the job clip theoretical accounts and rushing up organizational reforms, the engagement of adult females within the work force can be increased. Additionally, the one-year working and/or mean hebdomadal times can besides be increased such that fewer workers have to work for more hours in order to counterbalance for a negative demographic consequence on possible growing. Thus, a higher portion of adult females will be put in the work force and a greater figure of parttime occupations will be switched to full-time places. It will besides necessitate an addition in jointly agreed hebdomadal working times. Migration Immigration can assist to decelerate down the procedure of aging and shrinkage of the population and extenuate its negative economic effects. The younger, more flexible and better qualified the population, the more favorable the result will be. Mauritius should advance migration and set suited migration policies where the policies do non merely halt at placing suited immigrants but besides assist them incorporate good into the society. It is besides really of import for Mauritius to advance harmonious race relations-which is non really hard, sing the fact that we are ourselves a multi-racial state. Better usage of bing resources and acceptance of new engineerings. We can assist people to remain active, healthy and independent by constructing age-friendly metropoliss and â€Å"smart homes† that deploy a scope of monitoring and supportive devices to assist older people manage life more efficaciously. We can re-engineer wellness systems to concentrate on disease bar and early showing, instead than on expensive intercession. With these steps, we will lend to making better quality lives for older people: lives that are besides inclusive and sustainable. Preventing falls schemes Given the magnitude of this public wellness job, policymakers should promote falls bar as a precedence and support policies and plans that aim to cut down hazard factors among older grownup populations. This may be accomplished in multiple ways. For case, increased support may be provided to Area Agencies on aging for broader execution of community-based falls bar plans. Certain falls bar schemes, such as place safety appraisals, could besides be integrated into bing senior outreach services and plans, such as Meals on Wheels. Enhance chances for physical activities among older grownups It is recommended that policymakers enhance the chances for physical activity among the seniors. Particularly, they should implement policies and targeted schemes that support active life for seniors. This involves placing and turn toing the barriers that presently prevent seniors from take parting in physical activities, raging up instruction and outreach attempts, and advancing community-based plans that incorporate strength, endurance, balance, flexibleness preparation plans. Some communities for seniors offer other societal benefits, such as equal interaction and support. This should be put into pattern by all the communities for the aged. Additionally, policymakers should back up a wide continuum of plans, runing from low to high strength degrees, available to people of all abilities, civilizations, and cultural backgrounds. 6.7 Extra benefits for extra old ages worked Some states offer fiscal inducements to workers who keep on working even though they have reached their retirement age. Normally, the inducements are calculated on the footing of part period, for illustration, an extra twenty-four hours, month, one-fourth, or twelvemonth worked after the retirement age. They can come be in the signifier of a individual fillip payment or a per centum addition in the concluding pension. If Mauritius were to follow this system, it will guarantee more people working and therefore more people paying the revenue enhancements. Encourage employers to retain and enroll older workers The Government should promote employers to retain and enroll older workers. One manner in which this can be achieved is for the Government to straight lend to the consts of using older workers ( Gineste, 2012 ) . Reducing unemployment benefits for older people Reducing unemployment benefits and take downing pensions could be an inducement to work longer. If the seniors have lower pensions and decreased unemployment benefits, they will be more acute to work for longer periods of clip so that they achieve a more hearty and comfy life style for the clip when they are non able to work at all. 6.10 Decision This research work has tried to foreground the impacts of the aging population and measure what is being done the Ministry of Social Security, National Solidarity, and Reform Institutions to convey about a sustainable development in the aging population of Mauritius. With the lessening in birthrate and mortality rates, life anticipation at birth has increased drastically. And despite this rapid aging population, it can be said that the Government, along with the concerned establishments, are endeavoring to maintain the population an economically productive and healthy one. To reason we have besides tried to explicate some suggestions which can be implemented in order to guarantee that the aging population procedure stays in control and that Mauritius does non endure or at least suffers the minimal impact of such a population.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Analysis of Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analysis of - Article Example People are very familiar with the identification of ordinary things or smells because of their familiarity. They are in constant touch with them, hence able to identify them. The familiarity of common substances also makes it easy for English speaking to identify them without having trouble. However, it becomes difficult when one is presented with unfamiliar content, not common to the culture where one belongs. This is so because our senses are unable to recall since there is less interaction with the objects. The above concept was proved when the research team presented what ought to be familiar to Americans, they gave terrible naming to them, and the majority did not have an idea. Contrarily, there was a positive result in the Jahai, rain forest as the foragers were familiar with scratch-and-sniff cards. They were also as good at smelling as seeing. This proved the central subject that cultures dictate individual’s senses. Therefore, it is clear that culture plays a significant role in determining individual’s sensory awareness. What people keep in touch most of the time sticks in their memory to shape them. Moreover, people are unable to identify smells they are unfamiliar with since they do not associate with their

Friday, October 18, 2019

Organisational Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Organisational Communication - Essay Example Butler, because of his experience and thirst for improvements in business, used cognitive and rational appeals to employees that were much more driven by emotion at the organisational culture level. Emotional appeals tactics â€Å"must involve emotional elements because emotional elements are essential to persuading others and to overcoming resistance to change plans† (Fox and Amichai-Hamburger, 2001, p.85). Butler did not maintain an emotional connection to the pre-existing culture at the organisation and therefore did not include anything but rationalisation in his proposals which caused considerable resistance at multiple business levels. Butler’s first email regarding being a thorn in their side was the first example of noise that was likely considered both arrogance and lack of respect. In the decoding process, Campbell was also perceiving noise in the inter-office communications that were occurring between Butler about the incorporation of the Interpush software package. Campbell was the senior vice president at the company and likely found Butler’s lack of emotional appeals in his memorandums to be insubordinate and against organisational cultural elements. While Butler was attempting to use rational style, Campbell found this to be a threat to the organisational norm and did not appreciate what Campbell felt to be challenges to his authority and the status quo. Butler’s email pointing out the lack of viability regarding Interpush showed a lack of regard for that authority by essentially shooting down Campbell’s decision-making. â€Å"The trick for turnaround leaders is to show employees precisely how their plans differ from their predecessors† (Garvin and Roberto, 2005, p.106). Butler did not seem to have a solid plan of action, just very straight-forward and rather blunt rational communication style, creating barriers to accepting

Relationship Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Relationship Marketing - Assignment Example In order to get a deeper insight into the matter, various concepts of traditional marketing and relationship marketing have been compared and evaluated. The slow decline of traditional marketing is a signal that marketers need to revive their strategies and shift their focus from suppliers to customers. The research will also throw light on the critical matter of relationship establishment and its influence as well as importance in overall success of relationship marketing. The topic will also discuss the emergence of relationship marketing as well as its fundamental values. This will be followed by a discussion on a strategic alliance between traditional marketing as well as relationship marketing. Finally, various application of relationship marketing will be discussed. Table of Contents Table of Contents 3 3 Introduction 4 The Case Study 4 Conclusion 11 Reference List 13 Introduction Economic conditions as well as market environment have changed dramatically, sometimes through qua ntum leaps and discontinuities. The changes are continuous and in some situations, are quiet progressive. A simple corollary to this announcement is that the marketing scholars and marketing practitioners will also have to change. This declaration is so evident that there is no denying as it comes naturally (Moller and Halinen, 2000). Traditional concepts of marketing are becoming desolate and marketers are in dire need of new strategies and technologies. The rapid evolution of consumers’ tendencies is accompanied with increasing complexities in understanding them as well as devising the right strategies to attract them. Services and products are offering similar services and consumers are now exposed to a host of available options. The reduced loyalty towards brands has created a new sensation among marketers and they have started shifting the focus of their marketing strategies towards relationship building with the consumers. Establishing relationship with the customers no t only helps in maintaining consumer base but also reduces the cost of attracting new customers every now and then. According to Gronroos (1995, p. 252) relationship marketing can be described as a way â€Å"to identify and establish, maintain and enhance network perspective, relationship with customers and other stakeholders, at profit so that the objectives of the partners’ interest are met, and this is achieved by a mutual exchange and fulfilment of promises.† The purpose of the current research is to identify the paradigm shift from traditional marketing to relationship marketing and the reasons behind this shift. The paper will also evaluate the critical differences between the philosophies and concepts of traditional marketing and relationship marketing and how the application of these theories could contribute to the success in the present business environment. The Case Study Concepts and emergence The last half of the decade had faced barriers in case of intern ational trade and a host of firms have adapted global strategies for achieving competitive advantage. However, these benefits related to globalization are found to differ from organization to organization. To successfully create a global strategy and sustainable competitive advantage, it is very important to understand the nature and functioning of the industries in a global environment as well as the dynamics of relationship mark

Role as a Supervisor in a Virtual Organization Essay

Role as a Supervisor in a Virtual Organization - Essay Example Likewise, these same traits have to be maintained when carrying out the role of trust building as no method of socialization is present; managers should substitute socialization with consistency and high responsiveness. Having an atmosphere is sharing and frequent feedback is critical in carrying out the role of a cultural facilitator within a virtual firm, as well. Virtual organizations consist of members who work in geographically disparate locations through technology with the aim of achieving common goals; such firms are usually cross-functional and tend to dwell on client needs. Virtual organizations have increased exponentially over the past decade owing to proliferation of the internet, travel restrictions arising from political or economic upheavals, and increased competitiveness. Supervisors carrying out this role have to contend with certain challenges and circumstances that are unique to the virtual environment; these issues shall be examined in detail subsequently and their relation to the supervisor role outlined. One thing that virtual supervisors must confront, which is almost absent in non - virtual organizations, is the issue of trust. When carrying out one’s responsibilities with other organizational members, it is critical to have trust amongst one another; usually, this is established through face-to-face interaction. Since virtual organizations have eliminated this form of contact, then supervisors have the additional duty of building trust among their subordinates using other methods. Research shows that effective supervisors are able to create trust in virtual environments by encouraging organizational members to become highly responsive to each other (Bradley, Benson, Gibson, Tesluk and McPherson, 2002). Feedback is the key behind sustaining a positive attitude towards one another even when people rarely get to meet each other. Additionally, since it is not possible to share meals or discuss personal matters through this

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Social media Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social media - Research Proposal Example Significance of social media, its implications, and moderator role of age on implications of social media are discussed. Social media use is significant in the contemporary society because of the number of young people who use it and effects on the users. Children of as young as eight years use social media. Despite 13 years old limit for Facebook accounts, millions of children who are bellow this age use the media. Rate of the media usage is also high and many children have been harassed in the media (Georgia College, N.d.). Social media affects its users. A study on young women identified body dissatisfaction and eating disorders as some of the effects of social media (Perloff, 2014). Positive effects such as collaboration among students for knowledge development also exist (Tarantino, McDonough, & Hua, 2013). The social effects of social media however depend on users’ age. Younger people are likely to engage with the media for longer times and realize greater collaboration for knowledge development (Dominguez, Greene, Lawson, & Moreno, 2014; Holt, Shehata, Stomback, & Ljumberg, 2013). The moderator effects are however not consistent across applications (Eriksson, Luoma, & Krook, 2012). The study sought to discuss moderator effects of age on social media use, which is significant in the society. Children and adolescents have exclusive access to it and it have diverse effects such as lowering self esteem, influencing eating disorders, and influencing knowledge creation. Age moderates effects of social media but the moderator effect is not consistent. Social media use is popular among children and adolescents, it has positive and negative effects, and its use should be regulated to ensure optimal benefits. Eriksson, K., Luoma, A., & Krook, E. (2012). Exploring the abyss of inequalities: 4th international conference on well-being in the information society, WIS 2012, Turku, Finland, August

Magnesium alloys - AK80 and ZK60 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Magnesium alloys - AK80 and ZK60 - Essay Example Magnesium alloys like Mg ZK60 and Mg AK80 have occupied the essential demands for automotive Mg parts. Car structural parts are essentially produced from energy absorption materials with reasonable elongation, high yield strength and most importantly high impact energy. A type of alloys called Wrought Mg alloys have the potential to serve these needs better then the die cast Mg alloys. 1 more benefit of using alloys is â€Å"The use of Wrought Mg parts in vehicles will cause weight saving up to an average of 30% compared to Aluminum and 70% compared to steel. Magnesium alloys are in demand now days for the properties like low density, high melting and boiling point, high specific strength, good electromagnetic shielding characteristics, excellent castability and machinability. Magnesium AZ80 Structure Magnesium ZK60 Structure Types of Alloys Magnesium alloys are divided mainly in 2 types. First type is Cast Alloys. Magnesium casting  proof stress  is mainly 75-200  MPa,  ten sile strength is between  135-285  MPa and elongation 2-10%. Common  density  is 1800  kg/m3  and  Young's modulus  is 42 GPa. Some of the most popular and common alloys are AZ63, AZ81, AZ91, ZK51, ZK61, Elektron 21. Second is Wrought Alloys. Magnesium wrought alloy proof stress mainly coincides between 160 and 240  MPa, tensile strength is 180-440  MPa and elongation remains 7-40%. ... Like (A= aluminum, Z= Zinc, M= Manganese, S= Silicon) and remaining the two digits after the letters indicates towards the percent composition respectively. For an example – If the given alloy is AZ63, we can predict that the two elements, Aluminum and Zink are present in the alloy and the percent composition of both the metals is 6% and 3% respectively. Specification Physical properties of Alloys Magnesium and its alloys mainly have silvery and white shades. As discussed above, Magnesium is the lightest structural metal present. So the alloys of magnesium are used to build structures like automobiles and massive buildings. As magnesium being reactive in nature, the alloy of magnesium is used for the building purposes. Magnesium and its alloys can be fabricated very easily. Pieces of Magnesium’s alloys can be welded, molded, cut and shaped according to requirement. Magnesium is the 6th most found element in nature, consisting of 2.1% of the earth’s crust. Common density of Magnesium alloys is 1800 Kg/m3. Relative Intensity of Magnesium Chemical properties of Alloys: - Magnesium is present in 2nd group and 3rd period of the periodic table, having atomic no as 12. Its average atomic mass is 24.035 gm. The boiling point of magnesium in standard conditions is 1090 degree Celsius or 1994 degree Fahrenheit. Magnesium is one of the most reactive metals present in the periodic table that is why; generally magnesium is not present in Free State on the earth. This is 1 of the need to form the alloys. The alloys of Magnesium like AZ80 and ZK60 have high melting and boiling points as compared to Magnesium. Alloys have higher stable condition and can be kept freely in the atmosphere. Uses of the given alloys Variety of the stock for subsequent working

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Role as a Supervisor in a Virtual Organization Essay

Role as a Supervisor in a Virtual Organization - Essay Example Likewise, these same traits have to be maintained when carrying out the role of trust building as no method of socialization is present; managers should substitute socialization with consistency and high responsiveness. Having an atmosphere is sharing and frequent feedback is critical in carrying out the role of a cultural facilitator within a virtual firm, as well. Virtual organizations consist of members who work in geographically disparate locations through technology with the aim of achieving common goals; such firms are usually cross-functional and tend to dwell on client needs. Virtual organizations have increased exponentially over the past decade owing to proliferation of the internet, travel restrictions arising from political or economic upheavals, and increased competitiveness. Supervisors carrying out this role have to contend with certain challenges and circumstances that are unique to the virtual environment; these issues shall be examined in detail subsequently and their relation to the supervisor role outlined. One thing that virtual supervisors must confront, which is almost absent in non - virtual organizations, is the issue of trust. When carrying out one’s responsibilities with other organizational members, it is critical to have trust amongst one another; usually, this is established through face-to-face interaction. Since virtual organizations have eliminated this form of contact, then supervisors have the additional duty of building trust among their subordinates using other methods. Research shows that effective supervisors are able to create trust in virtual environments by encouraging organizational members to become highly responsive to each other (Bradley, Benson, Gibson, Tesluk and McPherson, 2002). Feedback is the key behind sustaining a positive attitude towards one another even when people rarely get to meet each other. Additionally, since it is not possible to share meals or discuss personal matters through this

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Magnesium alloys - AK80 and ZK60 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Magnesium alloys - AK80 and ZK60 - Essay Example Magnesium alloys like Mg ZK60 and Mg AK80 have occupied the essential demands for automotive Mg parts. Car structural parts are essentially produced from energy absorption materials with reasonable elongation, high yield strength and most importantly high impact energy. A type of alloys called Wrought Mg alloys have the potential to serve these needs better then the die cast Mg alloys. 1 more benefit of using alloys is â€Å"The use of Wrought Mg parts in vehicles will cause weight saving up to an average of 30% compared to Aluminum and 70% compared to steel. Magnesium alloys are in demand now days for the properties like low density, high melting and boiling point, high specific strength, good electromagnetic shielding characteristics, excellent castability and machinability. Magnesium AZ80 Structure Magnesium ZK60 Structure Types of Alloys Magnesium alloys are divided mainly in 2 types. First type is Cast Alloys. Magnesium casting  proof stress  is mainly 75-200  MPa,  ten sile strength is between  135-285  MPa and elongation 2-10%. Common  density  is 1800  kg/m3  and  Young's modulus  is 42 GPa. Some of the most popular and common alloys are AZ63, AZ81, AZ91, ZK51, ZK61, Elektron 21. Second is Wrought Alloys. Magnesium wrought alloy proof stress mainly coincides between 160 and 240  MPa, tensile strength is 180-440  MPa and elongation remains 7-40%. ... Like (A= aluminum, Z= Zinc, M= Manganese, S= Silicon) and remaining the two digits after the letters indicates towards the percent composition respectively. For an example – If the given alloy is AZ63, we can predict that the two elements, Aluminum and Zink are present in the alloy and the percent composition of both the metals is 6% and 3% respectively. Specification Physical properties of Alloys Magnesium and its alloys mainly have silvery and white shades. As discussed above, Magnesium is the lightest structural metal present. So the alloys of magnesium are used to build structures like automobiles and massive buildings. As magnesium being reactive in nature, the alloy of magnesium is used for the building purposes. Magnesium and its alloys can be fabricated very easily. Pieces of Magnesium’s alloys can be welded, molded, cut and shaped according to requirement. Magnesium is the 6th most found element in nature, consisting of 2.1% of the earth’s crust. Common density of Magnesium alloys is 1800 Kg/m3. Relative Intensity of Magnesium Chemical properties of Alloys: - Magnesium is present in 2nd group and 3rd period of the periodic table, having atomic no as 12. Its average atomic mass is 24.035 gm. The boiling point of magnesium in standard conditions is 1090 degree Celsius or 1994 degree Fahrenheit. Magnesium is one of the most reactive metals present in the periodic table that is why; generally magnesium is not present in Free State on the earth. This is 1 of the need to form the alloys. The alloys of Magnesium like AZ80 and ZK60 have high melting and boiling points as compared to Magnesium. Alloys have higher stable condition and can be kept freely in the atmosphere. Uses of the given alloys Variety of the stock for subsequent working

Aunt Jennifers Tiger Essay Example for Free

Aunt Jennifers Tiger Essay Aunt Jennifer’s tigers is a poem by Adrienne Rich illustrating her feminist concerns. In the male dominant world, a women of her time was only supposed to be a dutiful homemaker. This poem through the world of Aunty Jennifer, tells us about her inner desire to free herself from the clutches of abusive marriage and patriarchal society. Poem Summary The first stanza opens with Aunt Jennifer’s visual tapestry of tigers who are fearless of their environment. Bright topaz[1] denizens[2] of a world of green – evoke an image that these regal tigers are unafraid of other beings in the jungle. Bright here signifies their powerful and radiant persona. There is a sense of certainty and confidence in the way these tigers move as can be seen in the line – They pace in sleek chivalric[3] certainty. In the second stanza, the reality of Aunt Jennifer is revealed as she is feeble, weak and enslaved, very much the opposite of the tigers she was knitting. Her physical and mental trauma is depicted in the line – find even the ivory needle hard to pull. Even though a wedding ring doesn’t weigh much, the massive weight of uncle’s wedding band, sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand signifies the amount of dominance her husband exercised over her. This also means that her inner free spirit has been jailed by the patriarchal society[4]. The last stanza starts on a creepy note about Aunt Jennifer’s death. Even her death couldn’t free her from the ordeals she went through which can be seen in When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by. While driving from her parent’s home to Cochin, she notices her mother sitting beside her dozing, her face pale like a dead body and her thoughts far away. This reminds her painfully that her mother is old and could pass away leaving her alone. Putting that thought aside she looked out at the young trees speeding by and children running out of their homes happily to play. These remind her probably of youth and life, her own younger days and her mother when she was young. But after the security check at the airport, looking back at her mother standing a few yards away, she finds her looking pale like the winter moon. She feels that familiar pain and childhood fear of the thought of losing her mother and of being lonely just as she had been when she was young because she was different from other children. She could only keep smiling and tell her ‘see you soon’ knowing full well that she might not see her.

Monday, October 14, 2019

A case study of tesco plc

A case study of tesco plc Relationship marketing is high-touch, person-to-person communication. And it is the most powerful and time-consuming marketing technique. The philosophy or foundation of relationship marketing is the belief that strengthening ties with existing clients heightens customer satisfaction heightens our abilities to serve clients. (Claycomb; 2001) it can be seen that the customer market is increasingly gaining greater importance and thus there is the need to focus on building or fostering relationships (Lindgren; 2005). Customer loyalty, as we conceptualize it, focuses on a customers repeat purchase behaviour that is triggered by a marketers activities. The purpose of this dissertation is to identify the positive relationship between relationship marketing and consumer buying behavior which helps the firm in strengthening its profitability. Also, an important part is to establish the different ways by which relationship marketing can be implemented in the supermarket industry in order to increase its market share. The main theme is to understand the concept of relationship marketing and influence it in a way that the purchasing decision of consumers can be influenced. Evolving out of, and contradictory to, early definitions that were solely behavioural, customer loyalty today is usually viewed as comprising both behavioural and attitudinal components (Day 1969; Jacoby and Kyner 1973). Loyalty is a primary goal of relationship marketing and sometimes even equated with the relationship marketing concept itself (Sheth 1996). The connection between loyalty and profitability has been the focus of both theoretical and empirical studies (Oliver 1999; Payne and Rickard 1997; Reichheld and Sasser 1990). Customer loyalty is also reported to contribute to increased revenues along the relationship life cycle because of cross-selling activities and increased customer penetration rates (e.g. Dwyer and Schurr 1987). Positive word-of-mouth communication, defined as all informal communications between a customer and others concerning evaluations of goods or services, includes relating pleasant, vivid, or novel experiences; recommendations to others; and even conspicuous display (Anderson 1998; p 6). Largely because personal communication is viewed as a more reliable source than non personal information (e.g., Gremler and Brown 1994; Zeithaml and Bitner 1996), word-of-mouth communication is a powerful force in influencing future buying decisions, particularly when the service delivered is of high risk for the customer (e.g., Sheth, Mittal, and Newman 1999). AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The main aims and objectives of this study is: To examine the structure and various dimensions of a customers psychological attachment towards a firm. To investigate into the various dimensions of relationship marketing and their impact on direct consumer buying behavior. To analyze the various methods of relationship marketing adopted by Tesco plc and how it affects its consumers buying behavior. To recommend some practicable ways in which relationship marketing can be implemented. RESEARCH QUESTIONS What are the main areas of relationship marketing that Tesco concentrates on and how it affects the profitability of the company? What are the various ways of strengthening relationship marketing in order to improve consumer buying behavior? Do the key variables such as trust, satisfaction, commitment and relationship building affect the consumer buying behavior directly? BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Tesco plc is the UKs largest retailer in terms of both sales and market share, and the third largest global retailer in terms of both sales and revenue. With operating income of  £3.1bn in 2009, the company has embarked upon a major expansion phase in the past decade, and as of December 2009 has more than 2,300 stores across the UK (including Tesco Metro, Superstores, Express and Extra branches), more than any other supermarket. The company has branched out into an extremely wide range of area and has also set up its own distribution network as part of a drive towards greater vertical integration within the company. As an extension of the Relationship Marketing approach, many companies have introduced loyalty schemes. Initially, such schemes simply offered discounts for regular customers. However, companies such as Tesco have rolled loyalty schemes out to other areas. Tescos Clubcard scheme, for example, can be used in a number of different environments and also provides valuable information for the company, which it can use to assess the specifics of a customers shopping habits and target that customers habits in a very specific manner. LITERATURE REVIEW Relationship Marketing: There are numerous definitions of relationship marketing and interested readers are directed toward Harker (1998) for a thorough review. Some of those most commonly used are the definitions offered by particularly influential authors, which are outlined below: Marketing is the process of identifying and establishing, maintaining, enhancing and when necessary terminating relationships with customers and other stakeholders, at a profit, so that the objectives of all parties involved are met, where this is done by a mutual giving and fulfilment of promises. (Gronroos, 1997, p. 407) All marketing efforts directed towards establishing, developing and maintaining successful relational exchanges. (Morgan and Hunt, 1994, p. 23) Relationship marketing is about understanding, creating, and managing exchange relationships between economic partners; manufacturers, service providers, various channel members, and final consumers. (Moller and Wilson, 1995, p. 1) Marketing is mainly seen as relationships, networks and interaction. (Gummesson, 1994, p. 12) However, one of the most frequently cited definitions is that of Grà ¶nroos who states that (the purpose of) marketing is to identify and establish, maintain and enhance, and when necessary terminate relationships with customers (and other parties) so that objectives regarding economic and other variables of all parties are met. This is achieved through a mutual exchange and fulfillment of promises (Grà ¶nroos, 2007, 22). Forms of relationship marketing: This definition reflects the expansion of RMs domain to include all the complex networks of relationships that are established in the market among companies and their customers, suppliers, competitors and other stakeholders. By analyzing the practices in the business environment Gummesson (2008) identifies no less than 30 relationships of this kind and groups them in the following categories such as Classic market relationships where aspects such as the supplier-customer dyad and the supplier-customer-competitor triad or the physical distribution network are included. Special market relationships: the relationships via full-time marketers and part-time marketers, the relationship to the unsatisfied customer, the e-relationship, the Para-social relationships and many more are discussed here;Mega relationships: these exist above the market level and provide a platform for market relationships (those from the previous two categories). They concern the mega marketing (lobbying, public opinion and political power), the mega alliances (e.g. NAFTA) and the social relationships (such as friendship and ethnic bonds); Nano relationships: these exist below the market level, inside the organizations, and have an impact on external relationships. All these elements add up and contribute to Gummessons [2008, 5] definition: relationship marketing is interaction in networks of relationships. There are several other broad approaches. One of them is the six markets model developed by Christopher, Payne and Ballantyne as an instrument for helping managers identify strategically important stakeholders. The Customer Markets are placed in the centre of this model to emphasize the idea that organizations can only optimize relationships with customers if they understand and manage relationships with other relevant stakeholders (Payne et al., 2005, 859). The other five markets, described below, have a supporting role: Referral markets (satisfied customers that become advocates of the company and recommend it to other potential customers); Influence markets (unions, business press, regulatory bodies, financial analysts, competitors, the government, consumer groups etc.); Recruitment markets (potential employees and the channels used to access them; Supplier and alliance markets (suppliers that the company has partnership relationships with, and other organizations with which the company shares capabilities and knowledge); Internal markets (the organization and its employees). Similarly, Morgan and Hunt [1994] note the existence of 10 exchange relationships that can be established in the context of four partnership types: buyer, supplier, lateral and internal partnerships. Kotler (1992) presents, although from a transactional perspective, the 10 critical players from a companys environment: suppliers, distributors, end-users and employees (in the immediate environment), and financial firms, governments, media, allies, competitors and the generic public (in the macro-environment). Customer relationship marketing: The last broad approach that we make reference to is the Contemporary Marketing Practices Framework. This will be further detailed in the next paragraph of the paper. This continuing debate over the breadth of RMs domain is compared by Payne (2000) with the one generated by Kotler and Levys article Broadening the Concept of Marketing, published in 1969. The two authors advocated the idea of using marketing in non commercial activities which ultimately led to the development of new fields such as social, educational and even church marketing (Kotler, 2005). But not everyone agreed initially; in his article Broadening the Concept of Marketing Too Far Luck expressed concerns that this proposal, although intriguing and imaginative may lead to confusion regarding the essential nature of marketing (Luck 1969; 53). Payne (2000) believes that the first step in settling the current RM debate is agreeing on a common terminology to distinguish between the broad and the narrow approaches. He suggests using the term customer relationship marketing for the supplier-customer dyad and leaving relationship marketing as a term for the more general perspective. In time, one of the two might become dominant. Egan (2008) considers that the narrow standpoint will prevail as it is, to a certain degree, measurable and it sustains the functionalist marketing approach. Research Paradigm Research is defined as systematic approach towards problem solving and phenomenon description. The research paradigms focus on the gathering, processing, interpretation and analyzing the data. According to McNabb (2002) research is process of interlinking from data collection to data analysis. The various researchers to understand the worldview have used research as process. Interpretivism: Interpretivist paradigm would be used in our research to find out the impact of relationship marketing on consumer buying behaviors. It is characterized by seeing the social world from a highly subjective viewpoint. It places the emphasis of explanation in the subjective consciousness of the social participants instead of the objective observer (Burrell Morgan, 1979). Under interpretivism, general rules and external structures of society do not exist and the aim of research is to investigate the meanings and interpretations of actors in specific situations. Because of the highly subjective nature of the interpretive research, studies tend to be small in scale and emphasis is placed on the validity and insight of the research, rather than simply the outcomes or results. Positivism: Positivism can be defined as the scientific research where numerical and statistical data and figures are used. It is mainly used for conducting quantitative research. In this research, I use interpretivism because this research study is mainly conducted on the basis of theoretical concept. Research methodology Quantitative research method would be used in the research which is a type of scientific research where numerical and statistical things are used. In general terms, scientific research consists of an investigation that seeks answers to a question, Systematically uses a predefined set of procedures to answer the question, collects evidence, produces findings that were not determined in advance and produces findings that are applicable beyond the immediate boundaries of the study. Grounded theory will be applied in this research (TESCO) to analyze the data collected through research process. As an analysis process grounded theory was developed to build an explanation  or to generate a theory around the core or central theme that emerges from researcher  data. GROUNDED THEORY: It is one kind of systematic methodology of qualitative research in relation to the social science where importance is given towards the theory generation from the data collected by the researcher at the research conducting process. Thematic Analysis: Thematic analysis is a search for themes that emerge as being important to the description of the phenomenon (Daly, Kellehear, Gliksman, 1997).The process involves the identification of themes through careful reading and re-reading of the data (Rice Ezzy, 1999, p. 258). It is a form of pattern recognition within the data, where emerging themes become the categories for analysis. The method of analysis chosen for this study is a hybrid approach of qualitative methods of thematic analysis, and it incorporates both the data-driven inductive approach of Boyatzis (1998) and the deductive template of codes approach outlined by Crabtree and Miller (1999). This approach complements the research questions by allowing the tenets of social phenomenology to be integral to the process of deductive thematic analysis while allowing for themes to emerge direct from the data using inductive coding. RESEARCH METHOD: Primary Data Data is most critical to the whole research, as qualified and relevant data would bring the best results. There are two types to acquire data one is primary source and the other is secondary source. The primary source of collecting data is carried through interviews, surveys, questionnaires etc. The data is directly acquired from the research object to get undiluted and authentic data. In general data could be facts, figures or any other forms of information upon which observation is made. Data are facts, figures, enumerations and other material, which forms the basis  for the research. Research strategy: For my research I would be surveying the employees and conducting semi-structured interview with Tesco. The survey would mainly focus on the relationship marketing aspects and how this could be used as a tool to convince the purchasing decision of the customers. Apart from survey the semi-structured interview would either be telephone based or face-to-face interview. In my research the use of secondary data is limited and would only be used in the form of published reports from organizations such as Mckinsey. Questionnaire survey and Semi-structured interview: ( DISCUSS EACH UNDER ITS OWN HEADING) Survey method: A questionnaire is basic set of questions or statements focused on the research topic with large amount of respondents. A questionnaire is normally used when large number of responses is to be recorded. Questionnaires are  certainly the most often employed data collection devices in statistical work. The most well known type of questionnaire is censuses, which is normally used in conjunction with qualitative approach. The method applies set of questions to large number of people (respondents). Semi structured interview: The semi structured interviews are one to one communication with the concerned respondents relating to the research. The questions are framed to analyze the research questions without directly letting the respondent know what the researcher is trying to extract from the questions being asked to the respondents. Both these forms of data collection instruments would be used to analyze the data where the questionnaires would be used for the customers and the interviews would be used to analyze the companys point of view. Ethical Issues There are a number of key phrases that describe the system of ethical protections that the contemporary research establishment have created to try to protect better the rights of their research participants. Voluntary, participation informed consent, risk of harm confidentiality and anonymity right to service. CONCLUSION Relationship marketing involves the use of one-on-one communication to earn the loyalty of your target audience. This not only helps in retaining the customers but also in attracting new customers. Today, the market has mostly become a buyers market rather than a sellers market and hence, sellers have to try their level best to maintain and attract customers towards their business. This is mainly because the competition in the market is too high and no sellers are in a position to create a demand for them but the only tool they have is marketing, through which they can attract the customers but affecting their purchasing decisions is far beyond their control. While personal marketing helps you to get your message across in a way that will be better received, relationship marketing helps you to strengthen your relationship with your target audience. The research on Tesco would give much enhanced response about the best practises of relationship marketing as it is the leading supermark et of UK and their sales and profit are largely based on their customer relations which influences their long term relationship positively thereby affecting their buying behaviour. This research is basically to analyze and evaluate the practises of relationship marketing and there might be interesting dimensions in the field which the research can invent. Expected time allocation for the dissertation: Task Week Duration 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Introduction Literature review Methodology Data analysis Conclude the findings and analyzing the results Drafting the research report Audit and review Final submission of the dissertation