Hurricane Katrina Rescue Efforts Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hurricane Katrina Rescue Efforts - Term Paper Example On 25th August 2005, the landfall took place in Florida and was estimated to be of category 1. As it was moving towards the tip of Florida winds were observed to lower down but then it again gained the force when it moved ahead to Mexico. Increased force was observed through the movement of Katrina as it was travelling towards west and then North. The conditions of atmosphere and surface of the sea turned the storm into a disastrous hurricane by 26th afternoon. The force of the hurricane continued and attained utmost wind speed on 28TH August and further reached to the category 4 level when reached to south on 29th August regardless of dry air.(Vigdor 136) Hurricane Katrina-The Impacts Hurricane Katrina was one of the strongest storms in United States thus it caused extraordinary terrible destructions all over the states of the Gulf Coast. Loss of Life When the first landfall of Katrina took place its strength was of category 1and 11 deaths were noted at that time. It then extended t o category 5 where actual number of deaths is still unknown but reported 1836 by some reports. While 705 people are reportedly missing since then. (Petterson 645) Floods The blend of tough winds, storm and heavy rains caused crack in the earthen levee leaving New Orleans under 20ft of flood water. Other cities also face about 20-30ft of flood till days after the landfall. (Petterson 648) Economy Oil industry faced a lot of distraction because the oil assembly in Mexico was abridged by 95% per day due to which gasoline prices reached its peak. On the other hand people lost their properties too and it was reported that $81 billion is the cost of property scratches. Thousands of people were left unemployed after the Hurricane.(Petterson 651) Power Loss More than 1.7 million citizens were facing power shortage till several weeks and it was not possible to repair it due to the effects of disastrous hurricane.(Petterson 653) Loss of Infrastructure Katrina Hurricane caused airports to be f looded, bridges were destroyed, small roads were underwater and highways were not in a condition to be crossed. The condition was unbearable and people were badly stuck as there was no way out. (Petterson 655) Hurricane Katrina-Relief Efforts United States’ Government, people of United States and the Governments of other countries jointly participated in the relief efforts of the Hurricane. More than ten thousand volunteers served not only at the time of rescuing people but even after the hurricane when shelters were set up in many states for the effected people. More than 15000 people were houseless and needed shelter and food. (Vigdor 137) At the time of landfall around 34000 people were rescued in New Orleans by the Coast Guard, citizens’ leaded boats and tendered shelter, water and food to the people.(Vigdor 139). Federal Emergency Management was however not well prepared for the disaster but prepared shelters in various states for the refugees later on and made al l possible efforts in order to fulfill their needs. Donations were provided by more than 70 countries across the world in order to provide relief assistance to the effected people. The largest donation of $500 million was made by the government of Qatar while others also contributed whole heartedly. (Vigdor 149). Disaster Medical Assistance Team was formed in Atlanta and Houston.

My Favorite Place Essay Example for Free

My Favorite Place Essay Everyone has a special place, a place where people can find happiness, be themselves, and peace. This special place perhaps is a place where people have a dream to go for a vacation, honeymoon, or relax. A tense of mind in life force people to think about the place that they can truly relax. In many people’s lives, a travel is the best option for relaxation. Specially, middle class people who live in the bay area and be under high pressure of work, perhaps they need to have a vacation for relaxation at leisure. Sometime people cannot afford the luxury vacation such as going to cruise around Atlanta, eating fresh seafood in Japan, or enjoying the beauty of nature in Shangri-La Resort Skardu. The best vacation that I had in my country Vietnam was unforgettable. Vietnam is the place where people can have all the joys of traveling by cruise, eating fresh seafoods, and the view of beautiful nature with the low price of cost. People who have a vacation for only three weeks should pay a visit to Vinh Ha Long City in my country because the attractions of its scenery, the taste of the fresh seafoods, and the taste of its nature. Vinh Ha Long is one of the best sceneries in the world. I only can spend less than three thousand dollars for three weeks for the great vacation to Vietnam including the air-plan’s ticket. Everything cost cheaply in Vietnam compare to other countries such as Japan, Korea, or China. Thus, I can enjoy freely for viewing the beautiful of Vinh Ha Long’s City without the worry of expenses. Vinh Ha Long is known as the Descending Dragon where is the world’s eighth wonder. When I arrived to Vinh Ha Long City, I could see the beautiful beach was covered by the dark sand at â€Å"Bay Chay† or scorched beach. Then, I hired an inexpensive beautiful boat to go around the bay for taking pictures. The beautiful of its view created the mysterious scenery in my memory. Looking down from above, I could see Ha Long bay as a giant lively picture. When I walked at the middle of Ha Long Cities, I lost in a fairy world that turned into stone. I imaged that the island named â€Å"Hon Rong† was like a dragon which was hovering above the water. Arriving the island named â€Å"Hon Ong La Vong†, I could see the island as a picture of an old man was sitting and fishing. There were more beautiful islands around Vinh Ha Long City. All of these islands looked really real. The shape of the islands that make wonderful perspective of incalculable light of the day. In my life, I have never enjoyed such a beautiful scenery. It really was the castle of the midst of earthly creation. Vinh Ha Long is one of the cities that have the best seafoods in Vietnam. The City was surrounded by the beautiful beach. The supply of seafoods always new and fresh for visitors. The restaurant that I found the most delicious seafoods and great services with the cheapest prices that I ever have was called â€Å"Ha Long Restaurant†. It was located at seaside where I could eat and enjoy the beautiful view of the beach. I was surprised of how good the service it had. The waiters were so nice and thoughtful about what I needed. They offered and introduced a lot of popular seafoods. Moreover, the price was too cheap to be true. One hundred American dollars can transform its value to two millions vietnam dollars. So I could image how cheap of the food was that compared to America. If this food was served in United State, it could cost more than four hundreds US dollars per dinner of two people. Some of the best food I had eat, it called â€Å"Guava steamed squid dish†. The process of making squid dishes were delicious, cool and full of nutrients of the restaurant. The octopus, sea shrimp paste with the crispy, sweet, when processed into food attractively. Steamed squid were popular by Guava which was flavor characteristic blend with the sea. This â€Å"Guava steamed squid dish† was made by the chef of the restaurant. It was highly innovative and customer favorite. My favorite food was â€Å"Ha Long Lobster† in this â€Å"Ha Long Restaurant†. Lobsters have a variety of different weight, depending on the number of customers that can be served by restaurants. Prices were also relatively comfortable range from around one millions vietnam dollar per two pounds. In order words, I only spent for fifty US dollars for a perfect â€Å"Ha Long Lobster†. It had many kind of Lobsters such as Lobster roasted salted, Steamed Lobster, Lobster salad, and Lobster porridge. I cannot wait to go back and try its all again. People can enjoy the unique of its nature in Vinh Ha Long City. There were many beautiful cave that people cannot find it else where in the world. The most beautiful cave was â€Å"Tam Cung† cave. It located at the center in Ha Long Bay. People was hardly cannot see it. When I go to center of Ha Long, The Tam Cung cave attacked my eyes right away. Tam Cung cave had a stone shapes which created a natural life. It had three compartment. In the first compartment, I soundly stopped walking somewhere quite to hear echoes of sound of flute. From the first compartment to the second compartment through a small crack of the door, I was walking bumpy, I could see this place was as a living natural museum, which was a stone lions, seals, and the water of god made by stone. In the middle of the third compartment was a first stream of fresh water flowing forever. The two walls were the stone curtain that slender drooping from the ceiling which looked all the curtain stone were shaking. In the Tam Cung cave, I could see the magnificent carving which liked flowers, the natural stone curtain, and gentle elephants were sleeping. The cave was created by nature. I have ever seen anything like the Tam Cung cave in my life. Vinh Ha long City was my favorite place where I can see the beautiful scenery, taste of its nature, and fresh food. My Vietnam trip for three weeks created the best beautiful memory that I never have and forgot in my life. I did not need to spend huge money for this vacation due to the big different currency between the Vietnam and U. S dollars. First, its scenery helped me to relax and get lost in the fairy places. Second, its seafoods were fresh and the taste was delicious. Finally, the Tam Cung cave was created by nature bring me the unforgettable memory.

America and the Great Depression Essay examples -- Essays Papers

America and the Great Depression 1. Compare the ideas behind the protest movements of Huey Long and Upton Sinclair. The Era of the Great Depression was one of both desperation and hope. Americans were desperate for a change, desperate for anything to come along that may improve their situation, yet hopeful that the light at the end of the tunnel was near. For many of those living in poverty during the 1930s, the â€Å"radical† leftist movements seen throughout the country appeared to be alternatives to the sometimes ineffective programs of FDR’s New Deal. Two such programs, Huey Long’s â€Å"Share Our Wealth† plan and Upton Sinclair’s End Poverty in California (EPIC) were fairly popular, mainly for their appealing alternatives to the current New Deal programs and ideals. Though the two movements were similar in some sense, both had different visions for the recovery of the American people. Huey Long, two-time Senator of Louisiana, was founder of the â€Å"Share Our Wealth† plan. A redistribution of the nation’s wealth, the plan called for one third of the country’s money to be divided among all the people. In the early 1930s, 4% of the American population held 87% of the wealth. (Polenberg 127) Long’s plan called for an end to this imbalance. â€Å"None too poor, none too rich† was his slogan. (Polenberg 126) The â€Å"Share Our Wealth† movement was made up of eight parts. A homestead allowance granted by the government to all families (and a limit on how large a family’s fortune could be), minimum family yearly incomes (and limits on excessive ones), better regulation of work hours (to prevent overproduction), an old-age pension, a balance between agricultural production and consumption, a pension for veterans and their disabled, ... ...me president. Their programs however, did have lasting effects on the government at the time, causing it to shift towards the left in order to appease their supporters. The fact that two men with very different visions for the future of Americans could both be so popular while endorsing such radical changes only shows the true atmosphere of America in the Depression. Americans in poverty were willing to cling to any hope they could find, and though each did it in their own way, these men gave Americans that hope. Bibliography 1. Biles, Roger. A New Deal for the American People. Northern Illinois University Press. DeKalb, 1991. 2. Polenberg, Richard. The Era of Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933-1945. Bedford/St. Martin’s. Boston, 2000. 3. Terkel, Studs. Boston, 2000. 4. Terkel, Studs. Hard Times. The New Press. New York, 1970

Possible application of the transferable development right mechanism

Possible application of the movable development right mechanism: The construct of movable development rights had originated in the USA, where it has been used for private land acquisition by the State for assorted non-commercial intents such as protecting environmentally sensitive countries. In its present signifier in India, movable development rights have been used as a tool for private land acquisition to build societal comfortss. During the last 10 old ages, the Indian Government had applied this policy to get land for public usage for non-commercial purposes28. The Government of India had had a policy to O.K. development programs for all large metropoliss, while land countries for building of public comfortss such as roads, schools, infirmaries, unfastened infinites, etc. have in private ownership. The pecuniary compensation has excessively expensive and impractical. This state of affairs in India has similar to drawn-out urban route undertakings in Vietnam where the compensation cost has reached 80 % of the entire cost of the undertaking. Apart from the fiscal facets, these undertakings ever have faced resistance from the population. In some large metropoliss of India, another mechanism for compensation, the Transferable Development Right had granted on lands have reserved for unfastened infinite, roads, comfortss and public Peoples with movable development rights have had the right to build houses on their remaining land after a portion had been acquired by the city’s authorization, or in other land which has had higher value, or to reassign the movable development rights to other people. In the Mumbai in India, people whose lands have been converted to public usage could take to have pecuniary compensation or movable development rights. The movable development rights had been granted in the signifier of the Development Rights Certificates. The Transferable development rights have a monetary value, depending on the â€Å"supply-demand† in the building market. It may be transferred to people, but it may non be mortgaged at the Bankss. The issue of Development Rights Certificates has to make a movable development rights market, which has had certain impacts on existent estate market, the land market, urban development market and the procedure of land transition for urban development. Puting up the movable development rights market has a appropriate manner to assist implement the planned aims of development with low compensation costs. It has besides created an easy manner to develop public substructure and has helped people capable to lands reserve for public usage to do perchance more money from the movable development rights market. In Vietnam, a mechanism to publish movable development rights’s demands to be carefully studied before a possible pilot strategy has been implemented in a selected metropolis. Application of the theoretical account could be decided after successful pilot surveies. In Vietnam, the construction of the value of land has different from that in other states. In some states, there has no difference between planned and unplanned land, but at that place has a difference between land with development rights and land without them. For illustration, the value of a movable development rights in India has the difference in the value of land between agricultural land and non-agricultural land in Vietnam. This has showed the practical troubles in application of the movable development rights in Vietnam. However, an in deepness survey of movable development rights should to be undertaken together with a survey of why agricultural land monetary values have increased aggressively after an administrative determination has been made to change over the land to non-agricultural land. movable development rights can hold another signifier of application in Vietnam. The Chinese theoretical account of land transition has similar to the execution of industrial zone building in Vietnam. In the first phase, land for non-agricultural development has been designated on the footing of sanctioned land usage programs prepared for land recovery from current land-users and for allotment to investors. In the 2nd phase, requisition of the land from agricultural collectives has been undertaken through administrative powers with payment of compensation in hard currency or sort. In the 3rd phase, substructure investors have received the land and have prepared substructure such as roads, grading, power, sewag e, H2O, environmental and webs, treating systems. The sites have so leased or transferred to industrial or service investors via direct dialogue, a command procedure, or land auctions. The difference between the theoretical accounts of the two states has in the 2nd phase. The land in China has been recovered from agricultural collectives and in Vietnam the land has been recovered from families or persons. In Vietnam, the State allocates or rentals land non merely for large undertakings utilizing common substructure, but besides straight for undertakings of service nature or an industrial after direct choice of the investors or by land auction or undertaking command together with land usage. The lessons have learned from the Chinese experiences have to happen a suited bound for application of mandatory land acquisition. This system may be applied to large undertakings which require a primary investor for readying of the common substructure have been followed by the primary investor leasing or reassigning the sites to industrial or service investors via direct dialogue, offering procedure or land auctions. The Korean theoretical account of land transition has had some points that can be considered for application in Vietnam. In Korea, the Government has established land districting programs for industrial and residential countries which have been so developed through land readjustment strategies. The undertaking costs and net incomes have been shared among some secret plans and the landholders have been given back to landholders. The Korea Land Cooperation has been allowed to implement urban development plans ; this organisation has similar to the Land development organisation in Vietnam. This mechanism has allowed people to recapture most of the undertaking benefits and to supply inexpensive service sites to building companies. Under the Urban Development Law ( 1999 ) , private developers have been permitted to suggest urban development undertakings every bit long as they have obtained blessing from two tierces of the landholders. In Vietnam, betterment of the Land development organisations could be considered to reform the compulsory land transition system. Some facets of the land monetary value assessment process piloted in Ho Chi Minh City The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City have decided to use the process of land monetary value appraisal to specify the market-based monetary value of land to find land value and compensation. The land monetary value appraisal service has been supplied largely by the Southern Centre for Consulting and Price Assessment Services ( Ministry of Finance ) and the Centre for Price Assessment of the Ho Chi Minh City ( Department of Finance, Ho Chi Minh City ) . In an interview with the first Centre, the manager noted: †¢ The land monetary value rating procedure has an nonsubjective agencies to help in making consensus between State organic structures and has affected people. †¢ The legal method for agricultural land rating has based on income from agricultural production has non been aligned with the market monetary value of agricultural land. †¢ Application of the legal method for non-agriculture land rating for undertaking investing have based on the comparing of the land with other similar land brushs troubles in happening similar land with a similar investing potency. †¢ There have no market based land monetary value databases for application of the comparing method to non-agriculture land monetary value appraisal. †¢ Affected people are utilizing the public services of land rating but there have no ordinances on the declaration of land monetary value differences. The land monetary value appraisal process for land compensation and relocation should be developed for application in all states. To explicate a suited legal model, several surveies and pilot activities have been needed. Apart from the legal facets, the building of a land monetary value database should be undertaken as shortly as possible. The Land Law 1987, the 2nd session of National Assembly VII has adopted this Law on December 29, 1987 and it came into consequence on January 1st, 1988. This jurisprudence has consisted of 6 chapters and 57 articles have constructed on the footing of the State-subsidized theoretical account on land. The chief contents item land allotment by the State for the usage of organisations, families and persons ; the land direction system ; the system of land usage for wood land, agricultural production land, land for particular utilizations and fresh land, residential land ; the rights and duties of the land-users ; and the system of land usage for foreign organisations and persons. This jurisprudence had had merely three articles modulating the land transition system with the undermentioned content: ( I ) The State recovers land when the land would be used for the intent of the State or public involvement ; ( two ) Those who has used agricultural and forestry land have been allocated by the State who has wished to change over this land to industrial and service intents may pay land compensation to the State and so this compensation would be used to develop the resources of the land ; ( three ) If the current land user has non continued to necessitate usage of the land, the State woull recover the land to apportion to others and the current the land user would be compensated for belongings on the land ; ( four ) If the land in current usage has been recovered by the State to utilize for the intents of the State or public involvement, the current land-user will be compensated for losingss and allocated with other land. Harmonizing to these ordinances, the land users have received land allocated by the State to utilize, but had no had belongings rights on that land every bit good as no land dealing rights. The land-user merely has had ownership of the belongings on the land in which they has already invested. Land transition has been carried out under the compulsory mechanisms decided by the State. The Government’s Decreessteering execution of the Land Law 1993, the Law of 1998 on amendment and supplementation of the Land Law, the 2001 Law on amendment and supplementation of the Land Law and the two regulations on rights and duties of organisations utilizing land. During the cogency of the Land Law 1993 ( 15th October, 1993 – 1st July, 2004 ) , the Vietnam Government had issued 30 edicts including 3 edicts on general land direction ; on revenue enhancement on land usage are 4 and transferred of land usage rights ; on land enrollment are 3 ; on land monetary values are 7, land usage fees, land rental and cadastral charges ; on land compensation on land recovery by the State are 2 ; and on land rental and system of land usage for all land classs and land allotment by the State and, rights and duties of land-users are 13 edicts. Among the edicts steering execution of the Land Law, there have 3 groups of edicts that dealt with land transition mechanisms. These have the group of edicts on compensation on the State’s recovery of land ( associating to mandatory land transition ) . The group of edicts on the land leased and allocated by the State, government of land usage for all land classs, rights and duties of land-users ( associating to voluntary land transition ) ; and the group of edicts on land monetary values, land usage fees, land lease ( associating to both land transition systems ) . These edicts specifically include: †¢ Decree No. 90-CPof 17th August, 1994 stipulates compensation for losingss caused by the State’s recovery of land for usage in intents of national defence, security and national and public involvements. The compensation rule is that compensation for losingss in land would be made through the allotment of new land in the same class as the land had been recovered. If the State could non happen other land for allotment or the individual whose land has been recovered does non bespeak compensation in land, a payment would be made with the value calculated on the footing of the land monetary value has announced by the provincial people’s commission in conformity with the model of land monetary values have stipulated by the Government in Decree No. 87-CP dated 17th August, 1994. All belongings have associated with the land would be compensated for by a sum equivalent to the bing value of the belongings at the standard monetary value has set by the State. This edict has non stipulated support for residential remotion, work break and new occupation preparation, etc ; neither does it qualify the relocation mechanism, but chiefly compensation in hard currency to help with the building of a new abode. †¢ Decree No. 22/1998/ND-CPof 24th April, 1998 on compensation for losingss when the State recovers land to utilize for the intents of national defence, security and national and public involvement. This Decree replaced Decree No. 90-CP of 17th August, 1994. The land monetary value has used to cipher compensation in this Decree has been decided by the metropolis people’s commission multiplied by a coefficient in order to guarantee compatibility with the monetary value of land usage rights on the market. The individual capable to recovery of residential land had been compensated for the land country at the degree determined by the provincial people’s commission. Properties associated with the cured land had been compensated by a sum equivalent to the bing value of these belongingss plus a amount stand foring a per centum of the bing value of the belongingss. However, the sum of the belongings compensation may non be higher than 100 % and non lower than 60 % of the original value of the belongings. This Decree have besides stipulated the support for people whose land has been recovered, such as support for disrupted productiveness and stableness, remotion and new occupation preparation. The edict particularly has stipulated the building of relocation locations and delegating residential land to families in the relocation location. †¢ Decree No. 11-CPof 24th January, 1995 on have detailed commissariats for execution of the regulation on duties of foreign organisations, the rights and persons utilizing land had leased by the State. This edict have stipulated the elaborate commissariats for the ways in which the State may rent land to foreign organisations and persons and the rights of foreign land-users as in the Regulation on the rights and duties of foreign organisations and persons utilizing land leased by the State in Vietnam. †¢ Decree No. 18-CPof 13th February, 1995 on has detailed commissariats for execution of the Regulation on the rights and duties of domestic organisations utilizing land leased and allocated by the State. This Decree has stipulated the elaborate commissariats for the State’s allotment of land without a land usage fee and the State’s leasing of land and rights applicable to domestic land-users as mentioned in the Ordinance on rights and duties of domestic organisations utilizing land leased and allocated by the State. The Decree particularly focuses on the right to mortgage land usage rights and land usage rights as a part as capital. †¢ Decree No. 85-CPof 17th December, 1996 on commissariats for execution of the Regulation on the rights and duties of domestic organisations utilizing land leased and allocated by the State. This Decree is rather similar to Decree No. 18-CP of 13th February, 1995. It has stipulated the elaborate commissariats for the State’s allotment of land with a land usage fee as mentioned in the Regulation on amendment and supplementation of on rights and duties of domestic organisations utilizing land have been leased and the Ordinance on rights and have been allocated by the State. †¢ Decree No. 04/2000/ND-CPof 11th February, 2000 on implementing the Law on amendment and supplementation of the Land Law in 1998. This Decree has guided the execution of the Law which clarifies the State’s allotment of land with and without a land usage fee, the State’s leasing of land with a individual payment or one-year payment and land usage right transportation, rental and part as capital between domestic economic organisations, families, persons. The Decree has besides stipulated elaborate ordinances on the rights of land dealing made by land users. †¢ Decree No. 87-CPof 17th August, 1994 on the model of land monetary values for all classs of land. This Decree has stipulated the model of land monetary values ( lowest to highest monetary values ) for all classs of land. On this footing the provincial people’s commission has issued a land monetary value tabular array for every land location. The model of land monetary values in this Decree has much lower than the monetary value of land usage rights transportation on the market ( 10 % to 30 % ) . The Decree has besides allowed the usage of a coefficient runing from 0.8 to 1.2, by which the land monetary value would be multiplied to guarantee compatibility with the specific substructure conditions of urban land. After lupus erythematosus than a twelvemonth of execution, the Prime Minister had issued Decision No. 302 – TTg of 13th May, 1996 to set the coefficient from 0.5 to 1.8. †¢ Decree No. 17/1998/ND-CPof 21st March, 1998 on amendment and supplementation of Item 2 Article 4 of Decree No. 87-CP of 17th August, 1994 on the model of land monetary values for all classs of land. After 3 old ages of implementing Decree No. 87-CP of 17th of August, 1994, the Government had adjusted the model of land monetary values so that the lowest monetary value may be reduced by 50 % and the highest monetary value may be increased by 50 % .

Analyzing the factors which influencing customers of choosing a soft drinks Essay

The overview of business environment is changing overtime. Due to increasing of excessive competition in business environment, customer preference and purchase intention are changing day by day. Now Bangladesh is more intense as competitive market in beverage industry with lot of foreign and local companies. People are being more health conscious day by day. They are becoming aware about their daily diet in which liquids play the vital role. Availability of soft drink in our country is numerous. Everyday new types of soft drinks are being launched. The reasons behind this popularity for this soft drink show that demand is very higher in our country. Throughout the year, consumption of the soft drinks goes on. Kids to elder people everybody like soft drink; specially kids and young generation. The competition among the soft drink companies is very high. They are fighting all-time to attract customer and satisfy them in better way than their rivals. In this regard, we searched out the scope to do a marketing research. We have selected five factors or variables: Brand image, Price, Quality, Taste and Product Availability to identify based on which factor customers used to choose a particular soft drink brand. Indeed, we tried to find out which factor among these five factors is the most influential to choose a particular soft drink brand. Brand Image: Brand image refers to images arising in a consumer’s mind from exposure to a named brand. It refers to the impression in the consumers’ mind of a brand’s total personality (real and imaginary qualities and shortcomings). Consumers buy not only a product (commodity), but also the images associated with the product such as power, wealth, sophistication, and most importantly identification and association with other users of the brand. The term â€Å"brand image† gained popularity as evidence began to grow that the feelings and images associated with a brand were powerful purchase influencers. Studies based on that also suggested that brand image can be an important information cue for consumers to evaluate a product. A brand is unlikely to have one brand image, but several, though one or two may predominate. The key in brand image research is to identify or develop the most powerful images and reinforce them through subsequent brand communications. Good brand images are instantly evoked, are positive, and are almost always unique among competitive brands. Brand image is developed over time through advertising campaigns with consistent theme, and packaging, customer service, word-of-mouth and other aspects of brand experience. Brand images are usually evoked by asking consumers the first words/images that come to their mind when a certain brand is mentioned (sometimes called â€Å"top of mind†). When responses are highly variable, non-forthcoming, or refer to non-image attributes such as cost, it is an indicator of a weak brand image. Consumers also feel pride of owning a product purchased from a branded store because they perceive the brand as an image of social status. Social status is the honor or prestige attached to one’s position in society. A society’s stratification system, which is the system of distributing rewards to the members of society, determines social status. Social status, the position or rank of a person or group within the stratification system, can be determined two ways. One can earn their social status by their own achievements, which is known as achieved status. Alternatively, one can be placed in the stratification system by their inherited position, which is called ascribed status. Some consumers believe in themselves to have high social status. Quality: Quality is the ability of a product to satisfy a consumer’s needs and requirements. Perceived quality can be defined as the perception of a consumer about the overall excellence and superiority of a brand, which is directly related to his satisfaction. Quality is the best indicator of the product’s durability, reliability, precision and other valued attributes. It provides added value and constructive perception on a brand to affect consumers’ brand evaluation. The high quality perception often depends on consumers’ distinct liking and beliefs toward the brand. Thus, a brand may contain quality attributes but it may not satisfy consumers’ preference if it does not fit with their perceptions and beliefs of high quality. Typically, consumers recognize the quality levels of different brands through categorical information as well as experience with the brand and they form positive or negative perceptions about the quality of a specific brand. When consumers are convinced with quality of a brand, they evaluate a brand positively. Consumers also feel pride of owning quality product because they perceive better quality as an image of social status. Sometimes, the perception of quality is diverse among consumers. For a brand, different consumers hold different perception vis-a-vis brand quality. One brand might be coded as â€Å"high quality† by some consumers, and â€Å"medium quality† or â€Å"low quality† by others. Again, product quality perceptions are also varied based on the product class. Taste: Taste is defined to as the consumer’s opinion of a product’s (or a brand’s) ability to fulfill his or her expectations, which is directly related to his / her satisfaction. It may have little or nothing to do with the actual excellence of the product, and is based on the firms (or brands) current public image, consumer’s experience with the firm’s other products, and the influence of the opinion leaders, consumer’s peer group, and others. Quality is the best indicator of the product’s durability, reliability, precision, and other valued attributes. It provides added value and constructive perception on a brand to affect consumers’ brand evaluation. The high quality perception on products often depends on consumers’ distinct liking and beliefs toward supplier and manufacturer of the products. From this belief, if consumers are not satisfied with the taste of juice, they will never purchase that juice. It will also create negative impact for the next product in future. So, perceived taste or quality of juice is very crucial as it is an edible item. Price: Consumers want to get highest utility from a product they purchase by sacrificing money and benefit from other brands. Price perception is the process by which consumers translate price into meaningful cognitions, and it has interested researchers for several years. The classical economic models suggest that a consumer maximizes utility by allocating a limited budget over alternative goods and services. So effects of price are more associated with quality perception of a product or brand. Consumers generally perceive high priced products to be of high quality. Price conveys information to the consumer about product quality. Thus, price information is extensively used as an extrinsic cue to evaluate a product. That is why, price can play both role as an indicator of the level of quality and an indicator of the amount of sacrifice needed to purchase a product. Product availability: Making the products available to the target customers so that they can buy it, i. e. placing or distribution is one of the basic 4Ps of marketing mix. It is essential for companies to make their products easily available to the customers. Availability is becoming an increasingly important issue for consumers seeking out convenient items. When customers find little or no difference between a firm’s product and those of competing suppliers, the customers are readily willing to take a second-choice brand when the first is not immediately available. These products are said to be highly substitutable. In our country, numerous juice manufacturers produce different types and tasted of juice. As a result competition is very high. Substitutable products are also numerous like juices, chocolate milk, water. Thus, volume of stocks available and also the level of variety of stocks, determined in terms of SKUs (Stock Keeping Units), are crucial for sellers to attract and retain consumers. A new survey from the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) found that retailers and manufacturers across Europe are losing out to store and brand switching as consumers substitute products, which are unavailable or difficult to find. Product unavailability will simply influence consumers to switch to other brand juice. Thus, product availability is a very important construct for evaluating consumers’ purchase-decision making 1. 2 Statement of the problem The overview of business environment is changing overtime. Due to increasing of excessive competition in business environment, customer preference and purchase intention are changing day by day. Now Bangladesh is more intense as competitive market in beverage industry with lot of foreign and local companies. People are being more health conscious day by day. They are becoming aware about their daily diet in which liquids play the vital role. Availability of soft drink in our country is numerous. Everyday new types of soft drinks are being launched. The reasons behind this popularity for this soft drink show that demand is very higher in our country. Throughout the year, consumption of the soft drinks goes on. Kids to elder people everybody like soft drink; specially kids and young generation. The competition among the soft drink companies is very high. They are fighting all-time to attract customer and satisfy them in better way than their rivals. In this regard, we searched out the scope to do a marketing research. We have selected five factors or variables: Brand image, Price, Quality, Taste and Product Availability to identify based on which factor customers used to choose a particular soft drink brand. Indeed, we tried to find out which factor among these five factors is the most influential to choose a particular soft drink brand. 1. 3 Purpose of the study We are interested in this topic because we see that everyday a huge amount of beverages is being consumed by the people. This research will give us a clear picture about the mindset of the consumers about which beverage they purchase and at what condition. And also while purchasing beverage what they are looking for. The main objective of this research is to conduct conclusive research to understand how consumers are taking the purchasing decision, what the factors that are influencing their decision and what are they actually looking for while purchasing any beverage. A careful review of those areas led to the identification of the following specific research objectives: 1. To identify the criteria that consumers use when selecting beverage. 2. To know that how consumers evaluate beverage industry and their choice criteria. 3. To identify the demographic and psychographic profile of the consumers. 4. To determine that can customer preference and purchase intention be explained in terms product evaluations and customer characteristics. 5. To identify the value proposition of the customer. 2. 0 Literature Review Soft drinks are most common popular fast moving consumer goods in Bangladesh. After independence the soft drinks habit of Bangladeshi people has been changed a lot. Besides our traditional soft drinks consumer of Bangladesh like to take western soft drinks also after 1980s. As a result of global marketing this was not too hard for the consumers. Different foreign food companies were established in Bangladesh. Beverage industry is one of them. But more interestingly we don’t know beverage is also our cultural food because beverage doesn’t mean only carbonated drinks. Yoghurt, soup and lacchi are also beverage of our own tradition, which consumed for the last 100 years in Bangladesh. Beverage business entered into our market in the later part of 1980. At that time there were only few companies in Bangladesh. But by the change of time and western culture influences it’s become very popular in Bangladesh. By year 2000 more than 12 Beverage Company operating business in Bangladesh and most of them are foreign companies. Most of the studies conducted on the customer preference of beverage have been reviewed in the subsequent section. A. John S. A. Edwards & Hadyn Ingram (1995), Volume 7; Issue 5; Page 25 – 28in â€Å"Food, beverage and accommodation: an integrated operations approach†mentioned that accommodation has a close relation with food & beverage. B. Mary Bellis (2005) in â€Å"Food History – Beverages and Drinks† explained thehistory of Beer, Wine, Alcoholic & Non-Alcoholic beverages and Drinks. C. Mohajon Bangladeshi Online Bazar (2006) in â€Å"Beverage product view†identified different beverages & their quality with prices. D. Transcom Beverage Limited official website (2003) in â€Å"Introduction† explained that TBL manufactures the famous Pepsi range of beverages-Pepsi, 7up,Mirinda Orange, Mirinda Lemon, Slice and Soda. As a corporate citizen Pepsico believes it has a responsibility to contribute to the quality of life in our communities. 3. 0 Research Methodology 3. 1 Research Design The research method will be applied research design. We have followed problem identification research. Our research is an exploratory research. Each respondent will be interviewed through filling up his or her questionnaire. Because of the conclusive nature of the objectives, we will primarily use quantitative questioning in the surveys. For making research questions more effective researcher will use Likert-5 Scale method for most of the questions, and also some other questioning method so that interviewers can easily express their opinions on the questionnaire, and it will facilitate the researcher to identify the actual objectives of this business research. The sample size of this study will be 40 and respondents will be selected from several universities throughout the Dhaka city. Eligible respondents will be adult over the age of 18. Information will be collected through interviewer administered questionnaire method. A simple random method will be used to select respondent to the questionnaire. 40 questionnaires will be prepared based on demographic factors of respondent (like: age, income, occupation, loyalty, media preference, leisure passing, etc) and some factors considered important for satisfaction measurement. The factors are: quality of product, price, convenience, flavor, taste, and brand image. Research questions 1. How does a brand image influence customers to choose a soft drink? 2. How does a quality influence customer to choose a soft drink? 3. How does taste influence customers to choose a soft drink? 4. How does price persuade the customers’ decision to choose a soft drink? 5. How does product availability reinforce the customers’ to choose a soft drink? Hypotheses of the study: Based on the Research Question, we have developed the following hypothesis: Influence of Brand image Brand image is a crucial extrinsic cue which provides specific information about product quality, reputation, performance, credibility, prestige, and so on about a brand. Hence, chain superstores with high image brands may have significant and dominating influence in customers for choosing to shop at a chain superstore. A well-known brand also reduces the consumers’ risk perception and increases positive preference towards a superstore. Brand image is also used as a symbol of social status sometimes and it forces the consumer to own the brand name of a chain superstore. Thus, if a chain superstore can achieve reliability and reputation as a high image brand, the consumers is highly influenced to choose that store whenever they are shopping. Therefore, our first hypothesis, H1: Brand image influences customers to choose a soft drink Influence of perceived quality Quality is the totality of features and characteristics of a brand based on its ability to satisfy stated and implied needs. When a consumer lacks sufficient knowledge about intrinsic cues, he or she may use perceived quality information to evaluate a brand. Nowadays, a consumer does not intend to buy just a brand, but he or she purchases the benefits associated with it. Consequently, high quality perceptions toward a brand achieve consumers’ preferences and satisfactions rapidly. Consumers evaluate a brand as unique, prestigious and reliable for its superior quality. If the product is associated with high perceived quality, the consumers’ trust of a brand is increased and thus a brand’s preference is also increased. Moreover, consumers use the brand’s quality to differentiate a brand from the other brands. Researchers generally have postulated that there are many different ways to differentiate products; superior quality is one of the most effective. Therefore, the perception of higher quality directly influences the consumers’ favorable evaluation of a brand. So, our second hypothesis, H2: Quality influences customers to choose a soft drink. Influence of taste Quality is the totality of a features and characteristics of a product based on its ability to satisfy stated and implied needs. When a customer lacks sufficient knowledge about intrinsic cues, he or she may use perceived quality of a product while deciding to shop at a chain superstore rather than at a departmental store. Nowadays, customers do not intend to buy just a product or its brand, but they purchases the benefits associated with it. Consequently, high quality perceptions toward a store achieve consumers’ preferences and satisfactions rapidly. Consumers evaluate a branded store as unique, prestigious and reliable for its ability to provide superior quality products. If the product is associated with high-perceived quality, the consumers’ trust of that store increases and thus that store’s preference also increases. Although there are many ways of differentiating products, researchers generally have recommended that superior quality is one of the most effective ways. So when a super chain store provides same products with higher quality, consumers will use that high quality to differentiate their products from products of other stores. Consumers will definitely buy products from that superstore rather than from departmental stores. Therefore, the perception of higher quality directly influences the consumers’ choice of chain superstores over departmental stores. Therefore, our third hypothesis: H3: Taste influence customers to buy a soft drink Influence of price Consumers are most likely to use price in deciding which store to buy from when some related information is lacking, when they are not familiar with a product, and when information about purchase context is lacking. Consumers often perceive price as an extrinsic quality cue. Several studies have searched consumer perception of price as an indicator of quality, and many of these have shown price to act on this manner. The argument behind this assumption is that: (a) Producing quality goods require sophisticated machineries that cost more and increase prices, (b) Manufacturers use high quality raw materials to produce quality products, and (c) It is unlikely that a product with low quality will be charged more in this competitive world But consumer markets of most products are highly price sensitive. Some brands of same quality are charged lower compared to other brands because of competition available in the market as marketing strategy or just because of that the supplier of that brand has some competitive advantages over distribution of its products (like wholesalers or chain supermarkets). In both ways, consumers are most likely to be influenced by perceived price, for choosing a chain superstore over a departmental store. Therefore, the following hypothesis is drawn based on the above reasoning: H4: Price persuades the customers’ decision to choose a soft drink Influence of Product availability Product availability is a very important construct for evaluating consumers’ purchase-decision making. Shoppers want to make their shopping easier and quicker, and they do not want to visit multiple stores to complete their weekly shop. Nearby department stores can store less number of SKUs (stock keeping units) while chain superstores can store in bulk amounts since they are comparatively much larger in size. And the variety of products is also much higher in superstores. They not only keep grocery items, but also products of wet markets (vegetables, meats, fishes, etc.) as well as a vast array of other household, personal care, and miscellaneous products. For example, at any point in time, there are nearly 20,000 different products available at stores of Agora while Nandan has capacity of displaying 22,000 items at a time. They also provide the latest and unique items of different products much before those could reach the retail department stores. And since these superstores have several branches at different locations, they definitely give the consumers to avail the benefits of high product availability. Therefore, when customers are looking for purchasing several types of products together, they are highly influenced by this extrinsic cue of product availability. H5: Product availability does reinforce the customers’ to choose a soft drink. 3. 2 Data Collection This was the critical part of the whole research process. The researcher had to carefully plan the whole data collection process and the success of the whole report depended on the precise execution of that detailed plan. The primary data source was the principle methodology used for this research. All the members of the group will collect the data conducting personal interviews. The questionnaire will contain several questions with close and open ends accommodation additional queries for understanding the opinion of the respondents and having an insight into the matter. 3. 3 Data Analysis After collecting data, a comprehensive screening process followed. Incomplete and biased data stored out and deleted from the data bank. Both descriptive and inferential statistics used in the analysis. We use two types software to analyze the data. The software’s are: SPSS Microsoft Excel Descriptive statistics will be used to depict the specific situation of specific aspects relating to choosing a soft drink. Factors analysis will be performed to identify the factor of choosing a soft drink. Correlation between the factors and age, gender, level of income and occupation will be identified to know the relationship. In order to explore relationship with the overall influence factors, multiple regression analysis will be preferred with the factors. Through this research and statistics analysis we had tried to find the demographic factors of the target market, their likings and decisions regarding purchasing juice. We also tried to find the reliability analysis of the data, mean of the independent and dependent variables and regression analysis to go to the findings of this research report. It gives the total picture of the target market based on demographic, socio-economic factors. Through this we will be able to measure about the age group, average monthly income, favorite programs and the important issue that influence them to purchase juice of the target customer. This is totally based on the survey that we have done. 4. 0 Limitations. For preparing this report we have several limitations for gathering appropriate information and other related issues. Our limitations are: Generally the customers are posh people. They are also busy people. So taking interview of them is really a big task. Sometimes they did not realize the questions and could not provide information. If a larger number of respondents were surveyed it would have been possible to get more accurate data about the consumer’s preference. So our analysis may not be reliable. There are may have some error in our research. Like, research error, interviewer error, data analysis error, etc. Since it was a very short period of time, we weren’t able to collect more data to acquire deep understanding. 5. 0 References Business Research Methods, 8th edition written by W. G. Zikmund â€Å"Marketing Research – an applied orientation† 5th edition written by Naresh K. Malhotra Business Research Methods written by D. R. Coopers and P. S. Schindler Appendix Questionnaire We are the students of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) enrolled in Business Research Methodology course. As per the requirement of course, a questionnaire has developed to investigate about factors regarding the customers’ consideration in choosing soft drinks. Regarding this objective we humbly requesting you to contribute in survey by marking this script. We assure you that the provided data will be used only for academic purposes. 1. Do you drink soft drinks? Yes No 2. How frequently do you purchase soft drinks? Once in a day Once in a week Once in a month Others (Please specify)†¦ 3. What is your age? Less than 20 years 20 to 30 years 30 to 40 years 40 to 50 years Above 50 years 4. What is your occupation? Service holder (govt. / private/ multinational) Businessman (Entrepreneur/ Intrapreneur) Student (high school/undergraduate/graduate) Homemaker Others (Please specify)†¦ 5. What is the average monthly income of your family? Less than 10,000 10,000Tk. to less than 20,000Tk. 20,000Tk. to less than 30,000Tk. 30,000Tk. to less than 40,000Tk. 40,000Tk. and above 6. When do you watch TV? During 12 AM- 6 AM During 6 AM – 2 PM During 2 PM-7 PM During 7 PM-12 AM 7. What do you do during leisure? Watching TV Fishing Hang out with friends Reading books Sports activities Others (Please specify)†¦ 8. Which media do you prefer? TV channel FM radio Newspaper & magazine Bill board ad Others (Please specify)†¦. 9. Which of the following factors influence the most of my purchase of soft drinks? Purchase of soft drinks Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree Brand image Price Availability Taste Quality 10. Place your agreement level with the statements below: Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Strongly disagree I find the product (Soft Drink) of my choice always available. I consider Product Availability before going to a purchase the soft drink The Product unavailability creates negative impact on my purchase. I consider the products (soft drink) taste before purchasing any soft drink I consider the products (soft Drink) taste is the most important factor in purchasing the soft drink I think high price always ensures the high quality. Price of soft drink is important factor to me before deciding to buy any soft drink I find the price of the soft drinks available in our country affordable I consider Brand Image while purchasing soft drinks I think the Brand Image of soft drinks indicates my social status I think High Brand Image ensures high quality products.

1000 Posts, And A Favor To Ask

1000 Posts, And A Favor To Ask 1000 Posts, And A Favor To Ask 1000 Posts, And A Favor To Ask By Daniel Scocco Last week I was browsing through the control panel of our blog and I noticed a curious fact: we are already over 1000 published posts! To be precise, this one is post number 1011. I was pleasantly surprised to find that out. The main challenge of any blog or website is to persist over the long term, as the first year is probably the hardest. We managed to do that, and the blog is going quite well. We receive around 250,000 unique visitors every month. On top of that there are over 30,000 subscribers who receive our posts via email or RSS. If you are one of those visitors or subscribers, thank you! I also wanted to ask a favor. If you like our tips and think that other people could benefit from them, we would love if you could recommend the blog. If you have a blog or website of your own, for instance, you could write about Daily Writing Tips there. If you have a Twitter or Facebook account, you could share our link there. You could even recommend us verbally to friends and relatives. We would really appreciate it, and this kind of support keeps us motivated to improve the blog and provide as much value as possible through our posts. We have some good things planned for 2010, so stay tuned! Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Handy Expressions About HandsDawned vs. Donned1,462 Basic Plot Types

Blackbeard the Pirate Biography for Kids

Blackbeard the Pirate Biography for Kids Kids are often interested in pirates and want to know the history of people such as Blackbeard. They may not be ready for the adult version of the  biography of Blackbeard  but can have their questions answered in this version for young readers. Who was Blackbeard? Blackbeard was a fearsome pirate who attacked other peoples ships a long time ago, in the years 1717–1718. He enjoyed looking scary, making his long black hair and beard smoke while he was fighting. He died while fighting ships sent to catch him and bring him to jail. Here are the answers to all your Blackbeard questions. Was Blackbeard his real name? His real name was Edward Thatch or Edward Teach. Pirates took nicknames to hide their real names. He was called Blackbeard because of his long, black beard. Why was he a pirate? Blackbeard was a pirate because it was a way to make a fortune. Life at sea was hard and risky for sailors in navy or on merchant ships. It was tempting to take what you learned serving on those ships and join a pirate crew where you would earn a share of the treasure. At different times, a government would encourage ships captains to be privateers and raid ships from other countries, but not theirs. These privateers might then begin to prey on any ships and become pirates. What did pirates do? Pirates sailed where they thought other ships would be. Once they found another ship, they would raise their pirate flag and attack. Usually, the other ships just gave up once they saw the flag to avoid a fight and injuries. The pirates would then steal everything the ship was carrying. What sort of stuff did pirates steal? Pirates stole anything that they could use or sell. If a ship had cannons or other good weapons, the pirates would take them. They stole food and alcohol. If there was any gold or silver, they would steal it. The ships they robbed were usually merchants ships carrying cargo such as cocoa, tobacco, cow hides or cloth. If the pirates thought they could sell the cargo, they took it. Did Blackbeard leave behind any buried treasure? Lots of people think so, but probably not. Pirates preferred to spend their gold and silver and not bury it somewhere. Also, most of the treasure he stole was cargo rather than coins and jewels. He would sell the cargo and spend the money. Who were some of Blackbeards friends? Blackbeard learned how to be a pirate from Benjamin Hornigold, who gave him command of one of his pirate ships. Blackbeard helped Major Stede Bonnet, who didnt really know much about being a pirate. Another friend was Charles Vane, who had several chances to stop being a pirate but he never took them. Why was Blackbeard so famous? Blackbeard was famous because he was a very scary pirate. When he knew he was going to attack someone’s ship, he put smoking fuses in his long black hair and beard. He also wore pistols strapped to his body. Some sailors who saw him in battle actually thought he was the devil. Word of him spread and people on both land and sea were scared of him. Did Blackbeard have a family? According to Captain Charles Johnson, who lived at the same time as Blackbeard, he had 14 wives. This probably isn’t true, but it seems likely that Blackbeard did get married sometime in 1718 in North Carolina. There is no record of him ever having any kids. Did Blackbeard have a pirate flag and a pirate ship? Blackbeards pirate flag was black with a white devil skeleton on it. The skeleton was holding a spear pointing at a red heart. He also had a very famous ship called the Queen Annes Revenge. This mighty ship had 40 cannons on it, making it one of the most dangerous pirate ships ever. Did they ever catch Blackbeard? Local leaders often offered a reward for the capture of famous pirates. Many men tried to catch Blackbeard, but he was too smart for them and escaped capture many times. To get him to stop, he was offered a pardon and he accepted it. However, he returned to piracy How did Blackbeard die? Finally, on November 22, 1718, pirate hunters caught up with him near Ocracoke Island, off of North Carolina. Blackbeard and his men put up quite a fight, but in the end, they were all killed or arrested. Blackbeard died in battle and his head was cut off so the pirate hunters could prove they killed him. According to an old story, his headless body swam around his ship three times. This was not possible but added to his fearsome reputation. Sources: Cordingly, David. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1996 Defoe, Daniel (Captain Charles Johnson). A General History of the Pyrates. Edited by Manuel Schonhorn. Mineola: Dover Publications, 1972/1999. Konstam, Angus. The World Atlas of Pirates. Guilford: the Lyons Press, 2009 Woodard, Colin. The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down. Mariner Books, 2008.

The Chinese National Anthem

The Chinese National Anthem The official national anthem of China is titled, March of the Volunteers (ä ¹â€°Ã¥â€¹â€¡Ã¥â€ â€ºÃ¨ ¿â€ºÃ¨ ¡Å'æ› ², yà ¬yÇ’ngjÃ… «n jà ¬nxà ­ngqÇ”). It was written in 1935 by the poet and playwright, Tian Han, and the composer, Nie Er. Origins The song  honors soldiers and revolutionaries who fought the Japanese in northeast China in the 1930s. It was originally written as a theme song to a popular propaganda play and movie that encouraged the Chinese people to resist the Japanese invasion. Both Tian Han and Nie Er were active in the resistance. Nie Er was influenced by popular revolutionary songs at the time, including The Internationale. He drowned in 1935. Becoming the Chinese National Anthem Following the Chinese Communist Partys victory in the civil war in 1949, a committee was set up to decide on a national anthem. There were nearly 7,000 entries, but an early favorite was March of the Volunteers. It was adopted as the provisional national anthem on September 27, 1949. Anthem Banned Years later during the political turmoil of the Cultural Revolution, Tian Han was jailed and subsequently died in 1968. As a result, March of the Volunteers became a banned song. In its place, many used The East is Red, which was a popular Communist song at the time. Restoration March of the Volunteers was eventually restored as the Chinese national anthem in 1978, but with different lyrics that specifically praised the Communist Party and Mao Zedong. After the death of Mao and the liberalization of the Chinese economy, Tian Hans original version was restored by the National Peoples Congress in 1982. The Chinese anthem was played in Hong Kong for the first time in the 1997 handover of British control of Hong Kong to China, and in the 1999 handover of Portuguese control of Macao to China. They were subsequently adopted as the national anthems in Hong Kong and Macao. For many years until the 1990s, the song was banned in Taiwan. In 2004, the Chinese constitution was officially amended to include March of the Volunteers as its official anthem. Lyrics of the Chinese National Anthem è µ ·Ã¦  ¥Ã¤ ¸ Ã¦â€ž ¿Ã¥ Å¡Ã¥ ¥ ´Ã©Å¡ ¶Ã§Å¡â€žÃ¤ º ºÃ¤ » ¬ Stand up! Those who are unwilling to become slaves! 把我ä » ¬Ã§Å¡â€žÃ¨ ¡â‚¬Ã¨â€šâ€°Ã§ ­â€˜Ã¦Ë† Ã¦Ë†â€˜Ã¤ » ¬Ã¦â€" °Ã§Å¡â€žÃ©â€¢ ¿Ã¥Å¸Å½! Take our flesh, and build it to become a new Great Wall! ä ¸ ­Ã¥ Å½Ã¦ °â€˜Ã¦â€" Ã¥Ë† °Ã¤ ºâ€ Ã¦Å"ی  ±Ã©â„¢ ©Ã§Å¡â€žÃ¦â€" ¶Ã¥â‚¬â„¢ The Chinese people have reached a most dangerous time, æ ¯ Ã¤ ¸ ªÃ¤ º ºÃ¨ ¢ «Ã¨ ¿ «Ã§ â‚¬Ã¥ â€˜Ã¥â€¡ ºÃ¦Å"ی Å½Ã§Å¡â€žÃ¥  ¼Ã¥ £ °Ã£â‚¬â€š Every person is being compelled to send issue a final roar. è µ ·Ã¦  ¥Ã¨ µ ·Ã¦  ¥Ã¨ µ ·Ã¦  ¥ Arise! Arise! Arise! 我ä » ¬Ã¤ ¸â€¡Ã¤ ¼â€"ä ¸â‚¬Ã¥ ¿Æ' We are millions with one heart, 冒ç â‚¬Ã¦â€¢Å'ä º ºÃ§Å¡â€žÃ§â€š ®Ã§  «Ã¥â€° Ã¨ ¿â€º Braving our enemy’s gunfire, march on! 冒ç â‚¬Ã¦â€¢Å'ä º ºÃ§Å¡â€žÃ§â€š ®Ã§  «Ã¥â€° Ã¨ ¿â€º! Braving our enemy’s gunfire, march on! å‰ Ã¨ ¿â€ºÃ¥â€° Ã¨ ¿â€ºÃ¨ ¿â€º! March on! March on! Charge!

Women in Medicine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Women in Medicine - Essay Example Those hazards vary from one environment to another, depending on the type of hazard expected in a particular place. Some of the factors include the potential occupants, type of anticipated hazard, availability of first aid kits, and proximity to a medical facility to cater for the injured women. Proper analysis and reviewing of such factors, which determine healthy and safe indoor and outdoor environments, will help determine the intervention mechanism to be used. For instance, medical officers must consider the potential occupants of given environments to facilitate the planning process. Failure to understand the occupants means that the healthcare experts might not receive any considerable change in scope due to the increasing number of injuries, which such people are likely to incur in the workplace (More 108). The other important factor is the type of hazard expected in particular environment. ... 1.2 How to Monitor and maintain Health and Safety in the Work Setting and how People are made Aware of Risks and Hazards and Encouraged to Work Safely. In monitoring and maintaining health and safety, a high standard of hygiene must be constantly checked and maintained. The care takers must ensure that the women are living under good hygienic conditions and practices, such as toileting, eating and playing in safe environments. The toilets, kitchen, dining place and playing ground must be always kept very clean and safe for the women to use. In addition, people in the work setting are made aware of risks and hazards, as well as are encouraged to work safely by training them on the ways to keep the environment clean and healthy. Equipping them with the first aid kits and knowledge to enable them swiftly respond to emergencies, accidents and incidents. In order to make people aware of risks and hazards and encouraged to work safely, they must be kept informed about the potential environ mental threats. In addition, the workers should have food hygiene certificate to certify their ability to maintain the high standards of cleanliness. This would ensure that they work safely (Markward and Yegidis 91). 1.3 CSSIW, Welfare Requirement, Early Years Foundation Stage The sources of current guidance for planning health and safe environments and services, which are in accordance with the guidelines set by the CSSIW include the following. The Women’s Act, The Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974, The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992, and The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 (Pringle 201). The

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 22

Art - Essay Example The sky is clearer on the left background than any other part of the image. This indicates that the sun is either rising or setting on that side of the image. The left side of the river is darker from the foreground to background than the right side of the river. This is because the buildings on the left side of the river cast their shadows on the right side of the river bank. The buildings are not, however, tall enough to cast their shadows up to the ground the boats are parked. There are about fifteen boats on the right side of the river, which are painted white and blue. They all reflect the dim light of the sun, while casting their shadows on the water. The boats on the foreground reflect more light than the boats far away in the background. The left side of the river bank is steeper than the right side. This is the reason why no boat is parked on the right side of the river bank. In the middle of the image, there is a river. The water is clear and very still. Part of the water that is in the foreground reflects more light than the part on the background of the image. There are trees that are standing still on both sides of the river banks. The trees are evenly distributed on both sides of the river from the foreground to the background. The sky appears darker on the foreground than the background of the image. The background of the sky is yellow in color, indicating that more sunlight is casted into the sky on the background than the fore ground. The sun is either rising or setting on the background of the paper. This is the reason why the sky on the foreground is darker as compared to the background. A tent and a building are located on the right background of the image. They are not clearly visible due to the tall trees standing between them and the river bank. The sun is on the left middle ground of the paper, and the tall trees cast their shadows directly on the building and the tent, making them less visible

E-insurance in UAE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

E-insurance in UAE - Essay Example It looks at how e-business can reshape the insurance industry in the coming years. The research attains this end by addressing the following objectives: 1. A critical examination of the essential components of e-insurance 2. An assessment of the United Arab Emirates' business and socio-cultural terrain 3. An evaluation of the chances of successful implementation of e-insurance in the UAE. The propagation of the World Wide Web (WWW) and all other communication technology has created new dynamic channels through which insurance companies can promote and sell their services. Insurers can now provide services twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week at a low cost and over broader geographical area. Besides these opportunities, this research will highlight the problems associated with e-business in insurance sectors for both the insurer and insured, e.g. privacy issues, security payments, lack of information, the level of advice needed and other issues related to electronic business. Th e researcher will use structured questionnaires to collect data and then test results to answer and understand the questions, thus evaluating the current potential of e-insurance in the UAE market. ... This is in the interests of both parties. Chapter 2 Literature review: This component of the research undertakes the definition of the key elements and aspects of the main components of the research. This include the structures of e-business and e-insurance, the Emirati society and other relevant elements needed for the successful implementation of e-insurance strategies in a given nation. 2.1 E-business Since E-business forms the framework within which e-insurance operates, there is the need to look at it in detail. 2.1.1 Defining e-business "Electronic business can be defined as the use of the internet to network and empower business process, electronic commerce, organizational communication and collaboration within company and with it customer, suppliers and other stakeholders" (Combe, 2006). In other words, it refers to the use of the Internet and other electronic system to conduct business. This enables people to conduct business over a considerably large distance and attain the same results as those who do so in a face-to-face manner. The difference between e-commerce and e-business lies in the wider range of processes that e-business applies. Authors like Chaffey (2004) state that e-commerce can best be conceived as a subset of e- business, i.e. it represents selling and buying transactions in the wider e-business world, containing other procedures and elements, such as online customer services, electronic marketing, secure payments and other processes. From another point of view though, e-commerce can be see to be a branch of e-business. Thus, whilst e-commerce is concerned with buying and selling, e-business is concerned with the integration of major business activities, like advertising, customer care and the like

Study of Service Quality Management at Hotel Casino Dissertation

Study of Service Quality Management at Hotel Casino - Dissertation Example Various models of service quality are observed for the criteria of quality assessment that identify the ways of improving the service such as through customer segmentation and targeting for customization of service and promotions, frontline employee and management training and motivation schemes, focusing on the servicescape or implementation of customer relationship management databases and systems that further help to adopt loyalty appreciation schemes. Service quality is of immense importance because high service quality leads to greater customer satisfaction, which in turn increases customer retention that helps to develop a sustainable competitive advantage in the fast growing competitive hotel casinos business. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who contributed to the successful completion of this dissertation. Specially, I would like to thank Macau's Landmark Hotel's Casino's Manager, Ms. Choy Man Yee, Casino's Supervisor, and Ms. Choy Siu Wah for t heir cooperation, support and time to provide me with the relevant details needed to accomplish the task effectively. Also, I extend sincere thanks to my course instructor whose guidance helped me to make this dissertation meaningful. I apologize, in advance, for any errors or omissions on my part in the composition of this dissertation. ... Servicescape 34 9. Customer Information 36 10. Conclusions 38 11. Recommendations 39 12. Bibliography 40 13. Appendix 44 List of Figures Figure 1: Service Quality Components†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....8 Figure 2: The SERVQUAL Model in the Hospitality Industry†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...12 Figure 3: Quality inconsistencies drawn from various literatures†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..15 Figure 4: Service Gap Model†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..16 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT In the recent years gambling tourism has been the greatest revenue generator for Macau contributing up to more than 50% of its revenue. With the boom in the gaming industry and advent of internationa l casinos in Macau particularly from Las Vegas and Australia, Macau has beaten Las Vegas in terms of revenue generation from the gaming business since 2007. Providing quality service to these customers to beat one’s competitors, in order to achieve customer loyalty has now become the major concern and a topic of hot debate for every casino’s management. The major customers for Macau’s casino businesses are from China and Hong Kong along with other international tourists. With the high rising competition among the casinos, keeping up sustainable profits and revenue, along with a reasonable market share has become a major challenge for the casino management. The only way this seems possible is by shifting from a customer attraction strategy to a more viable, profitable and easier, customer retention strategy. Customer retention i.e. holding on to loyal customers to maintain an influx of a sustainable revenue stream, is possible only by providing quality service th at beats the service offered by the competitors

U04d1 Critique Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

U04d1 Critique Case - Essay Example rtant that the boards focus on testing and challenging the various strategic options before choosing the options and stepping in blindly into the options. The reason being, the architecture of the organizations are unique in their own ways and it is essential to note that the strategy that might work on one organization may not work as effectively on other firms as well. The firms need to work towards building a successful rapport between the employees and management as well as the suppliers and management as well. Also the customers and the network of the firm need to also be constantly engaged in the firm and the related activities as well (Velasquez, 2006). As explained well by Prahlad, it is clear that the strategic architecture’s blue print needs to be discussed with complete focus on the functionalities and the inclusion of newer competencies and the improvements of the interface with the customers. Together all the aspects of the business can build up and become a success. Another important explanation by Prahlad also explains, â€Å"A core competence is a bundle of skills and technologies that enables a company to provide a particular benefit to customers† (Hamel & Prahalad, 1996). The core competencies are a gateway to the successful future and the continuous improvements of the investments and also the company growth. Hence it is very important to consider these and to work towards improving these aspects of the business as well (Mill, 1995). Also a few other questions that need to ba answered and to be considered for the case include the following. What is the foresight for the development of various external factors for the company? The main justification for this question is to realize that a successful business is one which concentrates not only on the sales and revenues but equally on the various factors that enclave it. What is the importance that is given to the governing boards on the issues of the ethical boundaries? It is important to

Study of Service Quality Management at Hotel Casino Dissertation

Study of Service Quality Management at Hotel Casino - Dissertation Example Various models of service quality are observed for the criteria of quality assessment that identify the ways of improving the service such as through customer segmentation and targeting for customization of service and promotions, frontline employee and management training and motivation schemes, focusing on the servicescape or implementation of customer relationship management databases and systems that further help to adopt loyalty appreciation schemes. Service quality is of immense importance because high service quality leads to greater customer satisfaction, which in turn increases customer retention that helps to develop a sustainable competitive advantage in the fast growing competitive hotel casinos business. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who contributed to the successful completion of this dissertation. Specially, I would like to thank Macau's Landmark Hotel's Casino's Manager, Ms. Choy Man Yee, Casino's Supervisor, and Ms. Choy Siu Wah for t heir cooperation, support and time to provide me with the relevant details needed to accomplish the task effectively. Also, I extend sincere thanks to my course instructor whose guidance helped me to make this dissertation meaningful. I apologize, in advance, for any errors or omissions on my part in the composition of this dissertation. ... Servicescape 34 9. Customer Information 36 10. Conclusions 38 11. Recommendations 39 12. Bibliography 40 13. Appendix 44 List of Figures Figure 1: Service Quality Components†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....8 Figure 2: The SERVQUAL Model in the Hospitality Industry†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...12 Figure 3: Quality inconsistencies drawn from various literatures†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..15 Figure 4: Service Gap Model†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..16 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT In the recent years gambling tourism has been the greatest revenue generator for Macau contributing up to more than 50% of its revenue. With the boom in the gaming industry and advent of internationa l casinos in Macau particularly from Las Vegas and Australia, Macau has beaten Las Vegas in terms of revenue generation from the gaming business since 2007. Providing quality service to these customers to beat one’s competitors, in order to achieve customer loyalty has now become the major concern and a topic of hot debate for every casino’s management. The major customers for Macau’s casino businesses are from China and Hong Kong along with other international tourists. With the high rising competition among the casinos, keeping up sustainable profits and revenue, along with a reasonable market share has become a major challenge for the casino management. The only way this seems possible is by shifting from a customer attraction strategy to a more viable, profitable and easier, customer retention strategy. Customer retention i.e. holding on to loyal customers to maintain an influx of a sustainable revenue stream, is possible only by providing quality service th at beats the service offered by the competitors

Unit4legal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit4legal - Essay Example The office management will be demanded to make compensate Samantha for the injury and pay for the medical bill that may be incurred. The Indiana comparative fault statute also includes the sharing of the fault that led to the injuries or losses. The office management can thus argue that Samantha should take blame for the injury by failing to be careful and because of the distraction that was caused by her two year old child. The statute states that in case the claimant causes more than 50% of the fault, no compensation will be awarded. However, in case the percentage of fault by the claimant is less than 50%, s/he will be granted the right to fair compensation from the defendant (Indianas comparative fault act 23). Moreover, the Indiana act also consider instances in which the various claimants can be considered as a single party because of their relationship (Indianas comparative fault act 26). At the same time, where the cause of the fault is attributed to a third party, the defendant can claim mitigation since s/he did not intend to cause the harm. On the contrary, full compensation will be awarded to the claimant if there is proof that the fault was intentional and that the defendant had total control on the cause and impact of the fault. The US comparative negligence also has similar provisions in case of injuries and losses that arise because of tortuous acts. In summary, the Indiana comparative fault statute lays down factors that the jury puts into consideration when awarding damages, how the proportion of faults is distributed among the parties and what determine the damages to be

People often complain about life in the U.S. Essay Example for Free

People often complain about life in the U.S. Essay People complain when most of their needs are not met. The irony of it lies when complaints are just piled up without any further insights on how to solve such problems. In the long run, complaints become a part of the lifestyle of people who are good at pointing at the loopholes most especially of the government, and of the leaders. As there would always be a reason for every action that is done, and for every result that is produced, man is also by nature never contented. Furthermore, the will to seek for the ‘best’ is always an intention to make life worth living. Power, fame, and money tops the priority of why people choose the option of fulfilling their daily agenda from dusk ‘til dawn. Although, with the exception of the few who does their work for the common people’s welfare and interest. It may also be considered a selfish ambition to seek good only for one’s self advantage and leave or ignore others behind while they struggle for the well being of everyone. From birth, the very basics of life are taught –following instructions, and that it is in the individual’s prerogative to obey, and afterwards reap the consequences of such actions. On the other hand, citizens do have their obligations and responsibilities. From simple instructions of following the rules and regulations or by becoming a â€Å"law abiding citizen† then, at least one is a big step ahead of fulfilling his obligations and responsibilities. Other concerns such as the payment of taxes for which some would dare not to are obligations that are intentionally forgotten. These are just simple, and few to mention that when taken for granted are enough reasons for making a citizen’s life fluctuate. Self-examination is important and should be carried before bursting in dismay the various injustices committed by the government and by the leaders or officials. For whatever reasons people complain about life in the U. S. is according to their own generalization and judgement on whatever situation or experiences they are basing it. On the other hand, a patriot will readily and passionately criticize his government when it is evil, corrupt, and infamous; and that refusing to do so is considered treason. It is the duty of every citizen to criticize, censure and scourge the political fiends that pretend to serve the public when those villainous brutes serve only tyranny, greed, hatred, and prejudice. In addition, complaints may have been germinated and nurtured from the compost heap of tyranny, imperialism, and international widespread liberal acts of butchery, despotism, and horror. The exposure of such a regime and its operations has become a primary duty of citizens who still believe in the Rule of Law and in the freedoms, which a country is supposed to represent. On the other hand, as a citizen who loves his country, his nation or his homeland, such complaints should be put aside and instead â€Å"take part† in the reforms that are taking place and â€Å"be a part† of whatever changes that will occur. For what would one gain complaining against the government – it only leads to further chaos and destruction that would later affect the stability of a country. Instead, an action of commitment is necessary for a change. Citizens cannot be required to take part in the political process, and they are free to express their dissatisfaction by not participating. However, without the lifeblood of citizens’ action, there can be no hope of making life much better. Teamwork is at its best when everyone participates in the fulfillment of such goals and objectives. For this reason, citizens play a very major role in the development of a country or a nation. Their â€Å"actions† speak â€Å"louder† when joined in one voice for the rehabilitation and development of their country. Most often, people are only joined on an aftermath, citing the 9/11 as an example. World leaders were heard on radio and seen on television joining against terrorism as worldwide threat to political-economic progress of every state or nation. Citizens therefore, should not take their responsibilities only as an option but as a mandate for which they should put into action and make commitments. US enjoy a government whereby the supreme power lies in the body of citizens who are entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them. In which case, election of public officials is the most visible and common form of participation for which people could exercise their genuinity as citizens. However, there are problems faced by the electorate before and during election that would stop or make them have a second thought in casting their votes. Thus, the agenda of â€Å"making life better† by taking part in the election is at stake. Needless to say, as a citizen who loves his country, taking part on a crucial endeavor is worth an honor for standing on such beliefs and life principles – taking part for the better. In other areas, opportunities in which to participate to be able to have a part in the development and rehabilitation of a country and make it a better place to live is to take advantage of joining a host of private organizations, associations, and volunteer groups. For which many of these are concerned with issues of public policy and pay close attention to public opinion, making every effort to widen their base of support as they seek simultaneously to educate the public and influence government policies. The right of individuals to associate freely and to organize themselves into different sorts of nongovernmental groups is fundamental in shaping a better society, a better environment. When people of common interest band together, their voices can be heard and their chances of influencing the political debate increases. As there are no perfect leaders and perfect government that provides and meets the demands and expectations of its citizens, there are the advantages of opportunities vested upon the people to exercise their civil rights whenever it is necessary and while maintaining public order and countering attempts that ignites violence. Every circumstance that an individual faces everyday is a part of the spices of life that one should face courageously. That with his body, mind, and his character, should consider it as strengths for further growth and development. To make life better entails a long practice of patience and humility from which one could invest and influence others to follow. History records of people who have done it, and were able to successfully pursue their agendas after a long historic battle. Furthermore, citizens have the option of either to criticize and act, or to criticize and watch how complaints get piled and returns like a boomerang that backfires. It takes time, effort and most often investing money to make a goal successful. However in the long run, it pays an action for a legacy worthy for future generations. As the world advances, and so do the expectations of every individual, of every citizen. In addition, as government leaders occupy government offices from time to time, new agenda are always sought. Accordingly, to the best interest of the people! Whosoever leads, citizens’ action makes a difference when joined with a common goal – to make life better. REFERENCES: Felkins, Leon. â€Å"How to Avoid Wasting Your Vote†. The Election. 26 May 1996. 19 http://www. spectacle. org/1096/felkins. html Kettenhofen, Colleen. â€Å"Difficult People: Dealing with Difficult People 101†. Beyond Better Communications. 19 March 2007 http://www. livingbeyondbetter. com/difficult101. html â€Å"Politics, Economicsc, and Pluralism†. USINFO. STATE. GOV. 19 March 2007 http://usinfo. state. gov/products/pubs/whatsdem/whatdm8. htm

Why Do Small Businesses Fail And How To Minimize Risk Finance Essay

Why Do Small Businesses Fail And How To Minimize Risk Finance Essay Abstract It has been suggested that the impact of potential causes of small enterprise failure might be reduced if business owners got appropriate advice. This paper reports the results of a national study of small retail and service firms to determine the failure reasons of starting a business. Much of the literature indicates that success and failure of small businesses has a lot to do with preparation of the business owner. People who establish a plan for success are usually the people that have better chances of success with their small businesses.The primary audience for this paper are people who are considering starting their own business. A review of the literature was conducted to determine reasons for business failure. The paper concludes with suggestions of how might build on these efforts. Table of Contents Introduction P.4 2.0 Hypothesis Development P.5 3.0 What is business failure? P.5 4.0 Literature review 5.0 Method 5.1 Research Design 6.0 Statement of Results 7.0 Analysis and Discussion 8.0 Conclusion 9.0. Recommendations 10.0 References P. Introduction More and more people are considering starting their own business. By opening a business there could be large profit to be made. However, there are losses may occur as well. Some peoples argued that starting a business in a field that they know well would not fail. Knowing if starting a business at all is what most small businesses fails to consider. According to an SBA Study done in 2005, About 1/3 of Small Businesses fail in the first 2 years, and just over half fail within 4 years. (as citied in Shawn, 2009). These statistics are depressing for people looking to start up a new venture. Richard (2000) claimed SMEs in successful business networks can generate up to 50% more in gross revenues than firms that work in solitude. (p.12). However, Richard (2000) concluded that the most significant reason for this high failure rate is the inability of SMEs to make adequate use of essential business and management practices. (p.12). Abdelsamad and Kindling (1978) stated that although failure s cannot be completely avoided in a free enterprise system, the failure rate could be reduced if some of its causes are recognized and preventive action is taken. (p.24). It is important that small business owners evaluate if they are compatible with entrepreneurship in order to prevent from being part of the failure statistics. Most of the studies on business failure have been elaborated into a predictive perspective. Those business failure prediction literatures mainly analyses statistical models that tend to determine. Moreover, the predictive literature has strong limitations and it provides few clues as to why and how business failure takes place. In fact, predictive studies propose a classification of firms in a default and credit risk management perspective without giving any concrete information about the potential causes of their failure. With tough economic conditions, knowing the reasons business fail and how to avoid failure can increase your chances of success. The results of this study will benefit entrepreneurs to understand the factors of failure involved in new venture startup, to help entrepreneurs to balance between expectation and reality in the process of starting the businesses. The aim is to let business owners know more about preventive measures to avoid such failure and improve chances of success with good preparation and planning and insight. A brief literature review is presented in the next section, followed by the description of the sample and methodology, results and implications, and finally the summary and conclusions. Hypothesis Development People keen on starting a small business sometimes forget about the managerial and entrepreneurial skills necessary to run a business. According to Steiner and Solem (1988), key success factors in small manufacturing businesses would include an owner/manager with experience in the business or prior experience; adequate financial resources; a competitive advantage based upon customer and product specialization; and strategic planning.(p.5). (as citied in Linda Shonesy Robert D. Gulbro ,1998).When going to start a successful small business, you are required to have expertise in business planning, financial management, marketing, human resources management etc. Business knowledge should be on the top of any requirements for small business success. If you dont know anything about the products, how can you sell the products to customer? You can acquire this knowledge through trial and error when starting a small business, but you will probably have to declare bankruptcy before you learn them all. My theory is that lack of entrepreneurial skill is the main reasons of small business fail. Many people think the business would not be failed if resources provided, such as capital and manpower. Of course, financial management and business planning are also absolute necessities for being a successful entrepreneur. Certainly, you are unable to satisfy customers without these skills. In brief, the question is, however: is entrepreneurial skill the most important factor to prevent business failure? What do we mean by Small Business? Every country has own definition of small business. Some of them defined for different business sectors or industries, while some determined by number of employees. Typically, definitions are based on the number of people employed. For example the traditional definition in Germany had a limit of 500 employees, while in Belgium for 100. In the United States, small business is defined by the number of people employed and it refers to less than 100 employees. There are lots of different definitions of small and medium sized firms. In the recent literature, there is nevertheless a large tendency to differentiate between micro, small and medium size firms. Medium sized firms have a structure and an organization that tend to be closer to the ones of large firms and as the impact of human and psychological factors is less important in these firms than in smaller one. This research is based on the definition of small businesses adopted by the European Commissions definition (2003). Table 1 summarizes the criteria which delineate small business. Enterprise category Headcount Turnover or Balance sheet total medium-sized à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 50 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 43 million small à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 10 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 10 million micro à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 2 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 2 million Table 1: Definition of Small and Medium sized Enterprises (European Commission, 2003) Definition of Business failure We have to consider the meaning of the business failure concept during the research. Some researchers defined their meaning of failure as bankruptcy, while some researchers defined as discontinuance of a business for any reason. The concept of business failure has been differently defined according to the context and the characteristics of the sample of firms. Business entity does not follow the rules and achieves the goals set forth in their business firm, as a result, earning an adequate return and may caused discontinue existence. Business firm stops working due to retirement or businesses are sold for a profit without leaving any liabilities are not classified as a failure. According to Bruno Leidecker (2001), no two experts agree on a definition of business failure. Some conclude that failure only occurs when a firm files for some form of bankruptcy. Others contend that there are numerous forms of organizational death, including bankruptcy, merger, or acquisition. Still others argue that failure occurs if the firm fails to meet its responsibilities to the stakeholders of the organization, including employees, suppliers, the community as a whole, and customers, as well as the owners. (p.51-52).In this paper, business failure is considered as incapability of business firm to maintain due to loss of capital. Literature review There are many studies to better understand business failure. However, according to Gaskill, Van Auken and Manning (1993), there are many questions still to be resolved and warrant additional explorationprevious studies do not provide a comprehensive or unified explanation for small firm failure.(p.10) (as citied in Robert, 1996). Why some businesses fail and why some succeed is a matter of debate, although there are some common mistakes that can sink a business in no time. One key area that small business owners often overlook is the importance of planning. Dennis (2001) found that management skills could ensure that small and medium sized enterprises are better prepared to compete in domestic and international (p.52). It is required to know what kinds of planning you should do before starting the small business. It includes unplanned financial management and unplanned marketing research. The results of failure are many; however, no one is concerned on it. Therefore, the researchs p urpose is to discuss the significant reason of why small business failure. Poor Business Planning Small businesses often face variety of problems according to their size. Research indicates that poor planning is responsible for most business failures. Doug  Ã‚  Derek (2006) found that the single largest barrier to succession can be identified as those who do not have a succession plan.(p.308). People work hard to turn small businesses into successful enterprises. However, they have no plan for what will be happened to their business. Cause of bankruptcy often a result of poor planning rather than economic conditions.Most of the business owners who do not have succession plan indicated that it is too early to plan. However, Doug  Ã‚  Derek  (2006) found that professional advisers indicated it is never too early to start planning. (p.308). In contrast, it is a barrier to overcome if succession occurs over a short period of time. It is inadequate time for the business owner to plan and execute. Another reason why small businesses fail is poor planning of both finances and future growth. According to the Small Business Administration and the US Department of Commerces statistic, businesses that fail because their principals cannot, or do not, use financial information appropriately. (as citied in Brian, 2003).Some business owners often lack of the necessary start up funds and cannot come up with adequate financing. Business owners have to arrange adequate money on hand to cover all your financial needs of the business before starting their small business. Also, it is required to calculate how much money needs to carry out daily living expenses and how much money is required to run your business. Furthermore, some of them have no cash and expect either a bank to provide financing. They wrongly assume the banks will provide them with financing based only on their good ideas. But in most instances, the banks would not take into consideration as it reflects poorly the persons ability to manage finances if has no cash. And also, owners cannot ignore the demands of new ven ture. Many business owners do not know what they need to know and lack of the capital to hire experienced business advisors. Poor Financial Management Small business financial management is a vital aspect of growing a company. According to Mark H. Friedman, founder of Real Time Strategy, Small-business owners live and die for cash flow. (as citied in Nancy , 2006). The most important thing is the monitoring of working capital. This includes accounts receivables, accounts payable and especially cash on hand. Once lack of adequate working capital would affects the particular business. When business is going really well with cash coming in, small business owners tend not to prepare for the next round of business. And cash flow problem occur. Cash flow is a basic measure of a firms ability to maintain sufficient funding to pay off its current liabilities. The owner should know companys bottom line and make good decisions. They should take control of finances by coming up with a budget before purchasing or investing. In order to avoid overspending and hence invest effectively, small business owner should stabilize their cash flow. With this approach can ease a cash crunch, it also can increase the value of the business. Most business owners raise capital from banks. However, Daniel   Richard (2005) found that early stage capital is often the most difficult to raise. (p.64). In fact, it is difficult to raise the capital required in order to properly launch and sustain a business. It will be high cost even if the capital is available. It is crucial for a new business to maintain sufficient resources especially the capital because without proper financing, a new enterprise may find it difficult to compete with competition. The owners have to know how banks approves loan before submitting an application. Financial advisors can help in this situation. gd Lack of Entrepreneurial Skills Most of the peoples think that all it takes to run a business is money. That is not true. You could be an excellent salesperson but lack the skills to handle the seemingly mundane day-to-day skills needed to keep a business running. Entrepreneurs wont make money if cant sell products. Mostly during the startup phase of a new business, lack of entrepreneurial skills in an owner can cause a business to fail. This may not be true during the later growth and maturity periods of business where more administrative and management skills are required. A small firms performance outcome is a function of many variables, including individual owner characteristics, owner behaviors, and environmental influences. Entrepreneurs generally have a high need for achievement and social awareness, and they are high risk takers. Consequently, the personal and personality characteristics of an owner can be a cause of business failure. 5.0 Methodology Subjects 5.1 Research Design Data and Sample Instruments Procedure Data Collection 6.0 Statement of Results 7.0 Analysis and Discussion 8.0 Conclusion 9.0. Recommendations