The Industry Structure & The Behavior of Firms in the PC Industry

In this paper I will discuss the industry structure and the behavior of firms in the Personal Computer Industry. The personal computer industry has five leaders: Compaq Computer Corporation (CCC), Dell Computer Corporation, International Business Machines (IBM), Hewlett-Packard, and Gateway, (Industry Survey, Apr. 2000). The PC industry, as discussed in the paper, is comprised only of home/business use machines, not mainframes, databases, or any kind of servers or super-computers. The PC industry is a fast-growing, consumer-based oligopoly. I will prove the latter through the use of industry characteristics and firm behaviors by giving an overview of each leading firm and their behaviors†, then by combining them into an industry analysis. The companies will be addressed from top leader to bottom. Compaq Computer Corporation,(CCC) is the current industry leader. CCC boasts a 1999 market share of 12. 8%. However, this figure has declined slightly from its 1998 share of 13. 4%. The dip is due to Dell Computer Corp. â€Å"s heavy presence in the small PC market, (Industry Survey, Apr. 2000). Compaq has a wide range of PC products from smaller, less expensive machines to more costly, high-tech systems. CCC has been most successful with their smaller machines, targeted to the home/family segment, because they are able to sell large quantities. However, Compaq has been unsuccessful in retaining customers because most of them were pleased with their smaller machines and did not upgrade to CCC†s more expensive, high-tech systems,(Hamblen 1-2). Customer retention has been a problem for the forty billion-dollar company, (Hamblen 1-2). It is my assessment that Compaq does still remain the leader because their products are very easy to buy for the uneducated consumer. You may simply walk into the WIZ or BEST BUY and there are five or so Compaq machines all competitively priced with a good range of attributes, usually not the best that a veteran user would require. For instance CCC†s newest product, the iPac, is a very simple-to-use, inexpensive machine. It is supposed to satisfy business workers† needs for a useful computer at low cost,(Wildstrom 1-2). Another problem in CCC†s not-to-distant future is their distribution costs. With the use of the Internet, competitors have been able to reduce and even eliminate distribution costs. To follow suit Compaq plans to increase direct sales in the future, according to Micheal Capellas, CEO (Hamblen 4). The future for CCC is quite hazy. Despite the sales numbers and the heavy bottom line, CCC†s stock price has sat down in the low $30†³s,(Hamblen 1). Competition is increasing daily and Compaq needs to distinguish itself in the marketplace. They†ve already experienced a decline in markets share, only they can change their fate. Dell Computer Corporation, the second leading computer manufacturer, began by selling PC†s directly to consumers. Their first customers ordered over the phone and Wold Wide Web. To this day Dell still has no brick and mortar retailers and does not distribute its product to resellers. In the business to business market Dell has excelled, but until recently, the profitable company was not so profitable in the home-user segment,(Industry Survey, Apr. 2000). The company†s new strategy, to gain market share, has proven very effective. Dell now posts a 62% gain in world wide PC shipments and a 2. 6 share-point gain from 8. 2% in `98 to 10. 8% in `99,(Industry Survey, Apr. 2000). Recently Dell†s presence has been felt in the growing PC market. This has forced competitors to be very careful about pricing in this highly elastic industry. Dell†s profitability is also notable, since it has minimal distribution costs and does very little advertising Dell is extremely profitable. However, rough times may be on the horizon for Dell. Analysts are worried because profit growth projections were cut at least 10% by CFO Thomas Meredith, who declared he is only trying to set more realistic goals and that the company will still post growth, (Burrows 1-2). Recently Dell has made some key moves that should boost revenues including beefing-up its web site and a joint venture with Internet giant AOL, (Money 1-2). Dell Computer Corporation is still a major player in the PC industry and will continue to be in the future. Unlike Dell and Compaq, IBM has not had extreme success in the PC market. It is known that leaders at IBM never believed that the PC would be an important device and that only a small portion of the population would ever own a PC. Obviously, they were very wrong. IBM has not done a bad job catching up to the pack, though; it now has the number-three market share of 7. 6%, (Industry Survey, Apr. 2000). IBM plans some new strategies after its low ranking in the PC market. This new strategy is to end all retail selling and go completely direct, IBM plans to sell its Aptiva system exclusively over the Internet in the near future, (Industry Survey, Apr. 000). This will lower costs and possibly increase the bottom line for the computer giant. Like IBM, Hewlett-Packard made one mistake and cost itself billions of dollars in revenues. HP is a large electronics conglomerate. HP manufactures everything from calculators to top-secret government appliances. For HP the PC market is one of many. Originally Hewlett-Packard was the standard in computer electronics; however, this is not reality today. HP†s reputation declined through the `80s and early `90s because of poor quality management. To regain the respect they had lost the marketing and engineering departments at HP worked their fingers to the bone to create a new image for the company. This was very effective; today HP owns a modest 6. 2% of the PC market and a very healthy reputation for quality PC†s and peripherals, (Industry Survey, Apr. 2000). HP has had some growth in the past few years but has failed to match the industry growth rates. The company†s years of poor quality put a considerable hurt on their future growth; while HP was busy filling in the hole it dug for itself, industry leaders like Compaq and Dell were basking in their success.

Legal Notes

What is Contract? Contract is an agreement with specific terms between two or more persons or entities in which there is a promise to do something in return for a valuable benefit known as contract. Since the law of contracts is at the heart of most business dealings. There are two important elements in Agreeement of Contracts, i. e. 1) A proposal or an offer 2) An acceptance of that proposal or offer Essential Elements of a Valid Contract:- a) Agreement: – A negotiated and usually legally enforceable understanding between two or more parties.Although a binding contract can result from an agreement, an agreement typically documents the give-and-take of a negotiated settlement and a contract specifies the minimum acceptable standard of performance. b) Intention to create legal relationship: – One of the essential elements in the creation of a binding contract, this intention is implied by the fact that it is not expressly denied. Intention to bind the other party with th e involved legal obligations. ) Free and genuine contract:-Two parties must give their Free and genuine contract to the term of agreement. Such consent should not obtain one or more of following manners i. e. I. By coercion II. By undue influence III. By fraud IV. By misrepresentation V. By mistake If the consent would be proved to have been obtained in one or more of the aforementioned manner, such contract automatically declared as voidable contract. d) Lawful consideration:- Consideration is an essential element for the formation of a contract.It may consist of a promise to perform a desired act or a promise to refrain from doing an act that one is legally entitled to do. In a bilateral contract—an agreement by which both parties exchange mutual promises—each promise is regarded as sufficient consideration for the other. In a unilateral contract, an agreement by which one party makes a promise in exchange for the other's performance, the performance is consideration for the promise, while the promise is consideration for the performance. Consideration must have a value that can be objectively determined.Example:- To make a gift or a promise of love or affection is not enforceable because of the subjective nature of the promise. e) Lawful object: – Courts will not enforce contracts that are illegal or violate public policy. Such contracts are considered void. For example, a gambling contract would be illegal in many states. f) Agreements not declared void or illegal:- The sagreement should be such Which have not been expressly declared as illegal or void by any law of the land. Such agreement would naturally be not enforceable by law just for this single reason. ) Necessary legal formalities: – legal formalities are the legal obligations which are to be performed or fulfill by each and every organization by performing legal formality a unique image of organization is created in the mind of employees and other stake holders. Who ar e competent to contract? Every person is competent to contract who is of the age of majority according to the law to which he is subject, and who is of sound mind, and is not disqualified from contracting by any law to which he is subject, following person disqualified into valid agreement or contract: a) Minors ) Mentally incompetent person and c) Person who are declared incompetent through their status. MINORS Section 3 of Indian Majority 1875,a minor is a person who has not completed 18years of age. But then in the following specific cases, a minor is said to attain the majority on the completion of his 21 years of age ,instead : 1. Where a guardian of minor’s person or property is appointed under the guardians and wards act ,1890. 2. Where a court of wards assumes the superintendence of the minor’s property. For example : * If A is born in India on the 1st January 1850, and has an Indian domicile .B guardian of A is appointed by court of justice. A attains majority at the the first day of January 1871. (21 years) * If A is born in India on the 29th February 1852,and has an Indian domicile. B guardian A’s property is appointed by a court of justice. A majority at the first moment of the 28th day of February 1873. (21years) * A is born on the first day of January 1850. He acquires a domicile in India . No guardian is appointed of his person or property by any court of justice, nor is he under the jurisdication of any court of wards.A attains majority at the first moment of the day of januray ,1868. (18 years) Under the English law, a contract by a minor is not void, but only voidable , at the option of the minor only, though only under certain exceptional circumstances. Under the Indian law a contact with or by minor is void, and not just voidable. As noted above a minor is not competent to contract. One question which arises in case of an agreement by a minor is, whether the agreement is void or voidable? The Indian contract Act does no t have any provision to answer this question.In the absence of any statutory provision there had been controversy on this point. The controversy was set at rest by the decision of the Privy Council, in the case of Mohori Bibee Vs. Dharmodas Ghose in 1903. It was held that the agreement made by a minor is void.. Point 1 CASE LAW 1: Mohiri Bibi vs Dharmodas Ghose * The plaintiff, Dharmodas Ghose, while he was a minor, mortgaged his property in favour of the defendant, Brahmo Dutt, who was a moneylender to secure a loan of Rs. 20,000. The actual amount of loan given was less than Rs. 0,000. At the time of the transaction the lawyer, who acted on behalf of the money lender, had the knowledge that the plaintiff is a minor. * The plaintiff(Dharmodas) brought an action against the defendant stating that he was a minor when the mortgage was executed by him and, therefore, mortgage was void and inoperative and the same should be cancelled. By the time of Appeal to the Privy Council the defen dant, Brahmo Dutt died and the Appeal was prosecuted by his executors(Mohiri bibi) . The Defendant, amongst other points, contended that the plaintiff had fraudulently misrepresented his age and therefore no relief should be given to him, and that, if mortgage is cancelled as requested by the plaintiff, the plaintiff should be asked to repay the sum of Rs. 10,500 advanced to him. The decision of the Privy Council on the various points raised by the defendant was as follows : * The defendant’s argument that the minor had falsely mis-stated his age, the law of estoppels should apply against him and he should not be allowed to contend that he was a minor, was considered.The Privy Council found that the fact that the plaintiff was a minor at the time making of the agreement was known to the defendant’s agent. It was held that the law of estoppel as stated in Section 115, Indian Evidence Act, was not applicable to the present case, where the statement (about age) is made to a person who knows the real facts and is not misled by the untrue statement. * Another contention of the defendant was that, if the plaintiff’s claim to order the cancellation of the mortgage is allowed, the plaintiff should be asked to refund the loan taken by him, according to Section 64 and 65, Indian contract Act.Judgement according session Section 64 of the Indian Contract Act reads as under : â€Å"When a person at whose option a contract is voidable rescinds it, the other party there to need not perform any promise there in contained of which he is promisor. The party rescinding a voidable contract shall, if he received any benefit there under from another party to such contract, restore such benefit, so far as may be, to the person from whom it was received. Their Lordships observed that Section 64 was applicable to the case of a voidable contract. Minor’s agreement being void, Section 64 was not applicable to the case and therefore the minor could not ask to pay the amount under this section. If a minor has happened to receive some benefits under a void contract , he cannot be asked to return or refund such benefits. A minor can be a promise or a beneficiary:- According to Indian law , a minor can’t behind himself by a contract.A minor may not create a valid mortgage (credit) ,to execute an enforceable promissory note, and also he not incapable of being mortgagee of a property that means minor is entitled to all the benefits available to him, under the contract Ratification of an agreement a minor after attaining majority is void and invaid. The reasons for the rule that a minor cannot ratify an agreement after attaining majority are * An agreement entered into by a minor is void ab initio. A minor cannot ratify an agreement on attaining the age of majority to validate the same as there is no valid agreement/contract to ratify.Ratification is always treated as validation of previous authority/concerned party and dates back to th e date of actual agreement and so a contract/agreement which was then void cannot be made valid by subsequent ratification. The minor on attaining majority can enter into a fresh agreement but the earlier amount/asset cannot be treated as consideration for the new agreement. * Also when the agreement was entered into during the minority there was no ‘proper consideration’ as the contract was void and this amount becomes ‘bad consideration’ for new agreement and is not enough for validating that agreement by its ratification. â€Å"Under section 11 a minor is not competent to contract he is disqualified from contracting. He can therefore neither make a valid proposal nor make a valid acceptance as defined in section-2, clause (a) and (b). He cannot, therefore, for the purposes of this Act be strictly called a promisor within the meaning of clause(c) nor can therefore anything done by the promise be strictly called a consideration at the desire of a promisor as contemplated by clause (d). It may, therefore, be urged that an argument by a minor cannot be strictly as being for â€Å"consideration’.If the part of the benefit was received by a person during his minority and the other part after attaining the age of majority, a promise by him after attaining majority to pay an amount in respect of both the benefits is enforceable, as that constitutes a valid consideration for the promise. A minor cannot even enter into a contract through guardian or any other agent because it is void contract and the same is not capable of ratification by a minor, on his attaining majority. Ratification in law is treated as equivalent to a previous authority, and it follows that as a general rule, a person or body of persons, not competent to authorize an act can’t give validity after ratifying it. CASE LAW 2: Madras High Court Indran Ramaswami Pandia Thalavar vs Anthappa Chettiar And Others. on 14 March, 1906. In this case, a minor gave a pr omissory note for borrowing an amount of Rs. 2500 in 1895 and in 1898 after attaining majority he gave another promissory note ratifying the previous loan.But the court clearly declined the argument that though the first agreement was done by a minor, it was done on the â€Å"desire off the promisor† citing above two reasons. A Minor can take the plea of being a minor Case Law -Leslie Vs Sheill The Events in the Case Sheill, a minor , fraudently misrepresented himself as a major and borrowed 400 pound sterling from Leslie. Actually Sheill was a minor at the material time ie at the time of borrowing the money.Sheill then spent the borrowed money and did not repay the loan. Leslie filed a suit against him claiming the following: Leslie’s claims 1. Recovery of the loan amount 2. Damages for the fraudulent misrepresentation( ie for the tort of deceit) The Verdict The court held that Leslie cannot recover the amount given to Sheill and also cannot claim damages under the La w of Tort. The justification for the verdict 1. A contract with a minor is void ab initio meaning it is void from the beginning.Hence even though the minor had misrepresented his age, the court cannot ask the minor to give the money back to Leslie as doing so would mean that the court is enforcing a void contract, which is not enforceable by law. Hence Leslie could not recover his money back. 2. Sheill has committed a tort( an action that harms another person, in this case it is Leslie). Law of Tort allows the aggrieved party to claim damages. But here the minor, Sheill is not bound by contract to borrow money or even for other purposes. Hence even damages cannot be claimed as the contract is void ab initio.Another Remark If Sheill had not spent the money, he cannot be asked to refund the money back. This is as per Section 30 and 33 of the Specific Relief Act, 1963. Section 30 of Specific Relief Act Court may require parties rescinding to do equity. – On adjudging the resciss ion of a contract, the court may require the party to whom such relief is granted to restore, so far as may be, any benefit which he may have received from the other party and to make any compensation to him which justice may require. Section 33 of Specific Relief ActWhere a defendant successfully resists any suit on the ground- (a)  that the instrument sought to be enforced against him in the suit is voidable, the court may if the defendant has received any benefit under the instrument from the other party, require him to restore, so far as may be, such benefit to that party or to make compensation for it; (b)  that the agreement sought to be enforced against him in the suit is void by reason of his not having been competent to contract under section 11 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872 (9 of 1872 ), the court may, if the defendant has received any benefit under the agreement from the other party, require him to restore, so far as may be, such benefit to that party, to the exten t to which he or his estate has benefited thereby. Source: http://www. indiankanoon. org/doc/172614/ Example Say there is a Minor M and two other persons N and O. M fraudulently misrepresents himself as a major at the time of contract and borrows money from N by mortgaging his property. He later sold the property by fraud to O.N then cancels both the agreements. Both the contracts are void ab initio. It was judged that M has to compensate both O and N as they both were not aware of the fact that M had fraudulently misrepresented them at the time of contract. Other points A minor can’t become a partner in any partnership firm:- under Section 30 of the partnership Act , 1932. The estate of a minor is liable to a person who supplies necessaries of his life to him. The guardians and parents of a minor are not liable to a creditors of a minor , for any breach of contract by a minor , even for the supply of the necessaries , or otherwise. A minor can , however , act as an agent.Con tracts by the Persons of Mental Incompetence Definition and Understanding The term Incompetence habitually means â€Å"The lack of ability, knowledge, legal qualification, or fitness to discharge a required duty or professional obligation† and consequently Mental Incompetence refers to that populace who are diagnosed as being mentally ill, senile, drunken state, delirium under the influence of high fever or suffering from some other debility that prevents them from managing his own affairs Such people may be accredited mentally incompetent by a court of law for which as a rule a guardian is appointed to handle the person's property and personal affairs.In order to be competent to a contract, a person should be of sound mind where the soundness of mind of a person depends on the following two factors: * His ability to understand the terms of a contract, and * His capability to form a rational judgment as to its effect upon his interest Henceforth, Section 11 and 12 specificall y articulates that â€Å"A person is said to be of sound mind for the purpose of making a contract, if at the time when he makes it, he is capable of understanding it and of forming a rational judgment to its effect upon his interests† * An individual who experiences from insanity at intervals can enter into a contract, when he is of sound mind * An individual who endures from insanity occasionally cannot enter into a contract, when he is of unsound mind Case Law 3:Civil Appeal Nos – 1619-1620 of 2001 Legal Terms Used * Appellant – An individual who, discontented with the judgment delivered and decided in a lower court or the findings from a proceeding asks a superior court to review the decision * Respondent – The revelry against whom an appeal or motion, an application for a court order, is instituted and who is obligatory to answer in order to protect his or her interests Details Citation : Supreme Court of India Appellants : Chacko and Anr. Responden t : Mahadevan Hon'ble Judges : A. K. Mathur and Markandey Katju, JJ. | Case DescriptionThe case essentially is of the civil nature dealing with the Sale of Property and the execution of aforementioned sale endeavor. Fundamentally the sale was challenged as being null and void, the circumstances being the appellant – Chacko and Anr. alleging that he was made to carry out the deed by acting under the influence of liquor by the respondent – Mahadevan and was not in a fit state of mind and hence confronting the sale of assets as illogical and annulled At the outset an injunction was sought against the respondent and anon a series of cross suits by both parties to the case were filed. As the trial court detained that the appellants failed to prove the accusations allowing the ensemble of the respondent.Shortly the appellant stimulated appeal before the first appellate court where the order primarily in favor of the respondent was now overturned in favor of the appellant as the fact that one cent land was sold for Rs. 18000 vide Ext. A2 (sale deed dated 4. 9. 1982) and three cent land was sold vide Ext. A3 (sale deed dated 11. 7. 1983) for a sum of Rs. 1000, showing an unconscionable and irrational transaction This lead to an infuriated respondent, bestowing a second appeal before the high court of Kerala on account of the indicted verdict against the judgment of the First Appellate Court and its findings of fact. The Findings of Fact include the â€Å"Unsound state of mind† of appellant established by medical certificate for Alcoholic Psychosis summiting to the well known Latin maxim â€Å"res ipsa loquitur† i. e. the matter speaks for itselfThe Rationale for the Final Decision â€Å"Transaction on the basis of documents executed when not in a robust state of mind† â€Å"The Court cannot interfere with the unyielding findings of fact as the medical certificate for Alcoholic Psychosis submitted for of the first Appellate Court and is restricted only to questions of law. † Judgment The second appeal signified that Chacko sold the land by sale deed dated 11. 7. 1983 when he was not of sound mind and some swindle was played on him at that time by Mahadevan with the court testifying that the Court cannot interfere with the findings of fact of the first Appellate Court, and is confined only to the questions of law.The deal was quashed by the court and in favor of the appellant Chacko dismissing Mahadevan’s plea Incompetence Through Status: Incompetence to contract may arise under various situations, like 1. From Political status 2. From corporate status 3. From Legal Status 4. From Marital status Examples 1. Pertaining to Political Status * An Alien Enemy cannot enter into a contract with an Indian during the period of war. If Pakistan is in war with India then no Pakistani can enter a contract with Indians during the period of war. But if they have entered into a contract already then the contract m ay be dissolved or suspended till the war is over. The contracts that are against public policy and that will benefit the enemy will stand dissolved.Other contracts will be suspended provided that they have not been rendered time barred under Indian Limitation Act. * Alien Friend: An Indian can enter into a contract with citizen of other foreign country which is not at war with India. 2. Pertaining to Corporate Status According to 1856 companies act, a company cannot enter into a contract against Memorandum of Association. 3. Pertaining to Legal Status Person declared insolvent are not considered to enter into a contract till such time they are able to get a certificate of discharge from insolvency. 4. Pertaining to Marital Status A married woman has full ability and competence to enter into a valid contract . She can sue and even be sued against, in her own name.

Catholic Liturgy

It belongs to the Baptized. Therefore, as worship that includes sacrifice, the liturgy is necessarily a priestly act. As such, it is an exercise of both the baptismal priesthood and the ministerial priesthood – it always involves â€Å"spiritual sacrifice. †Ã‚   Next, within worship it necessary to have signs that signify what they effect – that is, the sanctification of man. The liturgy always involves these sensible realities that represent and effect something else. This means that within the context of liturgy those signs that are used must signify what they effect: i. . the bread and wine signifying and becoming the nourishing and enriching body and blood of Christ. There should be no superfluous signs in the liturgy (i. e. liturgical ministers dressed up as clowns). In this way then, the participants are living sacraments in themselves because they are representing the Bride of Christ offered up to the bridegroom for the salvation of souls. Third, it must be remembered that liturgy is something that is constantly going on in heaven. It is something, here on earth, that is entered into. The assembly gathered does not â€Å"start† liturgy properly speaking, rather they enter into and go forth from (exitus et reditus). Lastly, the liturgy belongs to the baptized as they alone belong to the priesthood of Jesus Christ. It is only those who have been made priests through the waters of Baptism that are in fact in common union with the Church as She exists throughout all time. The liturgy as an act of public worship is the passing over of all that God revealed about Salvation. It is that which fulfills the Old Testament worship. It always has to do with an action that is salvific. The liturgy, as an effect, brings the people together in order to praise God, enables them to participate in â€Å"the sacrifice†, and eat the Lord’s Supper. The Liturgy is always bringing humanity and all creation back into Christ. gt;gt;I hope you enjoyed this quick reflection on the Liturgy. Please feel free to share your comments below. It is my hope and prayer that this site will become a forum of discussion about how we as Catholics can rediscover the nature and beauty of worship amp; liturgy. lt;lt;

International Marketing Class Reflection Paper Essay

International Marketing Class Reflection Paper - Essay Example This course allows the students to attain insight into the different cultural patterns, the habits and values of different nations and societies. Probably this is one of the best courses that I have taken so far. By delving into the culture, history, religion, geography and the prevailing law of a nation, it is possible to relate food habits to global business and global marketing. The grading system adopted by my instructor has also enriched me. First and foremost, the instructor conveys that one must be precise with facts and figures – no assumptions and no estimations! This implies one must learn to be accurate with information. I have often used the, which the instructor has changed to this (page 1) which teaches one to be specific. No general statements, says the instructor when I mention that Singaporeans eat often†¦or food preferences of different ethnic groups. Not only with information, the instructor, also insists on perfection in the use of language and grammar. In formal essays and papers, the use of informal language like â€Å"†¦gave the rice dishes the thumbs-up† is not permitted. I have also made mistakes in the use of tenses. Thirdly, since this is a paper for International marketing, and the purpose is to understand the international culture and traditions that affect the marketing process, the instructor is teaching us to get into finer details about the traditions and culture. For instance, on page two, I have just mentioned that ‘†¦the dough is kneaded in the traditional Singaporean way†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This is incomplete and the instructor wants us to explain what that traditional way is. Again, explanation is demanded of why three sides are required! Once again, go deep into details, says the instructor! The whole idea is to develop the market on logical reasoning. Even when I have the details, I am unable to express it the right way. I have demonstrated that I can go into details, when I mention about the

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

Critics - Essay Example n find the character of Gregor Samsa going through the process of metamorphosis, changing shapes and finally reaching final stage that is death in his case. The setting of the story is Gregor’s Samsa’s room as we can find the narrator discussing this room in depth where Gregor Samsa moves around the whole day. Gregor Samsa takes the shape of an insect due to which, his family and associates start staying away from him and feel unpleasant about his presence. He changes his appearance from being a human to an insect that is disagreeable for all due to which, he got alienated. It is Gregor’s Samsa’s room where he alienates himself from the rest of the world. In fact, he was already isolated when he was a human being and after being an insect, his isolation and loneliness intensified. This can also be a sign of an alienated society in which, no one has any association to any one and no one is interested in any other person. Lastly, the transformed state of Gregor Samsa, that is being an insect can be a symbol of his alienation that he already felt and near death, he started to take refuge of his own room and people started showing less interest in him as he was of no use for anyone. He knew this fact that because of his ailment, people will start considering him a burden so he shut himself down in his

Sontag believes movies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sontag believes movies - Essay Example Typically, since movies are created to depict a dynamic narrative of life under a rare perspective with striking parallels to the circumstances of reality, the watcher becomes gradually kidnapped by such an essence that occurs to fulfill the movie’s objective of getting the viewer seek profound relevance. As the movie serves a vehicle that takes one to reflect with vivid imagination and pertinent emotion at depth, the act of kidnapping, as Sontag puts it to be the principal role assumed by the film, is sustained. On the other hand, Norma’s observation that movies lost art during the arrival of the talkies in the late 1920s tends to signify reference to the aesthetic value of a motion picture. At a time, people sought inspiration from the fast-paced scenes with basic tale-like themes and muted dialogues that captivated illusions so that movie, as an art piece, seemed at that period governed by an ideal rather than real or factual principle of transporting the audience in a journey of pure heroic sentiments. Losing art though does not appear to wholly pertain to depriving the film of the essence of beauty found in its fictitious elements of presentation during transition to a decade in which the incorporation of sound would add prominence to the acts in virtual display. Both Desmond and Sontag necessitated making such judgment to indicate a change toward revolution and the loss of traditional craft is just a single aspect that needed occurrence to permit innovation or a new concept and approach.

Noble Cause and the Mean-Ends Dilemma Research Paper

Noble Cause and the Mean-Ends Dilemma - Research Paper Example In this case a police officer would have to choose for example between giving a warning to a criminal who may end up repeating the act or arresting them with the first crime hence preventing the second. Many crimes are committed in the name of noble-cause corruption by the police some violating a citizen’s civil rights. An example is when police believe a suspect committed a crime but due to lack of enough evidence they conjure up their own additional evidence to have it their way. As much as it is a useful method in protecting the victims, in most cases it ends up being unfair to the suspect who could be innocent. As the new police chief to a corrupt police department, I shall endeavor to deal with the corruption right from its roots. It is easy for police to justify their acts in the name of noble-cause corruption when in the real sense it is simply personal bias that guides them. In the case of racial profiling by the department’s officers, it shall be ensured that all races are represented in equal proportions. There shall be as many Latino officers as Hispanics, as many Blacks as Caucasians. This does away with the stereotypes that are ingrained in the corrupt and racist officers (Pollock, 2011). By close interaction, White officers shall become aware of the fact that Latino or Black citizens are human beings like themselves. Discrimination that is based on sex shall be dealt with by gender balance. This shall see to the fair treatment of female suspects by male officers and male suspects by female officers. Since it is the females that suffer most atrocities, severe punishment shall be issued to male officers who also mishandle their female counterparts. It is not a surprise that there are officers who leak information to drug cartels and criminal gangs. These moles ensure that efforts by officers to arrest the criminals are mostly frustrated. Such officers shall be carefully sought and weeded out

Intro to businees Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Intro to businees - Essay Example The taxes collected by government from businesses are used to finance public projects and social programs. Businesses also contribute to the well being of a society through their social corporate responsibility programs. Corporate social responsibility (CRS) is about how companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on the members of a society (Baker, 2004). The philanthropic initiatives of businesses are important for the economy because they directly help the social class that is in greater need in our country which is the poor people of the nation. Businesses are also important to the economy because they manufacture and create products that people need and desire. For instance the activities of businesses create the food supply people consume on a daily basis. The activity of businesses also impacts the world trade of products between different countries across the world. Profit and non profit organizations play some similar and other different rol es in the economy. Both types of organizations help provide the economy with jobs for the people. The non-profit sector is composed of the private non-profit organizations and the government. Profit organizations are the main contributors of tax revenue for the government. The goal of these businesses is to maximize shareholders wealth, while the goal of non-profit organizations is to provide free services to help social causes in a community. Non-profit organizations such as the Red Cross assist society whenever there is a disaster and there are constantly collecting blood from donors to help sick people. Often profit organizations donate money to non-profit organizations because these organizations are more adept at using money more effectively to help poor people. For example a $45 donation to the non-profit organization Feed The Children enables the entity to purchase $225 of food and other essential items. A major difference between profit and non-profit organizations is that b usinesses operate in order to maximize their profit, while non-profit organizations operate on a zero sum budget which means that any money they collect during a year is supposed to be totally spent to reach zero by the end of the fiscal year. The largest non-profit organization is the government. In the United States as of 2010 there were 21.29 million governmental employees (Numberof, 2012). This implies that the government is the largest non-profit organization in the United States. The money the government collects from taxes and other revenue sources is used to finance different programs including the military, education, and many other social programs. The monetary policy in the United States of America is set by the Federal Reserve. The two main aspects of monetary policy are the money supply and credit. The interest rates in the banking industry are dependent on the prime rate the Federal Reserve sets. The chairman of the Federal Reserve is Ben S. Bernanke. The fiscal policy in the United States is controlled by the Federal government. Fiscal policy deals with how the government spends its money. One of the biggest obstacles the Federal government faces is the accumulated deficit. This deficit has been growing a lot since the War on Terror that started in 2001. A product that I am familiar with is a new invention created by the company WildRavenModels. This firm created the world’

Market Models of Education - Pros and Cons Essay - 2

Market Models of Education - Pros and Cons - Essay Example The authors of the Brave new classrooms : democratic education & the Internet argue that even though the online courses might have their place in providing for a higher level of education with respect to the social sciences or to the hard sciences, argues that the provision of online classes in terms of teaching creative writing skills is doing a strong disservice to students around the world. As a function of analyzing this particular point of view and summarizing it, the following critique will provide an interpretation into the method of argument that the authors in question use and this student’s view of whether or not it is an effective argument or not. Essentially, the authors indicate that there are several key reasons why Internet sources are not sufficient in teaching creative writing, or even writing in general. Firstly, the basis of traditional writing courses, as defined by the authors, has been predicated on small groups for many decades. As denoted within the chapter, this is not by accident. Instead, the utilization of small groups increases the overall level of interaction, self and peer review, and other relevant factors relating to the way in which creative writing is taught. However, within the Internet classroom, the overall interaction between students is necessarily limited and a one dimensional level of interaction between the instructor and the student is ultimately affected. Another rationale that the authors provide for why electronic courses are not as effective in teaching writing has to do with the fact that Internet classes necessarily pander to the elements of computer writing and professional business correspondence. The authors argue that even though it is true that these elements should doubtless be taught, to base entire courses on this is to lose sight of how effective writing techniques have produced exceptional articles, books, and opinions the past several decades.

How the theory of supply and demand affects activities in the property Essay

How the theory of supply and demand affects activities in the property markets - Essay Example Interaction of the supply and demand curve for property determines the value of the property in this case. This report goes into great detail to explain the basic economic concepts of demand and supply and how they apply to the property market. Demand And Supply In The Property Market Demand and supply are one of the most basic economic concepts, yet their applicability is extremely wide spread in our daily lives. In a free market economy, it is the interaction of demand and supply which determines the quantity of goods to be bought and sold, and consequently the price at which this transaction would be carried out. This level is known as consumer equilibrium and can be shown on a graph when the supply and demand curve intersect each other. Demand simply refers to the amount of goods or service that a person is is willing and able to purchase at a given price level (Turvey, 1971). The demand for a product and its price are inversely related, that is more goods are demanded when their prices are low as compared to when their prices are high. The demand curve is a downward sloping curve with price and quantity on its axes and depicts what's just mentioned above. There are many factors which influence the demand of a product like the availability of substitute and complementary goods, tastes of people, the level of disposable income, the elasticity of demand, customer expectations and expectations of future. Supply on the other hand is related to suppliers and it refers to the the quantity of good and services that are made available by suppliers in the open market. Totally opposite to the law of demand, the supply of goods and their price are directly related, that is suppliers are willing to supply more quantities of goods at higher prices then as compared to lower prices. Consequently, the supply curve is a upwards sloping curve, having price and quantity on its axes respectively. As with demand, there are certain factors which influence the supply of a product . Some of the main factors include the price of the input, expectations of the future, the current state of technology available, the price of substitute and complementary goods and the number of suppliers in the market. Market equilibrium can be defined as the combination of quantity and price level where the quantity of goods demanded equals the quantity of goods supplied. This point can be determined on the graph where the supply and demand curve intersect each other (Turvey,1971). There are also situations when a demand or supply curve simply shifts inwards or arches outwards. A demand curve shifting outwards simply means that more quantities of goods are now demanded at the same price level as compared to before. Similarly, an outward shift in the supply curve would mean that now the suppliers are willing to supply more goods and services at the same price level as compared to before. The demand curve, for example, shifts towards the outside when the level of disposable income increases (in the case of normal goods), the price of a substitute good rises and when the price of a complementary good falls. On the other hand, outward shifts in the supply curve are usually experienced due to betterment in technology which results in lowering the cost, or when bumper crop is produced in a season. The theory of demand and supply affects activities in the property markets in pretty much a similar manner as it does in any other market. However, there are are a few different

Economic History and Current India Essay Example for Free

Economic History and Current India Essay There have been recent studies of the entire history of the economy of india where it is possible to ananlyse where india stood its place in past and where it is currently held. Paul Birog made a thorough analysis of Asian countries GDP economic development of 1750-1918 where surprisingly the findings in 1700AD drawn economic statistics of world . China had 32. 8% GDP where as as india had 25% . UK at that time had 1. 8% GDP along with 1% GDP in USA. By the time of 1900 there was a total reversal of paradigm shift where US and UK had GDP growth of 41% whereas China and India suffered 1. 7% GDP overall. The western research shows that india was a economic giant . London economist Angus Madisson in 1990, one of the greatest british economist of all time was appointed by the OECD nations to verify Paul Birogs research along with different levels of assistances from different countries. Eventually in 2010 he published a 2000 year economy of India where it showed from 1AD India topped thed world with 34% GDP. Still in 1000AD it had 28% GDP. In the years 1500 and 1600 china overtakes india. Again in 1700 india overtakes china and finally the entire crash of the Indian economy began later in 1750’s where the british colonial overlords landed in the country and started looting the country and exploiting its resources. The OECD website refers in the â€Å"world economic history and millennium perspective† lists out all these information which have been quoted before. It is one of the most trusted and relied upon website to refer to the statistics of the world economies. Although the word society is absent completely in western society where Margaret Thatcher said in 1971, that there is nothing called as society. And today all the western accepts today is the alternate version of so called civil society. Now civil society is totally different from the traditional society where it can be suggested that it is a form of ‘anti society’. Civil society which is the current western trend is based on social contractual theory, which all the institution are based including out democratic government where each citizen is recognized as co-citizen in country rather than mutual brotherhood based society. For eg. In USA, in Philedelphia, a Son can file a case against his own father for divorce of relationship and can achieve his claim since there is no cultural society, it is a civil society where 2 people are viewed as co-citizens rather with any blood and brotherly relationship. The complete western understanding, their institutions, sociology, individualism, constitutional theory of west does not recognize normal basic human relationship. But whereas our Indian society has always been working entirely on human relations since the ages of time where india showed a huge economic superpower with traditional society. Today since Indian government which is puppying around the western ideology fail to realize that they are taking the economy of the nation into a huge catastrophy. In 1993, when Manmohan Singh was the finance minister invited jagadish bhagavati a neo economist from USA, who formed the entire Duncan WTO treaty for the situation crisis in india with its economic situation. He suggested that the problem with Indian people is that they are saving more than need which comes around 23%GDP,out of which 19 % GDP were only saved by Indians. His advise included to bring down the savings of the people by different means of taxations and other techniques to 9-10%. Out of which this 9 -10% should only be focused on food, shelter like basic needs and increase productions by employing more people and made a whole theory model on that. His theory on Indian situation stated that unless you destroy the family saving of the Indian people and bring it down to half of it, there was no chance of development. He also made a research on the Indian families that Indian woman played a vital role in taking hold of the savings of her family expenditures. So his ideas proposed to change the mentality of the reserved family woman to consumer based woman where she can be advertised to spend more of our money and change the family structure symmetrically in Indian society. In western society there is no propensity to save money assets, thus as a result many families are destroyed. Today 51% Americans are single parent family, out of which 41% children are born to unwed mothers, 20% born for school going children. 51% of the American people are dependent on government support on life insurance, health support etc. where as Indian people have always been dependent on society. Moreover the western economy is build on contractual interest based constitutional society which has led to time bomb ticking economy is USA and other European countries. Today the present scenario has changed the entire habitual thinking process of the people in India. They have a huge affiliated love towards the western society and its features less realizing the suicidal catastrophic and destructive features of its empire. The govt. in India always claim to be globalizing with the world but in reality, india is Americanizing by focusing only on American economic model. There are other traditional society based economies like Japan and germany wherr they instead of manipulating the crowd, they motivate their savings in their family and encourage only the financial institutions to put up money in trades of stock market. There is a huge commonality between the german or Japanese structure of economic history of rich cultural based society which our country could have adopted for the people but current democractic model is partially by the people but it has terribly failed to be for the people by inviting the civil society in our country. Indian economies,constitutions, institutions,sociology, philosophy, education etc all are based on the government economic blueprint of those same people who looted the country, colonized it and then destroyed the Indian GDP. CONCLUSION There are fraternity based economic models in this world with which we share commonality and our ideas should be to have a wider understanding of the world with whom we relate culturally and socially and only then our economic model can be aligned to them to achieve prosperity and serenity in our country.

Knowledge Management Essay Example for Free

Knowledge Management Essay It involves applying the collective knowledge and abilities of the entire workforce to achieve specific organizational objectives. State agencies should feel free to adapt and use information and tools on the following pages as necessary within their organization. It is provided to be a starting point for sharing knowledge and experience, allowing those who remain with the organization to continue providing quality service. Capturing and sharing critical knowledge and expertise should be occurring continuously among employees. In many cases, however, it is not and this need becomes pressing when a valued employee is preparing to retire or change positions. When an organization is considering implementing a knowledge transfer plan it is important to answer several questions: 1. Is the organization going to fill the vacant position or reassign the duties? 2. Are all the duties of the position still important to the mission of the organization? 3. Is there a need to update the position description? 4. Will the position change, remain as is, or be eliminated once the employee leaves? What is knowledge transfer? David DeLong’s book â€Å"Lost Knowledge† describes knowledge as the â€Å"capacity for effective actions or decision-making in the context of organizational activity†. Accordingly, lost knowledge would decrease this vital capacity and help undermine organizational effectiveness and performance. The goal of transferring knowledge to others [known as Knowledge Transfer] is to: 1. Identify key positions and people where potential knowledge loss is most imminent. 2. Assess how critical the knowledge loss will be. Develop a plan of action to ensure the capture of that critical knowledge and a plan of action to transfer it. Why is knowledge transfer important? A significant percentage of the state’s workforce is nearing retirement age over the next ten years. These employees have acquired a tremendous amount of knowledge about how things work, how to get things done and who to go to when problems arise. Losing their expertise and experience could significantly reduce efficiency, resulting in costly mistakes, unexpected quality problems, or significant disruptions in services and/or performance. In addition, faster turnover among younger employees and more competitive recruiting and compensation packages add significantly to the mounting concern about the state’s ability to sustain acceptable levels of performance. What are the benefits of a knowledge transfer program? Knowledge transfer [KT] programs prevent critical knowledge loss by focusing on key areas. Some of the immediate benefits of KT programs are: 1. They provide reusable documentation of the knowledge required in certain positions or job roles. 2. They result in immediate learning and knowledge transfer when carried out by individuals who can either use the transferred knowledge themselves or have responsibility for hiring, training, mentoring, coaching or managing people within an organizational unit. 3. They reduce the impact of employee departure. 4. They integrate staffing, training, job and organization redesign, process improvements and other responses. 5. They aid in succession planning. 6. They prevent the loss of knowledge held only in employees’ heads when they leave the organization or retire. They enhance career development. Generally Accepted Definitions for Knowledge Management and Transfer Knowledge Management (KM) refers to practices used by organizations to find, create, and distribute knowledge for reuse, awareness, and learning across the organization. Knowledge Management programs are typically tied to organizational objectives and are intended to lead to the achievement of specific outcomes such as shared intelligence, improved performance, or higher levels of innovation. Knowledge Transfer (an aspect of Knowledge Management) has always existed in one form or another through on-the-job discussions with peers, apprenticeship, and maintenance of agency libraries, professional training and mentoring programs. Since the late twentieth century, technology has played a vital role in Knowledge Transfer through the creation of knowledge bases, expert systems, and other knowledge repositories. To understand knowledge management and knowledge transfer, it is helpful to examine the differences between data, information, and knowledge. Data is discrete, objective facts. Data is the raw material for creating information. By itself, data carries no judgment, interpretation or meaning. Information is data that is organized, patterned and/or categorized. It has been sorted, analyzed and displayed, and is communicated through various means. Information changes the way a person perceives something, thus, affecting judgment or behavior. Knowledge is what is known. It is richer and more meaningful than information. Knowledge is gained through experience, reasoning, intuition, and learning. Because knowledge is intuitive, it is difficult to structure, can be hard to capture on machines, and is a challenge to transfer. We often speak of a knowledgeable person, and by that we mean someone who is well informed, and thoroughly versed in a given area. We expand our knowledge when others share theirs with us. We create new knowledge when we pool our knowledge together.

Indian Fashion And Textiles

Indian Fashion And Textiles Indian fashion is rich in tradition, vibrant in colour and beautiful. Bold colour and metallics created by the inventive drapes of these textile catches the imagination like no other contemporary clothing. Some Indian dress designers combine western trends with an Indian touch, creating garments which are outstanding. (www.wordiq.com) The Indian traditional fashion is vast and influential throughout the world. It is one of the richest cultures. The culture of India is an amalgamation of diverse sub-cultures like languages, textiles, crafts, dance, architects, food and customs. In Textile Surface Decoration, Margo Singer argues that, India has its own ancient tradition of silk weaving and can boast many indigenous silk moths. The country produces several types of silk. India became a major exporter of silk and is still the largest producer of silk after China. It also has a vibrant tradition of block printing (often using indigo), which dates back many centuries. Traditional techniques are still used today. Indian textiles have been exported since the 15th century; today the main textiles centres are Gujarat, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh, where block printing workshops still produce fabrics dyed with vegetable and chemical dyes for clothing, furnishing and fashion exports. British India 15th-16th century As written by Beverly Lemire and Giorgio Riello, the trade of textiles from India to European countries was seen in 12th and 13th century (Ottoman period) where silk was imported from Asian countries like India and China. Emergence of fashion in Europe was visible in the revolutionary commodities painted and printed Indian cotton textiles which came in seen towards the end of the 15th century. These textiles represented the Asian imports into Europe, showed the widespread consumption of Indian textiles and also worked as a source of inspiration for European manufacturers. By the early sixteenth century, imports increased which in turn attracted generations of Europeans due to the unmatched brilliance and fastness of colour and the striking designs of printed Indian cottons. European fashion in this century was not just created through the adoption and use of Indian goods but it was shaped by the Indian culture, motifs and techniques used. Ritu Kumara a famous Indian designer in her book Costumes and Textiles of Royal India stated that in 1601 that British East India company had established centres for trade in India in cities like Madras, Surat, Calcutta and Bombay. In this century British began to develop textiles for their own markets. They expanded and established factories in India and started exporting to other countries. They exported silk ikats, cotton pieces goods, indigo and fine embroideries from cities like Gujarat in western India and Bengal in eastern. According to her, England was not the only European country where Indian textiles were popular ,places like France were also charmed by the widespread heritage of India. (Costumes and Textiles of Royal India by Ritu Kumar,1999 pg.52,53 and 54) 17th-18th century Indian cotton textiles first started to appear in the first decade of the 17th century in the form of Chintz which refers to, any floral printed furnishing fabric, made of cotton or linen, and often glazed. It is often defined as Indian cloth on which a pattern has been produce by hand drawing with a bamboo pen (kalam) and dyeing with mordants and resists. They are originated from the south -east India, in the area that came to be known by European as the Coromandel Coast. Influence of chintz has been in the form of coverlet, quilt, hanging, plates, dress, overdress, petticoat and other form of garments which are present in the Victoria and Albert Museum. (Rosemary Crill,) As Ritu Kumar refers to the history and writes that the demand for Indian textiles had reached such heights in 17th century in the British and French culture which resulted in prohibition of anyone wearing or using any Indian textiles so as to promote their own silk and textiles. But these prohibitions were difficult to impose and failed and the trade continued. She also writes that, by the 18th century dresses made of Indian muslins and the woven shawls which were draped over them became fashionable. The Kashmir shawl was one of the most sought after luxuries in Europe by the end of the 18th century which was very expensive and was exported from northern India. Ritu Kumar stated that Forbes Watson acknowledged, that the intrinsic aesthetic refinement of Indias clothing required an understanding of oriental tastes which according to him would ensure a market in India for the same. His study advocated the sophistication of colour and form of Indias textiles in order that English manufacturers might achieve the sense of rhythm and harmony inherent in them. He explained that British manufacturers followed a rule of exporting or making things with an essence of British culture rather than taking its true Indian form which in turn failed as Indian manufacturers could do it best originally and the products value decreased when it lost its true essence. And thus realising the fact how a charm of an Indian product was with its true colour and not modified. In her book evidences of trade from the east to the west can be seen till the early 20th century in wardrobes of the royal British. (Costumes and Textiles of Royal India by Ritu Kumar,1999 pg.55,62 and 63) 1900-2000 Just like a painting, or a song, fashion also plays a main role in the fusion of different cultures and influences. Eastern and Western cultures engage in an important part in the Fashion trends of today. These two are fused in the fashion industry in many ways, the British borrowing from the Russians, India from the French, Japan and Germany, and the list continues. According to Priyanka Arora, Since 1890 till the present world fashion has seen tremendous influences from the Indian culture in the British fashion resulting from the artists and designers renowned interest in Art Nouveau. She believes that Indian textiles and work can be seen in any store or designer line. Eastern inspired clothing like embroidered tunics, beaded necklines on dresses and shirts, jewelled handbags in Sari fabrics, reminiscing different characteristics from the East have been influencing British designers . Pashminas, for example, are now an everyday basic item for most British women. Around the 1940s the Nehru jacket became a big trend and thanks to The Beatles and it is still an acclaimed collar style in shirts, coats and jackets. Even pagoda sleeves was an eastern trend which was incorporated in western fashion. The most noted designers according to her bidding on exotic eastern style in their creations are: Max Mara, exploring sexy necklines and strong fabrics ,A rmani, Jean Paul Gautier and Versace are only some of the top names reaching out to their masculine lines by including eastern elements to their creations, like pants made with fabrics, necklines, printed belts and sandals with the use of heavy silk. She also argues that the Boho Chic look, on the other hand is a representation of western influence on eastern culture. Thus concluding by saying that its a unique style where one can appreciate the fusion of both worlds with the modern and contemporary side of the western fashion and just a hint of eastern flair in the jewels and beading. Season to season, we see fashion face some radical changes, but the east and west mixture is inescapable, resulting always in a beautiful, artistic and also commercial masterpiece representing a multicultural society of designers and consumers. http://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/11/1032/fashion-fusion-from-east-to-west-and-back-again1.asp Laura Jacob writes and depicts about work of renowned designers from all around the world in the book The Art of Haute Couture(SKREBNESKI) in which Christian Lacroix collection of 1990 shows a gown which has high end Indian embroidery with hand accessories influenced from India. (The Art of Haute Couture(SKREBNESKI)by Laura Jacob) Salvatore Ferragamos famous customers in the late 1930s was Indira Devi, the maharani of Cooch Behar. Ferragamo had designed about 100 shoes for her which were adorned with pearls, rubies, emeralds and diamonds which were sent from India by the maharani. These were reproduced for his collection in the year 2003 for an opening of a new store. As Laura McLean -Ferris has written about KENZO a world famous designer who evolved in 1970s that his designs are a combination of details which have been taken from all around the globe, creating a fusion of folklore styles that vibrate with a blend of fantasy and reality. Which brings out the importance of fusion of a cultures in her view of the designers work. It also talks about how KENZO used both east and west traditions together to create an aesthetic that is globally appealing. (fashioning fabric) 2000 and beyond As Elyssa da Cruz quoted for the Indian based designer Manish Arora who emerged on the London runway in late 2005.His work embodies western modishness and native Indian symbolism, all manifest in a lavish array of textiles. The opulence of his label derives from the textiles revived back in India and crafted into a contemporary western silhouettes. Ashish considered as a lead figure in the new generation of British fashion, his work is a blend of contrast of eastern and western cultures .His use of traditional and contemporary design with high quality textiles and Indian handcrafting techniques has marked its importance in the global fashion.(IC) Jennifer Trak has talked about designers Abujani Sandeep Khosla are synonymous with classic Indian style and elegantly draped silhouettes. Creative use of materials like sequin, pearls against lavish fabrics have made their garments the choice of numerous celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood. Laura Mc Lean-Ferris has quoted about KENZOs 2005 collection which was called An English Garden in India autumn/winter 2005.this collection was inspired by heavy Indian embroideries, Indian silks and taffetas. EDC has shown glimpses of Christian Lacroix autumn/winter 2002 collection which shows multi coloured rustic paisley pattern embroidery which is a very famous Indian motif. Dries Van Noten a Avant garde designer has proven himself to be a visionary couturier whose multi-ethnic inspired designs have always been a hit in the fashion world. He believes in global perspective ,reinterpreting existing themes, motifs, traditional hand-crafting techniques from diverse locales such as northern Africa, India and Japan to create his designs. His work has been highly inspired by Indian textiles which can be seen in his collections of autumn/winter 2006 and 2007. (fashioning fabric) Shikha Chadha Bhatia expands about the Indian fashion and designers and states that India has been one of the developing international markets along with China. She feels with India Fashion happening twice a year, starting in 2003, local designers are recognising the need for collections with more of an international appeal. She unveils the collections and thoughts of Indian Designers as follows: Ravi Bajaj one of the leading fashion designer of India says that, The Indian fashion industry is on the brink of change. Not only are Indian designers increasingly staging catwalk shows abroad but, in an effort to appeal to an international market, they are creating alternatives to themes synonymous with Indian fashion such as heavy embroidery, loud colours and traditional motifs. Taking inspiration from other cultures, Indian designers are increasingly aiming for global appeal. Ritu Kumar, one of Indias most well-respected designers believes that, despite the changes, Indian fashion has kept its signature. For the last two years, embellishments on clothes are changing, silhouettes have an international look, but overall thematically the essence is Indian. She says Indias edge comes from its textile tradition as costly textile processes like stone-washing and tie dye are more affordable in India than in the west. Kumar also points out that textiles are more varied because manufacture is not fully mechanised and so allows for smaller runs and experimentation. Kiran Uttam Ghosh,Indian Designer his spring/summer 2003 collection has been inspired bohemian colour and the exuberance of pattern.it reveals 70s hippie look featuring patchwork, mismatched sleeve lengths and uneven hemlines. Tiered chiffon, hipsters, kaftans and tie dye shirts are key in a rainbow of colours including hot pink, acid yellow, coral, turquoise, blood red, ivory and black. http://www.wgsn.com/content/wgsn-ms/magazine/features/2002/nov/mm2002nov15_005478.html INDIAN HANBAGS GO GLOBAL by Cezca Chanelle Cezca Chanelle states about Indian handbags getting a global recognition in reference to the following designers like, Designer Judith Leiber the luxury American handbag brand collaborated with an Indian renowned designer Suneet Verma in 2008 to design a collection of couture handbags and clutches. Suneet Verma designed Ganesha bags that have been used as art deco pieces which were flaunted by style icons like Sex and the Citys Sarah Jessica Parker and the famous singer Jennifer Lopez on the red carpet. She states about Meera Mahadevia an handbag designer whose metal bags embellished with stones were showcased at the Vendome Luxury Exhibition in Paris earlier this year. Her couture collection retails in luxury stores like Neiman Marcus in the US and Selfridges in London. She also refers to another Mumbai-based handbag designer Nandini Mariwala whose clientele includes Hollywood stars like Lindsay Lohan and Halle Berry as well as international royalty. Her current collection of day bags which is a limited edition are hand-knotted and embroidered which are sold via luxury store Harrods in London. She comments that, Maybe its time Louis Vuitton and Prada took a back seat now. http://luxpresso.com/news-couture/indian-handbags-go-global/2279 Spring 2009 Trend Reports for women fashion by style.com In the Marrakech Express theme based collections of Marc Jacobs, Reem Acra and Tibi influences of Indian silhouettes and work can be clearly seen which depicts the power of Indian fashion. http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/trendreport/011309/slideshow?loop=0HYPERLINK http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/trendreport/011309/slideshow?loop=0iphoto=75play=falsecnt=47HYPERLINK http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/trendreport/011309/slideshow?loop=0iphoto=75play=falsecnt=47iphoto=75HYPERLINK http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/trendreport/011309/slideshow?loop=0iphoto=75play=falsecnt=47HYPERLINK http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/trendreport/011309/slideshow?loop=0iphoto=75play=falsecnt=47play=falseHYPERLINK http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/trendreport/011309/slideshow?loop=0iphoto=75play=falsecnt=47HYPERLINK http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/trendreport/011309/slideshow?loop=0iphoto=75play=falsecnt=47cnt=47 Spring/Summer 2010 trends for interiors by WGSN The trend speaks about the glamour and eccentricity of staged entertainment, revel in a sense of drama and satirical humour. Embrace outrageous and unconventional decorative combinations from the East and West, old and new, to create a surreal, playful environment. The designs being Western but the inspiration of play of colours being Eastern has given this trend and collections an edge to the others. And as quoted by Elsa Schiaparelli, In difficult times fashion is always outrageous. I believe it justifies that different things or cultures can be put together even if one is different from the other to create something that is outrageous. http://www.wgsn.com/content/wgsn-ms/trends-info/features/ti0861/ti086120_index/ti086120_ou.html WGSN has aggressive plans for Indian fashion industry August 06, 2009 (India) WGSN, worlds leading fashion and style forecaster, in 2009 has updated for a partnership with the fast growing fashion retail market in India. They also announced their Global Trends Style Forecast for season 2010-2011.It will be focusing on the Fashion designers, manufacturers and retailers to partner and help them in moving up the value chain to tap opportunities in local and global fashion industry. This shows the importance and development of the Indian fashion market and its influence globally. As Juliet Warkentin, Head Content WGSN said, With a rich and diverse cultural history and huge talent base, we believe India has the potential to play a major role in global fashion Industry. With Indian companies across sectors making a global impact, its now turn for Indian fashion industry. And at WGSN we want to share our knowledge and experience to partner the Indian fashion industry in their quest to be world class players. http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/fashion-news/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=75777 Role of Culture As Michel Klein (designer) quoted in the book Yves Saint Laurent (Forty Years of creation), without looking back to the past, without playing with disguise, he created a contemporary fashion with very cultural inspiration. For YSL the influence of culture in all its aspect is only a source of inspiration. http://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/market-research-industry-reports/the-text-of-indian-text-styles.asp Consumer behaviour Consumer behavior is the study of when, why, how, and where people do or do not buy a product. It blends elements from psychology, sociology, social anthropology and economics. It attempts to understand the buyer decision making process, both individually and in groups. It studies characteristics of individual consumers such as demographics and behavioral variables in an attempt to understand peoples wants. It also tries to assess influences on the consumer from groups such as family, friends, reference groups, and society in general. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_behaviour) As Maria Costantino has explained consumer behaviour provides a number of concepts that help fashion marketers think about and understand their customers, and market research provides techniques for measuring those concepts. Understanding consumer and their buying behaviour draws heavily on psychology and anthropology as well cultural history.

Mathematical Order in the Artwork of Leonardo Da Vinci Essay -- Art It

Mathematical Order in the Artwork of Leonardo Da Vinci A large portion of the Italian Renaissance was an obsession with finding order in everything in the universe. Its primary actors sought to show nature as orderly and fundamentally simple. Leonardo Da Vinci, the epitome of the Renaissance Man, was not the first to apply these ideas of geometric order and patterns to art, but he may be the most well known. Da Vinci used mathematical concepts like linear perspective, proportion and geometry in much of his artwork. Leonardo was born on April 15, 1452 in Vinci, a town 50 kilometers west of Florence in what is now Italy. The illegitimate son of a notary, he grew to become one of the most renowned and influential men in the fields of art, engineering, architecture, mathematics and natural science. The world was just awakening from the Dark Ages. Sigmund Freud once wrote, â€Å"He was like a man who awoke too early in the darkness, while others were still asleep† (Brizio, 7). Much of his work was lost because of the time period he lived in. The primary artifacts of his work remaining today are the many paintings he did and the numerous notebooks filled with detailed diagrams of everything from human anatomy to theoretical inventions. They are filled with detailed descriptions and explanations scribbled right to left so only those intelligent enough could read them. Leonardo did intensive studies on linear perspective. He applied this method to much of his work. According to the Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Art Terms, linear perspective is â€Å"the method of representing a 3-D object or a particular volume of space on a flat surface.† By making all of the lines in the painting converge on an single, invisible point on the horizon,... ...tic of the Italian Renaissance, is sometimes criticized. But he created harmony and balance in such a unique and beautiful way that his work is still studied 500 years later. Bibliography [1] Brizio, Anna Maria, The Painter. Leonardo: The Artist, McGraw-Hill Co., 1980. [2] Emmer, Michele, Art and Mathematics: The Plutonic Solids. The Visual Mind: Art and Mathematics, MIT Press, 1993 [3] Pioch, Nicholas, Web Museum, Paris.: Leonardo Da Vinci. http://metalab.unc.edu/wm/paint/auth/vinci/ (9/20/99). [4] Rosstad, Anna, (translated by Ann Zwick), Leonardo Da Vinci: The Man and the Mystery. Ostlands – Postens Boktrykkeri, 1994. [5] Turner, Richard A., Inventing Leonardo. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1992. [6] Zwijnenberg, Robert, The Writings and Drawings of Leonardo Da Vinci: Order and Chaos in Early Modern Thought. Cambridge University Press, 1999.

Henry James’ The Golden Bowl, The American Scene, and the New York Edition :: American Scene

Henry James’ The Golden Bowl, The American Scene, and the New York Edition In the letter he wrote to Scribner's in 1905 proposing that he "furnish" each volume of his forthcoming deluxe edition with a preface, Henry James portrayed his novels and stories as disenfranchised beings patiently awaiting a "chance" for their cause to be righted. James would be their advocate and the prefaces the texts with which he would demonstrate his novels' worth (367). In this paper I will argue that the writing of The Golden Bowl and The American Scene were essential precedents and complements to this project of self-vindication. Reading The Golden Bowl through its preface shows that beneath the narratives of familial and marital relations in the novel run stories of a writer's contention with a misapprehending audience--the same struggles out of which James spun creative autobiography and a theory of fiction in the prefaces to the New York Edition. Through his indirect critique of his readership in The Golden Bowl and the fierce challenges he delivered to his compatriots in The American Scene James laid essential groundwork for the lessons in reading and creative production he would later offer in the New York Edition. Paul Armstrong has argued that James's prefaces require the same "doubled reading" his novels require, that while the reader is absorbing James's account of his writing experience and his theory of writing, the reader is also responding to James as a centering consciousness whose "interpretive attitudes . . . are as much on display and as much an object for the reader's scrutiny as the impressions of a Lambert Strether or a Maggie Verver" (128). As comparable centering consciousnesses, James the preface-writer and his heroine Maggie Verver make common assertions. Both figures demonstrate the power of the creative deed. Paralleling James's affirmations about "doing" in the preface to The Golden Bowl is Maggie's discovery in the novel of her own brilliant capacity for action. After the assignation of the Prince with Charlotte in Gloucester, Maggie begins "to doubt of her wonderful little judgement of her wonderful little world" (307). She begins to "put" things both to herself and the people around her. She contrives gestures to effect a change in her "practically unattackable" situation. Henry James’ The Golden Bowl, The American Scene, and the New York Edition :: American Scene Henry James’ The Golden Bowl, The American Scene, and the New York Edition In the letter he wrote to Scribner's in 1905 proposing that he "furnish" each volume of his forthcoming deluxe edition with a preface, Henry James portrayed his novels and stories as disenfranchised beings patiently awaiting a "chance" for their cause to be righted. James would be their advocate and the prefaces the texts with which he would demonstrate his novels' worth (367). In this paper I will argue that the writing of The Golden Bowl and The American Scene were essential precedents and complements to this project of self-vindication. Reading The Golden Bowl through its preface shows that beneath the narratives of familial and marital relations in the novel run stories of a writer's contention with a misapprehending audience--the same struggles out of which James spun creative autobiography and a theory of fiction in the prefaces to the New York Edition. Through his indirect critique of his readership in The Golden Bowl and the fierce challenges he delivered to his compatriots in The American Scene James laid essential groundwork for the lessons in reading and creative production he would later offer in the New York Edition. Paul Armstrong has argued that James's prefaces require the same "doubled reading" his novels require, that while the reader is absorbing James's account of his writing experience and his theory of writing, the reader is also responding to James as a centering consciousness whose "interpretive attitudes . . . are as much on display and as much an object for the reader's scrutiny as the impressions of a Lambert Strether or a Maggie Verver" (128). As comparable centering consciousnesses, James the preface-writer and his heroine Maggie Verver make common assertions. Both figures demonstrate the power of the creative deed. Paralleling James's affirmations about "doing" in the preface to The Golden Bowl is Maggie's discovery in the novel of her own brilliant capacity for action. After the assignation of the Prince with Charlotte in Gloucester, Maggie begins "to doubt of her wonderful little judgement of her wonderful little world" (307). She begins to "put" things both to herself and the people around her. She contrives gestures to effect a change in her "practically unattackable" situation.

Joseph Stalin :: Biography, Staling

Joseph Stalin was a very powerful and murderous dictator (Joseph 1). He was the second leader of the Soviet Union (Stalin 1). Joseph Stalin’s real name was losif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili was born on December 18, 1879 in Gori, Georgia (1). Was educated at the Tiflis Theological Seminary (Kreis 1). Was born of illiterate peasant parents, his harsh spirit have been blamed on undeserved and severe beatings by his father, inspiring vengeful feelings toward anyone in a position to wield power over him (Stalin 1). His mother set him on a path to become a priest, and he studied Russian Orthodox Christianity until he was nearly twenty (1). He studied at a theological seminary where he began to read Marxist literature ( Joseph 1). He never graduated, instead devoted his time to the revolutionary movement against the Russian monarchy (1). Stalin was not one of the decisive players in the Bolshevik seizure of power in 1917, but he soon rose through the ranks of the party (Joseph 1). After Lenin’s death in 1924, a triumvirate of Stalin, Kamenev, and Zinoviev governed against Trotsky and Bukharin ( Stalin 2). The final stage of Stalin’s rise to power was the ordered assassination of Trotsky in Mexico in 1940, where he had lived since 1936 (Stalin 2). Indeed, after Trotsky’s death only two members of the â€Å"old Bolsheviks† remained – Stalin himself and his foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov (2). Stalin consolidated his power base with the Great Purges against his political and ideological opponents, most notably the old cadres and the rank and file of Bolshevik Party (Stalin 2). The population suffered immensely during the Great Terror of the 1930s, during which Stalin purged the party of ‘enemies of the people’, resulting in the execution of thousands and the exile of millions to the gulag system of slave labor camps (Joseph 1). He also orchestrated a massive famine in the Ukraine in which a estimated 5 million people died (Stalin 2). It is believed that with the purges, forced famines, state terrorism, labor camps, and forced migration, Stalin was responsible for the death of as many as 40 million people within the borders of the Soviet Union (2). These purges severely depleted the Red Army, and despite repeated warnings, Stalin was ill prepared for Hitler’s attack on the Soviet Union in June 1941 (Joseph 1). His political future, and that of the Sovi et Union, hung in the balance, but Stalin recovered to lead his country to victory (1).

Police Professionalism Essay

Professionalism refers to the skill, competence or standards expected of a member of a profession. It involves the adoption of a set of values and attitudes by members of an occupation that are consistent with a professional ideology. Professionalization is a process of legitimization an occupation goes through as it endeavors to improve its social status.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The various characteristics of a profession include the following (Roberg and Kuykendall, 1993). A well developed body of professional literature materials. A high degree of generalized and systematic knowledge with a theoretical base. This is achieved through research. A high degree of self control of behavior governed by a code of ethics. The code of ethics is a statement of values ensures a high quality of serving. It   Ã‚  also guarantees competency of membership, honor and integrity. The code is a direct expression of the profession’s principles of service orientation. It emphasizes no personal gain and protection of the client. Membership in professional organizations and associations. Dedication to self-improvement. Existence of a unique, identifiable academic field of knowledge attainable through education. There is a system of testing the competence of members.   Police professionalism has been a focal point in the past for police reformers. The ambiguity of the role of the police has however seriously hampered efforts to professionalize the police because deciding on the proper role of the police is a necessary step to outlining steps towards professionalism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Police professionalism can mean different things in different places and at different times making agreement on the requirement for a professional police force unlikely. Police professionalism may refer to police organizations as police officers, or both. Some police administrators refer to tangible improvements such as latest technology like computers and weaponry, as signs of professionalism. However this is not true in reference to the characteristics of professionalism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Currently the police are struggling to meet the requirements of a profession. Clearly there is a growing body of professional literature on the police. Some Journals like police studies and America journal of the police contain reports of police research. There are also penodicals and a rapid expanding number of government reports on police that contribute more information on police operations and organizations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A code of ethics for the police has been developed and modified by the International Association of heads of police. Although some police may be unfamiliar with its contents, indications show that many officers know the code exists. However the code of conduct offers little control over the police. This is because there is no professional standards committee that reviews and sanctions police for the violation of their own code. (Gaines, kappeler & Vaughn, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are a number of professional policed associations especially for chief executive officers. Organizations like Fraternal Order of the police are oriented toward rank-and-file officers as well but they have typically served as organizations and collective bargain agents. In recent years there has been expansion of professional organizations among police planners, investigators and others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On dedication to self-improvement, currently there are no national minimum standards for either departments or police personnel. Many states do not even allow training on a constant basis after completion of the basic training program. However among the progressive police personnel, there is an increased interest in establishing high police officer standards.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A study in police has lately emerged. Many college-level academic programs in policing and criminal justice have emerged. Regardless of the quality of the programs and consensus on the topics covered in these programs, there is increasing number of officers earning undergraduate and graduate degrees in police science, law enforcement, and criminal justice programs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Regardless of these achievements however, attainment of police professionalism remains an elusive goal. Dedication to the attainment of professional standards exists among some police executives and totally lacks among many others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many officers resist this pursuit of professionalism on the basis that their jobs are blue collar shift works that involve little need for advanced education. This reduces dedication to self-improvement. In addition unionization of police officers sometimes inhibits progress toward professionalism. Therefore there cannot be a universal number that will accurately reflect the police personnel needs of all jurisdictions. There are various ways of determining the appropriate number of police personnel for a given jurisdiction (Roseberg & Kuykendall, 1993). These include; Intuitively. Comparatively. By workload. The intuitive approach involves little more than an educated guess and is often based on tradition (personnel numbers from previous years). The approach is based on the number of crimes cleared or total number of arrests. These means, many administrators may demand more police officers be hired as crime rates increase. However it is noted that differences in crime rates should not be attributed to variations in the number of police. The research conducted by Bayley, 1994 found out that increases in the number of police closely parallel increase in crime rates. People tend to hire more police when crime rates increase, but this has no effect on the rate of crime increase. Comparative approach involves comparing one or more urban centers like cities using the ratio of police officers per one thousand population units. If the comparison city has a higher ratio of police to population, it is assumed that an increase in personnel is justified to at least the level of the comparison city (Roseberg & Kuykendall, 1993). The exclusive use of this method to compute police personnel needs is not recommended. Communities have unique characteristics concerning areas covered, crime rates, economic strength, mile of roads and others. These have an impact on the quantity of personnel required to fulfill service requests.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Workload requires a clear information system, expressed performance standards, well-elaborated community expectations and prioritization of police activities (Roberg & Kuykendall, 1993). The workload analysis of patrol usually involves various steps which include documenting total patrol workload occurring. Determining the time taken to handle the workload, translating the data into number of patrol officers required, determining the number of patrol officers needed on different days and times and how best to assign patrol officers to various areas (Cordner & Sheehan, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The computation of patrol workload is complicated by the issue of uncommitted crime. Sometimes measurement of police demand services can be based on â€Å"work generating† variable like citizen calls for police service and others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although the workload analysis has been shown to be methodologically sound, few jurisdictions use this form. Administrators cite the cost, complexity of the formula and extensive data collection as the limitations that hinder using the workload formula. References Bayley, D. (1994). Police for the future. USA: Oxford University Press. Cordner, G. & Sheehan, R. (1999). Police Administration. USA: Anderson Pub. Co. Gaines, L., Kappeles, V. & Vaughn, J. (1999). Policing in America. USA: Anderson Pub. Co. Roberg, R., Kuykendall, L. (1993). Police and Society. USA: Wadsworth Pub. Co.

Place of Business I would like to work upon graduation Essay

The contemporary state of affairs in relation to the crisis facing the pharmacy and hospital in general is both compelling and confounding. The decisions based on the recruitment hiring, retention and staffing makes the crisis very compelling as they are usually given the first priority for a majority of managers in the pharmacy departments in hospitals. Similarly the problem is confounding as a majority of the pharmacy departments appear to be facing a worsening situation for these crises and there is no tangible solution and at times the least elusive and frustrating for the people involved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many hospitals have increased salaries for their pharmacists to be in line with the market demand, but the problem gets more complex when the managers find out that the profit drug stores chains have double or at least increased their salaries and wages for the qualified pharmacists at a faster rate than theirs. The profession has tried to create an increasing demand for its expertise; but apparently the limited number of pharmacists characterizing the low staffing in the hospitals seems to be undermining these efforts. The safety initiatives on the part of medication have enhanced the demand for the pharmacists. (Diane A, 2001)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the most glaring statements that are normally made by most medical staff is that they need pharmacists doing the rounds like physicians, nurses in order to monitor and at the same time improve medication quality in the hospitals. Often, the question asked by most people is why the lack of pharmacists if patients, nurses, physicians are already present. If all these medical staff are able to be present everyday and doing the rounds why then can’t pharmacists also be there every day. By restructuring what the pharmacists and hospitals do and how they do them then the response to the patient health care can it be greatly possible to achieve this.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The curriculum provided for by the all pharm D has effectively reduce the supply of pharmacists in the recent past in spite of the increased number of new colleges offering pharmacy as a course. Thus the agony facing most hospital managers has been that of who will be around during the night shifts like other medical practitioners and at other odd times other than the weekdays. For a majority of pharmacy departments, technology which has seen the advent of automation has contributed very little to alleviate these problems. Most of the hospitals including those with the state- of- the art physician order entry systems have equally been faced with the situation of having to look for pharmacists to enter the orders of medication in the pharmacy records. Even though there have been attempts to address this issue with some technicians assuming the role of pharmacist and other duties that they do perform; the demand for pharmacists has by far outdone the place with which the technicians do get assimilated in to the system. In addition, the rate as well as the number with which new drugs are being approved by FDA, together with the complexity of application of the said drugs, has compounded the problems facing the institutions and the practice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are not so many pharmacists who can effectively command a great sense of knowledge on the entire inventory of drugs found in this institution’s formularies. The effect brought about by this is that of pharmacists having the desire and ready to specialize which complicates the problem of recruitment of qualified personnel even further. Ideally these are the issues that Norfow hospital and many other hospital institutions have to grapple with. (Frederick J. 2002)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The increasing number in new colleges of pharmacy will not solve the staffing problem in the short term. What this step is brand to offer little or no solution in the short term. The solution that is offered by such a measure is only in the long- term at some intermediate point and as such has to be factored within context of financial constraints. With this various questions like, can the existing colleges find the appropriate faculty as well as clinical rotations so as to expand class sizes in a significant proportion. Is it possible for organized pharmacy to have a union that is able to speak in one voice when faced with the issue of different constituencies that are within the profession having various needs as well as incentives. The glaring dichotomy that exists between the health care system and chair during store pharmacy practice has often made it very difficult to offer training to pharmacists to become generalists in the profession with the ability to successfully practice in these two direct working environment. Thus when the shift plus is shifted to other profession to offer guidance or direction might not be much of a better solution. (Frederick J. 2002)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most pharmacists often wonder whether the shrinking gap that exists between the wages and salaries of physicians and pharmacists makes the prospect of pursuing pharmacy practice. The pharmacy department may face staffing problems where acute shortages of staff may affect the way prescriptions are handled .Staff in the pharmacy department are needed to handle the screening, packaging , keying in and dispensing to patients. Patients tend to take longer periods of time waiting to be served due to the low or inadequate staffing levels. Staff shortages create room for other complex problems like inefficient record management which could lead to inadequate drug supply control. At times drugs could run out of stock causing inconveniences to patients. Appropriate measures like adequate staffing management would ensure effective record management and replenishment or reorder levels could be done to ensure that drugs do not run completely out of stock. This will be a step forward to ensure patient satisfaction levels are higher. This would translate to more trust on the pharmacy department as well as on the entire hospital at large. Less staffing would make pharmacists to be overworked as they would be extremely busy. This would see them fatigued. Staffing problems in hospitals occurs in the technical department. Limited numbers of qualified pharmacists may be due to lesser people pursuing pharmacy. Again others claim that the remuneration in hospitals is poor and hence shy off venturing into it. Retaining the staff already working is a difficult task but it is very critical and pharmacy managers should be keen to consider it. (http://www.careerpharm.com/employer/resources/Parker.pdf)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     High turnover rates in pharmacy could be attributed to increased workload as well as stress associated with pharmacy. Hospitals ought to recruit more staff both technicians and support staff to reduce the workload pharmacists have.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Turns over rates are influenced by the working environment, training, stress and skill mix. Managers should ensure that the working environment is conducive for the pharmacists as well as their support staff. Roles should be clearly defined so that each staff understands their duties and responsibilities. Conflicting roles would work to demoralize the employees who may seek other opportunities. Clearly defined duties work to enhance the efficiency of any organization and pharmacy managers should ensure role clarity and well defined responsibilities. Effective training works to increase employees and consequently their retention will be attained .The pharmacy department should be well structured and it should allow for progression of pharmacists by effective training. The hospital should allow for professional growth if its goals are to be achieved. This is because employees seek to stick to jobs that offer them professional growth. Training could be done through research opportunities and through conference attendance where people learn of new experiences from experts. Encouraging continued professional development for instance by offering loans to those interested in furthering their studies would work as an incentive to work. It would increase motivation of the staff members and consequently their retention. Provision of an effective or appropriate technical and administrative support would reduce the work load that pharmacists have. Managers ought to be very cautious to hire multi skilled technicians who can multitask thus saving time for the pharmacists. (Cooke M and Pharm M, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Utilizing locum pharmacists is also an appropriate measure in solving the workload problem. Locum pharmacists who are mostly from abroad can be utilized. They offer appropriate services as they have the appropriate training. Quality of work done is therefore not jeopardized. The hospital can utilize part time workers who can be sought during when need arises for instance when absenteeism occurs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Efficiency can be improved and workload deceased if positive changes are incorporated. Effective labeling of drugs would save time taken searching for them. To retain the staff in pharmacy one can use the joint approach method whereby hospitals can embrace staff working in other areas for instance in the community or with the general practitioner GP. Care should however be taken to ensure that the timing does not clash and that they still retain their roles. Their hiring should not staff adversely affect the links between the hospital and the outside community. Pharmacy managers should ensure that the system allows staff to move upwards as long as they acquire the appropriate skill. As long as they acquire the appropriate skills pharmacists should rise up the social ladder and their salaries should increase with time. Encouraging staff members to advance their skill acquisition would work to benefit both the staff and the hospital at large. Pharmacists and other support staff should not be paid below what the market dictates as that would act as a disincentive for them to work. It would only lead to increased job turn over rates.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Inadequate staffing means that the prescription levels are high and patient have to delay before being served. Adopting appropriate technology and re-engineering the administrative procedures would work to increase effectiveness and efficiency in pharmacies. (http://www.careerpharm.com/employer/resources/Parker.pdf)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Pharmacy educators have a role to play in ensuring that the declining numbers of enrollments are stopped. People opt for other careers due to the workload and decreased job satisfaction perceived to be associated with pharmacy. Increased educational time period to acquire pharmacy licensing has also decreased the number of enrollments in pharmacy. It discourages potential pharmacists who opt for other careers which can be pursued at shorter durations or periods.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Staff shortages precipitate temporary cutbacks in the operational hours of pharmacies. Better technology would result to automation which can reduce the workload on the existing staff thus reducing their turnover. Attractive packages like good salaries and other benefits like offering a company car would work to attract new staff. New and improved workflow enhancements can make the processing of prescription very efficient. Use of administrative software s like TechRX and Script Pro can help in increasing the efficiency in pharmacies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Additional training on technicians would equip them with appropriate skills to handle questions from patients, administering claims as well as checking for errors. Introduction of more education, training and competency exams would work to increase the quality and quantity of work produced by technicians. The move to encourage pharmacy students by offering financial aid to students and schools of pharmacy also works to increase the number of qualified staff in pharmacy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Retaining good pharmacists will entail recruiting the appropriate person, offering satisfactory work, creating an empowered environment that focuses on development excellence as well as being involved in professional organization. Hiring pharmacists should be after effective consideration whether a hospital is willing and capable to invest in training a recent graduate or is looking for one with a wealth of experience. Satisfactory work optimizes the workers satisfaction levels and consequently their motivation and retention. Developmental excellence is about ensuring sustainable and continuous quality improvement through training. (Brannick J. and Harris J, 1999).   Internal pathway to for growth entails enrollment of pharmacists to degree programs as well as technician enrollment in pharmacy schools. Encouraging staff members to be active in professional organizations where they can gain collective benefits acts as an incentive for them. Pharmacy staff can be encouraged to participate in pharmacy school activities where they can act as mentors to the student. Such a move may increase the pharmacists’ retention as it could increase their job satisfaction levels. (Cooke M and Pharm M, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Retired pharmacists can return to their jobs to cover for the junior staff who seeks advancement in pharmacy practice. Hospitals ought to be willing to accommodate such staff. Both parties would benefit from such an arrangement. The hospital would gain from the experience and skills as the retired staff gets a chance to earn extra income without the pressure of working on full time basis. Since such staffs are very experienced they can be consulted for advice by the inexperienced staff. Again they help in reducing the workload that is brought about by reduced staff and increased patients seeking to be served. With staff shortages hospital pharmacies are unable to handle or meet the demands posed by patients. The staff shortages are caused by some staff seeking jobs in other places offering better packages, those on maternity leave or those opting for locum which is not as demanding as full time pharmacy practice. This is worsened by reduced numbers of pharmacy graduates.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Placing the staff in positions that they are most appropriate based on their experience; interests as well as their training would ensure that staff retention is realized as they are motivated. Incentives like occasional paid for trips, movie tickets or dinners can work as incentives for employees and would work to increase their motivation. Good communication is very vital as the staff members can effectively air their views or grievances and the hospital management can respond effectively. The overall effect of this would be increased satisfaction levels and the staff turnover would be minimal. (Cooke M and Pharm M, 2000). References: Cooke M and Pharm M. 2000. What pharmacy managers can do to retain staff. Hospital Pharmacist. Vol 7. No 1 p2. James Frederick. 2002. Staff shortage acute and still growing. Pharmacist Shortage, pharmacies, statistics Drug Store News. Patrick E. Parker, M.S.P.2002. Recruiting and Retaining Staff: A Midsize Hospital Experience. Retrieved on 28th November 2007 from: http://www.careerpharm.com/employer/resources/Parker.pdf Arthur Diane. 2001. The employee recruitment and retention handbook. Amacom Books. Brannick J. and Harris J. 1999. Finding and Keeping Great Employees. Amacom Forrest