Body language within the counselling forum and its implications Thesis

Body language within the counselling forum and its implications - Thesis Example What cues are and how researchers have thrashed out issues in counseling have been discussed. The significance of body language and how interpretations are made by the counselor are also discussed. The counselling profession for exceptional mental health needs shows an emerging trend on a global scale which has given shape to international counselling (Hohenshil 2010 p.3). Though found only in the US at one point of time, counselling has spread its wings to an international level. Developing tailored counselling programs is a challenge in itself. Political orientation does not influence this practice of counselling. Whatever the politics of a region, the positive mental health is a priceless social and economic asset (Hohenshil 2010 p 3). Advanced counseling systems with professional associations, armed with good credentials, highly qualified trained counsellors and unique counselling programs which produce the maximum positive results are a blessing to a nation. The multi-cultural diversity would require that programs are modified according to the needs of the local community. Diversity is seen in the national histories, social orientation (whether collectivistic or individua listic) and in different economic situations and political settings (Hohenshil 2010 p 3). Every field of practice has been developed to include counselling. Schools have counselling for their children who need help when they become backward in studies or have some issues with teachers and other students. Professional counsellors may need to have training if they have to cope with new situations. The counselling profession is in a different developmental stage in different countries. Progress is occurring at a fast pace (Hohenshil 2010 p 3). Body language or nonverbal communication constitutes a major component of counseling. Studying nonverbal communication is simulated to a treasure hunt without a map or tools

Writing Assignment Essay Example for Free

Writing Assignment Essay Gender Effect on Courts Dealing with Criminals and Factors that Affect Homicide Rate There is always some speculation that courts have soft corners in dealing with female crminals. In adddition, it is thought that the percentage of poverty, unemployment, and college attainment in any city have an effect on homicide rate. In this report, First I test whether courts dealing with criminals differs by gender. Than, I test whether there is relationship between homicide rate and poverty (%), unemployment (%), and college (%) using the city level data set. Finally, I perform an regression analysis test to model homicide rate per 100,000 in a city. The National Opinion on Crime and Justice study from survey 1995 gives information about citizens opinions and attitudes concerning crime and criminal justice related-topics. The city level data summarizes the different types of information about the American cities such as population, crime index, median age, poverty (%), balck (%), unemployment (%),college (%), homicide rate per 100,000 population, etc. The city level data reported here are from the 2002 survey. The respondents were asked ‘How do courts deal with crminals? ’ in the National Opinion on Crime and Justice study survey with possible answers from ‘Too harshly’, ‘Not harshly enough’, and ‘About right’. About 62% male as compared to 38% female replied Too harshly, about 54% male as compared to 46% female replied Not harshly enough, and about 53% male as compared to 47% female replied About right (Table 1). There were no significant differences between males and females response on â€Å"How do courts deal with crminals? †, ? 2(2) = 0. 99, p = . 61 (Table 2). The average homicide rate per 100,000 population of city was 10. 45 (SD = 9. 81) with minimum of 0. 00 and maximum of 57. 65. The average unemployment of city was 4. 56% (SD = 1. 41%) with minimum of 2. 2% and maximum of 9. 1%.. The average poverty of city was 12. 8% (SD = 5. 5%) with minimum of 3. 4% and maximum of 32. 4%. The average college attainment of city was 26. 89% (SD = 11. 14%) with minimum of 6% and maximum of 69%. (Table 3). There was significant strong positive correlation between homicide rate per 100,000 population and poverty (%), r(156) = . 62, p . 001 (Figure 1). There was significant strong positive correlation between homicide rate per 100,000 population and unemployment (%), r(156) = . 59, p . 001 (Figure 2). There was significant weak negative correlation between homicide rate per 100,000 population and college (%), r(156) = -. 26, p = . 001 (Table 4). Poverty (%) significantly predicted homicide rate per 100,000 population, ? = . 62, t(156) = 9. 92, p . 001. Poverty (%) also explained a significant proportion of variance in homicide rate per 100,000 population, R2 = . 39, F(1, 156) = 98. 43, p . 001 (Table 5, 6 and 7). However, about 61% of the variation in homicide rate per 100,000 population was not explained by poverty (%). Therefore, there was moderate strong effect of poverty (%) on homicide rate per 100,000 population. Each additional percentage of poverty increases the homicide rate per 100,000 population by 1. 1. The regression equation was given by ‘(Homicide rate) = -3. 625 + 1. 1(Poverty)’. For a poverty of 20%, the homicide rate per 100,000 population was about 18. 38. In conclusion, courts do not deal differently with criminals by gender. There is weak negative linear relationship between homicide rate per 100,000 population and colleget (%). However, there was strong positive linear relationship between homicide rate per 100,000 population and unemployment (%), and homicide rate per 100,000 population and poverty (%). Poverty (%) was a useful predictor of homicide rate per 100,000 population in a city.

Hypnosis :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Hypnosis: It Isn't Just For Circus Sideshows Anymore The highlight of my second day at Bryn Mawr College was going to see an exciting hypnosis show. I was one of the lucky few chosen to go up on stage and be made a fool of in front of three hundred other freshman. I stood up on the well-lit stage and listened intently to the oddly-dressed hypnotist. He told me to attempt to hold out my arms straight and look at the ceiling, without moving my head. I followed his instructions, but five minutes later, I was asked to sit down because the performer did not feel that I was as susceptible to hypnosis as the other ten women on stage. Embarrassed, I returned to my seat to watch the merriment. I giggled as I watched people I had been on stage with laugh uncontrollably, dance the hula, and quack like ducks. After the show, I could not help but ask myself why these seemingly normal people would behave so ludicrously at the suggestion of a stranger. After talking with the some of the subjects after the show, I was convinced that they were in a com pletely different brain state than the audience; some of my friends felt the opposite. Such is the nature of hypnosis. Some believe that while under hypnosis the brain differs from other states; others believe that this is not the case. Like the brain, hypnosis is mysterious. Therefore, it is no wonder that there is so much contention about hypnosis, it's uses and effects. But, how does hypnosis work? What does it do to the brain? Is it a legitimate way to get in touch with the unconscious? Evidence of the existence of hypnosis is seen as early as the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. In fact, "hypnosis" comes form the Greek word, hypnos, meaning sleep. It has been used extensively throughout history and it recently recieved an increase in it's legitimacy when in 1996, the National Institutes of Health publicly recommended that hypnosis be covered by health insurance, when used in conjunction with other forms of therapy (1). Hypnosis is a versatile tool. It is used for entertainment, medical recovery, and therapy, such as behavior modification and memory recollection. Hypnosis has been documented to allieve pains, phobias, addictions, irritable bowel syndrome, and asthma. Hypnosis has also been linked to memory recall. A person can hypnotize herself or agree to be hypnotized by another (2).

End of Life Peace Without Pain

End of Life: Peace without Pain Jacqueline R. Reviel Loyola University New Orleans End of Life Peace without Pain Pain management during end of life care is crucial to the comfort and peace of the patient and their family. â€Å"With better pain control, dying patients live longer and better. Pain shortens life. Relief of pain extends life† (Zerwekh et al. , 2006, p. 317). The nurse must educate about (a) disease pathology, (b) signs & symptoms, (c) interventions, (d) medications, (e) alternative therapies, and (f) supportive care, related to end of life care. Pain management involves understanding the pharmacological issues, and management issues surrounding opioid drugs used for pain control. The identification of (a) nursing diagnosis, (b) implementation, and (c) education are essential in keeping the patient and family comfortable and at peace. Pathology, Signs and Symptoms End of life presents with specific pathology which can cause extreme pain and discomfort. The body’s organs begin to shut down as death approaches hypoventilation causes hypoxemia and hypercapnia in turn increasing the workload of the heart as it tries to oxygenate the vital organs. The kidneys and liver begin to fail and toxins begin to build up. The heart fails as it can’t keep up with the demand. Zerwekh (2006) lists specific signs and symptoms associated with death (a) reduced level of consciousness, (b) taking no fluids or only sips, (c) decreased urine output, (d) progressing coldness and mottling in legs and arms, (e) irregular labored breathing; periods of no breathing, and (f) the death rattle. Diagnosis & Interventions Diagnoses related to end of life care are (a) Ineffective tissue perfusion, (b) Alteration in comfort, (c) Activity intolerance, (d) Impaired gas exchange; (e) Ineffective breathing patterns, and (f) Decreased cardiac output. Interventions are attached to each diagnosis and a plan of care is established for the patient. Interventions for alternation in comfort include (a) spiritual, (b) pharmacological, and (c) alternative methods. Ineffective tissue perfusion involves (a) positioning, (b) O2, and (c) fluid management. Activity intolerance is managed by pacing periods of activity with rest. Impaired gas exchange is managed by decreasing fluid shifts with medication. Ineffective airway clearance is helped by (a) positioning and (b) suctioning to clear the airway. Disturbed thought processes interventions are (a) reorient the patient, (b) supporting family, and (c) visitors at times when the patient is most alert. Interventions are tailored specially to the patient’s needs and their disease process. Pain management â€Å"Dying does not need to be painful† (Moynihan et al. , 2003 p. 401). Holistic pain management is crucial during end of life care. Terminally ill patients can have (a) physical, (b) spiritual and (c) emotional pain. Providing comfort is important in decreasing suffering. Emotional pain can be addressed by (a) laughter, (b) memories, and (c) touch. Spiritual pain can be helped with (a) prayer, (b) meditation, (c) talking, (d) listening, (e) pastoral care, and (f) providing the last rights. Physical pain is managed pharmacologically and with alternative comfort measures. Opioids are given to treat severe pain at the end of life. Parlow (2005) used nitrous oxide to control incident pain in terminally ill patients with positive results. Pharmacological issue related to pain management Pharmacological issues surrounding pain management are (a) issues of addiction under medication, (b) legal repercussions, (c) respiratory effects, and (d) side effects. Zerwekh (2006) sums up the fallacy of addiction by stating persons with addiction take their opioids to escape life, whereas persons with pain take their opioids to live life more fully. These issues and lack of knowledge often cause Physicians to under medicate during end of life care. The nurse needs to have full understanding of how opioids work and how to adjust the medications to control severe pain and break though pain without entering into (a) legal issues, (b) respiratory depression and (c) side effects. Complementary and alternative therapies Along with the pharmacological methods to keep the patient comfortable there are many alternative method the nurse can use and teach the family to assist with; giving the family the gift of caring for their loved one and feeling like they are helping. The patient also benefits from the touch and interaction from his or her loved ones. Therapies such as (a) massage, (b) therapeutic touch, (c) guided imagery, (d) aromatherapy, (e) hypnosis and (f) relaxation, are just a few alternative therapies used. Supportive nursing care Often when a family member is dying their loved ones do not know what to say or do and often feel helpless. While providing care for the patient the nurse engages the family in the care and breaks down the fear that they can’t touch the dying patient. The nurse encourages the family to (a) gather, (b) share, and (c) grieve. The family and patient are educated to end of life care so they know what to expect and can recognize it. By giving the family these skills it is a gift so the family has time to say goodbye and to spend the last days in peace not in fear and chaos. The nurse manages symptoms so the patient and the family can concentrate on each other. O’Brien (2011) stated one of the best ways of providing spiritual support in this situation is to allow the patient and family to verbalize their feelings; for the dying person â€Å"one of the greatest spiritual gifts† a nurse can give is to listen (Burns, 1991, p. 1). Patient & Family education Education gives the patient and the family great power and strength to face the path ahead and not be fearful of the process. Discussion around key information such as (a) the patient’s wishes, (b) spiritual care, (c) visitation, (d) pain control, (e) disease process, (f) multi organ failure, (g) specific signs and symptoms, (h) interventi ons that can be provided, (i) interventions the patient may not want, (j) comfort care, and (k) funeral arrangements, must take place with the patient and their family. Patients may believe that pain is to be expected and education informing them that comfort will bring them quality time to spend with their loved ones and to not suffer in silences is vital. Encouraging the family to (a) hold their love ones hand, (b) stroke hair, (c) massage, and (d) talk to them until they take their last breath, is all education the nurse encourages. The nurses’ role is to (a) support, (b) pray and (c) answer question that might arise. Conclusion Caring for patients as they die involves (a) a great deal of knowledge, (b) compassion, and (c) caring, on the nurse’s part. Effective pain management decreases suffering in the terminally ill patient and can make all the difference in how the patient arrives at the end of life. The nurse must be versed and comfortable with the many issues surrounding end of life care so she or he can advocate for the needs of the patient and their family. The nurse’s role in (a) educating, (b) providing spiritual care, and (c) physiological care, to the patient and their family during this very important and stressful time plays a huge part in the comfort and peace that they experience as they journey down the path of loss and grieving. References Moynihan, T. J. (2003). Use of opioids in the treatment os severe pain in terminally ill patients-Dying should not be painful. Mayo Clin Proc. , 1397-1401. O'Brien, M. E. (2011). Spirituality in nursing: Standing on holy ground. Sudbury, MA: Jones ; Barlett Learning. Parlow, J. L. (2005). Self-administered nitrous oxide for the management of incident pain in the terminally ill patient: A blind case series. Palliative Medicine, 19: 3-8. Zerwekh, J. V. (2006). Nursing care at the end of life: Palliative care for patients and families. Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis Company. LOYOLA UNIVERSITY NEW ORLEANS NURS 384: End-of-Life Issues Paper Student: _Jackie Reviel__________________________Semester:_Fall__Year:_2011__ Directions: The purpose of this paper is to examine end-of-life issues. Write a 4-5 page paper on one of the topics that are suggested in your syllabus. Focus the paper on the care of the terminally-ill patient; education of patient and family, and supportive nursing care. Use ast least 4 references (current text and articles) for this assignment and format paper in APA style. Criteria: End-of-Life Issues Paper| Max. Points| Score| 1. Describes terminal Illness. Include pathology and signs and symptoms| 15| | 2. Identify palliative care/interventions associated with illness| 15| | 3. Address pharmacological issues related to terminal illness| 10| | 4. Address complementary and alternative therapies | 15| | 5. Describe supportive nursing care related to terminal Illness. | 15| | 6. Discuss at least 5 nursing diagnosis taken from those listed in the North American Diagnosis Association. 15| | 7. Provide key information to be discussed with patients ; families on terminal illness. | 15| | Total Comments: Faculty Signature: _______________________________Date:_______________________ LOYOLA UNIVERSITY NEW ORLEANS Evaluation of Communication Skills Student: ________________________________Semester: ____Year: _____ Skill in communication is defined as the ability to: (a) effectively express ideas through a variety of media, (b) use communication technology to enhance personal and professional functioning, and (c) use the group process for the purpose of achieving common goals. Note: Your grade on Communication Skills will comprise 10% of your final course grade. You will be rated using a scale of 0-10, where â€Å"0† indicates no credit and â€Å"10† indicates maximum credit for the item indicated. | Writing Criteria: Nursing Research Critique Paper | Score| 1. Use appropriate language and erminology. | | 2. Use correct sentence structure and paragraphing. | | 3. Use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. | | 4. Demonstrate knowledge of relevant content areas. | | 5. Express ideas clearly and convincingly. | | 6. Organize ideas logically. | | 7. Use APA format correctly. | | 8. Overall effectiveness of the written work in meeting identified goals. | | Communication Skills: Pt s earned (_____)/ 80 pts = _____% Letter Grade:____ Percent of Final Course Grade: [Pts earned (____)/ 80 pts =___%] X 10 = ____% Comments: Faculty Signature:____________________________________Date:______________

Catcher in They Rey – Holdens Contradictory Views of the World

With close reference to pages 183-186 analyse Salinger’s use of language and structure, exploring Holden’s contradictory view of the world. On Page 183 Holden says ‘you could tell the two hot- shots I was with weren’t enjoying it too much. They stayed close as hell to me, and the one that didn’t talk at all practically was holding onto my sleeve’. Holden calls them ‘hot shots’ because they acted phony by bunking school and then lying about there being no school. (P182). Throughout the novel, Holden seems to have a problem with the whole idea of ‘phoniness’, yet at times, he himself acts phony.Holden considers movies to be extremely phony and criticises his brother because he moved to Hollywood. Holden emphasises his hatred for Hollywood and movies throughout the novel. Holden states his problem with phonies on page 184 when he says ‘I’d have this rule that nobody could do anything phony when they visited me. If anybody tried to do anything phony, they couldn’t stay’. He constantly demonstrates the idea that if people are ‘phony’ it’s a bad thing. We see this on pages 72/73 when he is talking about Ernie.He says that Ernie ‘is a terrific snob and he won’t hardly even talk to you unless you’re a big shot or a celebrity or something’. In this sentence, Holden implies that just because Ernie is good at playing the piano he thinks he can treat people badly, as if he is better than them. This seems to be Holden’s main dislike about ‘phoniness’, the fact that people act ‘phony’ because they think they are better than you. This is also shown on page 23 when Holden says that stradlater fixed himself up all the time because he was ‘madly in love with himself.He thought he was the handsomest guy in the whole of West Hemisphere’. He criticises Stradlater’s love for himself because h e sees this as an act of ‘phoniness’. While criticising people due to their ‘phoniness’ throughout the novel, Holden himself acts ‘phony’ on multiple occasions. On pages 48-52, when talking to Ernest Morrow’s mother, he pretends to be a completely different person to himself. He makes up a whole false persona in order to look better in front of Ernest’s mother. His false persona has a different name, and likes Ernest, even though Holden himself doesn’t have a high opinion of him.If somebody else were to do the same thing in front of Holden, he would undoubtedly call them ‘phony’. In chapter 17, when Holden goes on a date with Sally Hayes, he speaks just as posh as Sally does. This is shown when he says ‘swell to see you too’. Again, Holden is putting on a false persona in order for Sally to like him more. Throughout this whole chapter, Holden constantly criticises Sally on the way she speaks and ac ts, yet speaks and acts just like she does. By doing this, Holden is contradicting himself.He doesn’t seem to realise that he is acting just as ‘phony’ ads Sally is. Holden seems to act this way in front of most girls. I think he does this because he sees other guys acting the same way with girls and he naturally copies them because he doesn’t know how else to act. As a result, he contradicts himself often, but he just doesn’t realise this. On page 183, Holden states that the tomb was ‘so nice and peaceful’, yet he goes on to say that ‘you can’t find a place that’s nice and peaceful because there isn’t any’.Again, Holden is contradicting himself, but in a different way. He always seems to radically change his views based on little things. On page 184, he talks about his ideal future living in a cabin away from the world. When talking about how his family could visit him he says that he would let D. B. c ome and visit him for a while if he wanted ‘a nice, quiet place for his writing. ‘ Again he is contradicting himself because he is now saying that there is a place which is nice and peaceful, even though he previously stated that there isn't any.This is a clear example of Holden's unstable state of mind, because he doesn't remember what he previously says and he doesn't seem to have any set views as he is always contradicting himself. Loneliness is a key theme in the novel, and it is represented through Holden's contradictions. On page 184, when talking about his ideal future living alone in a cabin, he says, ‘I'd ask them all to visit me sometime if they wanted to, but I wouldn't insist or anything. ‘ This basically shows Holden's desperation for any type of relationship.Although he wants his family to visit him and keep him company, he doesn't want to admit it and therefore acts like he would invite them round as a favour to them, when really, it would make him feel better. On page 186, Phoebe is angry at Holden and Holden gets upset and feels guilty. this shows that he actually cares for Phoebe, even though he would never admit it. He shows this often throughout the novel when he talks highly about her. This idea is also shown on pages 122-123. Holden is so desperate for company that he just contacts anyone he could think of in order to have company.Even though he criticises these people based on their ‘phoniness', he still wants their company. This reoccurs on page 134. Holden spends all that time criticising Luce, yet ends up practically begging him to stay with him because he is lonely. He even admits his loneliness to Luce . ‘I'm lonesome as hell, no kidding'. This happens a lot during the novel. In chapter 10, Holden meets three girls, who he refers to as ‘pretty ugly' and ‘the three witches'. He spends the majority of the chapter pretending to like them in order to have company, even though he constantly criticises them to us.He constantly complains to us about things that they do, yet at the end of the chapter on page 67 when they say they had to leave, he says that he ‘tried to get them to stick around for a while'. This scene links together the last two points that I mentioned. Holden doesn't actually like the girls, yet he pretends he does so that he can have company. He also creates this false persona that is interested in the three girls. In order to do this, he had to use techniques that he has learnt from other people, even though he describes these other people as ‘phony'.Because he so socially unable, he takes techniques from others. What he doesn't realise is that by using these techniques, he himself is being a ‘phony'. You could say that deep down he knows that he does this a lot, yet he doesn't want to admit it to himself. In conclusion I think that Holden is highly contradictory about everything due to his troubled and confused state of mind. I thin k this is caused by the changes they are taking place in his life, such as getting kicked out of schools a lot and not understanding sexual relationships/feelings.

Free Essays on Language And Communication In Elementary Mathematics Teaching

the mathematician uses to express mathematical concepts and activities: the mathematical register. A well-defined, universally accepted vocabulary of terms and expressions allows mathematics to be studied the same way the world over. (Booker et al, 1997). Therein lies the problem. Receiving advice at t... Free Essays on Language And Communication In Elementary Mathematics Teaching Free Essays on Language And Communication In Elementary Mathematics Teaching Introduction Somewhere between Vygotsky and Piaget; somewhere between Newton determining the laws of the universe alone with his apple tree, and Andrew Wiles proving Fermat’s last theorem with the aid of his colleagues around the world; somewhere between learning the 3Rs by rote under a strict schoolmaster beating down the slightest whisper, and the neo-pragmatist’s ‘knowledge is conversation’ ideal mathematics lesson of total discourse; somewhere between these opposite ends of their various spectra lies the true role of language and conversation in the mathematics class. If it is the responsibility of the mathematics teacher to encourage students to talk in the classroom (Steele, 1998) then it is more so the responsibility to ensure that that discussion does not damage students’ mathematical learning (Sfard et al, 1998). Orey (1998) proposes that learning mathematics makes powerful problem solvers who can break down complex problems into understandable elements and create clear effective and even original solutions. Successful mathematics students, according to Schielack (2000), can read critically, identify fallacies, detect bias, assess risk and suggest alternative solutions. Cotton (1999) postulates thus that mathematics provides both access to positions of power and the ability to critically analyse the decisions of those in power. If all children then do have a right to the power of mathematics (Wickett, 2000), then the teacher has a responsibility to give all students access. The mathematics register and lexical ambiguity At the beginning of mathematical learning is the language of mathematics - that set of words the mathematician uses to express mathematical concepts and activities: the mathematical register. A well-defined, universally accepted vocabulary of terms and expressions allows mathematics to be studied the same way the world over. (Booker et al, 1997). Therein lies the problem. Receiving advice at t...

Pressing and Pressure

Pressing and Pressure Pressing and Pressure Pressing and Pressure By Mark Nichol Press and all the words containing it as a root, as well as a few disguised words from the same source word, pertain in some sense to applying force. This post lists many of the words stemming from the Latin verb premere, meaning â€Å"cover† or â€Å"hold fast,† and its descendant pressare. Press itself means â€Å"cluster,† â€Å"exert force,† â€Å"push forward,† and â€Å"squeeze out.† As a noun, it refers to a device for applying force, including a printing press, from which influence the word came to describe the collective entity of print media (and later all journalistic media). In that sense, in such phrases as â€Å"press conference,† it also acquired adjectival form. It also applies to an approach to applying force, as in a defensive strategy in basketball such as the full-court press. A press is also a crowd or an acting of crowding together. Pressure is the application of force. As a verb, pressure means â€Å"apply force,† and the verb pressurize refers to injecting a gas into a container in a greater concentration than outside the container (or pertains to designing the container for that purpose). The adjectival form is pressurized, and the act is pressurization. (The corresponding antonymic forms are depressurize and so on.) The adjective â€Å"high pressure† denotes a literal or figurative situation in which force is applied, often in the context of its effect on an individual, as when referring to a high-pressure job. Tension or pain resulting from such situations can be alleviated by acupressure, a therapeutic application of pressure to points of the body. (One form of acupressure, developed in Japan, is called shiatsu- literally, â€Å"finger pressure.†) To compress is to push against or together, or to reduce as if by doing so, and something compressed undergoes compression. As a noun, it describes a piece of cloth applied to a body part, especially an injured one, as treatment, or pertains to a device that compresses; an example of the latter might, alternatively, be called a compressor, such as a machine that compresses air to provide force for a tool. To reverse compression is to decompress. Depress, by contrast, means â€Å"push down.† By extension, word also came to apply to lowering someone’s spirits or reducing value. The adjective for all senses is depressive, and depression describes an act of depressing or a physical alteration of a landform or an object that leaves one area or part lower than the rest; the word also has astronomical, mathematical, and meteorological senses. (The historical period of economic distress that lasted roughly throughout the 1930s throughout the world is called the Depression or the Great Depression.) Depressant is a synonym for sedative, and a medication intended to alleviate depression is an antidepressant. Express means â€Å"expel† or â€Å"push out† (hence the borrowed Italian word espresso, which refers to coffee brewed with steam pressure), but it also came to mean â€Å"put into words† or â€Å"represent.† Something that can be expressed in the former senses is expressible, and the latter connotations are represented by the adjective expressive. (The antonyms are inexpressible and inexpressive.) The adverb expressly, however, means â€Å"plainly.† Something expressed is an expression, including an attitude or emotion signaled by the way one’s face is shaped by movement of one’s eyebrows, mouth, and so on. (Expressive also describes something that reveals attitudes and emotions.) Express itself came to be employed as an adjective meaning â€Å"implied,† and both as an adjective and adverb, it refers to a special condition or treatment; for example, an express train is one that travels directly from one station to another, bypassing intermediate stops. In this sense, the word also serves as a noun, as when sending a package by a rapid delivery method. A system of doing so is called an express, and the word used to apply to a messenger employed to deliver something quickly. An expressway, meanwhile, is a thoroughfare with a minimum of exits or intersections. Impress refers to having an emotional or physical effect or influence. Something that leaves a positive emotional impression because it is aesthetically pleasing or demonstrates achievement is impressive. An impression may be an effect or influence, an uncertain or unclear belief or idea, or an appearance or suggestion; the word also refers to an emotional or physical application, such as fixing a personality trait or stamping an object. (The use of press and impressment to refer to an act of forced labor or military service is unrelated; the source of these terms is the Latin verb praestare, meaning â€Å"stand before.†) To oppress is to push against, to repress is to push back, and to suppress is to push down; the adjectival forms add -ive, and actions are indicated with the inflection -ion. All three terms often pertain to using despotic force against people agitating for freedom or rights. Repress and suppress also apply to excluding emotions or thoughts from one’s consciousness. Oppress may also apply to an emotional or spiritual burden. One who, because of a buoyant or determined personality, seemingly cannot be repressed is described as being irrepressible, and a suppressant is a drug that controls or prevents a reaction or state. Print (and imprint) are disguised relations of the press family, as is imprimatur; that word (New Latin for â€Å"let it be printed) originally applied to a printing or publishing license authorized by the Catholic Church, and later referred to approval to do so in general and then, by extension, pertained to any type of approval or a mark of approval. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely?"Have" vs "Having" in Certain Expressions10 Functions of the Comma

3 Examples of Confusion Caused by Missing Words

3 Examples of Confusion Caused by Missing Words 3 Examples of Confusion Caused by Missing Words 3 Examples of Confusion Caused by Missing Words By Mark Nichol In each of the sentences below, omission of a small but key word muddles the statement’s meaning. Discussion after each example explains the problem, and a revision to each sentence provides a clarifying solution. 1. Some organizations still look at privacy and security as a cost/benefit equation, rather than an issue that could create long-term damage. This sentence requires corresponding prepositions preceding the phrases that express conflicting possibilities; otherwise, readers may be unclear as to whether â€Å"an issue that could create long-term damage† is complementary to â€Å"a cost/benefit equation† or whether the former phrase describes something organizations still look at instead of privacy and security: â€Å"Some organizations still look at privacy and security as a cost/benefit equation, rather than as an issue that could create long-term damage.† 2. The agency particularly calls out the need for firms to ensure systems and technologies are resilient to cyberattack and that firms are not exposed to attack during periods of change. The conjunction that is often optional, but it is recommended after ensure so that the reader is not temporarily misled into misunderstanding, for example, that the phrase â€Å"ensure systems and technologies† does not refer to ensuring those things themselves as opposed to ensuring that something about them occurs or is true: â€Å"The agency particularly calls out the need for firms to ensure that systems and technologies are resilient to cyberattack and that firms are not exposed to attack during periods of change.† 3. Respondents from the region are also significantly less likely to believe that the direction of regulatory scrutiny is increasing than other regions. Here, the notion of other regions, rather than a situation occurring in other regions, is compared to the original situation. To clarify the relationship of the key phrases, a preposition should precede â€Å"other regions†: â€Å"Respondents from the region are also significantly less likely to believe that the direction of regulatory scrutiny is increasing than those in other regions.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Avoid Beginning a Sentence with â€Å"With†List of Greek Words in the English LanguageAffect vs. Effect

2014 Gubernatorial Campaign Plan for James Walker Research Paper

2014 Gubernatorial Campaign Plan for James Walker - Research Paper Example Big Jim is married with two children and is currently a resident of San Antonio City, the second largest city in Texas and the administrative capital of Bexar County. While in High school, Walker demonstrated good interpersonal and leadership skills and he consequently served in a number of leadership positions. These positions not only gave him the necessary leadership skills but also widened his eyes to public service. After completing his law degree at Virginia School of law in 1986, He served briefly as a Texas Ranger before he became a renowned business man in Bexar County. As a former Ranger, Jim Walker acquired the characters associated with rangers such as determination, courage, dedication, integrity and respect for others. Finally as an active Republican activist, Mr. Walker has also been elected to chair several committees and has been in the fore front campaigning for the enactment of several statues benefiting majority of the citizens in Texas. The republican candidate i s currently considered as one of the ideal gubernatorial candidates of the year 2014 many people across the political divide. James Walker (Big Jim). Regional and cultural support With regard to the regional and cultural diversity of the modern state of Texas, our campaign plan will take into account the varying needs of various regions and cultures across the vast State. The main regions of Texas such as the Big Bend County, Panhandle plains, Prairies, Gulf Coast and the Pineywoods among other regions all have significant variations with regard to their economic activities and interests. Each of the regions is distinguished by different levels of prosperity, types of monetary activity, different political cultures, racial and cultural mix. Furthermore, East Texas and West Texas both are Texan, but have differences not only with each other but also from South Texas and Urban Texas. Generally the complex interplay between the diverse cultural, economic, historical, geographic and ins titutional as well as the social forces has continued to define the politics of Texas particularly the regional and cultural support for the candidates of various political offices in the State (Drake, 2011). Mr. James Walker is likely to experience some problems in his campaigns in regions such as Urban Texas which generally have greater economic activity and are known to favor candidates who favor economic liberalism. The other regions where Mr. Walker will also have an uphill task include South Texas Plains and Big Bend Country. This is because many voters believe Republicans are unlikely to enact economic liberalization policies since Republicans are considered to be conservatives. Consequently most of the Urban Texas regions have always been known to lean towards Democrats because their policies advocate for more economic liberalization. As a politician who favors social conservatism, Walker will most likely do well in the rural regions of Texas where many people favor politici ans who advocate for the restoration of traditional moralism and values. Additionally the Republican Party has strong influence in regions like Panhandle plains and Hill Country and therefore the people of these regions are most likely to vote Big James and people who pursue Individualistic political culture such as Mr. James Walker. Demographic support Demographic variation will also play a sign9ificant role in the2014 gubernatorial campaigns of James Walker. This is particularly with regard to the fact that the vast territory with a culturally diverse population that consist of people with various ethnic and racial backgrounds (Scharrer, 2011). Texas has a diverse demographic

Evaluate how domestic and regional factors limited Japan's abilities Research Paper

Evaluate how domestic and regional factors limited Japan's abilities to play more definitive security roles in East Asia. Asse - Research Paper Example There are some signs that this is now changing, but the Japan-US military alliance will continue to be the defining feature of Japan’s foreign policy for the foreseeable future. Article 9 Following the Second World War, Japan officially renounced its right to declare war, which has left the country in a unique situation, somewhat removed from the life of a ‘normal’ nation state. The Japanese military is restricted by Article 9 of its constitution, which states that Japan has forfeited its right as a nation to declare war, and will not recognize force as a valid means of settling disputes between nations. As a result, Japan does not officially keep its armed forces for any purpose except self-defense. Article 9 ends: ‘The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized’. Japan does maintain a large military force, and has one of the world’s largest military budgets, but this is justified as being purely in a defensive capacity, and unt il the past two decades, Japan did not even contribute personnel to peacekeeping missions sanctioned by the United Nations (UN). The defense budget is nearly $50 billion, approximately 1% of Japanese GDP, and it spends a further $2 billion annually on supporting American forces based in Japan1. Japanese forces are controlled tightly by civilian politicians, and the first time they were allowed to operate outside of the country was in a peacekeeping capacity in Cambodia in 1992-3. Article 9 effectively prevents Japan from taking a particularly active military role in international affairs, and for many Japanese, who are broadly pacifist, the horrors of the Second World War remain a powerful reason not to abolish Article 9 from the constitution2. As Kingston put it, ‘The US actually insisted on the insertion of Article 9 in the Japanese Constitution [as part of postwar peace negotiations], but has regretted it ever since’3. The United States would prefer Japan to take a m ore active role in attaining their shared security goals, so that it would not have to shoulder the absolute burden of operations in East Asia, including making considerable provision for Japan’s own defense. Kingston argues that, despite strong popular support for Article 9 – ‘For many Japanese, it is a point of pride that Japan’s Constitution embraces pacifism, a powerful symbolic break with the wartime past and an ongoing guarantee’, it has ‘diminished sway over government security policy’4. As we shall see, Japan has indeed circumvented the provisions of its constitution to deploy its forces abroad in recent years. The Japan-US Alliance Following the Treaty of San Francisco, Japan’s foreign policy has essentially been guided by its close relationship with the United States. Japan has been able to leave international issues to the United States, and concentrated mainly on economic recovery and development, ‘with relative ly little concern (and cost) for its own defense’5. The Alliance has had benefits for the US also. Keen to expand its practical influence right across the Pacific in the aftermath of the Second World War, Japan, as an archipelago right off the Asian mainland, offered an ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier’ from which to pursue this policy. Bases in Japan have helped with deployments against Communist forces in Korea and Vietnam, as well as other conflicts in the region. This alliance is boosted by the large volume and value of trade between the US and Japan.

Women's studies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Women's studies - Assignment Example It can be liposuction which is also known as tummy reduction, breast enlargement and reduction and more popularly, Cosmetic Surgery has been used by the older generation of women who feel that they need to look better than they already do. By this we mean that they want to alter parts of their bodies to slow down the aging process. The most common and most frequent form of cosmetic surgery that is normally performed on these women is abdominoplasty which mainly involves reshaping the abdomen to give it a firm characteristic as well as shape it. The other is the blepharoplasty which is normally the reshaping of the eyelids and the areas around the eye. Aging in the women is normally on the faces and this procedure involves the removal of the excess tissue and in the process reinforcing the muscles. The criticism that is levelled against these women is that they should accept who they really are and should also be proud of their age. The procedure is also considered ethical and immoral as well as one that goes against nature where age cannot be reversed. Women who don’t undergo the procedure are those who are proud of their age and those who feel they are still beautiful despite having grown and matured. My thought on the issue is that if the procedure is not a medical case, it is best to accept who we are as change such as aging is inevitable. Gender reassignment is a surgical procedure where the gender factors of an individual such as the resemblance, the physical appearance as well as the way of life are changed to be like those of the opposite sex. The procedure is normally performed mainly at an early age as therapy and treatment for gender identity disorder or transgender. The person who undergoes the procedure is thus referred to as transgender. The procedure normally involves a series of activities where the genitals are changed

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Rhetorical Analysis - Essay Example region who tend to reside in the uptown Maryland and the Republican lawyers of the same area, who resides in the suburban parts of Virginia. If a lawyer of Maryland is asked to shift their dwelling to Virginia, they would just give an amazed look as if something strange and impossible has been proposed to them. The same thing would take place when an Interior decorator of West Hollywood is asked to move to Orange County. Similarly a barista belonging to owners from Athens named â€Å"In Georgia† would not find them fit for serving coffee to the American citizens. The same complaint can be seen everywhere. In the modern era of information and technology, the late author James Chapin noted a remarkable similarity between the different places and the inhabitants and in this context he said â€Å"every place becomes more like itself†. In the earlier days people used to consider those places suitable for living which includes lots of factory or other means of earnings, while now the same people look for places to reside which consists of people belonging to their culture. The author finds that the general people love segmenting themselves. According to him, the people are, â€Å"finding places where we are comfortable and where we feel we can flourish†. In this context the contrast nature of the United States has been put under limelight which often exhibits distinction between the institutions and blocks but as a whole they introduce themselves as a diverse nation. Mr. Brook states that diversity is often understood as racial unity. Many social reformers tried to incorporate this idea in their approaches towards a society without racial discrimination and it proved to be successful in the initial years. However the census data of 2000 reveals that racially integrated neighborhoods were found to rise during the 90s but due to some unknown reason the African families who were staying earlier with their

Information Systems management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Information Systems management - Research Paper Example expenditure from 10 to 6 billion dollars and development time from 6 to 4 years (Tang &Zimmerman, 2009).Supply chain integration is basically the â€Å"approach of technically linking supply chain of vendors and customers† so as to make sure the â€Å"process is streamlined and to increase efficiency and accuracy.†(Pearlson & Saunders, 2010, p.152).However the final outcome was a complete opposite. As things stand now, apart from the project being in over budget of billions of dollars, it is also behind schedule by 3 years (Steve, 2013). Boeing’s Chief of Commercial Airplanes, Jim Albaugh, explains that they have spent so much more money than anticipated trying to recover than they ever would have used had they tried keeping major technologies nearer home (Steve, 2013). The main problem facing Boeing is shortfall in supplier oversight due to enthusiastic embrace of Integrated Supplier Information System, which allows suppliers to log in a portal, provided by Boeing, and thus need not necessarily meet with Boeing’s main team in US (Steve, 2013). Boeing further, rather than planning for face-to-face basis of communication, or on-site communication relied so much on their information systems with a web-based communications instrument known as Exostar that required suppliers to feed the latest information regarding their work progress (Steve, 2013). This IT equipment was to offer improved control, supply chain visibility as well as integration of important business processes, thus reducing development cost and time (Steve, 2013).Thus, instead of face-to-face kind of communication, the information technology tool was supposed to, in real time, flag problems. Not surprisingly, this technology miserably failed. As a result of this â€Å"remote con trol† outsourcing business, Boeing 787 encountered several Information systems problems that included electrical system faults in addition to battery issues that resulted to the Dreamliner’s grounding (Dominic, 2013). This

Tiger Woods sex scandal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Tiger Woods sex scandal - Research Paper Example His career comprises of a series of records in the history of sports. The player has a record of winning 14 major titles until the end of 2009. The number of titles suggests him to be just behind Jack Nicklaus in the international golf arena. By that time the player had already accomplished a great hype which was indeed the gift of his achievements accumulated with the strength of media. As highlighted in an article published by BBC, â€Å"As the most successful black player in a traditionally white sport, Woods has been credited with boosting interest in the game worldwide, increasing TV audiences, and bringing greater wealth to the sport in prize money and sponsorship†. Source: (BBC, â€Å"Tiger Woods Profile†) Tiger Woods is an American and was born on 30th December, 1975. The boy was named ‘Eldrick Woods’ by his parents and later got the nickname ‘Tiger’ after one of his father’s Vietnamese soldier friends. And thereby he received hi s fame name as ‘Tiger Woods’. Tiger Woods received publicity for the first time on television as a ‘child golf prodigy’ when he was only two years old against Bob Hope. He also earned the fame of making 48 strikes in 9 holes at the age of three. This provided him the fame of the most promising youngster in golf. After this he became a common face in the national and international sports channels on television and a common figure in the sports news (BBC, â€Å"Tiger Woods Profile†). With all these on-going phenomena, within a short span of time, Woods achieved the fame which takes years for other players. Hence, media played a significant role to brighten up the career of Tiger Woods. On the contrary, media is often referred to be the reason of his downfall as well. The problem occurred when the focus of the media publications shifted from his career and achievements to his personal life. It was in the month of October in 2004 when Tiger Woods married Elin Nordegren by organizing a lavish marriage ceremony of almost $3 million. Again highlighted by the media this became one of the attractive news headlines during the period (CNN, â€Å"Woods Marries His Swedish Fiancee†). In the first few years, the couple was happily married until the end of 2009 when suddenly the extra-marital affairs caught the attention of the majority of the world. It was in December 2009, when a news media highlighted that Tiger Woods had multiple extra-marital affairs after his marriage to Elin Nordegren in 2004. This resulted in the separation of the couple forcing the magnificent golf player to take a personal leave from sports (Nadler, R. S., â€Å"Leading with Emotional Intelligence: Hands-On Strategies for Building Confident and Collaborative Star Performers†). The scandal has been rated to be a series of few small and big catastrophes related to the renowned player, within a span of just two week from November 27th to December 11th. To be summarized, it was on November 27th when Woods met with an accident within a short distance from his residence, which attracted a few media conversations. As a result, on November 30th, the player pulled himself from the Chevron World Challenge. He also had to pay $164 as a penalty for careless driving at the Florida Highway Patrol on December 1st (Telegraph, â€Å"

Information Systems management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Information Systems management - Research Paper Example expenditure from 10 to 6 billion dollars and development time from 6 to 4 years (Tang &Zimmerman, 2009).Supply chain integration is basically the â€Å"approach of technically linking supply chain of vendors and customers† so as to make sure the â€Å"process is streamlined and to increase efficiency and accuracy.†(Pearlson & Saunders, 2010, p.152).However the final outcome was a complete opposite. As things stand now, apart from the project being in over budget of billions of dollars, it is also behind schedule by 3 years (Steve, 2013). Boeing’s Chief of Commercial Airplanes, Jim Albaugh, explains that they have spent so much more money than anticipated trying to recover than they ever would have used had they tried keeping major technologies nearer home (Steve, 2013). The main problem facing Boeing is shortfall in supplier oversight due to enthusiastic embrace of Integrated Supplier Information System, which allows suppliers to log in a portal, provided by Boeing, and thus need not necessarily meet with Boeing’s main team in US (Steve, 2013). Boeing further, rather than planning for face-to-face basis of communication, or on-site communication relied so much on their information systems with a web-based communications instrument known as Exostar that required suppliers to feed the latest information regarding their work progress (Steve, 2013). This IT equipment was to offer improved control, supply chain visibility as well as integration of important business processes, thus reducing development cost and time (Steve, 2013).Thus, instead of face-to-face kind of communication, the information technology tool was supposed to, in real time, flag problems. Not surprisingly, this technology miserably failed. As a result of this â€Å"remote con trol† outsourcing business, Boeing 787 encountered several Information systems problems that included electrical system faults in addition to battery issues that resulted to the Dreamliner’s grounding (Dominic, 2013). This

Affect of oil on our economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Affect of oil on our economy - Essay Example Oil also has consequences that are unintended and have negative impact. In the previous decades, the prices of oil have always been high going for $100 per barrel. Because of increased oil consumptions in nations like China and wars in major oil countries like Iraq. The production of oil in fields that are conventional could not supply the demand efficiently hence the prices increased. The high prices made companies it Canada and USA to begin drilling, hard to get crude. Then all over sudden, the demand for oil started to reduce in places like Asia and Europe and in the USA, due to economies that were weakening and the introduced efficiency measures. Later in 2014, oil supply had risen much more that what is actually demanded. The unused oil was stored away for later use, by September, prices reduced sharply (Cochran, et al.45). The boom before the fall boosted Texas economy for nearly a half a century was finally over. The oil business in West Texas will take at least two years to recover as Houston audience was told by an economist who is familiar with Texas oil producers’ economic indicators. As the boom brought good moments in life, the downturn will lead to economic problems in Texas and other places that were beneficiaries of the boom (Henderson, Rebecca D 37). The cost of oil, permits issued and the numbers of rigs operating in Texas are in the decrease and this means the jobs of many people are in stake. Oil indexes were at the peak in October at it stood at 312.9 but it reduced in December to 309.5, and that was officially the end of a 54 month duration that the Texas energy industry expanded. It is expected that 50,000 upstream jobs will be lost in the Texas as the contraction of oil industry continues, plus additional 250,000 more jobs that are related to the oil and gas industry. GE Oil & Gas is one of the companies that has cut job, it informed the regulators that it is going to lay off 330 of

Opportunity to participate in SkillsUSA Essay Example for Free

Opportunity to participate in SkillsUSA Essay One of the benefits of attending a vocational high school is the opportunity to participate in SkillsUSA. Preparing for SkillsUSA was one of the most challenging and nerve racking experiences in my life. SkillsUSA is an organization of students and teachers working together to help its members become responsible, hard working, and dedicated young adults. At the beginning of my junior year in high school, my shop instructor approached me and told me about SkillsUSA, and also the events that pertained to information technology. It took me a few moments to realize that he was encouraging me to participate. I read through the information packet my teacher gave me and noticed that SkillsUSA was a lot bigger than I realized. SkillsUSA is not only about being skilled in the trade you are studying, it is about being an outstanding citizen, and giving back to your community in any way you can. The first thoughts that popped into my head were â€Å"Am I ready for this?† I chose to compete in the robotics and automation technology contest. I have always been interested in robots and how they work. Until then, I had no experience working with robots so I was really nervous, I did not have much confidence in myself. Not only did I have a few months to learn everything I can about robotics while keeping up with my schoolwork, and balancing my part-time job, but I also had to evaluate myself as a person. I was on the Internet and at the library every spare minute I had learning everything I could. I ordered kits off the Internet to practice working with robots so there were no surprises during the competition. It was hard work, but it paid off. Although I did not place at the competition, I did really well considering I started learning about robotics five months prior to the competition and I was competing against students who had years of experience on the robotics team at their high school. Becoming a SkillsUSA member means you must make a pledge to be prepared, to be diligent, to practice, work hard, to respect your trade, and have a good reputation with your peers, coworkers, parents, employers, and teachers. Making a pledge this important demonstrates how committed I am to become a better citizen. I made the pledge to myself, even though I did not become an official SkillsUSA member. I found I have more confidence and take pride in everything I do whether it is taking a test, completing homework, or even dealing with difficult customers at my job. Setting these standards for myself is important to me. When I look back on my accomplishments I realize that I did not have to set my mind to put forth my best effort because what I use to think of as my â€Å"best effort† is now second nature. In those five months I feel like I have grown as person more than any other period in my life.

Frankenstein: The Relationship between God and Man

Frankenstein: The Relationship between God and Man In Mary Shelleys novel, Frankenstein, the book examines a variety of aspects of ambition. For instance, with Victor, ambition proves to be his undoing, and, in turn, Victors example becomes a forewarning for Robert Walton; meanwhile, the Creature is, in a sense, Victors child and thus inherits facets of Victors ambitionbut because the Creature is also a conglomerate of all the humans who embody him, he is thereby also symbolic of Mankinds ambitions that do not fully come to realization nor fulfillment, which is why readers can identify with the Creatures tragic elements. Frankenstein explores the repercussion of man and monster chasing ambition blindly. Victor Frankenstein discovered the obscure secret that allowed him to create life. And after Frankenstein discovered the source of human life, he became utterly absorbed in his experimental creation of a human being and it consumed his life completely. Victors boundless ambition and his yearning to succeed in his efforts to create lif e, and to have his creation praise him as his creator for the life he gave it led him to find ruin and anguish at the end of his ambition. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardor that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. (P. 42) Walton wanted to sail to the arctic because no other sailor had ever reached it or discovered its secrets. The monster was created against his will; his ambition was to requite his creation as an appalling outcast and to attain some satisfaction for crumbling the world around Victor. These three characters all acted upon the same blind ambition. The novel asks enduring questions about human nature and the relationship between God and man. The monster displays a similar kind of duality, inciting sympathy as well as dread in all who hear his tale. He requisitions our compassion to the extent that we recognize ourselves in his exceeding loneliness and compare our own life with the Creature. Despised by his creator and wholly alone and hated, he learns what he can of human nature as he eavesdroppes on a family of cottage dwellers, and he educates himself by reading three books that had fortunately fallen across his path, among them Paradise Lost. Who was I? What was I? Whence did I come? (P. 93), the Creature asks himself after reading them. Even though the Creature commits criminal acts, the fact that he has a self-consciousness and his ability to educate himself as a person raises the question of what it really means to be human, what thoughts and emotions it takes to be considered a human-being. It is difficult to think of th e monster as anything less than just that in his entreaty for understanding from Frankenstein when the creature wishes to speak to him: Believe me, Frankenstein: I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity; but am I not alone, miserably alone? You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow-creatures, who owe me nothing? They spurn and hate me. (p. 71). When the Creatures unknown, but helpful acts of kindness toward the De Laceys are returned with baseless animosity, we come to wonder whether it is the world that the creature inhabits, as opposed to something intrinsic that caused him to commit enormity. Nonetheless, he clings on to a conscience and a zealous longing for another kind of existence as well as acceptance and love from another, which Victor cruelly denies him. Modern man is an example of the monster, estranged from his creator-who believes his own origins to be meaningless and accidental,non important and full of rage at the conditions of his existence as well as at his creator. Since the monster has no name of his own, hes not quite an autonomous fellow. Instead, he is bound to his creator. He is naught without Victor. He is as much a part of Frankenstein as he is his own self. The monster comes into the world by a pretty horrendous set of circumstances. He has the physique of a giant, yet a puerile mind. He has an amiable nature, yet his physical deformity hides his benevolence and makes everyone fear and abuse him. His own creator even rejected him because of his hideous looks. His feelings are the most deep and poignant of any characters in this novel, as well as the most conflicted. When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, the, a monster, a blot upon the earth from which all men fled and whom all men disowned? (P. 105) To make matters more complicated, the monster is correlated to both Adam and Satan in Paradise Lost. This may seem slightly nebulous. The thing to keep in mind is that the idea at the heart of the monster is his duality. He has a very abstruse duality. He is at once man in his immaculate state before the Fall (the Fall = evil), and yet the manifestation of evil itself. This is starting to sound like Victor Frankenstein. Abstruse dualityconflicting characterizationcould it be that the monster mirrors his maker in his duality? Of course, the other reason the monster turns on humans is because Victor was his last tie to humanity. The monster is one of many people in this text that is affected by loneliness, isolation, and an all around desire for companionship. Victor may have scorned him, resented him, and tried repeatedly to eradicate him, but at least he talked to the monster. At least he recognized the monsters existence. And for a creature that spent most of his wretched life in hiding and exile, alone without anyone there for him, this can be pretty good reason to pursue Victor. Good or bad, Victor is the only relation hes ever had and he tries desperately to cling to this relationship. Do we accuse him? Do we spite him? Do we adore him? Hes tenderhearted. He articulates well with others and he even rescues a little girl from a river. He just gets the cruelty and hatred because hes ugly. Can we blame him if he lashes out in abrupt and absurdly violent ways? From that moment he declared everlasting war against the species, and more than all, against Frankenstein who had formed him and sent him forth to this insupportable misery. (P. 99) This sounds like more clashing emotions. Could it be that we, the reader, feel the equivalent duality of emotions that the monster and Victor feel for each other? One more thing, what does it mean that the fmonster is made out of dead-person pieces? If hes made up out of people, then hes essentially a person himself. But if theyre inert, then hes never really extant in the first place. You could also say that, since hes an aggregate of human parts, hes also a conglomerate of human traits. This might show us the nature of his complex duality. Modern man is also Frankenstein, breaking ties and becoming further away from his creatorusurping the powers of God and irresponsibly tinkering with nature, even if they are full of benign purpose, it ends with malignant results. Although Frankenstein as well as the monster begin with good intentions and become murderers in the end, the monster seem way more softhearted than Victor because he is by nature the outsider of society, whereas Frankenstein purposely removes himself from human society. When Frankenstein first becomes enthralled in his endeavours to create life, as he collects materials from a slaughterhouse and disecting room. Frankenstein also breaks his ties with friends and family during his hindering work, and he becomes increasingly confined. His father reproaches him for this; eliciting Frankenstein to think to himself what his single-minded quest for knowledge has cost him, and whether or not it is morally acceptable. After he looks back on his mistakes, he concludes that, contrary to his credence at the time it was not worth it, If no man allowed any pursuit whatsoever to interfere with the tranquility of his domestic affections, Greece had not been enslaved; Caesar would have spared his country; America would have been discovered more gradually; and the empires of Mexico and Peru had not been destroyed. (p. 35). Natural world is like Eden and will be corrupted through too much knowledge (science). [ProofBiblical Conception of Knowledge; man evicted from paradise for knowing too much; Prometheus reined in by Gods; novel written in Romantic era which upholds the values that Progress is Dangerous and that there must be a return to Idealized Past]. Through Victor and Walton, Frankenstein represents human beings as deeply ambitious, and yet also deeply erroneous. The labors of men of genius, however erroneously directed, scarcely ever fail in ultimately turning to the solid advantage of mankind. (P. 29) Both Victor and Walton fantasize of transforming society and bringing prestige to themselves through their scientific conquests. Yet their ambitions also make them ignorant. Blinded by dreams of glory, they fail to consider the repercussions of their actions. So while Victor turns himself into a god, a creator, by bringing his monster to life, this only highlights his fallibility when he is ultima tely inept of fulfilling the obligation that a creator has to its creation. Victor thinks he will be like a god, but ends up the progenitor of a devil. Walton, at least, turns back from his quest to the North Pole before getting himself and his crew annihilated, after hearing Victors tale about the devastating aftermath of pushing the boundaries of exploration. I will not lead you on, unguarded and ardent as I then was, to your destruction and infallible misery. Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow. (P. 33) He learns from Victors tragedy. After Victor dies, he turns the ship back to England, trying not to make the same mistakes that Victor made in the obsessive compulsion that destroyed his life, but he does so with the resentful conclusion that he has been deprived of t he glory he originally sought. Frankenstein is an expostulation of humanity, specifically of the human concept of science, enlightenment, technical progress, and a deeply humanistic effort full of empathy for the human state of our own condition. Victor is a brilliant, sentimental, visionary, and accomplished young man whose studies in natural philosophy (p. 31) and chemistry evolve from A fervent longing to penetrate the secrets of nature. (p. 22). As the novel develops and the plot thickens, Frankenstein and his monster oppose each other and fight one another for the portrayal of the main protagonist of the story. We are inclined to identify with Frankenstein, who is admired by his immaculate friends and family alike and even by the ship captain Robert, who saves him, berserk by his pursuit for vengeance, from the piece of ice he had been stranded on. He still is a human being, nevertheless. Notwithstanding, regardless of his humanitarian aspiration to Banish disease from the human frame and render man invulnera ble to any but a violent death! (p. 43), Frankenstein becomes tangled in a hostile pursuit that is the single and main cause that lead him to destroy his own well-being and to remove himself from his fellow-creatures as ifguilty of a crime (p. 35). His irresponsibility is the stimulant, the foundation of what causes the death of those around him, his family, his friends and his love and he falls under the ascendancy of his own creation and fails to break free from the chains that bind him. Neither Victor nor Walton could liberate themselves from their blinding ambitions, they made it seem that all men, and notably those who pursue to raise themselves up in renown above the rest of society and even god, are in fact impetuous and imperfect creatures with feeble and defective natures. We can all learn from Victors last words to Walton, Seek happiness in tranquility and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries. (P. 162)

William McKinley Essay -- essays research papers

William McKinley 25th President of the United States. William McKinley was born on January 29, 1843 in Niles, Ohio, a town of about 300 people. He was the 7th child born to William and Nancy Alison McKinley His family moved to Poland, Ohio when he was nine years old so that the children could go to a private school called the Poland Academy. In school William liked to read, debate, and he was the president of the school’s first debate club. When he was 16 he went to Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, for a while before he got sick and had to return home .he did not go back to Meadville, because the family had no money. Instead, he worked as a postal clerk for awhile. When the Civil War started on April 12, 1861, he taught at Kerr School near Poland, Ohio. He and a cousin, Will Osbourne enlisted as privates in the 23rd regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which was under the command of Rutherford B. Hayes, the future U.S. president, Because of this acts of bravery, he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant. By the time the war was over he had attained the rank of brevet major. William went back to Poland, Ohio where he studied law with Judge Charles Glidden. In 1866 he went to law school in Albany, New York, but he did not graduate. In 1867 he was admitted to the bar in Warren, Ohio. He moved to Canton, Ohio where two of his sisters were schoolteachers and he got a job working for Judge George Belden. Belden was so busy with cases that he offered one to McKinley. McKinley won the case and so impressed the judge that he was paid $25.00 for the case and was given a job. Later, McKinley opened his own law office and got into the politics of the Republican Party. He was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Stark County in 1869. While also doing business at a local bank where he met Ida Saxton, she was the daughter of his boss, and was also the Belle of Canton. They got married in January, 1871 and their first daughter, Katherine, was born on Christmas day. Their second child, Ida, was born in 1873 and died at the age of 4 Â ½ months. That same year, Mrs. McKinley’s mother also died. Two years later, their first daughter, Katie, died of typhoid fever. Mrs. McKinley got sick with depression, phlebitis, and epilepsy, which left her needing constant care. Mr. McKinley was always concerned about her and he was known for his devotion to her. McK... ...he president was waiting for medical aid, he said to his secretary, my wife, be careful, Corte you, how you tell her-oh, be careful. He also told the aide not to let the crowd hurt the assassin. McKinley was rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency surgery. . The president was operated on but they could not find the bullet, so they closed him up and sent him to the home in hope that the president would recover. He started to improve for a couple of days but then he took a turn for the worse and died on September 14th from infection. Doctors had decided not to use Edison’s X-ray machine to find the bullet because they were not sure of what effects it might have had on the president. The president’s body first went to the Buffalo City Hall to be seen by the public for a couple of days, then to Washington D.C. for two days and finally to Canton, Ohio on September 18th where he was buried at Westlawn Cemetery. He was the third president to be assassinated: the others w ere Lincoln and Garfield. The assassin was tried, found guilty, and was electrocuted in Buffalo shortly after the shooting. McKinley’s wife, Ida, returned to Canton where a sister cared for her until her death in 1907.

Mod

A supervisor Is defined as â€Å"someone who supervises as In a large business or enterprise,† supervise Itself means â€Å"to be In charge of (someone or something) : to watch and direct (someone or something)† this means that the Job Is still built and run with the same basic and fundamental Ideas of dervish, Interpersonal skill and professional actions In day to day work such as hilling and directing as needed. Though the functions of the Job are oriented around a new Idea for the switch, the functions themselves are the same. 2.Do you think that supervision can be learned through books and study or only through experience? Why? I believe that good supervision can be learned through books and study, however, supervision itself is a skill and therefore must be taught hands on not only through study. Experience is a key to learning a skill such as supervision because it involves instructing others what to do, one cannot have the confidence to lead others by nearly read ing a book and Jumping in. In order to learn how to lead and supervise you must have the experience of being in command preceded by the experience learned in books and study. 3.Explain the glass ceiling: The glass ceiling refers to the concept that states that the majority of successful business leaders and supervisors are â€Å"white male† and there is an invisible barrier now as â€Å"the glass ceiling' holding women and minorities back from progression in the business world. Diversity is very slowly growing in business however this still seems to be a problem. Greater diversity is a need because in today's world a business must have different languages and cultural viewpoints, the glass ceiling prevents this. 4. Explain entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs are people who start, manage, work In and operate their own businesses. Pond these tasks an entrepreneurs must also proved the professional did of supervision to their own company, Including all the liableness, risk and taxe s. The rewards of entrepreneurship are great personal accomplishment and profit If done properly. Mod 1 By Sketchbooks would also do well at a bank. A supervisor is defined as â€Å"someone who supervises as in a large business or enterprise,† supervise itself means â€Å"to be in charge of that the Job is still built and run with the same basic and fundamental ideas of leadership, interpersonal skill and professional actions in day to day work such as ring and directing as needed.Though the functions of the Job are oriented around a new idea for the switch, the functions themselves are the same. Known as â€Å"the glass ceiling† holding women and minorities back from progression in Entrepreneurs are people who start, manage, work in and operate their own businesses. Upon these tasks an entrepreneurs must also proved the professional side of supervision to their own company, including all the liabilities, risk and taxes.

Get More with Organic Food Essay

With the growing population across the globe, technology has been trying to intervene to produce more food for everyone. The concurrent food crisis assaults man’s staple food source. Different departments have been called to help alleviate the problem. Scientists have been pushed to find a means to help the agriculture of these crops. They use chemicals, hormones and other genetic re-engineering to produce more. Unfortunately, this process also dilutes what one can get in consuming food. The nutritional value is then degraded to none. In this regard, this essay stand firm in the notion that organic food will deliver more benefits than non-organic food. There are definite reasons behind this claim. To affirm the claim, the benefits of both categories will be laid out. By utilizing this process, one will be able to have an educated stance regarding the debate. The simple question relies on whether countries will choose the science of quality or quantity. Organic Food Organic food is defined by the process by which it is produced. This process makes use of the natural means of growing produce. Natural fertilizers and traditional means of cultivating them are practiced. They do not make use of modern technology to reap these produce. This kind of food does not undergo any sort of preservation process to prolong its shelf life. This, of course, calls for a lot of advantages. These are (1) the nutritional values of the food are kept intact, (2) being chemical free renders consumers emancipated from substances that may inevitably incur illness to a person, and (3) it leaves soil free from residue brought by chemicals for the next crops to be planted. Since organic products are grown with the most natural means possible, most of the nutrients products naturally have are well maintained. When products undergo a process, to prolong its shelf life and enhance its flavor, before being sold to the market, it loses its nutrients at a certain point. The primary purpose of eating is to attain nutrients to sustain life. But with the numerous process one could only imagine that a lot of nutrients are taken away and drained to waste. The processes denied food of his primary purpose. The second benefit of organic food is that there are no chemicals used in it that may have potential harm on the people. Since it was grown in the most natural manner, it did not have to use chemicals to cultivate. These chemicals, even when the produce or livestock has been processed, it remains in its composition. When people eat these kinds of food, they in turn absorb these chemicals. But with organic food, the people are spared of this endeavor. They are also given the opportunity to live longer. The third benefit, and most probably one of the most important, of organic food is rather for the long term consequences. When chemicals are used to push produce to grow faster and bigger, these are also absorbed by the soil. When other crops are planted in the same area, these will also absorb the chemicals. The soil will continue to be contaminated unless unused for a long period of time. On the other hand, organic produce does not make use any kind of chemicals. The soil will be contaminant free. It likewise promotes biological diversity, as mentioned by an article from the website Medical Wellness Association. Some of the chemicals they expose to the environment harms more than the pests they want to remove. Non-Organic On the other hand, non-organic food also has its own benefits. This category of food refers to products, both crop and livestock, which have been enhanced by scientific advances. Its size, taste and quantity has been changed so that it is bigger, tastier, and more. Since these are enhanced products, it has been assumed that these are also better. It is not about finding means of making a profit. It is about trying to find answers as man surpasses what is. It is not creation, but intervention. It was designed to primarily make more for the hungry. With the help of technology, non-organic food is also able to reap the following benefits: (1) longer shelf life and better flavor, (2) it is relatively cheaper due to how it was produced, and (3) it could be the answer to world hunger. In certain parts of the world, the climate and technology prohibits some people from being able to store food for a long period of time. But with the help of advanced technology, they are given more than an opportunity. They were given an answer. In relation to the enhanced flavor, perhaps that is just an added benefit to the storage. With this advancement, individuals are able to have a hefty meal with just opening a can or heating a pack in a microwave. It has become a matter of convenience. Since non-organic food is also produced in great numbers, it becomes relatively cheaper than organic food. The process is easier and significantly takes a shorter time in manufacturing. With cheaper food, more people are able to purchase them. Especially in third world countries, availing food should be able to fit into their daily budget. In some countries, where a lot of people are at the brink of extreme poverty, it is important that they are provided with food with reasonable prices. In this light, with the above mentioned benefits of non-organic food, perhaps it has become the answer to world hunger. The world is getting over populated, and there is less food for everyone. There is food crisis simultaneously in different nations. On top of that, famine and drought in certain countries even forbade their people to even try to plant crops or raise livestocks. Some are dying because of hunger or illnesses brought by it. But because there are crops and livestock that are easily produced in great numbers, it could be that they will be able to finally give a spark to the hope of many hungry people. Organic products sometimes take too long to grow or produce that the rate of how population increases is not matched by the rate these crops and livestocks grow. The Better Option After laying out what each food category can offer, one should be able to find which is better. Organic food is a natural product free from chemicals. It also allows the environment to produce without the influences from synthetic substances that could be potentially harmful in the long run. On the other hand, non-organic food has longer shelf life and better taste. It is also relatively cheaper from the former category. More importantly, it silently declares to answer world hunger. Unfortunately, even if non-organic food presents a lot of promises to the people and the economy, organic food is still the better option. Feeding the people with non-organic food does not assure the extension of their lives than when they go hungry. Perhaps when they are fed, they will be able to survive. But they should not depend on it. When the chemicals get accumulated in their systems, it could result to terminal illnesses, like cancer. Yes, the growing population is being fed satisfactory amounts. However, what purpose does it serve when more harm is done? It harms not only the people, but also the environment. Even when the people get to eat, if the earth gets damaged due to these chemicals and residues, what will be left to the people? They are not hungry, but the inevitability of their choice will cope, and then devastation.

Raoul

Executive Summary FJ Benjamin is a Singapore based fashion and lifestyle company. The company distributes major clothing brands and accessories, and is one of the leading fashion distributors in Singapore. Their success is derived from their ability to secure distribution rights from major brands. FJ Benjamin introduced it very own house label, Raoul, in 2002. Raoul was created to increase the company? s portfolio as well as to diversify away from distribution risk. Raoul contributes a large percentage of FJ Benjamin? s annual revenue.With intensive competition in the fashion industry, Raoul must have it own identity in order to differentiate itself from the competitor. Analyses have been undertaken to determine what necessary strategies to be implemented to enhance the brand image so as to increase profits. Strategies are recommended by taking advantage of Raoul? s strengths and building on their weaknesses in order to take advantage of the available opportunities in the market and to defend it from threats. Studies of the internal and external environment had been conducted to be able to work with Raoul? core competencies to gain a competitive advantage over its competitors.This report concludes that Raoul needs to make adjustments on its marketing strategies, and maintain some of its current strategies, in order to be more competitive in the fashion market. Hence, it is proposed that (1) Raoul focus on a single-market strategy and focus on the local market as well as to create strong market commitment, to be able to serve customer better. (2) Introduce a new ecofriendly product line based on product improvement strategy, and offer product customization for current and new products, as well as enhance current product and services. 3) Maintain current product pricing, and implement price skimming strategy on new product line. (4) Maintain its efficient and cost effective distribution strategy. (5) Changes are to be made on its promotional efforts in order to g ain max exposure possible. Benefits of the proposed recommendations would allow Raoul to achieve the proposed objectives which includes increasing in sales revenue, repurchase rate, and introducing a new product line within the next three years.It is there for proposed that the recommended strategies be implemented at Raoul to be able to reap in revenues as well as gaining a competitive edge in the fashion industry for a highly sustainable business.Over the last 20 years, Singapore has taken a great leap in its fashion industry. Singapore is recognised as the second largest fashion apparel business and sourcing hub in Asia-Pacific after Hong Kong. Special fashion events such as Singapore Fashion Week and Singapore Fashion Festival are some of the impressive achievements made in the fashion industry. These events played a critical role in portraying Singapore as a major fashion hub in the whole of Asia Pacific region. This also gives both local and international designers a platform to showcase their talents to the fashion industry in this region.Today, a total of 4,500 wholesalers, retailers, and manufacturers generate some $7 billion in operating receipts and $1. 2 billion in value added to Singapore economy. As Asian consumers become more affluent, they increasingly drive global demand. With Singapore? s strategic location, cultural affinity and connectivity with the region made Singapore an ideal place to serve as a test-bed to gather and analyse consumer insights, to develop products for the Asian market. This also made Singapore an optimum location for many companies to set a base in, managing and controlling their regional and global operations. . 0 Corporate Background F J Benjamin was founded in 1959 by Frank Benjamin, who came from a well-to-do family who have been in the fashion industry before World War 2. The company was initially FJ Benjamin and Sons but due to the nature of the business, where it positioned itself as a holding firm with subsidiar ies, it was later renamed to FJ Benjamin Holdings Ltd in 1993 (Wang 2009). The company started of dealing with photographic equipment, and everyday novelties such as paper products as well as pots and pans.However, in the 1960s, the company started to modernise its operations by entering into partnerships with many fashion labels, by importing and retailing designer jeans. The success motivated Benjamin to focus his business on the fashion industry. The company brought in brand names such as Lanvin, Gucci and Fendi in the early 1970s, and was a big player of the fashion industry in Singapore (Wang 2009). FJ Benjamin was listed on the SGX in 1996, before the Asian financial crisis, posting a net loss of over $40m in their first financial year; it was mainly due to high operating expenses and fixed cost.The profitability of the company continued into the early 2000s, where they lost major brand names such as Gucci, Lanvin and Fendi. The company learnt to diversify away from distributo rship risk by developing its own brand, thus the creation of Raoul. 1 Company Present Operation& Business Core Today, FJ Benjamin has operations in eight cities worldwide, including Singapore, Sydney Australia, Jakarta Indonesia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, Taiwan and Bangkok Thailand carrying over 20 brands and has over 180 retail stores in the Asia Pacific region.FJ Benjamin focuses on 3 core business; fashion retailing and distribution, timepiece distribution, and licensing and design: (FJ Holdings Limited 2009). ? Fashion retailing and distribution core – Acquired rights to distribute major fashion labels across the South East Asia and the Pacific region ? Exclusive distributers of timepiece – Acquired rights to distribute timepieces in the South East Asia and the Pacific region ? Licensing and Design – Has a design division to design for Guess Kids and its own house label, Raoul However, they also have their fair share of failures, one exampl e was with the Manchester United brand and Devil? Bar that were unprofitable, which the company had a joint venture with CEO of St James Power Station, Dennis Foo. The company dropped the Manchester United brand name and closed all its retail stores and cafes. Current Developments FJ Benjamin is benefiting from Singapore? s healthy economic growth. With Singapore transforming into a tourism hub, and the opening of Marina Bay Sands (MBS), the company had took advantage of the influx of visitors and has opened four new retail stores at the MBS, including brands names like Guess, Banana Republic, La Senza and Raoul; totalling the number of stores in Singapore to 32.The management was optimistic with its new stores as it was able to secure attractive rental rates at MBS and would be able to benefit from the ever growing number of tourist. The company also stand to avoid other competition with the opening of new shopping malls in Orchard Road and other shopping districts in Singapore (FJ Holdings Limited 2009). Future Developments FJ Benjamin had secure exclusive distributorship for high end brands such as Goyard, Givenchy and Dewitt, building the company? s brand portfolio to more than 20 reputable brand. The company? success is evidenced by its ability to attain distributorship of French luxury giant Moet Hennessey Louis Vuitton? s (LVMH) Celine and Givenchy; this is only the beginning of their collaboration with LVMH (FJ Holdings Limited 2009). 2 Company’s Milestones & Achievements FJ Benjamin have made its mark in Singapore and have been contributing much to the fashion industry and providing various lifestyle products [See Appendix 1]. Corporate Vision FJ Benjamin? s vision is to be a global company ? Dedicated to delivering their promise to their customers by fulfilling their lifestyle aspirations ? Committed to talent development Delivering sustainable and superior returns to their shareholders Corporate Mission FJ Benjamin? s mission is strive to lea d in everything they do ? Implementing brand strategies with deep market penetration ? Delivering superior customer service with long-term customer loyalty ? Empowering employees to deliver value processes for phenomenal growth ? Pursuing best-in-class economics with strong margins Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) FJ Benjamin has been committed to various charities in Singapore since the company was founded in 1959. The company believes that charitable giving is a necessary element of CSR.The company? s Charitable Giving Committee is made key employee of the company. The committee meets on a quarterly basis to review the company? s charitable initiatives and approves all charitable giving. The company sets aside up to 1% of its net profit for a fiscal year, in forms of monetary or in-kind gifts. FJ Benjamin? s charitable objectives includes, supporting good causes relating to health, education, arts and/or the community in Singapore. The company also encourages and supports pro jects and activities that helps strengthen in which their employees work and live in. FJ Benjamin? Contributions to the society [See Appendix 2]. Company Structure FJ Benjamin Holding employs a divisional structure that is divided according to geographical region and further subdivided into countries and product [See Appendix 3]. In the South East Asian region, the company branch out to various countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Each country would then be fragment base on products, e. g. Timepieces, Investment and Concepts (FJ Holdings Limited 2009). 3 As of financial year end 2009, Douglas Benjamin is the Chief Executive Officer for FJ Benjamin Singapore.Mr. Douglas oversees the operation in Singapore, directs the international expansion of Raoul house label and heads the Raoul design team as a Creative Director. Douglas Benjamin has strong experience in brand management and development of retail distribution thereby allowing the company to expand quickl y into various regions within eight years and having a diverse range of products (Star Creation 2010). The senior management board in Singapore includes Samuel Benjamin, Quah Kim Tong and Matthew Chan (FJ Holdings Limited 2009).Samuel Benjamin is the Group Director of Timepiece and the Senior Vice-President of FJ Benjamin Fashion U. S. Inc. He joined the company Fashion division in 1991 and has more than 19 years of experience in the retail industry (FJ Holdings Limited 2009). Quah Kim Tong is the Director for Wholesale. He administers the logistic/ distribution center in Singapore, plus the distribution business of Sheridan and Guess Accessories. He started his career as a product manager in 1982 and steadily moved up the corporate ladder. Matthew Chan is the Divisional CEO of Fashion and Corporate Services.He oversees the day-to-day running of the fashion retail in Singapore, as well as the managing the back end support services in the company. Mr. Chan joined the company back in 2006, providing strong organizational and financial knowledge from his past experience as Director for Head of Channel Acquisitions and Head of Acceptance with American Express. Key stakeholders FJ Benjamin key stakeholders are directly affected by the company? s performance, which includes: ? Customers who purchase products from various SBU ? Employees – Management staff to salespeople ?Licensors who sell the distribution rights to FJ Benjamin ? Retail malls that leases out spaces for company? s retail division ? Investors who own FJ Benjamin? s corporate share ? Creditors – Banks ? Shareholders ? Government agencies which may require the company to abide/ conform to accounting standards, taxation regulations and employees? CPF ? Trade unions which may certain framework that the company needs to work within; such as working hours and minimum wage 4 Financial Performance Financial Year Profits after tax and shares 2005 4. 26 million 2006 10. 17million 2007 1. 47millon 2008 14. 8 million 2009 (2. 66 million) Table 1 Financial performance of the past 5 years The growth from financial year 2005 to 2006 was mainly attributed by attainting the distribution rights for Gap and Banana Republic in Singapore and in Malaysia. During the same year, other SBUs, namely Raoul and Timepieces started its expansion into the Middle East and Thailand (FJ Benjamin Limited 2006). The significant growth from 2006 to 2007 was further encouraged by the optimistic economies and mainly by the conversion of warrants to share (FJ Benjamin Limited 2007).The decline in profit for 2007 to 2008 was caused by the subprime crisis in America, the increasing inflation rate that reduced consumer spending power and the high volatility in the financial market. It was also noted that, FJ Benjamin exited from the Thailand market due to the political instability and shut down two timepiece shop in Hong Kong due to poor results (Leong 2010). On the other hand, the company reassured shareho lders through their diversified portfolio of brands and vigilant cost discipline; the company business is still viable (FJ Benjamin Limited 2008).As of financial year end 2009, FJ Benjamin had made a net loss of $2,661,000 compared to a net profit of $14,804,000 in 2008. The loss in 2009 was caused by the financial crisis. FJ Benjamin minimizes their financial risk by ensuring that there is sufficient cash reserves to meet any unforeseen circumstances and is committed to a low gearing ratio. 5 Breakdown of Financial Result Liquidity ratio Current ratio Quick ratio 2009 2. 11 times 7. 8 2008 1. 67 times 14. 7 Table 2 Financial results – Liquidity Ratio The liquidity ratio refers to the company? ability to meet its short term obligation (Madura 2007, 580). As compared to 2008, the current ratio has increased but it is still within the healthy range of 1 – 2. Excessive liquidity could imply that the company may have excessive cash or stocks in inventories (Madura 2007, 58 0). Leverage Ratio Debt/Equity ratio 2009 2. 13 2008 1. 14 2009 -2. 02% 2008 10. 65% Table 3 Financial results – Leverage Ratio Return on Equity Table 4 Financial results – Return on Equity Return on equity measures the return of investments in the firm for the shareholders (Madura 2007, 586).Although losses were made in 2009, the company has since been making steady progress in their quarterly financial results as show in Figure 1. 2009 Earnings per share (cents) 2008 -0. 47 2. 61 Table 5 Financial results – Earning/share Earnings per share serve as an indicator for the company? s profitability. Since in 2009 losses were made, it is accepted that the earning per share would decrease significantly as compared to 2008. Figure 1 Analysis of Financial Results Despites the losses made in 2009 due to the financial crisis, FJ Benjamin has since been making steady progression.For first quarter 2010, a net profit of $459,000 was made, followed by the second quarter with a net profit of $1. 72 million and latest financial results for third quarter 2010 showed a net profit of $3 million. 6 The company is financially sound; based on the breakdown of ratio, financial reports and third party recommendation for investors to invest in the company. FJ Benjamin has recently secured license for Goyard, a French luxury retail brand and has intention to introduce three other new brands in 2011 (Seow 2010). Currently the company has plans to expand into China and widen its existing market in US and Europe (Leong 2010). . 2 Strategic Business Unit Fashion FJ Benjamin? s fashion retailing includes prestigious line such as Guess, Celine, La Senza, Banana Republic, GAP and Raoul. It takes up two-third of its profit turnover through fashion retailing (Wang 2009). Timepieces F J Benjamin held exclusively rights to distribute timepiece brands such as Bell & Ross, GirardPerregauz, Guess, Chronotech, Victorinox Swiss Army, Marc Ecko, Rado and Nautica (FJ Benjamin Holdi ngs Ltd 2009). Timepiece contributes about 30% or one-third of FJ Benjamin? s profit turnover through retailing (Wang 2009). Creative & LicensingFJ Benjamin? s creative and licensing division has conceptualized and developed house brand Raoul and has licence to create original designs and manufactures merchandise, such as Guess Kids. 7 2. 3 SBU BCG Matrix The following is the tabulated values for BCG matrix analysis, for the breakdown of calculations [see Appendix 4]. Largest Competitor 2009 2008 RMS Growth rate % Total Fashion $48. 92 $203. 40 $226. 30 4. 17 10% 68. 00% Timepieces $35. 87 $94. 30 $113. 40 2. 59 17% 31. 00% Licensing $14. 80 $2. 20 $2. 70 0. 20 20% 1. 00% Table 6 BCG matrix analysis Star Question MarkDog Growth Cash Cow Relative Market Share Figure 2 BCG Matrix This shows that Raoul is considered a cash cow of FJ Benjamin? s business with high relative market share and average industry growth rate. Raoul is currently positioned under a maturity stage where growth ra te and market share may decline into dog in the next few years. Therefore, new marketing strategies are needed to maintain the Raoul? s position by altering the product, price, distribution and promotional strategies to increase growth and maintain its current market share. 8 3. 0 SBU Raoul Situation AnalysisRaoul is the brainchild of creative director Douglas and Odile Benjamin (Raoul 2008). Currently Raoul is one of the most profiled fashion brands coming out of Asia. It is being known as a stylish, innovative fashion brand offering high quality accessible luxury products to their consumers. Raoul? s is designed, manufactured, and retailed under a corporate vertical marketing system with is solely owned by FJ Benjamin (FJ Holdings Limited 2009). 3. 1. 1 SBU Culture FJ Benjamin believes that Raoul can help them move up a level from being a brand distributor to a brand owner.Frank Benjamin claims that in fashion today, there is no shortage of brands and there would be market that Ra oul can cater to (Sim 2009). Raoul has created a new history for Singapore by introducing luxury fashion-forward corporate wear at an affordable price to business executives in Singapore. Raoul has become a renowned homegrown label that is now known to many business executives that demands style in corporate wear. (Smart lines for business times n. d. ) Raoul has such a strong influence in Singapore that local Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong wore a pink Raoul tailor shirt during his National Day Rally Speech.Therefore, with a strong culture and adequate support from the parent company and local government, Raoul culture can become part of the Singapore heritage brand (Jalal. 2010). 3. 1. 2 SBU Resources Tangibles Resources Physical Physical refers to the equipments, furniture, retail outlet which can use to grow or sustain the business. With 24 Raoul flagship stores in Southeast Asia and Dubai, the company is still looking to expand its geographical footprint. Currently, FJ Benjamin occupies the second floor of the â€Å"The Alpha† at the Science Park. It is filled with show boutiques and workrooms.It is used by the company's visual merchandising team for training purposes and doubles as an impressive space for press samples (Simon 2009). This allows Raoul? s staffs to provide quality service to the consumers by using boutiques to train, giving them a chance to experience in a real life scenario. The availability of showroom allows Raoul to customize its concept layout before executing on the actual shop front. 9 Technological With the help of FJ Benjamin? s support in terms of finance and experience, Raoul is able to fully utilize technology to help Raoul perform more effectively and efficiently.Raoul also has its very own Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. CRM system is effective in increasing spending per customer, by tracking the spending patterns of customers, increasing the efficiency of marketing communication strategies. In addition, the front-end point-ofsales system has been upgraded to integrate with the CRM to improve in-store service quality (FJ Benjamin 2008). Sales Force Automation (SFA) is combined with CRM system to record stages of a sales process. It helps to manage customers? contact for future follow ups through contact management system.SFA would increase productivity and allow salespeople to utilize their time efficiently and effectively. SFA can help increase customer satisfaction which leads to increased customer loyalty and in return, high profit margins. Technology used on Supply Chain Management has improved the efficiency of the back-end support. Having implemented a new auto replenishment system, Raoul has been able to make inventory distribution more efficient. This help to save time and labour cost to keep track on all the movement of stocks and can provide a more accurate prediction of the delivery time (FJ Benjamin 2008).Financial FJ Benjamin achieved three consecutive quarters of earni ngs recovery in the first nine months of Financial Year Jun10. Earnings surged from a loss of $0. 1m for Financial Year Jun 2009 to a net profit of $5. 2m for Financial Year June 10 (Lee 2010). The outperformance in core earnings was driven by an improvement in gross profit margin, reflecting FJB? s strengthening brand portfolio and astute merchandising capability, as well as rising consumer demand (Lee 2010). In June 2010, the group? s turnover from the fashion business was flat at $49. m, with the marginal increase in the Southeast Asia markets offset by the slide in the Australian market. Geographically, sales in Southeast Asia rose three per cent, with fashion up two per cent (Seow 2010). As economics begin to recover, consumers? confidence begin to rise so purchasing increases. 10 Organization There are 9 directors on the board, consisting of Executive Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Independent Director, Executive Director, Non- Executive Deputy Chairman and Non- Executive Directors [see Appendix 5].In Singapore, there are 2 members on the senior management, consisting of the top management, such as Group Director and Wholesale Director FJ Benjamin adopt Traditional Organization Structure (Subhash and Haley 2009, 207), where different departments concentrate specifically in an area which they are an expert in it. Therefore, it helps Raoul to have a strong management team, which can grow Raoul to the next level and sustain a competitive edge. Intangibles Resources Goodwill As mentioned in section 4. 1 FJ Benjamin has been proactive in its CSR.This helps project a positive image of FJ Benjamin to the public. Therefore, in the future they can do a combine sponsorship with Raoul to increase brand exposure and awareness. Goodwill are intangible assets, this includes the company being in a dominant market position by building a positive brand image, create a positive reputation and increase consumer confidence of the company (Reference for Business : Encycl opedia of Business, 2nd ed n. d. ). Under the context of Raoul, they continuously explore different strategies where they aim to ecome a global renowned luxury brand that is recognised both regionally and internationally. As shown in appendices [see Appendix 6], Raoul had participate in numerous fashion events where they are able to showcase its products with other major luxury brands in the world. This would create a perception that Raoul as an international luxury brand. In Singapore, FJ Benjamin also creates a positive image by supporting and grooming Asian talents to become professional designers. Raoul had also won numerous prestigious awards, portraying that Raoul is a prestigious brand to Singaporeans.Innovation FJ Benjamin? s expertise and capabilities in original design manufacturing allows the company to create its own house-brand, Raoul. FJ Benjamin is committed to deliver innovative and differentiated products to the market. Raoul aims to create and deliver new value-add ed products and invest in research in order to respond to the ever changing needs of consumers. 11 Knowledge/Skills FJ Benjamin has rich experience in marketing and distributing luxury products. This makes FJ Benjamin an industry leader for building brands and management.This can help Raoul has a clear directions and a strong strategy to grow the brand. FJ Benjamin place customer service top on their priority list, therefore, every year they will send their staffs for upgrading or training to increase their service quality. After years of hard work, in 2009 FJ Benjamin won â€Å"Best Service Provider in the Industry† award. In retail, FJ Benjamin has a rich experience in marketing and advertising campaign to expand its market share. They also have the capital to heavily advertise Raoul on traditional print such as fashion magazines, newspapers, posters and billboards (Wong and Lim 2009). . 1. 3 SBU Stakeholders Stakeholders hold an important to affect Raoul? s ultimate growth . Raoul needs to take in the view of the interest of their stakeholders in order to have a positive growth. Stakeholders can also influence the directions of Raoul. The stakeholders are further classified into 4 different groups: Classification of Stakeholders The Community The Customers / Partners The Competitors The Investors ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Government regulators Media General public Shopping Mall Developers Shopping Mall Management EmployeesFashion Designers Customers prospects Strategic alliances partners Raw Materials Suppliers Insurance Company Supply Chain/Freight Forwarding Company Schools (e. g. School of Business, School of Art and etc) Direct Competitors (e. g. Massimo Dutti, G2000 Black Label) Non- Direct Competitors/Substitutes Board of directors Investment Analysts / Financial Consultant Shareholders/Investors Table 7 Classification of Stakeholders 12 3. 1. 4 SBU Performance Raoul entered into the fashion industry at the right time, where men have b een paying more attention of their looks.With the successful launch and business, Raoul has also further strengthened its well established values (Sunny Side Up: Start your day the Kim Eng Way 2010). Financial Year Profits after tax and shares 2005 724,200 2006 1,728,900 2007 3,649,900 2008 2,516,000 2009 (452,200) Table 8 Financial Performance for the past 5 years Base on assumption from the above financial year performance under section 1 with Raoul having a financial contribution to FJ Benjamin profit of approximately 17%. From 2005 to 2007 shows a steady increase mainly attribute by positive financial economies.From 2008 to 2009 a dip in Raoul? s sales was caused by financial crisis across the world. As of June 2010, FJ Benjamin recorded a net profit of $8,260,000 from a net loss of $2,661,000 in 2009 (FJB Singapore 2010) and Raoul accounts for approximately 15% – 20% of FJ Benjamin? s sales revenue, it is clear that FJ Benjamin wishes to take this opportunity to venture into other big market to increase their revenue and market share. 3. 2 SBU Customers Characteristics Segment 1 Segment 2 Working Adults Generation Y Sex Male and Female Male and Female Age 36-60 22-35 Education ;gt;Diploma gt;Degree Monthly Income ;gt;$3800 ;gt;$2800 Purchasing Power High Medium – High Benefit Sought Seek Prestige Services ; Product Seek Individualism, Status ; Self Quality Image VALS Innovators Achievers/Experiencers Lifestyle Factors Traditionalist Modernist Brand Loyalist Opinion Leaders Opinion Leaders Early Adopters Purchase Frequency Occasionally Occasionally Occasion of Use Work Work and Social Size 65% 35% Demographics Description Table 9 SBU Customers 13 3. 3 SBU Competition 14 Table 10 SBU competition 15 3. 3. 1 Current Product Positioning Quality +ve Price -ve + ve -veFigure 3 Current Product Positioning Purple: Raoul, Blue: Massimo Dutti, Orange: G2000 Black Label The above shows the current position of Raoul and its competitor, Massimo Dutti and G2000 Black label. Raoul currently offers high quality products at a mid-range price, while competitor such G2000 Black label offers slightly lower priced and quality clothing. Massimo Dutti offers slightly lower price and same quality clothing as Raoul. 16 3. 4 Key Findings PESTLE Environment Political Political Stability and Risk Political stability and risk varies between countries in the region.Singapore has very little political issues compared to neighbouring countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand. Singapore is rank 1st in Southeast Asia as the least corrupted country and 4th worldwide. Low degree of social unrest, political sovereignty, conflicts and low government interventions, makes Singapore a safe place for any business operation. As indicate in the World Bank? s Doing Business Report, Singapore is the world? s easiest place to do business in the year of 2009 and 2010 due the political stability of Singapore. Economic Singapore? economic growth, inter est rates, exchange rates and inflation rates, consumer purchasing power and the standard of living in Singapore are part and parcel of the economic environment. In May 2010, Singapore topped the list of world? s most competitive nation in the World Competitiveness Yearbook. Singapore dethroned USA as from its 16 year reign (Lim 2010). Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Singapore? s GDP expanded strongly by 15. 5% in the 1st quarter of 2010, it exceeded the projected 13. 1% estimates. On a quarterly basis the Singapore economy grew 38. 6 %, 6. 5% more than the government? s estimates (Howells 2010).According to World Bank, Singapore GDP is worth 182 billion dollars or 0. 29% of the world economy (Singapore GDP Growth Rate 2010). Singapore has a highly developed and successful freemarket economy and it soared above 30% in the first quarter of 2010, the manufacturing sector growth was doubled as compare to previous quarter of the year recovering from a 2. 8% drop in fourth quarter of 2009. The growth of the manufacturing sector accounts for up to one quarter of the country? s economy. This would cause the projected forecast of the GDP to increase to up to 9% in 2010 (Adam 2010). Inflation Rates As of 2010, Singapore? inflation rate is 1. 6% (Singapore Inflation Rate 2010). Inflation is an increase of overall price level in the country. This would increase the cost of living as products/services would now cost more than previous years. It is interrelated to the Consumer Price Index, which will be further discussed in the next section. 17 Consumer Price Index The current CPI of Singapore is 1. 6%, it is the measures of inflation rate, where measures consumer prices that the price changes in a fixed amount of consumer goods and services that are commonly purchased over time (Singapore Department of Statistics 2010).CPI is influenced by lifestyle, income level, household composition and consumer preference (Singapore Department of Statistics 2010) this also determines the quality of life of Singaporeans. This relates to the increasing trend in Singaporeans having higher spending power, where cost of consumer products are increasing; resulting in the increase in inflation rate. With the increasing cost of living and quality of life, Singaporeans have more disposable cash to spend on better quality products which would aid the sales growth of Raoul. Socio-Cultural Social AttitudesSingaporean has a „fear of losing? attitude, which is frequently used to describe the social attitude of Singaporeans. This refers to people who desire to always want to be first, the best and never losing out. This could be a positive attitude that reflects the high standards of Singaporeans; however it could lead graceless image to the society. It also strongly reflects on the Singaporean work ethics and competitiveness. ‘Face’ This is an important value amongst Singaporeans. It refers to saving and maintaining „face?. Singaporeans typically are not expressive in their ehaviour and emotions and do not criticize others openly in public; to avoid losing face. Losing face will lead to damage to one? s reputation, credibility and authority in the social and working environment. Technological Factor Technological Infrastructure Broadband infrastructure in Singapore allows for better global networking for businesses that enables better customer support. With the support of such technology, Supply Chain Management (SCM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Sales Force Automation (SFA) and Point of Sales (POS) system are made easier.Thus, allowing Raoul to operate more effectively and efficiently in Singapore. Furthermore, the government introduced the next generation high-speed fibre optic broadband (Next Gen NBN 2010). 18 Legal Factors Singapore Legal System Singapore? s legal system is English common law and has a strong regulation in place protecting consumer and company. Raoul, being a domestic brand would receive stronger su pport from the government. Singapore also has an additional Islamic law to cater to the Muslim community. Since, Singapore? economy is highly dependent on the revenue from import and export, it is important to implement proper regulations to protect the safety of Singapore. Also in terms of employment policies, firms need to consider the working hours and wages rate of the employees. Environment Factor Environmentalism There is an increasing trend green consumer in the global segment and since Singapore being one of the countries that is actively involved; environmentalism becomes an opportunity for Raoul to introduce environmentally friendly products as recommended in products.Targeting environmentally conscious consumers, where they are more willing to pay for greener products. Green Movement Singapore is highly involved in going green and government bodies that are responsible include National Environmental Agency (NEA) and Environmental Challenge Organisation (ECO). The NEA sign ed the Singapore Packaging Agreement with 5 industry associations, 19 individual companies, 2 non-governmental organizations, the Waste Management ; Recycling Association of Singapore and 4 public waste collectors on 5 June 2007 that aims to reduce packaging waste over a 5year period.It encourages the flexibility for the industries to adopt cost-effective solutions to reduce waste (Singapore Packaging Agreement 2008). ECO launched the „Million Acts of Green? Singapore Campaign to spur a national green movement by getting Singaporeans to think and act green in their day-to-day lives. Million Acts of Green Singapore is targeted at both Singaporeans and businesses with the aim of getting them to register their green acts and sustainability ideas on the millionactsofgreen. sg website (ECO Singapore 2010). 19 3. 5 Internal Analysis – TOWS Matrix AnalysisTable 11 Internal Analysis – TOWS Matrix Analysis 20 4. 0 SBU Objectives and Goals Table 12 SBU Objectives and Goals 21 5. 0 Recommended Strategies Recommendations have been made in order for Raoul to achieve their objectives and goals. 5. 1 Market Strategies Market-Scope Strategy It is recommended that Raoul should focus its strategy on a single market basis, where Raoul can gain competitive advantage of being able to adaptive and responsive to market opportunities threats to successfully remedying any possible changes in policies.Thus, Raoul will be able to capture the market and better serve the customers, at the same time experiencing higher profits while keeping the cost down while prices are kept high. Market-Geography Strategy Currently, Raoul has existing plans for expanding its business geographically. However, this report recommends that Raoul should return to the most traditional form of local-market strategy. As a home grown brand by a local company, F J Benjamin, it can gain competitive advantage of serving a narrow geographic area within Singapore.This can emphasis more interpersona l service with local consumers that can induce beliefs into consumers to motivate them in buying and supporting local produce. Market Commitment Strategy It is recommended that Raoul should create strong commitment with the potential consumers, where Raoul needs to create a firm foundation of operations within the market and amplifying its own economies of scales in promotion, distribution, manufacturing and promotion. This would in turn create high barrier to entry and competitors would have difficulties in challenging Raoul? s existing system.Creation of strong commitment can also be enhance with development or new products, improving product quality and increasing budget for sales force personnel. Raoul can work its product line with a more environmental approach. Such as usage of organic cotton in manufacturing of the apparels and recyclable shopping bags, to promote the eco-friendly line, to the consumers that are committed in saving the environment. Allocating resources to tra in retail associates can create a wholesome retail experience for the patrons of the boutique and would increase product and brand loyalty. 22 5. 2 Product StrategiesNew Product Strategy: Improvement ; Positioning The introduction of eco-friendly clothing aims to attract new consumers from the targeted segment. In Singapore context, organic cotton wear is still a relatively new concept. Currently there are not many fashion retailers providing formal wear made of eco-friendly materials. By being the first to introduce, Raoul could gain to attract a greater awareness for its own brand name and products. The eco-friendly clothing would help Raoul in attracting a larger number of potential consumers from the identified target segment. Quality +ve Price -ve + ve -veFigure 4 New Product Positioning Green: Eco-range positioning It is recommended that Raoul maintain its product positioning for the current clothing line. However, with the launch of eco-range, quality of product should be imp roved so as to differentiate the product from the competitors. Price of eco-range should increase so as to in-line with the new product pricing strategy (Price Skimming). 23 Value-marketing strategy: Product and Service Differentiation To differentiate its customer service from other fashion retailers, Raoul could offer complementary beverages for shoppers as well as offering image consultation service.The image consultant would make recommendations to consumer based on their needs, based on their body contour, purpose of occasion and nature of job scope. The consultation service is an optional product aimed at building the brand image and is subjected to charges. Product-design strategy: Product Customization Raoul should adopt standardise customisation to gain the extra competitive edge and to maximise benefits. Product customisation would aid Raoul in showcasing itself as a quality provider thereby differentiating the brand and increasing consumers? commitment to the brand.Standa rdise products refer to the clothing offered such as shirt, pants and blouse. Customisations could be done on various levels: ? At a basic level, clothing could be tailored in terms of length to meet basic expectations of consumers. ? At an intermediary level clothing could be tailored to meet specific needs of consumers, such as broadness of the lapel, thickness of shoulder padding in jackets, allow requests for particular colour and particular material for clothing like cashmere Lycra as well as embroidery of customers? initials on clothing. 24 5. 3 Price StrategiesWith reference to the PESTEL analysis, Singapore has a stable economy; does not face drastic changes in the environment. It is recommended that company should maintain the current pricing strategy for current products and use price skimming strategy for the new eco-friendly clothing. Maintaining Current Pricing Strategy It would allow Raoul to maintaining its position in the marketplace and enhance public image. The ben efit of maintaining price is appropriate when Raoul cannot anticipate the reaction of customers and competitors? price change. Furthermore, with this strategy it can further enhance the Raoul? public image New Product Pricing It is recommended that due to the uncertainty of consumers? demand and competitors? responds to the new eco-friendly range, that Raoul should use price skimming strategy to gain maximum revenue prior to competitors? respond with similar products.It not only serves customers who are less price sensitive, while there are demands for eco-friendly clothing in the early stage of the Product lifecycle, but also recovers the high cost of R;D used to develop eco-friendly clothing, and high promotional cost incurred to education consumers on the need to go green. . 4 Distribution Strategies Corporate Vertical Marketing System (VMS) Figure 5 Corporate VMS Raoul currently uses a Corporate VMS. As seen on the above figure, Raoul? s products are designed, manufactured and r etailed under a single ownership of FJ Benjamin. It is recommended that the distribution strategy remains the same as Raoul would have greater control over the entire distribution chains. This would eliminate the need of slow-moving suppliers for raw materials.New products designs shaped in Raoul? design centre at the â€Å"Alpha† as mentioned in section 5. 2. 1, and new designs 25 feed into Raoul? s manufacturing centres and is distributed directly to its retail outlets. This saves time, cost and keeps inventories low. 5. 5 Communication Strategies Raoul needs to further improve their current strategies and introduce new strategies to increase their market share and consumer base. Advertising A good advertising is able to stimulate interests and could lead to sales. It is able to influence customers? erception of Raoul and is able to reach out to more audience at a lower cost. Traditional advertising (Magazine) The use of traditional advertising such as magazines will be an effective medium for Raoul. Raoul could advertise in both male and female and luxury magazines such like HerWorld, Elle, Cleo, August Man, Prestige and L? Officiel, as these are the magazines that have readers that are similar to that of Raoul; targeted consumers get the latest information on fashion trends. Outdoor advertising and informative advertisingIn order for Raoul to introduce eco-friendly clothing, they have to do informative advertisements to generate environmental awareness among the public. Raoul can portray a positive brand image by introducing an eco-friendly range of clothing, and informing the public of the need to protect the environment through sustainable means. For instance, they are could place advertisements along high end shopping districts like Orchard Road, Marina Bay as well as the Central Business District areas to be able to attract attention of potential targeted consumers.However, special attention has to be made as not to place posters at cluttered en vironment as people may not notice the posters. Placing huge posters of bright green and earthy colours would draw consumers? attention, followed by a few informative words that explain the need for using organic materials which are biodegradable and pesticide free, such as organic cotton, to reduce environmental impacts. 26 Personal Selling strategy In retail line, personal touch and customer service is essential, and would differentiate Raoul from the rest of its competitors.It is recommended those salespeople are trained to be able to interact well with customers, as a good salesperson would be able to close higher sales, and customers are usually loyal to the person who provides the service, and may not be loyal to the brand. Therefore, more resources should be allocated in training of salespeople. Building Relationship through Database Marketing and CRM Building up a relationship with consumers with aim to retain consumers and increase their level of satisfaction. Raoul can imp lement customer loyalty programs so as to have a long-term valued relationship.This could be done by constantly sending update to their consumer through email or direct mail whenever there is any new launch or sales. Alternatively, Raoul could send birthday cards and offering birthday discounts to consumers on their birthday month. This will create a sense of belonging for the customer and further encourage return sales. Collaboration with designers In order to attract eco-conscious consumers, Raoul can collaborate with renowned designers to come up with a new series and designs made from organic materials.By taking a proactive approach in saving the environment, it projects a positive image of the brand. In addition, they are also able to educate the public on the need to save the environment. Product Packaging To be line with the eco-friendly range and promotion, purchase of any clothing in stores will be packaged with recycled paper wraps and paper bags. In addition, with purchas e of eco-friendly apparels, customers will be issued a specially designed recycled cloth bag with a green theme. Those special eco-bags should be able to attract potential buyers? ttention as well as raise awareness of the need to go green. 27 6. 0 Implementation Program An implementation table has been drawn up for the recommended strategies. IMPLEMENTATION AND CONTROL TABLE STRATEGY WHERE DATES HOW TO IMPLEMENT BUDGET CONTROL MECHANISM Market 1. Scope – Single Market 2. Geography – Local 3 years 3. Commitment – Strong 3 years Market Research on ideal store locations 3 years Singapore Island-wide Market Research Integrate CRM system Sales return – if segment is not profitable then use market haversting strategy $1,000,000Outlet sales figure – close outlets that are less profitable due to customer traffic Measuring repurchase rate – if repurchase rate is low, $500,000 consider using market haversting strategy Product Reviewing current produc t to come Nov 10 – Jan 11 up with improvements to restore product to health 1. New Product Positioning 2. Value-Marketing – Product ; Service Differentiation Training and development of staff Work closely with customer to review the progress of the product until completion that meets customer's specification. On going 3. Design – Customization On going