My Life As A Single Mom Essay - 1095 Words

After two messy divorces and several miserable relationships, I celebrated getting my head on straight. I loved my life. I loved being a single mom. I had my children and didn t want any more kids. Most of all, I didn t want a relationship with a man ever again. I soaked up yoga, meditation, and had a spiritual awakening. I d finally found that happiness comes from within me. I d professed my new-found joy with my neighbor who said, Look out. When you re not searching for love, that s when it finds you. About a year later, my neighbor snickered with glee when I told her that s exactly what had happened and blamed her for jinxing me. At last, I d found myself deep in love with a songwriter whose music had started me on my spiritual path. While David and I lived on opposite sides of the country, we d started corresponding with each other and before we knew it--boom! We d fallen in love. Even though we d confessed our love, we both believed in our own dreams. In his thirties, this happy-go-lucky bachelor had never married and was pursuing his life-long dream of being a songwriter and I had no intention of interrupting his life. I believed more than ever he d make it big one day, but he wouldn t get there with me in tow. Of course, I didn t have mapped out plans, but I d found happiness and honestly didn t want another relationship. I had a nagging feeling that since I d failed in two marriages, marriage wasn tShow MoreRelatedGrowing Up With a Single Mother703 Words   |  3 Pagesteenager, it was always just my mom and I. I never met my â€Å"dad†, not even from day one. I never was able to get to know him, or see him, but I did have a mom. I faced the odds of becoming the stereotypical kid with a single parent that went down the wrong path, but I never did. Life caused me to have a single mother that has made me the strong person that I am today. Watching my mother live from pay check to pay check when I was young was difficult. It was always hard for my mom to keep up with otherRead MoreChildren And Adolescents From Single Parent Families Essay1561 Words   |  7 Pages Application: Children and Adolescents from Single Parent Families â€Å"Being a Single parent is not a life full of struggles, but a journey for the strong.† – Meg Lowery Throughout this course of School-Age and Adolescents in a Multicultural Society, we have touched on all the topics that affect their development. It is not secret that children and Adolescents are faced with such as race, diversity, gender identity, religion most of all diverse family structures. In our ever evolving world we now haveRead MoreCultural Evaluation Of A Single Parent Family1096 Words   |  5 PagesENGL-1510-016-2015AU Cultural Essay-Evaluation 15 October 11,2015 One Parent Isn’t Enough Growing up in a single-parent family had to be the hardest thing I ever had to do, but also the strongest thing I had to do because it made me the person I am today. My mom was a drug addict and my father wasn’t around, therefore my mom lost custody of me to my aunt when I was an infant. However, my aunt was a single-parent as well, and she already had two children of her own. She raised us all on her own, paid everyRead MoreMy Incredible Mother Essay871 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout my Moms life she proved over and over again that she could combat adversity and make rose gardens out of pot holes. My Mom had my sister and I both by the time she was eighteen years old. Even with two kids and a job she was able to stay in school and get her high school diploma. Several years later, with a family and fulltime job she was still able to get her bachelors degree. It was many years later before I realized how hard she worked to be a single parent and keep my sister and IRead M oreMy Life Was Drastically Different Than It Is Today1377 Words   |  6 PagesTen years ago, my life was drastically different than it is today. Every single thing that’s happened to me has since impacted who I am as a person, and where I am now. Although, I have no regrets, there were some moments I experienced in my life that made me think otherwise. I remember the day so vividly. My sister and I were watching Teletubbies, when we heard our parents fighting. Screams, and shouts. Bangs and thumps. This was no new discovery, though. My sister glanced at me, and saw that IRead MoreSingle Parenting Stigma1700 Words   |  7 PagesSingle-Parenting Families: Attached Stigmas The social deviance that interests me is single parenting, one who chose to have a child out of wed-lock. The stigma attached to being a single parent is rising anew. Many media commentators blame Americas uptrend in violence and other social problems on family breakdown - on single parents. This stigma is based on myths and stereotypes that have been promoted by half-truths and, often, by prejudiced viewpoints. Many in our society still regard singleRead MorePersonal Reflection : John Bowlby s Attachment Theory1527 Words   |  7 PagesTheory, children come into the world â€Å"programed† to create attachments with others in order to help them survive. The attachment that is created during the infants first few days and week of life is extremely important. The attachment that is created early on in the life, can affect development through out ones life. During Anisworth’s research, she established several types of attachment styles. The securely attached child woul d be visibly upset when their mother walked out of the room and wanted theRead MoreOutline Of Narrative Of Phylicia My Wife 1542 Words   |  7 PagesPersonal narrative Phylicia, my wife, was in class in West Mesquite High school in Texas, like usual. During a break given to her by her teacher she found her group of girls she always talked to. They started to have small talk and to make jokes. The chuckles of young school girls could be heard throughout the entire class room. One of the girls made a comment that shifted the conversation. â€Å"Who do you live with?† asked one of the girls to Phylicia. â€Å"I live with my mom and stepdad† answered PhyliciaRead MoreMy Memories Of My Sister And I Were Loved1319 Words   |  6 Pagesvividly. My sister and I were watching Teletubbies, when we heard our parents fighting. Screams, and shouts. Bangs and thumps. This was no new discovery though. My sister glanced at me, and saw that I was scared, scared that our family would split apart. She took my hand and held it tightly; she nodded her head giving me self-assurance, as I slowly wiped a tear drifting down my face. I jumped into bed, knowing that the next day might be the worst day possible, but I pulled the sheets over my head, andRead MoreMy Mom Shehnaz Soni Is An Everyday Hero946 Words   |  4 Pageseveryday unsung heroes generally do these things because they have good intentions, even if it is for little reward or fame. I have a close family member who bears the qualities needed to be an everyday unsung hero. My Mom Shehnaz Soni is an everyday, unsung hero because she ha s given me and my younger brothers love and care for our basic needs and she has also persevered in overcoming two divorces. Shehnaz Soni is petite and beautiful; she is about 5 feet and 3 inches and has a smile that offers love

Information Technology Outsourcing/Off shoring Free Essays

Introduction The activities of outsourcing are not new for the businesses. The difference is only that the name ‘outsourcing’ was not given in back 20 years but now it has properly given its name and implementing by almost all the businesses worldwide. The practice of outsourcing is going on from last 20 years in the business environment. We will write a custom essay sample on Information Technology Outsourcing/Off shoring or any similar topic only for you Order Now And now it is very well shaped. The base of the research paper is to flourish the challenges and negative side of the outsourcing which are facing by every business of the US economy in the department of Information Technology. Outsourcing/Off Shoring Outsourcing refers to the assistance that the companies take from the other companies. This assistance in terms of IT can be installing of software, managing the database etc. In the field of IT, it requires high performance, maintenance, and should be updated with the coming technologies. With the emerging trend of IT, the competition between the companies arises. So to cope up with this situation most of the companies are catering towards outsourcing. â€Å"The performance demands of the e-economy, and pressure to deliver competitive IT functionality. To meet these challenges, organizations are increasingly considering outsourcing of their information systems activities as an attractive option.† (Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants) The IT companies hire the people from outside sources on contract basis to perform the IT functions. â€Å"Allotting work to suppliers and distributors to provide needed services and materials and to perform those processes that the organization does not perform itself.† (Hormozi 2003). Instead of performing the IT function itself the companies hires professionals. Those professionals are the service providers related to another entity. The companies tries to adopt outsourcing because it saves time and cost. â€Å"Rather than devoting time, energy and capital to the creation of IT processing services, organizations feel they can minimize the start-up time required to enter new markets by contracting a third party to provide those services immediately.†   (Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants) Challenges to IT Outsourcing Outsourcing has created many challenges to the businesses. There are also some drawbacks. â€Å"A study of 85 outsourcing deals over the period 1992 – 2000 showed that, while in 60% of these deals the client benefited, nearly 36% of clients experienced problems.† (Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants) Following are the problems which are facing by the organizations while IT outsourcing. Operational Problems A company can be strong when all of its information should be in its own hand and operating by the company itself. If there would be lack of data integrity, the system can be fail easily or the information of the inside company can be access by the others, then the company can bear the losses. Every company have there own secrets inside the company if they will be whistle blow by any one then the reputation of the company can be effected or lawsuits. â€Å"In an outsourcing arrangement, an organization’s processing is performed by different personnel, with different management, using different techniques and methods, in a changed operating environment.† (Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants) Another problem which occurs during outsourcing is that the companies are not acknowledge with operational problem and are not able to know the ruthlessness of the problem. Companies can loss its competencies by outsourcing. The service provider can easily access the information or data but this can be compensated by the working of effective functions of IT. â€Å"An organization therefore risks losing its competencies or its otherwise deep knowledge of its systems and operations in relevant domains. This loss could, in turn, compromise its ability to operate and manage effectively.† (Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants) The outsourcing team should be effective. There is lack of competencies, so the companies don’t have direct control over them. To create the direct control the companies should hire effective team that can effectively and efficiently solve the IT problems. â€Å"Lack of these competencies may compromise its ability to make decisions on changes to the IT services, manage the governance relationship or liaise with the customer base inside the organization.†Ã‚   (Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants) Service Problems Mostly, the problem faced by the companies is the difference in the work which the company wanted and the service which service providers supplied. Always there is different between these two pints. Both the parties take time to get to know each others point of view. â€Å"The organization may be accustomed to a certain standard and style of performance that was provided by its internal IT department prior to outsourcing. This same standard and style may not, however, be continued by the service provider.† (Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants) Cost problems â€Å"Research shows that lack of clarity and understanding of the costs related to the many aspects of outsourcing service delivery are the biggest problems of outsourcing.† (Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants) When a company does not properly plan outsources then the unusual cost could incur after sometime that can effect the efficiency of the outsource program. Work Cited   Amir Hormozi, Erin Hostetler, Cynthia Middleton; Outsourcing Information Technology: Assessing Your Options SAM Advanced Management Journal, Vol. 68, 2003 Accessed on November 7, 2006   itmWEB: Outsourcing Information Technology http://www.itmweb.com/essay528.htm Accessed on November 7, 2006   Eric Krapf; Outsourcing: Doing It More, Liking It less Business Communications Review, Vol. 29, November 1999 Accessed on November 7, 2006 The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, Information Technology Advisory Committee. Information Technology Outsourcing, Insights for a changing world.   Copyright  ©2003 the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, 277 Wellington Street West, Toronto, Canada How to cite Information Technology Outsourcing/Off shoring, Essay examples

A doll house theme Essay Example For Students

A doll house theme Essay One of A Dolls Houses central theme is secession from society. It isdemonstrated by several of its characters breaking away from the socialstandards of their time and acting on their own terms. No one characterDuring the time in which the play took place society frowned upon women asserting themselves. Women were supposed to play a role in which they supported their husbands, took care of their children, and made sure everything was perfect around the house. Work, politics, and decisions were left to the males. Noras first secession from society was when she broke the law and decided to borrow money to pay for her husbands treatment. By doing this, she not only broke the law but she stepped away from the role society had placed on her of being totally dependent on her husband. She proved herself not to be helpless like Torvald implied: you poor helpless little creature!Noras second secession from society was shown by her decision to leave Torvald and her children. Society demanded th at she take a place under her husband. This is shown in the way Torvald spoke down to her saying things like: worries that you couldnt possibly help me with, and Nora, Nora, just like a woman. She is almost considered to be property of his: Maynt I look at my dearest treasure? At all the beauty that belongs to no one but me -thats all my very own? By walking out she takes a position equal to her husband and brakes societys expectations. Nora also brakes societys expectations of staying in a marriage since divorce was frowned upon during that era. Her decision was a secession from all expectations put on a woman and a wife by society. Nora secessions are very deliberate and thought out. She knows what society expects of her and continues to do what she feels is right despite them. Her secessions are used by Ibsen to show faults of society. In the first secession Ibsen illustrates that despite Nora doing the right thing it is deemed wrong and not allowed by society because she is a woman. While the forgery can be considered wrong, Ibsen is critical of the fact that Nora is forced to forge. Ibsen is also critical of societys expectations of a marriage. He illustrates this by showing how Nora is forced to play a role than be herself and the eventual deterioration of the marriage. Throughout the play Nora is looked down upon and treated as a possession by her husband. She is something to please him and used for show. He is looked upon as the provider and the decision maker. Society would have seemed it a perfect marriage. Ibsen is critical of the fact that a marriage lacked love and understanding, as shown by Torvald becoming angry with Nora for taking the loan and saving him, would be consider as perfect. This central theme of secession from society was made to be critical of societys view on women and marriage. Ibsen used Noras secessions as an example to illustrate that societys expectations of a womans role in society and marriage were incorrect. Her decision to leave was the exclamation point on his critical view of society. Bibliography:

Mumia Abu Jamal Essays - Mumia Abu-Jamal, Commonwealth V. Abu-Jamal

Mumia Abu Jamal Wesley Cook was born in 1954. While he was protesting at a George Wallace for president rally in 1968, several white men attacked him. He claims that two men grabbed him. One kicked his face and skull, while the other kicked him in the groin. As the beating progressed, "he looked up and saw the two-toned gold-trimmed pant leg of a Philadelphia police officer." He yelled for the police, who saw him on the ground being beaten to a pulp. "A police officer marched over briskly, and kicked him in the face."1 "I have been thankful to that faceless cop ever since, for he kicked me straight into the Black Panther Party."2 Wesley Cook became a founding member of the Black Panther Party's Philadelphia chapter in 1969 at the age of 15. After joining mainstream news organizations in the 1970's, Wesley Cook changed his name to Mumia Abu-Jamal. As a teenage journalist, Jamal took an interest in stories about police brutality. Jamal was known to be a rare talent of radio journalism. He had a powerful intellect and a burning empathy for poor people. He was known as a skillful interviewer and became a well-known figure in local broadcasting journalism. Jamal appeared on National Public Radio, the National Black Network, and local Philadelphia stations including WUHY-FM (now WHYY). He had a lot of admiring friends in journalism and politics, and had no prior record of crime or violence. Despite his personal experience of police brutality and years as a teenage Black Panther, he kept his noise clean even under the microscope of the FBI and Philadelphia police surveillance. By the late 1970's, Jamal was also an ardent sympathizer and supporter of MOVE ? a black militant antiestablishment, antipolice group. He started wearing his hair in long dreadlocks like a MOVE member. By mid 1981, Jamal's growing obsession with MOVE had compromised his standing as a journalist and cost him his job at WUHY. He started freelancing his writing skills, while moonlighting as a cabdriver. He was robbed while on duty with his cab, so he started to carry a gun. 3 During this time, the Philadelphia Police Department was so notorious for violence and police brutality, that the United States Justice Department, in an unprecedented 1979 civil suit, charged then mayor (and former police commissioner) Frank Rizzo and the top police brass with "encouraging rampant police brutality, racism, and lying." This suit was later dismissed on jurisdictional grounds.4 On December 9, 1981, Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner was shot to death. On July 3, 1982 Mumia Abu-Jamal was convicted of Officer Faulkner's murder and sentenced to death. Beyond these two facts, there are a number of versions of the incidents that lead to Mumia Abu-Jamal's conviction. This paper will review the incidents of December 9, 1981 and show that Mumia Abu-Jamal was not provided a fair and impartial trial by his peers, and was wrongly convicted and sentenced for the death of Officer Faulkner. What the Jury Heard: On December 9, 1981, at 3:51 a.m. Officer Faulkner stopped Mr. William Cook (Jamal's brother), who was driving a Volkswagen Beetle for a traffic violation, on the south side of Locust Street about 80 feet east of 13th Street. The area at the time was known for its seediness. The area had many late-night bars, nightclubs, cafes, and streetwalkers. Officer Faulkner radioed his location and then added: "On second thought, send me a wagon."5 He was apparently planning to arrest Mr. Cook or someone in Mr. Cook's car for an unknown reason. According to two prosecution witnesses, both Faulkner and Cook got out of their cars. Faulkner spread-eagled Mr. Cook across one of the cars and then suddenly turned and slugged Officer Faulkner. Faulkner responded by clubbing Cook several times with his 17-inch flashlight. Mr. Cook's face and neck were bloody when police arrived. By coincidence, Mumia Abu-Jamal was parked in his cab and came out of a parking lot on the northeast corner of Locust and 13th. He accelerated from a walk to a run as he charged toward Officer Faulkner across Locust Street. It was never fully disclosed at the trial, why Jamal's cab was parked nearby. He just happened to be around. In any event, this is when the point blank shooting started to occur. According to the prosecution's theory, Jamal ran up behind Officer Faulkner to within one foot, and shot him in the back. The wounded Faulkner turned around and returned fire, hitting Jamal in the chest, and falling onto his back. Jamal then

Napolean essays

Napolean essays In the eighteenth century, there was considerable diversity and disagreement among those known as philosophers, in particular such individuals as Voltiare, Montesquieu, Rousseau, and the Encyclopedists, especially Diderot, and those who stood in the enlightened tradition of the period, such as Hume, Lessing, Kant, and the economic theorists such as the physiocrats and Adam Smith. What they shared, however, was a critical attitude toward traditional religion and an agreement about the unenlightened character of the ancient regimes of Europe, with the corresponding need for reform of the state so that it could become an agency for progress. Finally, they had a profound confidence in natural law as something that could be understood and applied through science and reason, (Allen, 132-134; Doyle 49-55). One particular aspect of the Enlightenment was that of enlightened despotism. Among the many examples of enlightened rulers of Europe, the best include Joseph II of Austria, Frederick II of Prussia, and Catherine II of Russia; rulers that would utilize their power to impose the rational reforms and ideals of the enlightenment. And the philosophers, of course, considered themselves to be the proper people to advise these enlightened leaders. Ironically, no French ruler was ever regarded by the French philosophers as enlightened. Traits generally shared by the enlightened despots included an authoritarian rule justified by usefulness to society, a secular outlook complemented by religious toleration, and impatience with custom and tradition, (Doyle 49-55). Whether the enlightened despots actually fulfilled the ideals in which they said they believed and of which the philosophers believed them capable is an issue that brings up much ambiguity and controversy, and allows for the redefining of Napoleon Bonaparte as among these enlightened despots of Europe and the 18th and ...

Business Outsourcing Functions Management †Myassignmemthelp.Com

Discuss About The Business Outsourcing Functions Management? Outsourcing is the process in which a company came into contract with another third party company to perform their function that can be done in the company itself. Most of the companies are using this process so that they can make their focus on other core activities of the company that needs more attention (Arias-Aranda, Bustinza and Barrales-Molina, 2011). Outsourcing results in contract between the two companies. The one company pays the other company to perform one of their functions. The process of outsourcing can only be successful if both the companies and the parties get ready to have mutual consent. There are many processes that can be outsourced which are not so important to be conducted in-house. Thus outsourcing those functions helps the company to invest their time and money solely on the activities that provides them large profit. The major objective of this project is to analyse the advantages and disadvantages of business outsourcing functions. This is because outsourcing not only provides benefits but can also be harmful for the companies. Understanding the basic advantages and disadvantages from outsourcing helps the company to take better decisions. This study focuses on analysing the factors that support outsource and factors that are negative for outsourcing. This study helps in understanding the basic concept of outsourcing and the reasons behind the same. This study can also provide the information about the factors that causes the organization to outsource some of their functions along with its advantages and disadvantages. The scope of the project is that the study can be used by the companies to make their outsourcing decisions by reducing its harmful effects an also allow the readers to analyse the disadvantages before outsourcing. Outsourcing has become the major trends in the companies these days. This is the technique that helps the companies to transfer one of their functions to another company. This has helped in generating job opportunities or the people at large scale. Human resource is the major function that has been outsourced in most of the companies these days. This is because it is not the core activity of the organization (Lee and Choi, 2011). There are other functions that can be outsourced such as accounting functions, customer support functions; marketing functions etc. It is required by the company to ensure that the company they are choosing for outsourcing their function should be reliable. The company should contact the prior clients of that outsource company to take the reviews. Making the legal contract is another important requirement in order to have legal relationship with the outsourced firm. This is because legal interaction between the companies binds both the companies with some ob ligations that cannot be breached by them and no company can exploit each other. A company should contact all the companies that outsource the area that the company is looking for. This is to identify the availability of the companies. This information helps the company to bargain with the outsourcing firms. Investigation should be conducted for the outsourcing company so that any flaws of the company can be identified. The contracts should be made with all the clauses that are required (Gewald and Dibbern,   2009). Outsourcing is the tool that is not only about legal contract between the companies, but it also involves trust and information sharing among the companies who came into contract. This relationship can be beneficial for the both the organizations. Some of the advantages of outsourcing the business functions are: (Appendix 1) Reduction of cost: If any company outsource any of the function, they get specialists to work from them. Keeping those specialists becomes costly for them in their own companies because they may not be required every time. Hiring them can be expensive for the firm. Outsourcing firms can be used for the purposes as and when required. This reduces the operating cost of the company (Lin, Pervan and McDermid,   2007). The outsourcing firms are comparatively cheaper as well. The reason behind the low cost of outsourcing organizations is economies of scale. As the outsourcing firm conducts the single operation at high scale thus per unit cost of operations becomes low. Concentration on core activities: every organization has some core activities that directly provide them profit. Outsourcing allows the organization to concentrate on those core activities.   The organizations outsource some of the support activities to the specialist third party organizations and provide their full concentration on the major activities and functions. This helped them to improve their core activities so that they can earn more revenue (Kremic, Icmeli Tukel and Rom, 2006). The companies have to divide their time and money to all the activities of the company. If one or more activities can be outsourced than the main activities or functions of the company can be prioritize.    Increased flexibility: Removal of the support activity departments from the company results in conversion of fixed cost into variable cost. Flexibility can be increased in the organization such that the services from the outsourcing organization can be availed according to the demand. It is easier to close down the contract then to close down the whole department from the company. It also helps in cist saving because it is not necessary that all the services or the functions of the company are active whole year (Belcourt, 2006). Suppose if the company needs a legal advice from the advisor than it is not necessary for the fir to hire a legal advisor in the company but can contact the legal counsellor at the time of requirement. This saves the money of the company as it needs not to give salary to the legal advisor the whole year. Quality service:   As discussed that the outsource firm are specialists in their functions. Thus, outsourcing one of the functions to the third party firm provides quality services to the companies. On the other hand, if the company conduct that operation in their own firm then it requires them to have knowledge about that function along with the person or the employees to handle such functions. It may be possible that they fails to hire such efficient human resource and the function get affected. Outsourcing not only provides benefits to the companies but some of the harmful effects are also faced by the companies because of outsourcing. This is because the whole function is being handover to the different company and it is very important to identify the There are many disadvantages of outsourcing the functions as well. Some of them are discussed below: Loss of jobs: As the company outsource one of its functions that mean the people or the employees who were earlier working on that function has to leave their jobs. This results in bad image of the company as the employees cannot trust the company for job security (Harland, Knight, Lamming and Walker,   2005). This also leads to bad publicity of the company and can increase the employee turnover as the employee cannot fell safe at the company. Quality issues: As far as the company’s internal functions are considered, it has been analysed that these functions can be evaluated and monitored by the company’s management time to time. But, these functions if outsourced from another company then the company does not have the access to monitor the same frequently. Thus, the contract of outsourcing should be made with the policies that allow the company to monitor the working of the third party timely. Customer resistance: it is very difficult to rely on third party for some kind of work such as customer support. Most of the companies outsource their customer support function to third party (Harland, Knight, Lamming and Walker,   2005). This may lead to issues such as the executive does not understand the foreign access or the language. Customers may resist dealing with the third party and needs specialists to resolve the issue. Loss security: It is the major risk that the company faces in order to outsource the function. This is because outsourcing also requires the company to share some of their private information to the third party company. Sharing of information is a biggest threat to the loss of security. It is required by the company to have legal contract with the security clauses that the company can take any legal action if the third company practice any of the unethical and illegal action by leaking the private information or sharing it to any other competitors. Ethical concerns: it is required by the company to have ethical relationship with the third party company. Even the third party company also has to maintain such ethical relationship with the company. This can be a major risk when a company comes in contract with the outsource firm.      Difficult to reverse: If a function of the company is outsourced, it becomes very difficult for the company to establish it back in-house in the company. This is because breaching or breaking the contract from the outsourcing firm requires cost and implementing the process again in the organization also requires large amount of cost (Mani, Barua and Whinston, 2010). Reversing the outsourced process requires the company to invest a lot in hiring, establishing system, training etc. as all the systems and the functions in the organizations are inked with each other thus implementing a new function back to the company results in disturbance to all the other function as well. Outsourcing affects the company in both the positive as well as negative way. It is very difficult to deal with such situations. The companies have to take many initiatives to have secure outsourcing because the thus party that is selected outsource the function can misuse the information provides to them in order to make the function effective and efficient. Outsourcing at the one hand helps the company to reduce its cost on the other hand raise many risks of security. Any information if released or leaked by the third party may results in great harm to the company. Thus making the legal contract is a very important part of this process. It has been concluded from the above discussion that outsourcing is the process used by the company in order to save the cost of extra activities that can be outsourced frim another company which is specialised in the same area. This helps the company to reduce its cost and get efficient work from the specialised people. It also helps the company to have flexibility of using the services. The company can use the service at the time of requirement and pay according to that. there are some other disadvantages of outsourcing functions of business such as focus on the core and major functions of the company, reduction in the overall cost, saving time and energy, etc. along with all these advantages, the company which outsources their functions also have to deal with some of the disadvantages and risks. The major risk is security. This is because the company has to share their internal information with third party thus trust is the major element of outsourcing relationship. Some of the ot her disadvantages that the company faces are ethical issues, legal breaching of the contract, inefficient working of the third party, leak of information, loss of trust by the employees, lack of monitoring etc. Arias-Aranda, D., Bustinza, O.F. and Barrales-Molina, V., 2011. Operations flexibility and outsourcing benefits: an empirical study in service firms.  The Service Industries Journal,  31(11), pp.1849-1870. Lee, J.N. and Choi, B., 2011. Effects of initial and ongoing trust in IT outsourcing: A bilateral perspective.  Information & Management,  48(2), pp.96-105. Gewald, H. and Dibbern, J., 2009. Risks and benefits of business process outsourcing: A study of transaction services in the German banking industry.  Information & Management,  46(4), pp.249-257. Lin, C., Pervan, G. and McDermid, D., 2007. Issues and recommendations in evaluating and managing the benefits of public sector IS/IT outsourcing.  Information Technology & People,  20(2), pp.161-183. Kremic, T., Icmeli Tukel, O. and Rom, W.O., 2006. Outsourcing decision support: a survey of benefits, risks, and decision factors.  Supply Chain Management: an international journal,  11(6), pp.467-482. Belcourt, M., 2006. Outsourcing—The benefits and the risks.  Human resource management review,  16(2), pp.269-279. Harland, C., Knight, L., Lamming, R. and Walker, H., 2005. Outsourcing: assessing the risks and benefits for organisations, sectors and nations.  International Journal of Operations & Production Management,  25(9), pp.831-850. Mani, D., Barua, A. and Whinston, A., 2010. An empirical analysis of the impact of information capabilities design on business process outsourcing performance.  Mis Quarterly, pp.39-62.

Abraham, the Greatest of Israel's Patriarchs Essay

Abraham, the Greatest of Israel's Patriarchs - Essay Example This has been the life that Abraham went through and has been considered for centuries, as the greatest among the patriarchs. Considered the â€Å"Father of faith† by the New Testament heroes, Abram, whose name was later changed to Abraham as a part of God’s covenant with him, did not just represent a life that received the promises of his God, but also, showed how he may have struggled to develop the faith that he is now known for. Abraham’s weaknesses as shown in the narration of his life in the book of Genesis are almost minimized by the completion of his faith as he obeyed God. However, what probably brought more fame and appreciation to this patriarch not only among the Jews but among other nations as well, is not just his moments of achievements but also his first steps when he was asked to leave his hometown and obey the God who has not been introduced to him in his place. Ur, the homeland of Terah, Abraham’s father (Genesis 11:31), is a place where polytheism is practiced and so it could be safely considered that Abraham was raised in such beliefs (Vos). However, when he heard the voice of God, without a doubt, he took his first step to the place God promised for him without even knowing where it is located or what lifestyle and economic status they might have there. The call of Abraham could be considered something great because with all the weaknesses Abraham showed afterwards, God still raised him to become the ancestor of Israel. He was not a perfect choice if one would look at the standards of a perfect God, yet, his weaknesses were overlooked and his strengths were rather magnified and nurture in the process. Faith and obedience were the basic ingredients Abraham possessed, and these qualities were needed for the task God had in store for the person He wanted to have a covenant with, and the great patriarch showed these through his obedience without question. However, the same faith that he had was still to be put to te st in the many circumstances he had to undergo within twenty-five years before he will finally get the point of God’s covenant with him. When he was seventy-five years old, Abraham was called from Haran to Canaan and although at that age, he and his wife, who was ten years younger, did not yet have a child; God promised Abraham to make him into a great nation and he believed Him (Genesis 12). It was only faith that would make an old man with a wife who was on the post-menopausal stage, believe God to make Abraham’s descendants numerous as the stars or countless as the sand. Abraham was the first among the patriarchs with whom God covenanted with and his descendants always referred to him whenever they claim the promises of God, reminding Him of his covenant with Abraham. For the creator of all things in heaven and on earth to make a covenant with His creation, there must be something great in the human being to have attracted the eyes of God and Abraham had such qualit ies. Although Abraham was not perfect in all his ways rather, he was a picture of great faith when God speaks to him about His covenant but, in times of trials, he showed little faith. For instance, during a time of famine that he and his wife had to go to Egypt for some time so that they will not perish because of all the hardships the famine brought, he feared for his life and asked for Sarah’s protection. He knew that his wife was very beautiful and that the Egyptians can kill him for her sake. He then asks his wife to tell the Egyptians that she is his sister so that he would be treated well instead. Sure enough, he was given many gifts because of Sarah, however, God inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household so they

Cheap Food, Poverty and Obesity -- Is there a Correlation Essay

Cheap Food, Poverty and Obesity -- Is there a Correlation - Essay Example s levels is mostly consumed by deprived communities and individuals due to inability to access affordable healthy food, cheap junk food has high starch, calorie and fats contents which is taken to the blood streams and go directly to build adipose tissues in the body hence accumulation of facts which leads to obesity. Deprived people are known not to take concerns on exercises which help in burning down the calories in the body. Additionally, individuals in impoverished regions have poor access to fresh food like vegetables which have fiber which helps in digestion of fats hence its excretion from their bodies. Poor countries have the greatest sedentariness. Sedentary individuals move more two hours per day which is less than active individuals and hence expend less energy making them prone to obesity and chronic metabolic diseases. Consumption of semi processed or unprocessed food which is not fresh which carries a lot of calories that when taken builds up the fat content in the bod y which include sugars bread and other cheap milk products. When this research began, the question was whether or not, â€Å"a correlation existed between people, who ate at fast food restaurants, poverty, and obesity†. The development of the paper exposed many factors leading to obesity without fast food being the major contributor. There are a number of reasons why people are obese or heading for obesity. Environment or heredity can be contributors as well as the lack of physical activity, becoming sedentary, over use of technology; watching television, driving as opposed to walking, and failing to exercise. People have developed heart disease and may also develop diabetes, high blood pressure, and additional health problems when lifestyle changes occur and obesity sets in. In America’s cities, there is a fast food establishment on many corners. At a young age, children begin eating fast food because of the convenience, propaganda involved, and the cost. There are many people

College Essay Essay Example for Free

College Essay Essay One of the greatest challenges i believe that our generation will face is finishing high school, going to college and getting a job. One of the reasons that most teens wont finish high school is because alot of them are often peer pressured into doing things that will delay or prevent them from finishing such as getting pregnant, getting caught up in gangs and drugs. Another reason that teens may not finish high school is because they may not get required services that they need in order for them to do well or even understand the content of the work. Also teens may go to schools that are poorly funded by the state so they may not be able to get the supplies and books that they need for the classes. The school may also be a failing school and it may shut down before students get a chance to graduate and the students may not bother trying to look for another school. Teens can also be discouraged from finishing high school because of things that may be happening in school. Some people may have a hard time making friends which can make them lonely and not want to go to school or they may be a victim of bullying by others which may cause them to drop out. Going to college may be a challenge for our generation for several diffrent reasons. One reason that teens may not go to college is because of the household that they come from. The people in their household may not have went to college so it might give the teen the mindset that if they didnt go then i shouldnt have to go. Another reason may be the type of neighborhood they live in. They may live in a more urban neighborhood where people that live there or were raised there arent expected to go to college. It may make the teen skeptical to want to go because of what people may say about them if they do. A big reason is that the person may be indecisive as to what they want to do as a career. The major reason that most teens dont go to college is that even though they were accepted for financial aid they still may not be able to afford school. Getting a job may be challenging for our generation because majority of the teens applying for these jobs dont even have the bare minimum requirement which is a high school diploma because they never finished high school. Another reason is that after they finish college and get their degree they may not be able to get a job in their choice field of career. They may also only have an associates degree which may not be enough college education for that particular job. Another reason is the rate of unemployment. Many people are getting laid off because the company they work for doesnt have enough money to pay them. If the companies dont have enough money to pay their best and most experienced workers how can they subsidize a teen. The major reason that they cant get a job is because most teenagers are lazy and dont want to get up and look for a job. They expect everything to be handed to them or they opt to take the easy way out and sell drugs or their bodies.

Conquering David Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Conquering David If there can be such beauty and structure of one man, it can be marveled at through the figure of David. Destined to be the king of Israel, David armed with weapons and wit creates a brave yet intellectual spirit as he defeats the Philistine giant, Goliath. With such a powerful presence as David, it is easy to see how three talented artists could portray a strong and intelligent man in a very different but still successful manner. Michelangelo, Donatello, and Verrocchio all had the same idea of the power that David represented though they all had an obviously different vision of how that power was displayed. Through youth, expression, and composition the artists all manage to capture the courage of David.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Donatello’s figure of David there is a youthful, adolescent, and barely developed young boy. Donatello manages to combine classicism with realism by presenting a real image of an Italian peasant boy in the form of a classical nude. Instead of a Greek youth David is shown as a little boy with a lack of muscle. It must have been through intellect and courage that the young David defeated the mighty Goliath, whose head lie beside the feet of the conqueror. With his sword at rest on his side it almost seems too heavy for him to handle. David seems somewhat astonished as he looks down upon his body and at the head of Goliath yet at the same time has a surprised confidence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Verrocch...

The Scarlet Ibis

Doodle and the scarlet ibis are similar in many ways. First, Doodle could not walk until his brother taught him how to walk. However, it was not just the help from his brother. It was Doodle’s will that made him able to walk by himself. Doodle was willing to try again and again until he was able to walk. Doodle wanted to make himself and his family happy. The scarlet ibis, in order to fly, must try again and again until it can fly. Because they are willing to do anything to succeed it shows that Doodle and the ibis are similar. The ibis and doodle are very similar to each other which could amaze anyone. The scarlet ibis and Doodle are handicapped, but still struggle to have a normal life. First, the scarlet ibis is small and has fragile legs just like Doodle. He was handicapped, small, and fragile. Doodle is just like the Scarlet Ibis who struggles to fly, just like as Doodle struggles to live a normal like everyone else. Doodle was out of place in his world too because he was different from others. Also, the Scarlet Ibis is out of place in their yard. The bird is not commonly seen around Doodle’s neighborhood, as if the bird was lost. The Scarlet Ibis was also injured and small, just like Doodle. Doodle and the Scarlet Ibis both exhausted themselves, eventually leading them to death. Doodle and the Ibis both have fragile legs. The bird exhausted itself to death to try to fly to where he originally may have belonged. Doodle exhausted himself to death by staying in the storm too long. Doodle and ibis lived in the world where they cannot survive. In the end Doodle and ibis died because they pushed themselves to the limit. The Scarlet Ibis

Gender in West Africa

In the West African community, the concept of power among women lies within the vibrant differences between the roles of each gender. Women were and still are the foundation of the African community as they exercise the power to protect life and educate children. Despite this prominent position, they are not in any way seen as equal to men.This conventional perception changed temporarily, or perhaps was slightly regarded differently, when in 19th Century, Behanzin, one of the most renowned kings of Dahomey, a country now known as Benin, used his army of women to fight the French army because of the invasion of the French settlers in the Dahomey territory, which brought resistance. These women, called â€Å"Amazons,† fought with exceptional courage and were often considered invincible by their opponents.With the use of Amazons in the kingdom of Benin, a significant alteration in the gender roles occurred in the African community. This alteration, giving female soldier’s roles almost exclusively reserved for males, reflects what Butler and Kimmel discuss in their books—gender as social construct and performativity. It could be conceded that gender lines were crossed with this new position of women, but a closer look at the situation will prove the opposite to be.At first glance the physical and mental transformations of Amazons into men would make it seem that the women were able to achieve power that had been formerly reserved for men; however, on closer inspection, there is significant evidence that many features of the traditional gender norms were unchanged in the long-run, despite appearances to the contrary.

How effectively did the Nazis deal with their political opponents Essay Example

How effectively did the Nazis deal with their political opponents Essay Example How effectively did the Nazis deal with their political opponents Essay How effectively did the Nazis deal with their political opponents Essay Hitler didnt wait for after his consolidation of power to gather information about the Marxists. So by the time of the Reichstag fire [27th February 1933] he had all information about the communists, including their whereabouts and this made it easier for him to arrest all of them in one night. After the Reichstag fire, which was supposedly a communist uprising started by Marinus van der Lubbe, was a two month purge of all communists. They were taken to local prisons, concentration camps or worst still, torture chambers set up by the SA [still in power before he Night of Long Knives] in homes. This was supposed to be a purge of the communists, but it showed that the SA was powerful enough to arrest anyone who dared to oppose the Nazi regime. This whole purge was called preventive detention, i. e. imprisoning people who harmed the state to prevent them from further doing so, but it was an open threat to opposition so that theyd either convert to Nazism or be way to frightened to ever oppose the Nazis. Hitler didnt get rid of only the communists, he also effectively ealt with the Social Democrats and accused them and the center party of being communists. Jews were also included in this purge. Its said that he sent out instructions to arrest those who have been especially active in the political scenario. By late 1933, the Nazis had wiped out strong opposition organization in addition to closing down trade unions. The KPD [communist party] was forcibly disbanded; other parties disbanded themselves for fear of being confronted by the Nazis. Seizing this opportunity, Hitler banned all parties and the reation of new parties. Having a political meeting was considered to be a criminal offense. Political opposition was now divided and those who werent arrested went underground or fled, so there was little political resistance for more than a decade. It was easy to squelch the communists as they werent as strong as the communists in Russia, they had no strong leader with equal caliber or status as that of Stalin and they did not have a wide network of strong organizations. They were popular, as in well known, only ecause people were against them. Germans feared communist rule in Germany and were willing to let the Nazis repress the KPD. The KPD was greatly weakened by the fact that they took orders from the Moscow communists who insisted on a passive policy towards the Nazis as they [especially Stalin] thought Nazi rule would collapse very soon, and the communists would be victorious in Germany. They didnt know how Hitlers dictatorship and policies operated and adopted a rather casual, passive attitude towards the Nazis. The iggest blow to communists actually came with the [ironic] Nazi-Soviet Pact [1939]]. The Socialists were also weak and were easy prey for Hitler. After the depression, even trade unions were crippled and so the weapon of the socialists, a general strike, wasnt possible, so they couldnt use mass action against Hitler. Plus they had hardly any contacts with the establishment and were thus easily marginalized. Thus Hitler used clever manipulation, and played on the weak points his opposition, to ultimately get rid of them.

Criminal sanctions, civil remedies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Criminal sanctions, civil remedies - Essay Example Further, the essay will discuss the set of rules that determine the rights, duties and responsibilities under both criminal and civil law, and also the difference in the intentions of these two types of law. The essay will also focus on the nature of gains that the two types of law would seek to secure for the claimants. The essay will be broken down into three parts: Sanctions refers to a penalty that the courts issue on a party either in a criminal or civil proceeding, as a way of punishing a party for committing an act prohibited by the law (An introduction to criminal sanctions, 2015:5). On the other hand, remedies have been defined as the relief offered to the winning litigant in a civil case (An introduction to civil remedies, 2015, 5). Remedies as applied in civil law are actually different from sanctions, owing to the fact that remedies are not usually punitive, while sanctions must have a punitive effect on the party losing the case. Therefore, while the issuance of a sanction in a civil proceeding by the courts is meant to punish the party found to have committed a wrongdoing, the issuance of a remedy is meant to redress the loss that has been suffered, or which is to be suffered by the winning party in a civil case (An introduction to civil remedies, 2015, 5). The legal principles that apply to the criminal cases are very different from the principles that apply to the civil cases. The fundamental difference existing between civil and criminal cases is the notion of punishment. While the criminal principles of the law seek to punish the offender, the civil principles of the law seek to redress the wrong that has been done by one party against another (An introduction to civil remedies, 2015, 5). In this respect, the motives of the criminal law are totally different from those of the civil law, and similarly the gains sought by the criminal law are completely different from those ones

The Mind-Body Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Mind-Body Problem - Essay Example The mind-body problem has been discussed, examined, and has perplexed philosophers for most of our recorded history. Obviously there should be no expectation of â€Å"solving† the problem through this discussion, but won’t stop me from trying. I intend to discuss the mind-body problem and its interpretation from one perspective, arguing against dualism but not for monism. The concept of body-mind dualism has some attractive qualities. The differing characteristics of the brain as a material and the mind as an experience are undeniable, and the disconnection is ideal if one wishes to escape the obvious mortality of the physical body. Monism can also be viewed in a positive light, as it gives the physical world meaning and adequately accounts for many of the mind-brain correlations that have been identified in neurobiology. The main problem with the existence of both dualism and monism lies within their inability to account for scientific findings. Any theory that attempts to explain the physical world should be relatively compatible with the findings of physics, psychology, and biology (physical world, the mind, and the body, respectively). Findings from neurobiological research have not added support for the existence of an engram (a neurological correlate of a cognitive process) (Sheena 221) and thus does not support either the dualistic approach or the monistic perspective as there has yet to be a meeting point or unity observed that can substantiate either theory. Similarly, physics research into fundamental particles has revealed ambiguity, as subatomic particles appear to exist in relational states (Wolfenstein and Silva 480) rather than as definite objects (the same or different) that can be account for by either philosophical theory of body and mind. To conclude, I have presented two examples from science that disagree

Examination of a Journal Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Examination of a Journal Article - Essay Example Finally, a comparison of the Packman et al study shall be made with two other research articles that have investigated the psychology of personality in regards to ethnic groups. Packman et al (2005) undertook their research in light of the lack of literature investigating personality difference between ethnic groups in New Zealand, especially in regards to employment selection procedures. They stipulate that empirical study of personality traits has been ignored as compared to cognitive differences between ethnicities. It is of concern to Packman et al that personality assessment data pertaining to ethnic differences has been ignored because: A personality assessment is considered to produce an adverse impact when the individuals of a specific demographic group are less likely to be selected for employment than individuals of other demographic groups (Cook, 1998 as cited in Packman et al., 2005 p. ). Further, Packman et al. state that personality differences can add to findings of cognitive differences and so provide more depth of information of potential employee's suitability for job performance. The article of Packman et al. had several main points. ... At present, theories, models and assessment procedures of personality tend to be ethnocentric, in that they are based on the English language and oriented for a Western culture. Hence, there may be a lack in the ability to generalise personality assessment across ethnic groups.A dominant theory of personality within psychology is the Five Factor Model (FFM), commonly referred to as "The Big Five". The five factors are Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. The two global personality traits of Conscientiousness and Neuroticism have been consistently identified as strong predictor of occupational performance (i.e., a high score on the Conscientiousness trait and a corresponding low score on the Neuroticism trait). Hence, significant ethnic differences on these two traits may increase the likelihood of adverse impact during the employment selection process.Cross-culturally, analyses of descriptions of personality in languages other t han English have identified five factors similar to that of the FFM. However, cross-cultural factors rarely correspond to the original English five factors, and this is likely due to socio-environmental influences during lifespan development, and subsequent differences in language semantics. So that even though a five-factor personality structure can be replicated across ethnic groups, it does not support or negate that various personality traits are equivalent across cultures. Bearing this in mine, research has found that there are significant differences across ethnic groups on personality traits. Packman et al. hypothesised that significant differences would be found across ethnic groups of New

Self Awareness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Self Awareness - Essay Example In the modern society, being an effective team player boosts one’s ability to realize higher performance efficiency. My ability to work effectively with other team members offers a brighter future in regard to job prospect in the manufacturing company where I wish to join. Consistent participation in class discussions and tolerance towards cultural diversity among classmates has seen me create many friends and relate well with teaching staff. This has earned me a position as class representative which reflects my strong interpersonal skills and effective communication ability. Besides, being a class representative means I effectively work with members to achieve specific goals within the set deadline hence my exhibition of team player. Despite the aforementioned points of strengths, I have to improve on some areas of weakness that pose significant threat to my future job prospects. My intrapersonal skill is significantly poor in respect of emotional control. For instance, I fear failure and in the event of one of potential threat I get it difficult to manage stress. This is a great blow when it comes to internal motivation and drive to perform. The evident danger of this weakness a possible puncture on work values enshrined in my potential employer’s firm. Relentless efforts to manage this problem entail consistent sessions with guidance and counseling professional. Such psychotherapy sessions are likely to open up my unexploited potential as a lower level manager before I can rise up the ladder. Besides, I intend to engage in physical exercise after personal assignments and have private times to reflect on my life. This master plan would help me overcome the internal challenge of emotional stability. Work values are the driving force behind efficiency. I believe in honesty as it serves the general interest of the society. In workplace, I believe that honest disclosure of personal feeling and attendance of

Quality Management Systems Of Dairy In India Environmental Sciences Essay

Quality Management Systems Of Dairy In India Environmental Sciences Essay In the new WTO led freer trade environment, Indian food industry can compete Globally only if it is price and quality competitive .Due to the liberalization of Indian economy and the onset of WTO regime, quality Competitiveness will matter most in Indian food industry. Hence serious consideration had given to quality issues in Indian food industries. The Indian government is motivating the dairy and other food processing industries for adoption of food safety and quality assurance mechanisms such as Total Quality Management (TQM) including ISO 9000, ISO 14000. Hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP). Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Good Hygienic Practices (GMP).And this essay also contains Indian Government Regulations in the Dairy Processing Sector. India has two types of sectors for the marketing of milk and its products, one is organized sector and another is unorganized sector. The unorganized sector accounts for 88% of total milk production in India and it includes marketing of raw milk and traditional products such as locally manufactured ghee, fresh cheese, and sweets. The organized sector accounts for 10-12% of total milk production in India and it includes the dairy cooperatives and organized private dairies which produces Western-style dairy processed products based on pasteurization. The share of organized sector in the total milk production handling is increasing by the years (FAO, 2002). India has now become the largest producer of milk in the world, with estimated production of about 81 million tons in 2001(FAO, 2002).Milk production in India accounts for more than 13% of the total world output and 57% of total Asias production. Top five milk producing nations in the world are India, USA, Russia, Germany and France (http://www.aavinmilk.com/dairyprofile.html). After the formation of World Trade Organization(WTO), there were some instances where foreign buyers refused to accept Indian processed food products from Indian food processing industries which did not follow HACCP system.Due to this Industries which are exporting were paying lare amounts of money to foreign consultants for HACCP Implementation (CM, 1997).And also implementing HACCP system has become mandatory for food companies after the formation of World Trade Organization(WTO) and this is due to HACCP is recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) and the CAC recommendation has been approved by the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) reached under the signs of WTO (Satish Y. Deodhar, 2001). It is an international Body which was established by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations with an objective to protect the health of consumers and to ensure fair practices in the food trade. It gives specifications for International Standards for the safety and quality of food codes of good manufacturing practice. The Standards, guide lines and recommendations specified by Codex Alimentarius commission was recognized worldwide for international trade and negotiations and also for settling of disputes by WTO. (Source: GOVERNMENT OF INDIA OUTCOME BUDGET OF MINISTRY OF FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES FOR 2008-2009) Government of India (GOI) Ministry of food processing industries Financial Scheme for Quality Assurance, Codex Standard 2008-2009. Objectives of this Scheme: 1. Motivating the food processing industries in order to adopt food quality and safety assurance systems such as Total Quality Management (TQM) which includes ISO 9000, ISO 14000 and safety assurance systems such as Hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP),Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Hygienic Practices (GMP). 2. To make the food processing industries ready to face them to global competition in international trade after the WTO formation. 3. To prepare the food processing industries in such a way that itv will stick to strict quality in hygiene norms. 4. Enhaning the product produced by food processing industries which will accept by overseas buyers. 5. To prepare Indian food processing industry in technologically up to date which will practice international best practices. The Scheme included the following activities: 1. Total Quality Management (TQM). 2. Promoting of Quality Assurance / Safety Concept. 3. Bar Coding. 4. Strengthening of Codex Cell. 5. Upgrading Quality Control Laboratories. 6. Research Development Programmes for food processing industry 1. Total Quality Management (TQM) Ministry of Food Processing Industries (GOI) is running a Plan Scheme which is promoting food processing industries to adopt food quality and safety assurance systems such as ISO 9000, ISO 14000, Hazard Analysis and Critical points (HACCP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Good Hygienic Practices (GHP) .And it has assisted 10 food processing units to implement the HACCP, IS09000, GMP, GHP practices during the year 2007-2008. 2. Setting Up/Up gradation of Quality Control Laboratory Strengthening or Setting up or Networking of laboratories will help in introduction of quality and safety systems in food processing industries and maintaining quality of the product at every level of production. Ministry of Food Processing industries (GOI) has started a plan scheme for setting up/ up gradation of quality control laboratory with objectives like ensuring adoption of National food standards, assisting food industries to develop and implement quality management systems such as ISO9000, HACCP etc., analyzing the samples received from food processing industries, and other stake holder and training in the areas relating to quality improvement through own expertise. The Ministry of food processing industries (GOI) has approved financial assistance to the some organizations during the year 2007-2008 for setting up and up gradation of food testing laboratories like Maarc Lab private limited, Pune.,Council for Food Research and Development, Government of Kerala.,Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.,Pradeshik Cooperative Dairy Fed. Ltd, Lucknow.,. AcharyaN.G. Agricultural University, Hyderabad and A.P. State Agro Industries Dev.Corpn.Ltd. Hyderabad. (Source: GOVERNMENT OF INDIA OUTCOME BUDGET OF MINISTRY OF FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES FOR 2008-2009) Indian Government Regulations in the Dairy Processing Sector: Compulsory legislation 1. Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 The Act was created in Indian Parliament in 1954 in order to prevent adulteration of food and it Rules were formed in the year 1955 .The PFA Act includes food standards, general procedures for sampling, analysis of food, powers of authorized officers, nature of penalties and other parameters related to food. It will give standards to food additives, preservative, coloring matters, packing labeling of foods, prohibition regulations of sales etc. Amendments are incorporated in PFA rules with the recommendation made by the Central Committee of Food Standards (CCFS) which has been setup by Central Government of India under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare comprising members from different regions of the country. The provisions of PFA Act and Rules are implemented by State Government and local bodies as provided in the rules. The provisions of the Act are mandatory and contravention of the rules can lead to both fines and imprisonment. (Source: http://www.fssai.gov.in/PFA.aspx) 2. Milk and Milk Product Order (MMPO) The Govt. of India had announced officially the Milk and Milk Product Order (MMPO) 1992 on 9.06.1992 under the provisions of Essential commodity Act, 1955.According to this order any person or dairy plat handling more than 10000 liters per day of milk or 500 Million tons of milk solids per annum needs to be registered with the registering authority appointed by the Central Government of India. This order aims at to maintain and increase in supply of liquid milk of desired quality in the interests of the general public and also helps in for regulating the production, processing and distribution of milk and milk Products. So far suitable amendments were made by Government of India for this order from time to time in order to make it more liberal and oriented to facilitate the dairy entrepreneurs. The latest amendment was made on 26/03/2002. At present there is no restriction on setting up of new milk plant but requirement of registration is for enforcing the prescribed standards of qua lity and food safety. The salient features of the new amendments include sanitary, hygienic condition, quality, food safety issues and flexible inspection of dairy plant. (Source: http://dahd.nic.in/milkorder.htm) 3. Standards on Weights and Measures (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 1997 These Rules species obligatory conditions should be maintained for all milk and milk products which are in packed form with respect to declarations on quantities contained. And they are operated by the Directorate of Weights and Measures, under the Ministry of Food and Civil Supplies (Government of India). 4. Export (Quality Control and Inspection) Act, 1963 This act was operated by Export Inspection Council (Government of India). According to this Act all exportable milk and milk products should undergo compulsory pre-shipment inspection for quality control. And the quality control and inspection are administered through a network of more than fifty offices located around major production centers and ports of shipment 5. Pollution Control The milk processing industry should take no Objection Certificate from Pollution Control Board which is Compulsory. Voluntary Standards In India there are two organizations which deal with voluntary standardization and certification systems in the food sector. They are: 1. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) BIS has two types of activities, one is formulation of Indian standards in the processed foods sector and the other is implementation of standards through promotion and through voluntary and third party certification systems. BIS standards cover raw materials permitted and their quality parameters, hygienic conditions under which products are manufactured and packaging and labeling requirements.BIS will give ISI mark that can be exhibited on product packages to those manufacturers complying with standards laid down by the BIS. BIS has made mandatory certification for food colors or additives, vanaspati (Hydrogenated vegetable oil), containers for packing, milk powder and condensed milk. 2. Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI) Agricultural Produce (Grading Marking) Act was formed in the year 1937 which had given power to Central Government of India to frame grade standards for agricultural produce. It has formulated certain Standards under scientific manner and is popularly known as AGMARK standards. Recently food safety factors are being incorporated in these standards in order to compete in World trade and they are harmonized with international standards keeping in view the WTO requirements. They will provide Certification to adulteration prone milk products like Butter and Ghee in order to benefit producer/manufacturer and consumer. The Certification mark under the Agricultural Produce (Grading Marking) Act is popularly known as AGMARK. (Source: http://agmarknet.nic.in/right_DMI.htm) Other Government Regulations 1. Industrial License: Normally in India no license is required for setting up a Dairy Project but a Memorandum has to be submitted to the Secretariat for Industrial Approvals (SIA) and an acknowledgment is to be obtained. 2. Foreign Investment: A prior approval from the Secretariat of Industrial Approvals, Ministry of Industry(Government of India) is required in order to Foreign investment in Indian Dairy Industry. 3. Foreign Technology Agreements: It also requires prior approval from the government of India . 4. Import of capital Goods Import of capital goods for dairy processing industry is allowed if it is financed through Foreign Equity and it also need of approval from the Secretariat of Industrial Approvals. 5. Import of Second Hand Capital Goods Second hand machinary can be imported if it meets conditions like minimum residual life of 5 years, equipment age should not be more than 7 years old, certificate from the Chartered Engineers of the country of origin certifying the age , the Residual life is to be produced and import will be allowed only for actual users. (Source: indiadairy.com) The Management Systems Certification (MSC) activity of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS): It consists of a series of activities with which it will assess the capability of an organizations Management Systems such as IS/ISO 9001:2000(Quality Management Systems), IS/ISO 14001:2004( Environmental Management Systems ),IS 18001:2000(Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems),IS15000:1998 ( Food Hygiene Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) System )and the combination of two or more than two systems (integrated management systems) and it will provide third party Certification to the organizations. BIS offers certification to the following standard: IS/ISO 9001:2000: This standard comes under Quality Management Systems Certification Scheme (QMSCS) provided by Bureau of Indian Standards and it is identical to ISO 9001:2000 -`Quality Management Systems . IS does not provide any form of consultancy services for implementation of the requirements of IS/ISO 9001:2000 standard as under its Quality Management Systems Certification Scheme, BIS grants licenses against IS/ISO 9001:2000 standard. Accreditation of BIS QMSCS by Raad voor Accreditatie (RvA), Netherlands, is a testimony of BIS QMSCS operating to internationally accepted criteria. BIS Quality Management Systems Certification Scheme is accredited by RvA for twenty three sectors. IS/ISO 14001: This standard comes under Environmental Management Systems Certification Scheme (EMSCS) and is identical to ISO 14001 -`Environmental Management Systems. This standard helps the organizations to achieve and demonstrate sound environmental performance. It does not provide any form of consultancy services for implementation of the requirements of IS/ISO 14001 but it grants licenses against IS/ISO 14001 standard. IS 18001:2000: This standard comes under Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems and helps in good health and safety performance ensuring an accident-free industrial environment. This will also improves organizations smooth and effective functioning. IS 15000:1998: This standard comes under Food Hygiene -Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) System and it is designed to identify and prevent microbial and other hazards in food production. It helps the producers, processors, distributors, exporters, etc, of food products to utilize technical resources efficiently and in a cost effective manner in assuring food safety .It does not provide any form of consultancy services for implementation of the requirements of IS15000 standard as under its HACCP HACCP-Quality Management Systems (QMS) Certification Scheme but it grants licenses against IS 15000 (HACCP stand-alone certification) or IS 15000 integrated with IS/ISO 9001:2000 standard (HACCP integrated with QMS Certification). The Benefits of BIS Certification for management systems: It improves both internal operational benefits and external marketing advantages of an organization. And it also provide an assurance of consistent quality, pollution prevention, waste reduction, safety and health of employees to highly competitive international market-place, customers, governments, general public, employees and stakeholders . (Source: Bureau of Indian standards Management Systems Certification Quality Manual, issue 1, 2004). Major problem associated with quality standards: Small holders have difficulty complying with SPS/ QUALITY STANDARDS (FAO, 2002). Conclusion: There is need of Training of suitable man power on Quality and food safety management systems such as ISO Standards ,good hygienic practices and good manufacturing practices and application of concept and principles of sanitary and phyto sanitary (SPS ) and Hazard Analysis and critical control point ( HAACP ) systems throughout the food Chain from farmer to consumer , becomes important for producing quality milk products. So, Indian government should take proper measures in order to improve people skill in the quality and safety management systems so that Indian dairy sector Quality and Safety management systems will improve.

Cuban Cigars : Rolling Process and Crop Gathering :: Cuban Cigar

Cuban Cigars: The Rolling Process and Gathering the Crop In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered the island now known as Cuba. Along with the discovery of Cuba, Columbus also discovered tobacco. Since that time, Cuba has developed the reputation as having the finest tobacco and finest cigars in the world. The following article will discuss how the crop is raised and harvested. Furthermore, the art of cigar rolling will be discussed in detail. What makes Cuban tobacco the world's finest tobacco? The answer lies in Cuba's climate and in the uniquely composed fertile fields in which the tobacco is raised. Cuba has a topical climate; this, combined with a temperature that is tempered by trade winds makes the island quite tobacco friendly. Cuba's fields, in which the tobacco is grown, have a unique composition that gives Cuban tobacco its own distinct and unmatched color and flavor. The tobacco crop goes through a long and tedious process before it is ultimately ready to become a Cuban Cigar. The first step in the process is to prepare the beds for the tobacco seedlings. After the beds are made, the tobacco seeds are planted. The next step involves topping the plants and removing the suckers. This is done to increase the vitality of the plants. After about 2 Â ½ to 3 months, the plant reaches maturity and is then harvested. The tobacco crop is harvested leaf by leaf. After the tobacco crop is harvested, the next step is to cure the crop. Curing is done in a very methodical manner. First, the tobacco leaves are strung together with a cotton thread. They are then hung out to dry for a few months. They are then considered cured. After "curing" the leaves, the plant goes through a series of natural fermentation steps. The tobacco at this stage is graded according to size and quality. The leaves at this point are ready to be wrapped and rolled into cigars. Before this is to occur however, the tobacco leaves are arranged according to thickness and length to match the type of cigar that is to be produced. The process of rolling a cigar is a very detailed and meticulous one. Cigar rolling requires expertise and care. Interestingly, the tools used to roll cigars have also remained virtually unchanged for generations. A small wooden board is needed, along with a semi-circular blade, and a small container of clear purified rubber resin, which is used to shape and seal off the ends of the cigar.

Research on Modern Grocery Market in Pakistan

â€Å"The Evolution of Modern Grocery Market in Pakistan. † A research project to study changing consumer buying patterns and opportunities for new entrants in the modern grocery sector. By Adavanced Research Methods MBA-Evening Program Section ‘E’ Submitted on November 19, 2012 Table of Contents Titles Page No. Prefatory Information Abstract Acknowledgements Executive Summary Introduction Methodology Research Findings Conclusion Recommendations Appendices References 02 03 04 05 06 08 09 13 14 15 22 Page | 1Prefatory Information Research Topic â€Å"The Evolution of Modern Grocery Market in Pakistan. † Research Background The traditional food retail sector (small neighborhood stores, street vendors, â€Å"general trade† stores, etc. ) comprise about 95% of all food retail stores in Pakistan while the modern retail sector (hypermarkets, supermarkets, discount stores, etc. ) make up the remaining 5%. Over the past few years international retailers have taken advantage of the growing opportunities in this market.Well-known European retail giants Makro, Metro, and Carrefour (Hyperstar) have opened stores in all major Pakistani metropolitan cities. The port city of Karachi alone has at least five large retail stores that serve more than 19 million people. With a growing middle-income class (estimated at about 25% of the total population), increasing urbanization, increasing popularity of international food products, and a growing number of international restaurants and fast food chains, Pakistan is emerging as an expanding market for U. S. high-value agricultural products.The overall food retail and wholesale business accounts for 17% of Pakistan? s GDP. These large retail stores have been able to tap into the changes in consumer lifestyles and higher disposable income. Emerging technologies have also contributed to the emergence of the large food retail superstores, which offer a wide range of value added products and services to p rice conscious middle income consumers. Convenience stores in Petrol/Gas stations are also providing an additional option for consumers and their popularity among Pakistani consumers is rising.To know precisely the driving forces that lead changes in the consumer buying behavior and furthermore to anticipate the future demand of modernized grocery stores and hypermarkets which would ultimately guide investors towards an opportunity and would let them know the critical market factors and consumer needs on the basis of which they should design their businesses to gain maximum market share in minimum amount of time and resources. Page | 2 Abstract â€Å"The Evolution of Modern Grocery Market in Pakistan. The core objectives of our research are comprehensively explained and backed by the results and interpretations, with graphical illustrations that clarify the main consumer tastes and preferences that are the agents of changing buying patterns being the reason behind the increased num ber of modern grocery stores in major cities of Pakistan which is linked to our second objective that is more towards the investment opportunity for local and foreign venture capitalists in the mentioned sector. Page | 3Acknowledgements First and foremost, we would like to thank Almighty Allah for enabling us to achieve the completion of our project report effectively, next we would like to thank to our course mentor of Advanced Research Methods-E, Mr. Salman Rabbani for the valuable guidance and advice. He inspired us greatly to work in this project. His willingness to motivate us contributed tremendously to our project. We also would like to thank him for showing us some examples that related to the topic of our project.Besides, we would like to thank all those participants, colleagues and class mates for providing us with their valuable insights and responses that enabled us to complete this project. Group Members Sandhya Talreja Talha Abid 1235220 1235182 Page | 4 Executive Summ ary The increasing number of modern grocery stores are rapidly increasing in Karachi and other cities of Pakistan which accounts for attracting majority of the customers and getting market share more than it was in the past few years.These larger stores make up 5% of all Pakistan? s retail food stores. There are two segments of modern food markets. One segment is dominated by the international groups and there are also domestic food retailers that are also utilizing new modern retail formats. For example, large food retail stores (Metro, Makro, and Hyperstar) comprise about 2% of all Pakistani food retail outlets with an estimated annual turnover of $176 million. The overall share of imported food products in the large retail stores is about 5. 6%.To analyze and figure out factors that have changed the buying patterns across the urban areas of Pakistan across all major population segments based on the demographical characteristics. The later part of the research well describes inves tment opportunity and growth indicators with rising purchasing power of people and increasing consumption patterns leading to impulse buying behavior. Appendices and annexes contain some useful facts that determine the future trends of retailing in Pakistan that how changes are anticipated in the years to come with respect to structure, marketing, supply chain management and customer servicesPage | 5 Introduction Consumer Food Purchasing Behavior The average Pakistani consumer spends 42% of his income on food. Consumption of imported processed and ready-to-eat food is greater in urban areas because of higher disposable incomes and access to modern style of food. A typical Pakistani household makes regular purchases of staple foods (i. e. , wheat flour, pulses, edible oils, fruits, vegetables, milk, meat, etc. ) several times per month from neighborhood stores due to convenience, perceived freshness, and limited storage space at home.A growing number of young Pakistani professionals (male/female) generally prefer making monthly food purchases from modern retail stores due to greater variety of products, satellite stores, and to enjoy food services all under one roof, thus providing the opportunity of combining „one stop shopping? with a family outing. Affluent Pakistani families are attracted towards modern retail stores due to their affordability, strategic locations, access to the imported processed food, and available choices for multiple product range.In comparison the rural consumer prefers homemade products, organic fruits & vegetables, and has limited access to processed food. The demand for imported food such as dates, cereals, beverages, chocolates, almonds, cakes, fruits and fruit juices reaches its peak during the festive season, especially at Eid and Ramadan. Moreover Pakistan has a large and growing middle-income class (estimated at about 25% of the total population).It also has a large and growing young population and over 55 percent Pakista ni? s are in the 10-40 years age bracket. The upper middle-income class is currently estimated at 17 million, with relatively high per capita income which favors consumer spending. Since 2000 demand for specialized products targeted at the middle-income consumers have increased significantly. The upcoming changes in the Pakistani consumer demographic will create opportunities and challenges for companies doing business in Pakistan.Keeping in view the above stated scenario and these facts the well described the consumer demographics in Pakistan, we decided to conduct a quantitative research to know the factors of changing buying patterns and also to gauge the magnitude of opportunity for the new entrants in the huge retail grocery market that estimates about US$ 42 billion per annum. Page | 6 Research Objectives ? ? To study the changes in buying patterns of consumers in metropolitan cities of Pakistan, after the advent of modern grocery stores.To what extent these retail chains have been successful and to analyze if there is an opportunity for new entrants in the current scenario. Research Question ? ? What factors are responsible for changing buying behavior of people belonging to urban areas of Pakistan? What is the size of opportunity that exists for new entrants in the current market? Page | 7 Methodology The research methodology comprised of an online survey and questionnaire that was conducted throughout the city of Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore and Islamabad. There were 10 option-based question that were designed to get the responses covering the two basic research objectives.Respondents were randomly selected and were asked to fill out a questionnaire which contained predetermined options and with other open-ended options as well, most of the participants were belonged to Karachi along with a significant number of online respondents from Hyderabad, Lahore and Islamabad adding a variety of responses from urban areas of Pakistan. Respondents were divided in to four main categories on the basis of their Gender, Age, Marital Status and Income to have a fair understanding of different types of needs and preferences of different consumer segments.Quantitative Research There was a need to quantify the number of consumer that opt or prefer a certain attribute, products or services at these different stores so in terms of percentages it was easy to present and interpret data that was collected as a result of survey- questionnaire. First of all there was a pre-test conducted to know the validity and effectiveness of the questionnaire and methodology and after that actual survey was launched online and respondents were asked to fill the survey.Online survey reduced the time and other costs associated to our research and proved to be a cost-effective tool to conduct our survey. Page | 8 Research Findings On the basis of two distinct objectives the research findings are included in this report, the initial objective to determine factors that infl uence consumer buying behavior are the overall services offered, quality and branded products, convenience of getting all items at a single point, no grocery items including fashion apparel, cosmetics, medicine, home decor and so on remained the key choices of the respondents.Regarding the second objective that was to know the size of opportunity for new entrants that was asked in a question to know precise demand of the modern grocery outlets in Karachi and other urban cities, the findings exhibit that a clear majority of the respondents want to have more modern grocery stores in their locality, exact figures are mentioned in the graphical representation section later in this report. Other quantitative results include the frequency of purchases, expenditure and preferred store type that are also useful to calculate the size of the opportunity in this sector.Moreover participants also provided very insightful responses in open-ended options that highlighted many other things that th ey prefer at these modern stores. Including improvement suggestions regarding, customer support and billing, loyalty and discount programs were dominant responses of the survey discussed in the detail in graphical representation section. Page | 9 Graphical Representation and Analysis 1. Grocery Store Type It? quite clear from the market share that supermarkets and hypermarkets have acquired during past couple of years is significantly improved up to 30% for each category. Grocery Store Type General stores 30% 30% 18% 22% Dept. Stores Super Markets Hypermarkets 2. Grocery Frequency Frequency as compared to past trend of weekly or daily grocery purchases has been shifted to monthly purchases leading towards impulse buying behavior after the advent of the modern hypermarkets and superstores 60% 40% 20% 0% Grocery Frequency Weekly Fortnightly Monthly others 3.Grocery Market Share Modernized supermarkets lead the market with 48% share of the grocery sector these markets are convenience t o people living in developed areas of Karachi catering their grocery needs effectively. Grocery Market Share Hyperstar 14% 18% 20% 48% Metro/Makro Naheed/Chaseup /Aghaz/Imtiaz others 4. Grocery Spending Most of the people that opted for modern grocery stores belong to higher income segment and majority spends more than Rs. 7000 on their grocery needs. This indicates a higher tendency of the people to consume in the society. 0% 30% 20% 10% 0% Grocery Spending (PKR) 26% 6% 32% 36% Page | 10 5. Appealing Factors The factors that were dominant among the responses were convenience of getting all items at a single stop and economical purchases thus lowering grocery budgets, this is the core reason that has changed buying patterns of consumers in the recent years. other factors Appealing Factors Economical Safe and†¦ Convenience Adequate†¦ Economical 0% 20% 40% Adequate Parking Convenience Safe and Secure other factors Non grocery items 6.Non-grocery items Out of the non-grocery items most people preferred cosmetics reason being the majority of female respondents in our sample. Rest of the people preferred medicines and ready to wear apparels. 0% 50% 46% 20% 16% 8% 10% 7. Additional Food Items Other than usual grocery items as food staples there was a significant rise in the demand and preference to ready-to-eat/ frozen-food, reason being the most of the married females are opting for careers and employments therefore frozen foods provides them convenience and quick food solutions. 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Additional Food Items 2% Fresh fruits and vegetables meat/chicken/p oultry Frozen food others 16% 16% 6% 8. Improvement Suggestions Discount cards were the most opted option by the respondents as people tend to buy in larger quantities they expect a significant amount off as a discount as well as the loyalty or privilege cards were also and added suggestion along with the speedy billing process due to the shortage of time in the busy schedule of peo ple living in the large cities. 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Improvement Suggestions 48% 28% 12% 12% Loyalty cards Discount cards Speedy billing process others Page | 11 9.More Grocery Stores So about 90% of the people responded in positive when they were asked about more grocery stores in their city mainly because the convenience these stores offer, while the remaining 10% who opted for No, further explained there are enough no of stores in their vicinity only need is to improve their service quality. 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% More Grocery Stores 90% 10% Yes No Yes No 10. Most preferred attribute Quality is the most opted attribute and mostly the quality products and services available at modern grocery store provide an added benefit to the customers and delight them in many ways. 0% 60% 40% 20% 0% Most preferred attribute Quality Pricing Brand Other Page | 12 Conclusions After studying the brief results and graphical illustrations we hereby conclude that major causes of change in cons umer purchase patterns are superior quality of products and services offered to customers at economical prices, thus elevating the overall value for customers when it comes to convenience shopping, hassle-free parking, pleasant environment, serene ambiance, safety and security which previously was not offered by any of the conventional grocery stores of their localities.Now majority of the consumers prefer going to modern supermarkets and hypermarkets rather than the wholesale markets, to avoid the long tiring grocery shopping which included stressful parking, lack of security and safety. Moreover people on weekends go for grocery shopping with their families which allows them to spend quality time with their family as an outing or entertainment and enjoy shopping with all the modern state-of-the-art facilities offered by malls and shopping centers.Furthermore, along with the basic grocery items people tend to shop additional items including garments, cosmetics, fashion products, fr ozen foods, medicines and so on that is again an appealing factor that directed majority of the customers towards these modernized grocery store thus offering more and more benefits and ease to customers.As it has been witnessed that in the past few years the retail market dynamics have changed dramatically with modern grocery stores capturing the 40% share in the sector it is therefore a lucrative sector for foreign investors in the sectors and source of high FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) that would increase employment opportunities for our population and also would add up to fiscal revenues for the government. Page | 13 RecommendationsAfter the completion of this research that was in response to previous researches on Emergence of Modern Retail in Pakistan and Market Transformation Due To Current Economic Turmoil (USA and European Retail Sectors) we suggest a comprehensive and more sophisticated research should be carried out on a commercial level to have an in-depth knowledge a nd insights about the market. Many of the indicators suggest the modern society in Pakistan are moving towards mass consumption and retail sector particular has been the key performer accounts for an annual turnover of about US$ 42 billion(estimated).So in response to it another research should carried out on Factors of Impulse Buying Behavior of consumer segments in Pakistan with respect to the modern grocery markets rapidly increasing and expanding the retail sector in Pakistan. The scope of our research was limited to few major cities of Pakistan i. e. Karachi Lahore Islamabad and Hyderabad, so its scope should be increased for future research also incorporating the useful insights of the key industry players of the modern grocery markets. Page | 14 Appendices Appendix-1 (Survey Questionnaire) ARM-Questionnaire Demographics: Age: ? 7-28 ? 29-40 ? 41 & above Gender: ? M ? F Marital Status: ? Single ? Married Average Household Income (PKR): ? 10,000-20,000 ? 20,001-50,000 ? 50,001 & above Area of Residence: ________________________________________________________ 1. What type of grocery store do you prefer for your grocery shopping? ? General stores ? Departmental stores ? Super market ? Hyper-markets 2. 3. 4. 5. How often you go for grocery shopping? ?Weekly ? fortnightly (every 15 days) ? Monthly ? others please specify_____ Which store do you often prefer for your grocery needs? ?Hyperstar ? Metro/Makro ?Naheed/Chase-up/Imtiaz/Agha's ? Others___ On average how much amount you spend on your grocery? (PKR) ? 1000-3000 ? 4000-7000 ? 7000-10000 ? Above 10000 Based on the prior selected store which factor makes you buy from that store? ?Economical ? Adequate Parking ? Convenience (all items under one-roof) ? Safe and secure environment ? Others please specify___________________ What type of items do you prefer to shop along-with grocery? ?Cosmetics ? Garments ? Medicines ? Electronic Appliances ? Others_____ What additional foods items do you like to buy form t he grocery stores? Fresh Fruits and Vegetable ? Meat/Chicken/Fish ? Frozen Foods ? Others__________ What improvements you like see as far as services are concerned? ?Loyalty cards ? Discount coupons ? Speedy billing process ? Others _______ Would like to have more stores and hyper markets? ?Yes ? No What do you prefer the most for your grocery items? ?Quality ? Pricing ? Brand ? Others please specify___________ 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Thank you for your time and attention. Page | 15 Appendix-2 FMCG Companies Profit From Rural Consumption Boom in Pakistan By Riaz Haq Higher crop prices have increased farmers? ncomes in Pakistan by Rs. 342 billion in the 12 months through June, according to a government economic survey. That was higher than the gain of Rs. 329 billion in the preceding eight years, according to a report by Bloomberg News. Companies like Millat tractors, Honda Atlas Motorcycles, Pak Suzuki Motors, Engro Foods, Telnor, Nestle, Colgate-Palmolive, Proctor and Gamble and Unilever h ave been big beneficiaries of the current rural consumption boom. Nestle Pakistan's chief Ian Donald has summed up the rising demand for his company's products as follows: â€Å"It? a common perception that China and India are much bigger in terms of growth than Pakistan. But for Nestle, the per capita consumption of our products in Pakistan is twice as much as we have in China and India. † It should be noted that Nestle is the world's largest packaged food company, and Pakistanis' per capita consumption of milk and dairy products is about 2. 5 times higher than in India. According to the FAO, the average dairy consumption of the developing countries is still very low (45 kg of all dairy products in liquid milk equivalent), compared with the average of 220 kg in the industrial countries.Few developing countries have per capita consumption exceeding 150 kg (Argentina, Uruguay and some pastoral countries in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of Africa). Among the most populous countries, only Pakistan, at 153 kg per capita, has such a level. In South Asia, where milk and dairy products are preferred foods, India has only 64 kg and Bangladesh 14 kg. East Asia has only 10 kg. Here are a few key points excerpted from a recent Businessweek story on rise of the rural consumer in Pakistan: 1. Unilever and Colgate-Palmolive Co. re sending salespeople into rural areas of the world? s sixth most-populous nation, where demand for consumer goods such as Sunsilk shampoo, Pond? s moisturizers and Colgate toothpaste has boosted local units? revenue at least 15 percent. Page | 16 2. â€Å"The rural push is aimed at the boisterous youth in these areas, who have bountiful cash and resources to increase purchases,† Shazia Syed, vice president for customer development at Unilever Pakistan Ltd. , said in an interview. â€Å"Rural growth is more than double that of national sales. † 3.Consumer-goods companies forecast growth in Pakistan even as an increase in ethnic viole nce in Karachi has made 2011 the deadliest in 16 years for the country? s biggest city and financial center. 4. Nestle Pakistan Ltd. is spending 300 million Swiss francs ($326 million) to double dairy output in four years, boosted sales 29 percent to 33 billion rupees ($378 million) in the six months through June. â€Å"We have been focusing on rural areas very strongly,† Ian Donald, managing director of Nestle? s Pakistan unit, said in an interview in Lahore. â€Å"Our observation is that Pakistan? rural economy is doing better than urban areas. † 5. Haji Mirbar, who grows cotton on a 5-acre farm with his four brothers, said his family? s income grew fivefold in the year through June, allowing him to buy branded products. He uses Unilever? s Lifebuoy for his open-air baths under a hand pump, instead of the handmade soap he used before. â€Å"We had a great year because of cotton prices,† said Mirbar, 28, who lives in a village outside south Pakistan? s Matiari town. â€Å"As our income has risen, we want to buy nice things and live like kings. † 6.Sales for the Pakistan unit of Unilever rose 15 percent to 24. 8 billion rupees in the first half. Colgate-Palmolive Pakistan Ltd.? s sales increased 29 percent in the six months through June to 7. 6 billion rupees, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. â€Å"In a generally faltering economy, the double-digit growth in revenue for companies servicing the consumer sector has come almost entirely from the rural areas,† said Sakib Sherani, chief executive officer at Macroeconomic Insights Pvt. in Islamabad and a former economic adviser to Pakistan? s finance ministry. 7.Unilever is pushing beauty products in the countryside through a program called â€Å"Guddi Baji,† an Urdu phrase that literally means â€Å"doll sister. † It employs â€Å"beauty specialists who understand rural women,† providing them with vans filled with samples and equipment, Syed said. Wome n in villages are also employed as sales representatives, because â€Å"rural is the Page | 17 growth engine† for Unilever in Pakistan, she said in an interview in Karachi. While the bulk of spending for rural families goes to food, about 20 percent â€Å"is spent on looking beautiful and buying expensive clothes,† Syed said. . Colgate-Palmolive, the world? s largest toothpaste maker, aims to address a â€Å"huge gap† in sales outside Pakistan? s cities by more than tripling the number of villages where its products, such as Palmolive soap, are sold, from the current 5,000, said Syed Wasif Ali, rural operations manager at the local unit. 9. Its detergents Bonus Tristar and Brite are packed in sachets of 20 grams or less and priced as low as five rupees (6 cents), to boost sales among low-income consumers hurt by the fastest pace of inflation in Asia after Vietnam.Unilever plans to increase the number of villages where its products are sold to almost half of the total 34,000 within three years. Its merchandise, including Dove shampoo, Surf detergent and Brooke Bond Supreme tea, is available in about 11,000 villages now. 10. Pakistan, Asia? s third-largest wheat grower, in 2008 increased wheat prices by more than 50 percent as Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani sought to boost production of the staple. â€Å"The injection of purchasing power in the rural sector has been unprecedented,† said Sherani, who added that local prices for rice and sugarcane have also risen. 1. Telenor Pakistan Pvt. is also expanding in Pakistan? s rural areas, which already contribute 60 percent of sales, said Anjum Nida Rahman, corporate communications director for the local unit of the Nordic region? s largest phone company. While the presence of multinational consumer product giants like Nestle and Unilever receive more coverage in the western media, the Euromonitor report finds that Pakistani FMGC companies like Engro Foods, Haleeb Foods, Shezan, Tapal, Sh an and others dominate the packaged food business in Pakistan. Here's an excerpt from a recent Euromonitor report on Pakistan.Page | 18 Appendix- 3 Study of the International Retail Markets Drivers of Retail Change Internationally There are significant changes underway in the international retail sector. Some are already evident in the Irish retail market while others are now beginning to show an impact. The key drivers of change in the retail sector are: †¢ Consumer shopping habits and meal preparation habits are changing. This is driving the food retail structure to one of large stores for once-weekly shopping trips and smaller convenience stores for top-up purchases. Relatively low growth in retail spending across Europe, particularly in the food sector, which is generating substantial competition between retailers. †¢ A shift in the determinant of consumer demand from price consciousness to value for money. †¢ A stronger preference for service and convenience, bot h in retail service and also in product choice. †¢ The development of a more international outlook and a greater awareness of international brands. †¢ More focused marketing methods, referred to as „mass customization? and competition for consumer loyalty. †¢ The retail sector is still relatively highly regulated in many countries, specifically in the areas of planning regulations in respect of new store development and working hours. †¢ Developments in information and communications technologies (ICTs) are enabling improvements in market research and analysis, and supply chain management. This is driving significant change in international retail supply chains as retailers seek out increasing efficiencies and seek to reduce inventories. Page | 19 Appendix-4Future of Retail Sector in Pakistan The expected future trends in the retail sector in Pakistan are that: †¢ The retail sector can be expected to continue to grow in line with the overall growth of the economy, thereby providing further employment and an increasing contribution to economic activity. †¢ The level of concentration, i. e. , the market share held by major retailers, in both the food and clothing sectors, is expected to continue to increase. †¢ Further consolidation in the market can be expected through mergers and acquisitions of national retailers and foreign retailers in the current market.Acquisition is likely to be the mode of market entry for large scale foreign retailers into the future. Size & Structure The strucuture of the retail sector is changing as: †¢ Retailers are growing larger through mergers and acquisitions both in domestic and international markets; †¢ The number of large sized stores is increasing significantly; †¢ Levels of concentration in retail markets are increasing; †¢ Order sizes and deliveries from suppliers are growing; and †¢ Suppliers are increasing in scale. Customer Service Customer service is dev eloping rapidly through: †¢ Home hopping and delivery; †¢ Internet shopping; †¢ Longer opening hours; †¢ Loyalty card schemes; †¢ Better in-store service; †¢ Micro-marketing to individual customers; and †¢ Improved mail order. Page | 20 Diversification Retailers are pursuing growth through diversification into: †¢ New product areas, by food retailers into non-food goods, and into new markets such as apparel and music; †¢ New business sectors such as banking and insurance; and †¢ New geographic markets, nationally and internationally, mail order, teleshopping and ecommerce.Supply-Chain Management Retailers are increasing their control over the whole supply chain by implementing: †¢ Centralized distribution; †¢ Efficient consumer response (ECR) †¢ Increased traceability of goods †¢ Increased investment in Information Technology; †¢ Supplier rationalization programs †¢ Greater involvement in supplier operat ions. Page | 21 References Retail Sector Dynamics in Ireland-www. forfas. ie. European Journal of Scientific Research Euro Journals Publishing, Inc. 2009 http://www. eurojournals. com/ejsr. htm http://www. iazhaq. com/2011/10/fmcg-companies-profit-from-rural. html Retail markets planning guide-FAO Bulletin http://www. fao. org/docrep/v8390e/V8390E00. HTM New generation of retail markets By Ashfak Bokhari | From InpaperMagzine | 23rd July, 2012 http://dawn. com/2012/07/23/new-generation-of-retail-markets/ Retail’s Hottest Emerging Markets, 2012 http://www. cnbc. com/id/47782726/Retail_s_Hottest_Emerging_Markets_2012 Economic Impact of Retailing in Pakistan Proceedings of 2nd International Conference on Business Management Page | 22