Tuesday, November 26, 2019

About Registered Nurses essays

About Registered Nurses essays Nursing is a career that will never stop growing. When I graduate I plan on going to college and becoming a Registered Nurse specializing in Pediatrics. I have a heart for helping people and I absolutely love kids. Thats why I think this will be a great job for me. In order to fully understand the job of a registered nurse you need to know the type of work done, educational requirements, working conditions, and the job outlook. Nurses have many different duties. They work to promote health, prevent disease, and help ill people. When assessing a patient they check vital signs, symptoms, and progress in patients. There are many different types of nurses, from surgical nurses to office nurses. They all have different duties. The largest group of nurses is hospital nurses. They are assigned to one department and work there, for example, maternity, surgery, and pediatrics. To be a successful Nurse, they need to be compassionate, kind, gentle, and caring. Who wants a nurse who has no compassion? I know I sure dont. Most nurses have a heart to help people and make them better. They need to be emotionally stable to be a nurse. Things arent always going to be happy and they need to be prepared for that. Students must graduate from an approved nursing program and pass a national licensing exam in order to obtain a nursing license. There are 3 paths students can take to become a nurse they are, a bachelors of science degree in nursing, associate degree in nursing, and a diploma. The BSN program is offered by colleges and universities. It takes about 4 years to complete, sometimes 5. The working conditions are normally comfortable and in a good environment. Nurses may spend a lot of time walking and standing. Many nurses in hospitals are on call a lot. Nursing also has its hazards; you may care for patients with infectious disease. Nurses must always use standard precautions to avoid infec...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

6 Common Myths About Language and Grammar

6 Common Myths About Language and Grammar In the book Language Myths, edited by Laurie Bauer and Peter Trudgill (Penguin, 1998), a team of leading linguists set out to challenge some of the conventional wisdom about language and the way it works. Of the 21 myths or misconceptions they examined, here are six of the most common. The Meanings of Words Should Not Be Allowed to Vary or Change Peter Trudgill, now an honorary professor of sociolinguistics at the University of East Anglia in England, recounts the history of the word nice to illustrate his point that the English language is full of words which have changed their meanings slightly or even dramatically over the centuries. Derived from the Latin adjective nescius (meaning not knowing or ignorant), nice arrived in English around 1300 meaning silly, foolish, or shy. Over the centuries, its meaning gradually changed to fussy, then refined, and then (by the end of the 18th century) pleasant and agreeable. Trudgill observes that none of us can unilaterally decide what a word means. Meanings of words are shared between peoplethey are a kind of social contract we all agree tootherwise, communication would not be possible. Children Cant Speak or Write Properly Any More Though upholding educational standards is important, says linguist James Milroy, there is, in reality, nothing to suggest that todays youngsters are less competent at speaking and writing their native language than older generations of children were. Going back to Jonathan Swift (who blamed linguistic decline on the Licentiousness which entered with the Restoration), Milroy notes that every generation has complained about deteriorating standards of ​literacy. He points out that over the past century general standards of literacy have, in fact, steadily risen. According to the myth, there has always been a Golden Age when children could write much better than they can now. But as Milroy concludes, There was no Golden Age. America Is Ruining the English Language John Algeo, professor emeritus of English at the University of Georgia, demonstrates some of the ways in which Americans have contributed to changes in English vocabulary, syntax, and pronunciation. He also shows how American English has retained some of the characteristics of 16th-century English that have disappeared from present-day British. American is not corrupt British plus barbarisms. . . . Present-day British is no closer to that earlier form than present-day American is. Indeed, in some ways present-day American is more conservative, that is, closer to the common original standard, than is present-day English. Algeo notes that British people tend to be more aware of American innovations in language than Americans are of British ones. The cause of that greater awareness may be a keener linguistic sensitivity on the part of the British, or a more insular anxiety and hence irritation about influences from abroad. TV Makes People Sound the Same J. K. Chambers, a professor of linguistics at the University of Toronto, counters the common view that television and other popular media are steadily diluting regional speech patterns. The media do play a role, he says, in the spread of certain words and expressions. But at the deeper reaches of language changesound changes and grammatical changesthe media have no significant effect at all. According to sociolinguists, regional dialects continue to diverge from standard dialects throughout the English-speaking world. And while the media can help to popularize certain slang expressions and catch-phrases, its pure linguistic science fiction to think that television has any significant effect on the way we pronounce words or put together sentences. The biggest influence on language change, Chambers says, is not Homer Simpson or Oprah Winfrey. It is, as it always has been, face-to-face interactions with friends and colleagues: it takes real people to make an impression. Some Languages Are Spoken More Quickly Than Others Peter Roach, now an emeritus professor of phonetics at Reading University in England, has been studying speech perception throughout his career. And what has he found out? That theres no real difference between different languages in terms of sounds per second in normal speaking cycles. But surely, youre saying, theres a rhythmical difference between English (which is classed as a stress-timed language) and, say, French or Spanish (classed as syllable-timed). Indeed, Roach says, it usually seems that syllable-timed speech sounds faster than stress-timed to speakers of stress-timed languages. So Spanish, French, and Italian sound fast to English speakers, but Russian and Arabic dont. However, different speech rhythms dont necessarily mean different speaking speeds. Studies suggest that languages and dialects just sound faster or slower, without any physically measurable difference. The apparent speed of some languages might simply be an illusion. You Shouldnt Say It Is Me Because Me Is Accusative According to Laurie Bauer, professor of theoretical and descriptive linguistics at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, the It is I rule is just one example of how the rules of Latin grammar have been inappropriately forced on English. In the 18th century, Latin was widely viewed as the language of refinementclassy and conveniently dead. As a result, a number of grammar mavens set out to transfer this prestige to English by importing and imposing various Latin grammatical rulesregardless of actual English usage and normal word patterns. One of these inappropriate rules was an insistence on using the nominative I after a form of the verb to be. Bauer argues that theres no point in avoiding normal English speech patternsin this case, me, not I, after the verb. And theres no sense in imposing the patterns of one language on another. Doing so, he says, is like trying to make people play tennis with a golf club.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Cost Allocation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cost Allocation - Essay Example The City has implemented several programs aimed to support public safety. To start with, in response to the current size of population and the habitants’ calls for police, the Police Department will have 21 new patrol officers every year and more staff on critical times. In order to fulfill the needs of more numerous staff as well as to improve its efficiency, the Police Station will be provided with additional facilities. When it comes to human services, the main cost driver is an increased demand for such services as food assistance and emergency shelter in difficult economic times (City of Seattle 6). The City devotes a significant amount of money to the Housing First initiative, shelter and day-services programs, and food programs. Finally, given the high level of juvenile delinquency and a great number of deaths due to the availability of guns, the City will support the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, aimed to deal with the most vulnerable youth. These costs drivers were selected as they reflect the needs and priorities of the Seattle community. Public safety, human services, and youth violence prevention should be fully supported by the City as all of these services contribute significantly to the wellbeing of habitants. Identification of individual costs and cost drivers enables the Government to allocate adequate resources to each entity. A more uniform method of allocating costs may result in a disproportionate allocation of costs among the organizations, which would not reflect the actual needs of the society. The allocation of costs in the governmental setting, which involves complex analysis of the current economy and, thus, allows response to the priorities of the society rather than economic benefits for the companies and organizations involved. The US Department of Human Services has a special Division of Cost Allocation (DCA), the objective of which is to ensure that indirect costs paid by the

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Literature Critique Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Literature Critique - Assignment Example Keung (2009) takes a look at the state of Corporate Social Responsibility in China in the wake of the various ethical challenges facing the business community in China. The arguments of Keung (2009) are based on the surveys that had been recently done in China in order to explore China’s corporate social responsibility issue. Keung (2009) further articulates a notion of business ethics that embraces a model that is in use in Europe and which is becoming popular in China. This report aims to review Keung (2009) that explores the challenges that have hindered the progression of corporate social responsibility in China’s business community critically by assessing the research questions, the research methodology and design, the limitations of the study in context to literature that is available that addresses this same topic. Keung (2009) fits into the chosen area of research because it explores corporate social responsibility with respect to the Chinese business community. This is in line with the chosen project area that deals with the study of the impact of social responsibility implementation to Chinese manufacturers. The article being critiqued aims to unravel the various challenges that face Corporate Social Responsibility in China and development of business ethics in China. The article begins by looking at the moral doldrums that have affected the business and environment in China. It explores issues such as the environmental crisis in Chian that has been caused by the increased use of cola as a source of energy. Labour right issues and product safety issues are also discussed. Product issues like substandard goods, fake products are critically analysed. The first section ends with a look at the culture of profit and the aftermath that it had in China .Keung goes ahead to review the various corporate activities that have been witnessed in China and the factors that have influenced the development of

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Professional Sports and Michael Pore Essay Example for Free

Professional Sports and Michael Pore Essay Athletes are almost as bad of role models as criminals. Athletes get called role models a lot but they do not fit the definition of a role model. Athletes set bad examples for teens. They make poor choices and are easily forgiven due to their athletic abilities. Athletes are bad role models for teens and kids because a lot of athletes have bad habits, set unrealistic expectations, and set bad examples. In spite of their abilities, athletes are not good role models for anyone of any age. Many athletes have bad habits like drug use, fighting, and gambling. Laura K. Egendorf says many unrealistic expectations are set; not everyone can become famous or a professional athlete. Too many teens and kids look up to major athletes so they should not be setting the bad examples that they are setting (Laura K. Egendorf, 64). Not only are they setting bad examples but they have bad habits as well. Also, as teens grow older they read about their athlete hero and their bad habits. Michael A.  Pore states that any law breaking or wrong thing a professional athlete does, there is a story posted in newspaper, online, or even said on television. Michael Jordan had a gambling problem, Sammy Sosa had a steroid issue, and Riddick Bowe had a fighting problem (Michael A. Pore, 41). Some teens realize athletes are not good role models. Professional athletes are easily forgiven for their mistakes. However, professional athletes set bad examples for teens and young athletes. Michael A. Pore states that athletes are too easily forgiven for their bad behavior. You don’t need to use drugs to be good at something. They feel money comes easily, but money is not everything and does not come easily. Athletes send bad messages to kids; if you buy a certain product the athlete promotes, you will not perform better (Michael A. Pore, 40). Not everyone will perform the way professional athletes do and become famous. In Addition, athletes set unrealistic expectations for the teens and kids looking up to them. Not everyone can and will become a professional athlete. Very few people will make millions of dollars a year just for playing a sport. Michael A. Pore says teens feel if they wear a brand promoted by an athlete they will fit in with the rest of the players playing the sport. For the kids looking up to the professional athletes, they feel they have to look as strong as them or be as muscular as them to plat the sport well (Michael A. Pore, 43). A few athletes get their muscular look from steroids, not actual strength. However, steroid use is not that bad once in a while. In the article, Athletes Are Role Models it states; If you have no time for practice, steroids improve your performance. Steroids make you feel better when you do well in your game. No one will know if you do it once in a while (http://www. ickscorner. com). Steroids can help anyone any age. In any case, no one of any age should use steroids. Steroids are an illegal substance and if you get caught using them you can get a huge fine or even jail time. If you use steroids, you are just cheating yourself and the game. Not only does steroid use get looked down on but it also kills brain cells (http://forum. bodybuilding. com). If you do not have time to practice and feel like that is a reason to use steroids and perform better, than you should not have the time to be on the team. Accordingly, athletes can set realistic expectations and help teens and kids go for their dreams. Laura K. Egendorf explains how most young kids and teens want to be famous when they are older; professional athletes help them reach for that dream. As teens grow older, they continue to watch their favorite professional athlete. Watching them do well in a game will make teens want to perform like them (Laura K.  Egendorf, 64). Professional athletes make a lot of money just for playing a game, but money is not everything. On the other hand, many kids and teens get motivated but is it realistic? Very few people in the world become famous. The chances of becoming a professional athlete are really small; there are about 301,000,000 people in the United States and only about 17,000 professional athletes. â€Å"http://forum. bodybuilding. com† Being like a professional athlete is not always good; drugs are not a good thing for a teen to get into. As a result, athletes should not be role models for anyone of any age; they have bad habits, set unrealistic expectations, and set bad examples. A lot of athletes have bad habits like steroid use and gambling. Professional athletes set unrealistic examples, not everyone can and will be famous. Many bad examples are set within athletes. People get motivated for unrealistic dreams. Athletes can teach teens how to try to achieve in athletics but they can’t help with homework or real world family issues, they should not be considered role models.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Things Fall Apart :: essays research papers

Truman Capote was first introduced to the story of the brutal killing of the Clutter family one morning in November of 1959, while flicking through The New York Times, I encountered on a deep inside page, this headline: Wealthy Farmer, 3 of Family Slain? (Capote, 3). He decided to write about the crime committed in Kansas, because ?murder was a theme not likely to darken and yellow with time? (Capote, 3). Capote promptly headed for Kansas, where he spent six years researching, solving, and writing about the unforgivable act. Truman Capote?s In Cold Blood, the final product of his years of research, is a masterfully written account of the cold-blooded murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas in 1959. In writing In Cold Blood, Capote presents the blood-curdling story of the brutal killing of the Clutter family in a journalistic style, and is able to exclude his point of view on all of the events; ?The most difficult thing in In Cold Blood is that I never appear in it, but I sol ved it?The whole thing was done from Al Dewey?s point of view? (Newsweek, 60). Because of Capote?s immeasurable talent for writing, he is able to present factual events, just as in a journalistic article, in a style that seems similar to a fiction novel. His focus in In Cold Blood is on the facts of the events which occur before, during, and after the murder of Mr. Clutter; Kenyon, his fifteen year old son; Nancy, his 16 year old daughter; and, Bonnie, his wife. Capote?s emphasis on the facts can be seen through his thorough account of what the murderers, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, took from the Clutter?s house, which was about thirty dollars from Mr. Clutter?s billfold, some change and a dollar or two? (239) from Mrs. Clutter, a silver dollar from Nancy, and a radio. Added up, Perry and Dick gained ?between forty and fifty dollars? (246) from their visit to the Clutter?s house. As well as being written in a journalistic style, In Cold Blood is written in a documentary style, whi ch switches back and forth from the worlds of the Clutter family, and later of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, to the terrible half-world in which the two murderers live? (McCabe, 561). By writing in the documentary style, Capote is able to be specific about the thoughts, feelings, and actions of all of the characters separately, making each character?

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Globalization and Local cultures Essay

The present scenario represents a highly dynamic environment, where transnational advertising, globalization and local culture are found to be closely linked with each other. This essay discusses and critically evaluates some of the major issues that are involved in the relationship between transnational advertising, globalization and local culture. Issues Some of the significant issues that are linked with transnational advertising, globalization and local cultures are as follow: ? Communication: As a result of globalization, the need for transnational advertising in an effective manner has increased. Globalization has led to the proliferation of huge number of products and it is through advertising only that the consumer can be made aware of the uniqueness present in the product. Transnational advertising requires creativity along with the quality of being magnificent depending on the firm. Critical evaluation: The critical evaluation of the issue of communication depicts that advertising should be based on the proper research and well planned groundwork. Advertising should communicate a specific message to target audience in a persuasive and believable manner and also it should not hamper the cultural values of targeted audience and others (Fowles 1996). Globalization has prompted the evolution of advertising agencies, which conduct market research for the clients. Market research deals with the commercial adaptation of standard social science methods in a qualitative and quantitative manner, which should be interpreted in a realistic form. Production of advertisement should not be restricted to just as a business relation between the agency and client; rather its content and practices must be subjected to some self regulatory codes. For instance, cigarette advertising on TV and radio, magazines and newspaper is banned due to federal acts. On the other hand, lack of representation of people in the advertising of cigarette is the result of self- regulatory code (Sinclair 1991). ? Creating consumer: Advertisers usually focus on some repetitive themes such as contentment, youth, achievement, status, lavishness, fashion and attractiveness. As a result of this, Social Opposition and differences among the class get concealed and workplace conflicts are not revealed. Global campaigns propose that remedies for the human problems can be found in the individual consumption, which depicts a perfect channel for mass energies. Critical evaluation: Critical evaluation of the above paragraph states that Consumer democracy serves as a substitute for establishing political democracy. The transformation in the U. S. Pepsi ad campaign, for use in Brazil, which was ‘Join the Pepsi Revolution’ describes that numerous people are left with no other alternative for expressing their requirement for social modification. The only viable option includes changing the brands and enhancing their consumption. Globalization has caused an increase in the transnational advertising and it is one of significant reasons for the enlargement of transnational culture and collapse of traditional cultures. In French or English, the foreign lifestyles of a blond jetsetter are related with the Western products and resemble a sign of modernity. Not only this, they also believe that the elements, which are modern, are superior. On the other hand, traditional elements are absolutely unpleasant. Thus, it will not be wrong to say that transnational advertising and globalization strive towards the removal of local cultural variations. The strategy of global marketing is highly effective as it rarely requires conscious subversion. The message, which states that ‘we will sell you a culture’, has greatly accounted in the global advertising campaign that acts as a particular advertising message utilized in all the countries. The reason behind an increase in preference of worldwide advertising is that it is extremely economical and more effective despite of the fact that it may wildly clash with the local environment (Stravens 1996). Virtue of respect: This is another major issue which represents relationship between transnational advertising, globalization and local cultures. The process of globalization involves principles and motivation of people. Therefore, it is necessary to make modifications in the global strategy and specific marketing concepts must be directed towards the identified groups. Critical evaluation: Critical evaluation of the above stated paragraph reveals that the virtue of respect can be protected from the infusion of foreign culture, if the government takes effective measures to make this fact clear that although they might have an global outlook, yet traditional values will also be given due consideration. The government of Singapore has done it effectively. Here, government formulated a list depicting good and bad aspects of the Asian and western values. This list assisted in the adoption of good systems from both the Asian and western values. In Singapore, it is very essential to understand the family for understanding the consumer behavior. This is so because family has a huge influence on making the decision related to the product’s purchasing and consumption (Stravens 1996). Economic management: In order to maintain a smooth relation between transnational advertising, globalization and local cultures, it is necessary to focus on the aspect of economic management. Values can play both the positive and negative role depending on the developmental stage of a country and extent of preference given to the Asian values. Not only this, international context is also very important. Critical evaluation: From the above paragraph, it is clear that in a world where goods and services move freely across the national boundaries, Asian values can become a part of liability if they do not understand the significance of transparency and accountability. For instance, Singapore is among the developing country that maintain a right blend between the Asian and western values. On the other hand, in South Korea, grouping of traditional and military cultures has led towards extreme dependence on enterprise system. As a result to this, issues like lack of transparency and failure in rationalizing the business structure have aroused (Sung-Joo 1999). Increase in the Decision makers: Globalization and transnational advertisement has brought about a revolution in the decision making capability. Not only this, it has also increased the number of decision makers in a family (Restall 1997). Critical evaluation: Globalization has led to formulation of developed means of technologies for advertising in an effective manner. In a survey, it was found that children in Australia have greater access over the television and computer. This reflects that marketers should give due response to the kids as they also play a significant role in decision making, especially in toys, games, fruit drinks and home PCs (Winton 1998). Not only this, globalization has reappeared as a rational projection of the digitalized revolution. Globalist theories are promoting the idea that people across the world can share widespread common culture (Watson 1997). The only aspect which an advisor should keep in mind that it should not hamper the local culture and must depict any vulgarity and sex. Dignity should be maintained while portraying a male or female in an advertisement. For instance, lee jeans (1987) depict two males and one female draped across bicycle. It is necessary to justify the extent of openness in such advertisements (Wernick 1994). Conclusion From the above detailed discussion, I would conclude with the note that a close relationship exists between the transnational advertising, globalization and local cultures. In order to make the process of globalization successful, it is necessary for the leaders of the globalization to practice the virtues of esteem for religious and cultural values and also surrender their economic self-centeredness for the betterment of the people enduring poverty. This serves as a challenge in front of the world leaders to pay attention to the dimensions linked with the religious and cultural aspects. Globalization portrays a culture of global mass, which is influenced by the contemporary means of cultural production such as Internet, movies, TV, advertising etc. Developing countries are required to understand the significance of globalization. A right blending of Asian and western values is required to gain the benefit of globalization. On the other hand, globalization and transnational advertising should not hamper the local culture, which can be done by effective formulation of rules and regulations by the government. References A. Wernick â€Å"(Re-) Imaging Gender: The Case of Men†, from Promotuional Culture. London: Sage, 1994, pp. 48-66. ISBN 0803983913 B. Restall, â€Å"ABreakthrough in the study of women†, from Production of Culture/ Culture of Production, (ed) P. Du Gay, London: Sage, 1997, pp. 225-232. ISBN 0761954368 Felix Stravens, â€Å"Advertising in Singapore†, in Advertising in Asia, (ed) K. Frith, Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1996, pp. 273-291. ISBN Hang Sung-Joo, â€Å" Asian Values: An Asset or a Liability? †, in Changing Values in Asia, (ed) Han Sung-Joo, Singapore:Institute of Southeast Asia Studies, 1999, pp. 3-9. ISBN 9812300635 John Sinclair, â€Å"Advertising† in the media in Australia, 2nd edition, (ed) S. Cunningham and G. Turner. St Leonards. NSW: Allen and Unwin, 1991, pp. 267-276 ISBN 1863733434 Jib Fowles, â€Å"Deciphering Adverstisements†, from Advertising and PopularCulture, London: Sage, 1996, pp. 167-183. ISBN 0803954824 J. Watson, â€Å"Transnationalism. Localization, and Fast Foods in East Asia†, fromGolden Arches East: McDonald’s in East Asia, (ed) J. Watson, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1997, pp. 1-38. ISBN 0804732078 K. Winton, â€Å"Pizza and tech talk but hold the veggies†, Communications update, No. 147, September 1998, pp. 10-11. Noreene Janus 2007, â€Å"Cloning the Consumer Culture†, viewed 30 April

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Case study on Online grocery stores in India Essay

This case study involves three retailers that engaged in alternative approaches to eGrocer strategy formulation. The primary goals were to assess the relationship between a company’s business model(s) and its performance in the online grocery channel and to determine if there were other company and/or market related factors that could account for company performance. The first company is BigBasket currently present in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. The other one is Aaramshop which is a website that operates in National Capital Region of India and offers FMCG and CPG goods and the last one is Salt n Soap, Online Grocery Store in Kolkata operating out of Kolkata. First, we seek to achieve insight into how uptake of Internet-based eGrocer relates to management orientation and find relationships between the uptake of Internet-based eGrocer and entrepreneurial orientation, competitive intensity, and IT maturity. BIGBASKET see more:old age homes article Overview: BigBasket.com is India’s largest online food and grocery store. It has over 10,000 products ranging from fresh Fruits and Vegetables, Staples, Spices and Seasonings to FMCG branded products, Beverages, Personal care products, Meats and much more. The order is delivered right to the customer’s doorstep, anywhere in Bangalore, Mumbai & Hyderabad. Within a year, the company is planning to start services in Delhi and Chennai as well. Subsequently, it also plans to cater to Pune, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. The customer can schedule their delivery date and time (4 delivery slots per day). Payment options include cash on delivery, credit and debit cards or food coupons. The Company is co-founded by V.S.Sudhakar (Director), HariMenon (CEO and head merchandising), Vipul Parekh (head finance and marketing), Abhinay Choudhari (head customer service and business development) and V S Ramesh (Head logistics and Supply Chain). BigBasket’s Board of Directors include Meena and Ganesh K of Tutorvista. The average monthly order size stands at Rs 1,500. Since its inception, the company has seen demand grow 25-30 per cent on a month-on-month basis. Business Model: Once a customer registers on BigBasket.com he can browse the wide range of products, select the products he wants and place an order online. Internally the products are then picked, hygienically packed and delivered to the  customer in the time slot selected by the customer. BigBasket has tie-ups with manufacturers, wholesalers and importers and the merchandising teamwork on a combination of post order procurement and in house stocking. The service is unique as it lets customers shop for daily essentials from the comfort of their homes, saving them time, effort and money. The company provides high quality products at competitive prices along with an on time delivery guarantee. There are two operating models. It is called just-in-time model. This means that not just perishables but everything they bring against an order. So they consolidate orders for the day, go and buy the products and deliver. When they reach a particular volume, they move from the just-in-time mo del to what is called the warehouse stocking model. That is where they are as far as Bangalore is concerned. They buy products directly from the supplies, like Unilever and Procter & Gamble, they buy from farmers and mills and stock the products in the warehouse. They stock a certain number of days of sales, depending on the product and sales. They are able to set initial inventory levels and then decide what the re-ordering levels are. So it is all completely automated. Analysis: BigBasket’s business model relies on on-time delivery of goods, and in order to manage the operations smoothly and efficiently, it uses the hub-and-spoke mode of distribution. Here wholesalers deliver goods to BigBasket’s warehouses. Branded delivery vans then deliver these goods to the consumers. Perishables are only warehoused for a matter of hours, and in some cases it’s 24 hours from farm to fridge. It handles 1,500 plus orders a day in Bangalore and 700 plus orders a day in Mumbai and Hyderabad. The grocery store banks on technology-driven solutions to track everything from the time an order is placed to delivery. BigBasket uses AssetTrackr RestAPI interface to tightly integrate with the ERP system and handle all movement of trucks and delivery vehicles, notification to customers on estimated delivery times, etc. AssetTrackr’s real time location data helps achieve optimal vehicle utilization. AARAMSHOP Overview: AaramShop is a hybrid retail platform that enables sales and marketing of FMCG / CPG brands to â€Å"short on time – high on stress† consumers. It enables grocery shopping by leveraging the strengths of the  neighborhood retailers and integrates them with opportunities provided by the internet. AaramShop was founded by Vijay Singh, who, as an entrepreneur, has a deep focus and passion for brand marketing. Head-quartered in New Delhi, AaramShop is a small team of techies and marketers that have been operational since a little less than a year. Over 1900 retailers across 26 cities in India use AaramShop as their preferred commerce platform. Their tie-ups with retailers are based on mutual strengths. The retailer has a time-tested local presence, which includes an ability to deliver goods to the doorstep of the consumers in his catchment area. They intend to add to this strength with the increased accessibility of the shop on web and mobile devices. This is don e at no additional cost to the retailer. AaramShop currently lists over 12k SKUs. Only branded products are listed in AaramShop; commodities and private labels are excluded from their platform. The core idea of AaramShop is to enable independent retailers, who have a physical presence, to have a web-store, which allows them to connect better with modern consumers. Business Model: The business model of AaramShop is different from most e-commerce sites, as they do not believe that transaction based revenues is the way to go in the grocery category at the moment. AaramShop does not make revenues on taking part of the margins made by the grocers; rather, they have created a number of premium services that are offered to brands. These services are in various genres like, advertising options, on and off the platform, analytical led marketing and marketing at the retail point. The idea behind this unconventional and unique business model is that AaramShop does not disrupt the existing business practices and thereby ensures no escalation of costs. New Delhi-based AaramShop has partnered with retailers so that customers can shop at these local retailers online. Once logged in to the site, users can choose a local retailer and shop for groceries. AaramShop then sends the order to the retailer in real time. The groceries are delivered to the customerâ₠¬â„¢s doorstep and the customers pay for the goods upon delivery. They don’t keep any inventory and their partner retailers maintain their own inventories. There is no cost for the retailer to join AaramShop, they are basing their ability to get revenues by offering premium opt-in services offered to the brands. Analysis: The model does look scalable and rather interesting as compared to regular ecommerce shopping. There is no logistics cost that the startup incurs and it brings in the comfort of your local store as well. The only issue is predictability of order delivery as live inventory is not available online. The current format is more like providing one more interface to your regular grocery store, with the same issues and comforts. A more of ajax functionality would make the shopping process faster and avoid showing shopping bag page after every item is added. Unlike other online grocery delivery stores that become a threat to the small local businesses, AaramShop puts the ball back into the court of local businesses that had begun to feel underprivileged in this age of Internet. AaramShop has overcome three major hurdles of business. †¢It has convinced kiranawalas about the business model by putting them in touch with customers and being paid directly. †¢Secondly, it has convinced customers by eliminating the need for online payments. Furthermore, since customers can choose their own kiranawala, they can be assured of quality. †¢Thirdly, it has cut its own operational costs by eliminating the need to set up an inventory to stock goods or hire delivery boys. AaramShop is a great example of how you can optimize on the available resources to maximize your gains. AaramShop makes most of its money through ads of the numerous grocery brands it stocks on its portal. With a model like AaramShop, everybody is a winner – the suppliers, the consumers and the business itself! SALT N SOAP Overview: Salt n Soap, a BlueBeaks initiative, intends to provide its consumers a convenient, social, enjoyable and rewarding experience of shopping their daily grocery needs online from the comfort of their homes and offices. Started in November 2012, Salt n Soap (www.saltnsoap.com) is owned and operated by BlueBeaks Solutions LLP (www.bluebeaks.com). Though the services of booking daily grocery needs online and receiving timely delivery at the convenience of home or office are the basic foundations of Salt n Soap, Salt n Soap is more than just another online version of a hyper  mart, supermarket or a local kirana store. Salt n Soap intends to provide today’s busy urban consumers online tools for making their shopping experience social, enjoyable and rewarding. Salt n Soap enables this through the various social features of the website, engaging and interesting games and contests. Salt n Soap comes up with, and, last but not the least, the goldmine of information and analyt ics that facilitate a smarter buying decision. Apart from offering what conventional online grocery sites have to offer (i.e. online purchase, home delivery, discounted products, etc.), they have come up with quite a few innovative and engaging products and services that will catch attention of discerning customers. First, they are positioning online grocery services to â€Å"cash reach, time poor† segment of population, typically SEC A1 and A2 class of people, working couple with busy work schedule and very little time to do daily shopping chore. Hence, Salt n Soap position is more on â€Å"value† a customer derives by saving time rather than being just a â€Å"discount† shop. Business Model: Salt n Soap is a Kolkata-based outfit that has apparently pioneered the concept of â€Å"open analytics† in this space where customers can instantly summon a variety of data on a product like its market share, purchasing trends, and a comparison with what people in the same socio-economic class are buying. The site also lets you know when it thinks a particular product has run out, thanks to some nifty code, and pings you so you’re reminded to buy more of it. Consumers have access to a variety of data like market share of a product, purchase trend of a product, comparison of purchase trend with average pattern of people in the same SEC (Socio Economic Class). Consumers can maintain their budget for purchase and track their consumption compared to the budget. Salt n Soap also seem to have developed an algorithm that predicts (presumably reasonably accurately) the number of days of provision that a user has and thus prompting him/her when he should buy the same product again. Salt n Soap has integrated their product with social media to provide a social experience to their consumers. Consumers are also rewarded with redeemable points for sharing their shopping experience with their friends in social media. The website has been designed to enable users to shop through a â€Å"list† where he/she can select multiple products from one screen instead of having to navigate to multiple screens. Analysis: They seem to operate efficiently with very low capital investment. Plus they provide a lot of innovative value added features to consumers which are typically not available in a brick and mortar store. Some such features are a unique web front that allows customers to shop multiple products without having to navigate to many pages (remember, unlike some other products like books, apparels or jewelry, for groceries, customers buy many products at one time), providing personal shopping assistance, helping customers to plan and monitor their grocery budget and inventory, analytics on market share and sale trend of products, etc. Salt n Soap seemed to have understood that online shopping and especially grocery shopping is not about just providing a web front to the consumer allowing them to book an order and then delivering the goods to the consumer’s doorstep. They have introduced the concept of â€Å"Personal Shopping Assistance† where they promise to provide pe rsonalized assistance to consumers in buying through qualified professionals. Salt n Soap is constantly innovating on the features to ensure a more enriching and meaningful experience for its users. CHALLENGES OF ONLINE GROCERY BUSINESS Grocery is a pretty complex business from the back-end and supply chain perspective. The complexity is one of the biggest challenges. We deal with close to 8,000-10,000 SKUs. Order sizes are large. Typically at the beginning of the month you have 30-60 items in one order. That makes it very different from typical ecommerce businesses where you normally shift one or two products, it could be a camera or a mobile phone and so on. The back-end is complex because the supply chain is not yet efficient. You deal with a large number of vendors and suppliers and not all of them are organized. WHY ONLINE GROCERY RETAIL BURNS CASH †¢Lack of consistency in quality and fill rates †¢Delivery and inventory costs †¢Low repeat customer rates †¢Touch and feel nature of Indian shoppers †¢The supply chain in India is built to help kirana stores †¢Order value is  very low †¢Brands and distributors will not give long-term credit †¢Warehousing needs skill, technology is just a tool †¢Organized retail far from saturated Online grocery business in India: The grocery segment has one of the most predictable consumption patterns and buying these products online has a huge advantage. It follows that online groceries would be big business in India. The truth is no player has broken even and the market is littered with shutdowns across the country. It is estimated online groceries contribute less than one per cent of the total food and groceries market in India and an equally small percentage of the e-commerce market in India is dominated by travel, electronics and apparel. One of the biggest rivals of e-grocers is the local kirana store, which offers home delivery in many cities, often within an hour. But kirana shops lack the cost advantages to offer customers the best price, and cannot stock a wide range of products. CONCLUSION Online grocery has been a late entrant in e-commerce space in general (probably albeit due to early failure stories like Webvan), and in India, in particular. However, since 2011, quite a number of start-ups have launched online grocery stores all across India. They are generating reasonable amount of traffic and interest as well as good amount of venture capital funding. While no one doubts the eventual ascent of this segment, when that will happen and at what cost remain unanswered, primarily because of its single-digit margins, low order values and complex logistics, as well as the high cost of customer acquisition. So, few online groceries have been funded and fewer still will be able to get subsequent rounds of finance. The big difference is that there is a very large population on the Internet today. Today smart phones and smart devices allow customers to use the Internet on the go. More than half a dozen start-ups have launched online grocery stores in recent past. Working people, happy to have rice, sugar and even organic  pepper delivered to their doorstep, may wonder why no one thought of it sooner. There is, of course, room for growth. Within this category, the organised food and grocery market, is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 30 per cent in the next five years. Truly online grocery seems to have come to a different age from the time when the colossal failure of Webvan started by George Sheen hit the headlines in 2000 and someway led to the dotcom burst. Better IT infrastructure, more net savvy customers and leaner warehousing and logistics compared to the early stage start-ups in online grocery will probably make online grocery stores succeed now. Online grocery stores in India seem to have an inherent advantage over those started in the West because of comparatively lower labour costs. However, the flip side is poor logistics infrastructure in India.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Essay on MONEY AND INFLATION

Essay on MONEY AND INFLATION Essay on MONEY AND INFLATION Essay on MONEY AND INFLATIONInflation and deflation, in fact, are two sides of the same coin: inflation shows how prices of goods and services have risen, and deflation how they fell. Both these conditions may adversely affect the return on investment, and therefore these are the economic factors that must be taken into account when planning and managing investments. While in the apparent predominance of one trend (rising or falling of prices) the actions of an investor to protect one’s portfolio are quite obvious, if both deflation and inflation threaten the portfolio at the same time, it is necessary to undertake more complex steps to protect the investment. Below, we will consider in detail how the prediction of inflation or deflation will affect our personal investment decisions.Expecting inflationOver time, the prices of almost all commodities are growing. However, when this growth is too rapid, consumers as well as investors face difficulties: their purchasing power is f alling, therefore they cannot purchase the desired amount of goods. In addition, inflation negates return on investment: the amount received as profit is no longer sufficient to acquire the necessary goods and services (Hellerstein, 1997).In our view, there are several effective strategies to protect investments from inflation. In particular, investors who seek to receive a fixed income from investments often choose the inflation-protected state treasury securities: these bonds guarantee the increase in payments along with the increase of inflation. You can also invest in foreign bonds and currency, thus diversifying the portfolio and gaining access to the markets of those countries that are experiencing the negative effects of inflation to a lesser extent, or do not have them at all (Amadeo, 2010).Another popular way to hedge is gold. This metal has always served as the most reliable tool for conservation of savings, and today the price of gold increases with increasing instability , inflation and negative sentiment in the market. One more beneficial way of investment during inflation includes other tools of commodity market. Investing in shares of companies from developing countries who are engaged in the export of raw materials, investors may receive income from rising prices for oil, gas, gold, metals and others (Correa, 2012). In general, in anticipation of the depreciation of money, investors seek to find more cost-effective use of money, in particular, investing in business expansion, commodity assets, and real estate.Expecting deflationDeflation occurs when the low level of demand leads to a significant drop in prices. Anticipation of the coming fall in prices leads to postponement of current consumption of goods and services by the population. People delay shopping expecting the prices to go down, thereby the total consumption falls with all the consequences (Hellerstein, 1997). For example, the increase of the money purchasing power leads to lower com mitment of companies to invest with all other conditions being equal, employers begin to reduce their workforce, lenders begin to wind down their lending programs, and central banks will cut interest rates to encourage consumers to take credits and spend more.Under these conditions, investors can take advantage of the bonds as tools to protect their investments, as well as invest in shares of companies producing essential goods (Hellerstein, 1997). Indeed people will buy basic food, medicine, hygiene products, etc., no matter what, which means that the shares of such companies will be able to go through difficult times with minimal loss. Such securities are often called protective.Conditions of uncertaintySometimes it is difficult to determine whether inflation or deflation will bring more threats to investments. Such a situation could be seen during the global crisis of 2008-2009, when the real estate market and raw materials experienced deflation, while prices of consumer goods gr ew very rapidly (Hellerstein, 1997). The best solution in this situation is to prepare an investment portfolio for both situations to draw the portfolio including both, securities giving good results in periods of deflation, and the tools to protect against inflation. If the investor does not have a desire or sufficient skills to rapidly and accurately determine the cycle of inflation/deflation, diversification can provide income and preservation of funds regardless of the trends that will develop in the economy (Correa, 2012). In particular, we can recommend to invest in the securities of â€Å"blue chips†: they are more persistent to deflation and pay dividends more often than other companies during inflation. Another way is investing in foreign emerging markets: companies from these countries are often exporting commodity, which are in high demand (protection against inflation) and are not too much attached to their national economy (which will protect investments in the case of deflation).At the same time, time factor plays an important role in the choice of ways to protect the investments. When making a long-term investment in the future, perhaps, one should not react to the slightest changes in the economy (Hellerstein, 1997). However, if the return on investment is a serious budget item, there is no time to wait for economic recovery. In order to continue to earn income and feel stable it is necessary to promptly take measures to protect one’s investments and diversify the portfolio in line with the current market situation.ConclusionWhen the prices of goods and services are rising and the purchasing power of money falls, we call this phenomenon inflation. When prices are falling and the purchasing power of money grows, it is deflation. General assumptions of investors about future changes in the price level affect their assessment of rate of return, and thus get reflected in the market value of assets. Thus, financial investments that br ing fixed incomes could be seriously damaged by a sudden rise in inflation, and conversely, could provide additional benefit in unexpected deflation. Unanticipated inflation reduces the value of the coupon payments on bonds as well as other fixed payments received by pension plans, annuities and insurance policies. Sudden deflation affects these payments in the opposite direction: the value of fixed payments such as interest on bonds rises, and therefore, the price of fixed income securities grows (Correa, 2012). In turn, during periods of sudden burst of inflation the most profitable are the investments in real estate, long-lived commodities, gold, and shares of commodity companies. To the extent in which prices in other countries change independently from the prices in the country of the investor, the possession of foreign currency or foreign securities can also protect from the effects of inflation and deflation.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Alaric - Formation of the Gothic Kingdom Timeline

Alaric - Formation of the Gothic Kingdom Timeline Alaric Sacks Rome | Alaric Timeline Alaric Before 395: Alaric, a Gothic king [see Visigoths Timeline], had no territory or power base beyond his soldiers, but he was leader of the Goths for 15 years. When he died, his brother-in-law took over. When he died, Walla, and then, Theoderic ruled the Goths, but by then the Gothic king finally had a physical territory over which to rule. One of the historical sources, Claudian, says Alaric confronted the Emperor Theodosius at the Hebrus River in 391, but Alaric didnt come into prominence until 4 years later, in 395, when Stilicho sent Alaric and auxiliary troops who had served in the Battle of the Frigidus to the Eastern Empire. 395-397: The historian Zosimus claims Alaric, upset that he lacked a proper military title, marched on Constantinople to try to get it. According to Claudian, Rufinus, (de facto head of the Eastern Empire at the moment) bribed Alaric with Balkan provinces to sack, instead. Looting, Alaric advanced through the Balkans and via Thermopylae into Greece. In 397, Stilicho led naval forces against Alaric, forcing the Gothic troops to Epirus. This act provoked Rufinus, so he persuaded eastern Emperor Arcadius to declare Stilicho a public enemy. He withdrew and Alaric received a military position, perhaps magister militum per Illyricum. 401-402: Between then and 401, nothing is heard of Alaric. Gainas, a Gothic military leader under Theodosius, went in and out of favor so that Alaric thought his Goths would be better off elsewhere. They set off for the Western Empire, arriving at the Alps on November 18. Alaric threatened to invade Italy, and then carried through. He fought against Stilicho at Pollentia (map ), on Easter in 402. Stilicho won, took Alarics loot, his wife, and his children. The two sides signed a truce and Alaric withdrew from Italy, but soon Stilicho claimed Alaric had violated the terms, so they fought in the summer of 402 at Verona. 402-405: Although the battle was indecisive, Alaric withdrew to the Balkans, where he stayed until 404 or 405 when Stilicho granted him the office of magister militum for the West. In 405, Alarics people went to Epirus. This, again, upset the Eastern Empire who saw it as preparation for an invasion of Illyricum (map ). 407: Alaric marched to Noricum (Austria) where he demanded protection money what was probably enough to repay his losses at Pollentia in return for not invading Italy. Silicho, who wanted Alarics help elsewhere, persuaded Emperor Honorius and the Roman Senate to pay. 408: Arcadius died in May. Stilicho and Honorius planned to go East to tend to the succession, but Honorius magister officiorum, Olympius, persuaded Honorius that Stilicho was planning a coup. Stilicho was executed on August 22. Olympius refused to honor Stilichos bargain. Alaric next demanded gold and a hostage exchange, but when Honorius refused, Alaric marched on Rome and put the city under siege. There he was joined by veterans of other barbarian battles. The Romans feared starvation, so they promised to send an embassy to Honorius (in Rimini) to convince him to settle with Alaric. 409: The imperial legation met the Romans. Alaric demanded money, grain (it wasnt just the Romans who were hungry) and the top military office, magisterium utriusque militiae which post Stilicho had held. The imperials conceded money and grain, but not the title, so Alaric marched on Rome, again. Alaric made two more attempts with smaller demands, but was rebuffed, so Alaric set up his second siege of Rome, but with a difference. He also set up a usurper, Priscus Attalus, in December. The historian Olympiodorus says Attalus gave Alaric his title, but rejected his advice. 410: Alaric deposed Attalus and then took his troops near Ravenna to negotiate with Honorius, but he was attacked by a Gothic general, Sarus. Alaric took this as a token of Honorius bad faith, so he marched on Rome, again. This was the major sack of Rome mentioned in all the history books. Alaric and his men sacked the city for 3 days, ending on August 27. [See Procopius.] Along with their plunder, the Goths took Honorius sister, Galla Placidia, when they left. The Goths still didnt have a home and before they acquired one, Alaric died of a fever very soon after the sacking, at Consentia. 411: Alarics brother-in-law Athaulf marched the Goths into southern Gaul. In 415, Athaulf married Galla Placidia, but the new western magister utriusque militiae, Constantius, starved the Goths out, anyway. After Athaulf was assassinated, the new Gothic king, Walla, made peace with Constantius in exchange for food. Galla Placidia married Constantius, producing a son Valentinian (III) in 419. Wallas men, now in the Roman army, cleared the Iberian peninsula of Vandals, Alans, and Sueves. In 418 Constantius settled Wallas Goths in Aquitaine, Gaul. The Goths in Aquitaine were the 1st autonomous barbarian kingdom inside the Empire. Source Irene Hahns Review of Michael Kulikowskis Romes Gothic Wars: From the Third Century to Alaric (Key Conflicts of Classical Antiquity. Take the Alaric Quiz.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

ANALYSIS OF HEALTH NEEDS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ANALYSIS OF HEALTH NEEDS - Essay Example The Aging Network is an informal term used to describe the array of federal, state, and local government agencies established by the Older American’s Act (OAA) and the community based agencies that affiliate with them in serving older adults. The OAA contains titles of relevance to long term care. â€Å"Aging Network Services can provide direction and hope, even in the most difficult of circumstances† (Aging Network Services). â€Å"The Older Americans Act focuses on improving the lives of older people in areas of income, housing, health, employment, retirement and community services† (Older Americans Act). Due to the ever increasing number of elderly people, the focus has elaborated from community-based to long term treatment methodologies. Through the Older Americans Act, the Administration on Aging (AoA) was created. AoA is a sublet of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, which is governed by the Assistant Secretary for Aging. This can only be done if correct assessment of health care needs is there. The Administration on Aging (AoA) is connected with its nationwide network on aging composed of regional offices, to help coordinate and develop community-level systems of services that meet the unique needs of older persons and their caregivers. â€Å"[There is a] need for rethinking criteria for hospital discharge planning, more effective communication between service providers and patients, and community focus of attention on elders coming home from the hospital† (Jones, et al, 1989). Most supportive services fall under three broad categories: Access Services, which deals with transportation and outreach, In-home Services, that concerns homemaker services, and Community Services, which is connected to dealing with adult day care and legal assistance. â€Å"A disease-specific approach to geriatric preventive health care will not suffice; measures to enhance or maintain