Arousal, Behavior, Stress, and Affect Worksheet Essay

What are the differences between physiological and psychological needs? Provide examples of each in your response. Need theories postulate that motivation is rooted on the fulfillment of once needs. Therefore, one acts and behaves in order to satisfy a need, there are many kinds and types of needs that several theorists have expounded along the years. One of the most popular need theories on motivation is that of Abraham Maslow. The hierarchy of needs differentiates between physiological and psychological needs. Physiological needs are those basic needs that must be met for survival of the individual like food, shelter, clothing and sex. Physiological needs also have to be immediately satisfied as it is crucial for the existence and stability of the human body. For example, if a person is hungry then all other functions may be affected and it would cause the person to be dizzy, to feel weak and be unable to work on tasks or even to exist. Psychological needs are needs that are basically psychological nature and those that contribute to the well-being of the individual. For example, need for belongingness is a construct that enables us to quantify the need of people for building relationships and being part of a group or family. Psychological needs can be satisfied immediately or it can be delayed, however a person’s sense of well-being and happiness is often associated with the fulfillment of psychological needs. Moreover, according to Maslow, psychological needs have to be satisfied in order, some needs are higher than others and it motivates people to fulfill the said needs incrementally, for example they can only begin to think about self-actualization if the individual has not been able to attain esteem needs such as the mastery of one’s profession. What is the relationship between arousal and behavior? Does this relationship impact performance and affect? A person’s behavior is said to be driven by a stimulus that is a person is aroused to act in response to the stimulus that aroused the behavior. Arousal is the state in which a person or organism is prepared for action. The brain signals the specific organs in the body to react to the stimulus, if the arousal is weak then the response may also be weak. In other cases, if the arousal is strong, then the reaction may also be strong. However, there are cases when prolonged arousal is detrimental to the body as it may result to heightened arousal which results to chronic stress. Behavior is the actions that an individual manifests in response to a stimulus. One’s behavior depends on the stimulus and the state of arousal of the individual. The relationship between arousal and behavior also affects performance and affect. For example, the level of performance of the individual can be increased by the state of arousal in the person. Arousal may come from several sources like the promise of reward or even punishment. At the same time, the individual’s performance may also become decreased because the person is not motivated which may translate to lower arousal state. Affect is also contingent on behavior and arousal. If the person likes what he/she is doing it would then motivate him/her to perform better. When a person desires the behavior and finds it meaningful and important, then that person would have positive feelings for that behavior and hence increase performance. On the other hand, if the person has negative feelings about the behavior then performance would also be affected. What are the long-term and short-term effects of stress on the body, brain, and behavior?   Stress is both a good and bad thing for the body, brain and behavior of man. Stress motivates the person to act and behave in ways that would lessen or eradicate the stress. Stress may come from an event, a person, a situation or even from a personal problem. Stress affects the individual by motivating them to act or confront the behavior but it is also possible that people would evade the stressor as a means of coping with stress. Short-term effects of stress are beneficial to the body but long-term stress is not.   Prolonged stress has many physiological effects; stress may bring the body heightened arousal which is manifested by increased heart rate, sweating, sleeplessness, nervousness and the like. The body can only take too much stress, and if the body is subjected to too much stress it may result to fatigue, sickness and certain illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases and the like. Stress can also wreak havoc to the person’s brain that is too much stress has been found to be the cause of post traumatic stress disorder which is a mental disorder and can lead to psychotic breaks. Due to very stressful situations or experiences that may result to trauma, the brain reacts to the stress to lessen it and hence tricks the brain into remembering only those events that are safe and provided a sense of security for the person. Prolonged stress can also cause behavioral symptoms such as erratic behavior, irrational thinking and low frustration tolerance. The natural response of the body to stress is to take control of it, but sometimes stress may be too much for the body. Reference   Weinberg, R. S. & Gould, D. (2007). Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology 4th ed. Champaign, IL: Humans Kinetics.

Historical Development of Labour Law

The origins of labour law can be traced back to the remote past and the most varied parts of the world. While European writers often attach importance to the guilds and apprenticeship systems of the medieval world, some Asian scholars have identified labour standards as far back as the Laws of Hammurabi and rules for labour–management relations in the Laws of Manu; Latin-American authors point to the Laws of the Indies promulgated by Spain in the 17th century for its New World territories. None of these can be regarded as more than anticipations, with only limited influence on subsequent developments. Labour law as it is known today is essentially the child of successive industrial revolutions from the 18th century onward. It became necessary when customary restraints and the intimacy of employment relationships in small communities ceased to provide adequate protection against the abuses incidental to new forms of mining and manufacture on a rapidly increasing scale at precisely the time when the 18th-century Enlightenment, the French Revolution, and the political forces that they set in motion were creating the elements of the modern social conscience. It developed rather slowly, chiefly in the more industrialized countries of western Europe, during the 19th century and has attained its present importance, relative maturity, and worldwide acceptance only during the 20th century. The first landmark of modern labour law was the British Health and Morals of Apprentices Act of 1802, sponsored by the elder Sir Robert Peel. Similar legislation for the protection of the young was adopted in Zurich in 1815 and in France in 1841. By 1848 the first legal limitation of the working hours of adults was adopted by the Landsgemeinde (citizens’ assembly) of the Swiss canton of Glarus. Sickness insurance and workmen’s compensation were pioneered by Germany in 1883 and 1884, and compulsory arbitration in industrial disputes was introduced in New Zealand in the 1890s. The progress of labour legislation outside western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand was slow until after World War I. The more industrialized states of the United States began to enact such legislation toward the end of the 19th century, but the bulk of the present labour legislation of the United States was not adopted until after the Depression of the 1930s. There was virtually no labour legislation in Russia prior to the October Revolution of 1917. In India children between the ages of seven and 12 were limited to nine hours of work per day in 1881 and adult males in textile mills to 10 hours per day in 1911, but the first major advance was the amendment of the Factory Act in 1922 to give effect to conventions adopted at the first session of the International Labour Conference at Washington, D. C. , in 1919. In Japan rudimentary regulations on work in mines were introduced in 1890, but a proposed factory act was controversial for 30 years before it was adopted in 1911, and the decisive step was the revision of this act in 1923 to give effect to the Washington Convention on hours of work in industry. Labour legislation in Latin America began in Argentina in the early years of the century and received a powerful impetus from the Mexican Revolution, which ended in 1917, but, as in North America, the trend became general only with the impact of the Great Depression. In Africa the progress of labour legislation became significant only from the 1940s onward. The legal recognition of the right of association for trade union purposes has a distinctive history. There is no other aspect of labour law in which successive phases of progress and regression have been more decisively influenced by political changes and considerations. The legal prohibition of such association was repealed in the United Kingdom in 1824 and in France in 1884; there have been many subsequent changes in the law and may well be further changes, but these have related to matters of detail rather than to fundamental principles. In the United States freedom of association for trade union purposes remained precarious and subject to the unpredictable scope of the labour injunction, by means of which the courts helped restrain trade union activity until the 1930s. The breakthrough for trade unionism and collective bargaining was achieved by the National Labor Relations Act of 1935. In many other countries the record of progress and regression with respect to freedom of association falls into clearly distinguished periods separated by decisive political changes. This has certainly been the case with Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, and much of eastern Europe; there have been many illustrations of it, and there may well be more in the developing world. Labour codes or other forms of comprehensive labour legislation and inistries of labour were not introduced until the 20th century. The first labour code (which, like many of its successors, was a consolidation rather than a codification) was projected in France in 1901 and promulgated in stages from 1910 to 1927. Among the more advanced formulations affecting the general condition of labour were the Mexican Constitution of 1917 and the Weimar Constitution of Germany of 1919, both of which gave constitutional status to certain general principles of social policy regarding economic rights. Provisions of this kind have become increasingly common and are now widespread in all parts of the world. Departments or ministries of labour responsible for the effective administration of labour legislation and for promoting its future development were established in Canada in 1900, in France in 1906, in the United States in 1913, in the United Kingdom in 1916, and in Germany in 1918. They became general in Europe and were established in India and Japan during the following years and became common in Latin America in the ’30s. A labour office was established in Egypt in 1930, but only in the ’40s and ’50s did similar arrangements begin to take root elsewhere in Asia and Africa. Under differing political circumstances there continue, of course, to be wide variations in the authority and effectiveness of such administrative machinery.

Final Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Final - Case Study Example Such situation may arise in the transient cardiac arrest that can be managed with resuscitation and the cardio-respiratory systems kicks back to function. In addition, a patient should be confirmed dead when an extensive attempt of cardio-respiratory arrest reversal has been attempted for more than five minutes  has  failed.  In addition,  there is no central pulse on palpation, heart sounds on auscultation as well as lack of blood pressure. It can be concluded that Ms. Robaczynski did not follow all these criteria; therefore, she did active killing. If at all, Mr. Gessner had asked to be disconnected from his respirator then Ms. Robaczynski could not have committed a crime. This is because the patients have a right to refuse treatment and would wish to have a peaceful death rather than battle with the disease. In such cases, the patient sign a legal document of â€Å"Do not resuscitate† in which a patient states that in case their heart stop, then they should not be resuscitated. Even though, DNR has several ethical debates but it is legally accepted and no healthcare provider can be convicted of a crime in following the patient instruction (Sanders, Schepp, & Baird,

Journal of Korean Melodrama A Moment to Remember(2004) Movie Review

Journal of Korean Melodrama A Moment to Remember(2004) - Movie Review Example A Moment to Remember (2004) is a typical Korean melodrama which is a beautiful romantic story with a heartbreaking view of love. Many may believe that A Moment to Remember is one of those typical love stories where the couple falls in love and eventually one of them gets terminally ill. This film was, however, one of those but the difference was that the girl was struck by Alzheimer’s disease. The film shows the series of forgetfulness suffered by the girl and how it leads to frustration and pain for the boy. The male lead is played by Chul Soo and the female lead is played by Su-Jin. This film gives thought to the views about the most important part of life. Some believe wealth and power are the most important while others say love and friendship. This movie rather portrays a simple view that our experiences are the most important part of us as they make us who we are. The movie teaches an important lesson about the significance of treasuring memories as they are the only thing we actually own. There are many other touching moments in the movie. One of them is the act and importance of forgiveness shown when Chul Soo is trying to forgive his mother for abandoning him when he was a child. Even though the movie is about the couple, it gives certain important messages such as being able to forgive is a gift. The movie then shows some really sweet and cute moments between the couple as they are torn apart by life. The story turns out to be painful and tragic as Su-Jin loses her memory. Death is common in melodramatic movies but this movie has pain and tragedy that is portrayed and acted very well. Thus, this movie clearly consists of all the elements that make it a good melodramatic movie. Melodramatic movies may commonly have five characteristics that are observed in this movie as well. The first is that it begins and ends with innocence. Secondly, the movie recognizes the virtue of the heroes and focuses on the victim. Thirdly,

Highway engineering 1 (civil) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Highway engineering 1 (civil) - Assignment Example The street linked Clark Street (New Lynn) with the Windsor road (New Windsor). Due to the increase of Auckland population, an upgrade for the arterial road was needed. The upgrade has several merits, benefitting the commuters and residential properties. The Tiverton/Wolverton route is an important district arterial route linking the town centre development with SH20 and the airport route. The project route carries 25000 Annual Average Daily Traffic at Wolverton and with the SH20 connected to SH1, the route experiences severe traffic congestion during the day and peak hours. The congestion was raised in the national papers in September 2010. The Tiverton/Wolverton route is identified in the National Land Transport Programme 2009-2012 as a high priority project committed for the 2010 construction period. The NZTA identified the route to Auckland Council as one of the route to be upgraded before the Waterview Connection Highway 20. The project will improve east west linkage for the city. The 2012-15 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) in collaboration with Auckland Transport and other partners aimed to increase commutation for commuters around Auckland and improve efficiency in movement of freights. The programme aimed at investing in constructing the Western Ring Route, Auckland Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative (AMETI), improve road network to enable accessibility to motor vehicles, and upgrade of public transport modes such as rail, bus, and ferry services. NLTP has contributed to the safety, efficiency and resilience of Auckland Transport network through construction of Tiverton/Wolverton Road upgrade project. Safety investments create a transport system that eradicates human error which costs life through the four parts of a Safe System; safe roads and road sides, safe speeds, safe vehicles, and safe road use. The Tiverton/Wolverton Upgrade has delivered long-term benefits to the residents living and

Business Ethics and Social Responsibility and Its Impact on Efficiency Research Paper

Business Ethics and Social Responsibility and Its Impact on Efficiency - Research Paper Example As a consultant for this firm, the report made by the ABC consultations will also discusses the basic features that are the most prominent for the organizations, the social responsibility,and how these actually shape the overall strategic planning to eventually achievevalue creation as well as increased profit. The SR is a solid framework to discover and discuss relationships that reside in the business-society, which can be achieved by examining the corporations and their social impact (Carroll, 1991; Wood, 1991).There have been many researches that have encouraged open attitude directly related to the efforts that can generate a new way of thinking for the corporations as well as thebusinessesthat compete in the global society. The first part of thereporthighlights an introduction of the topicthatspecifies the subject as well as the basic purpose of the report. Then stated, are the research findings from the investigation, along with the analysis of the gathered information to fina lly end with recommendations. The paper therefore examines the features and tactics required by the XYZ Company on how these can be mixed in the practices of the organizations. The report will also highlight how business ethics helps in developing the social capital,as well as the practices that help the organizations sustain in the competitive environment of the global environments. The report ends with the eight basic characteristicsneeded to attain efficiency that is the responsibility of the owners as well as the managers of the XYZ organization. Introduction A good business that is involved in social responsibility and ethical business practices knows how to achieve a winning business of the new century. The practices of these businesses not only work towards providing value to the owners but also add value to the society as a whole. These businesses therefore not only condemn the unethical practices, but also aim to adopt those kinds of behaviors that that provides a positive impact on the stakeholders (The European Commission, Employment and Social Affairs Directorate; Clarson). As a consultant I will therefore identify the ethical practices thatthe XYZ Company must possess in order to examine the affects that ethical business and social responsibility have on the organization and its processes.  

Tony Blair and Liberal Democracy Ideology Essay

Tony Blair and Liberal Democracy Ideology - Essay Example Tony Blair played a major role in Unifying the Labour Party a fact that made the popularity of the Labour Party to rise in the United Kingdom. It is through this unification that the country experienced a balance between the two major parties the country and that is the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. This is referred to by some experts as the Blair effect. This shows that Tony Blair was a good leader by all means and this also brings about the question of liberalization. It is important to note that Tony Blair highly advocated for the liberalization of various aspects in the country as well as other parts of the world especially the developing countries and countries that were having political, social and economical problems. Tony Blair was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from the year 1997 to the year 2007 and during his premiership, he adopted various policies which have been seen by many as to advocate for Liberal Democracy and Nation State. Many people will remember him for the foreign wars that he was involved in when he was the Prime Minister and also his doctrines of military intervention in various conflicts in the world. When he was resigning, he argued in parliament that his successors should learn to use his foreign policy. Although these doctrines and policies were not instrumental in his first election to the premiership and were not cited in his campaign, the policies that were cited in his first campaign still remained instrumental in his leadership throughout his premiership1. The most prevalent political model of Tony Blair was the Liberal Democratic Nation State. This was his initial political ideology and while he exercised this at the domestic politics, his foreign policy leaned very much to the Liberal Democracy ideology. It is important to note that even though the Liberal Democracy was a prevalent policy in the United Kingdom long before Tony Blair was elected to the premiership but he also embraced this policy during his premiership2. On the international side, the global crusade for the policy of liberal democracy was taken by Tony Blair as his personal crusade during the conflict of Kosovo. Although he faced significant criticism from various quarters, he did not shy away from implementing this policy in the subsequent wars that included Afghanistan and Iraq. He was also very instrumental in bringing about neoliberalism to be the country's dominant social and moral philosophy. This does not meant that neoliberalism is just a synonym of capitalism because the society and the political culture of the country were transformed by numerous policies which sought to eliminate the ideal of equality from the political policies and this policies also encourage the establishment and acceptance of an underclass which had the outlook of permanency and hereditary social group. Under the administration of Tony Blair, the core electorate group also known as Middle Britain had the opportunity to dominate the country's politics and in so doing they excluded the disadvantaged and non-voting underclass from the politics of the country3. Blair also attempted to implement the Mazzinian Nationalism but this failed

Financial Management assignment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Financial Management assignment 2 - Essay Example The company does not seem to be cash-rich as it currently has an overdraft facility. Although the company has been operating successfully, taking on the project will put the company in an unfavourable cash flow position. The Internal Rate of Return in which the Net Present Value is zero is undefined as there is no discount rate that is small enough to make the Net Present Value zero. The company has already incurred a considerable sum of GBP 750,000 on research and development of this new range. Perhaps, the company can consider alternative ways of manufacturing this product, such as outsourcing or negotiating for better material costs without compromising on its quality. The initial research cost of the project has already been incurred by the company and is considered as sunk cost. This is because whether Paddle Your Own Canoe Plc takes up the project, or not, the initial research cost will still be considered as being spent. In analysing the cash flow that will be generated from the project, sunk costs must be ignored. As such, the treatment of the initial research cost is to exclude from the cash flow calculation. Likewise, depreciation of the plant and machinery is not included in the calculation of the cash flow because this is a non cash flow item, while the investment appraisal focuses on cash flows. Depreciation is an accounting method of recognising the reduction of the company's fixed assets in its income statement over time and does not affect cash at all. Thus, this item has also been excluded. The additional working capital that the company needs to invest in is meant for other purposes at the end of the project. In fact, this will only be released for use at the end of the project. Although the company has to commit to this much earlier, the item has also been excluded in the calculations. This is because the working capital is not related to the project and will not affect the investment at all. However, in the event that the working capital is sought for the purpose of the project, then this will have to be considered in determining the feasibility of the project. Question 1c The payback period calculation looks at the shortest number of years to recover the cost of the project. Although the calculation is easy to understand and simple, it still has its limitations. It ignores the benefits that occur after the payback period and more importantly, the method ignores the time value of money. The Net Present Value is an indicator of how much value an investment or project adds to the company. The Net Present Value is a more reliable method of calculating the returns expected from investments as the method considers the time value of money. The Net Present Value compares the value of a dollar today to the value of that same dollar in the future, taking both inflation and returns into account. A positive Net Present Value generated from a prospective project is a good sign and should be accepted On the contrary, a negative Net Present Value resulting from projects should be rejected because the cash flows will also be negative. The Internal Rate of Return is the discount rate that delivers a Net

Gender and Sex Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Gender and Sex Worksheet Essay What is gender? What is sex in biological terms? Are gender and sex the same thing? Explain why or why not? Gender is your social configuration of male or female. In biological terms sex is your male or female parts and pyscial features. Sometimes gender and sex are not the same because there are so people that feel differently about who they are want to be so they have surgeries to change or alter their biological parts. How do gender and sex contribute to the concepts and constructions of masculinity and femininity? Gender and sex contribute to the concepts and constructions of masculinity and femininity because masculinity is the properties characteristic of the male sex, and feminity is the trait of behaving in ways considered typical for women. Typical meaning traditionally speaking. Do our concepts of gender and sex contribute to the ways we embrace gender and sex in diversity? Yes, I think that our concepts of gender and sex contribute to the ways we embrace gender and sex in diversity. Knowledge is power and I feel a lot of people for whatever reason whether because of ignorance or stereotyping etc†¦. People define the concepts of gender and sex inaccurately. Do our concepts of gender and sex contribute to our understanding of sexual orientation? Explain. Yes, I feel that for the last couple years this has been first a very sensitive topic and then and new and confusing topic as well. The lines seem to be blurring when it comes to what people want sometimes and how they feel. It use to be just male and female but now the 2 concepts are crossing cause a lot of people confusion because what they are for example males feeling feminine or females feeling more masculine.

Shackled Women - Short Essay Essay Example for Free

Shackled Women Short Essay Essay In western cultures, women consider themselves equal to men while in some other parts of the world such as Africa and Asia, women are subjected to violence, sexual abuses, and exploitation by men that considered them as their legal or sexual property. Because tradition and religion play a crucial role in the life of the people of these regions, women are forced to live according to their culture in order for them to fit in the society. From murdered husbands in India, inhuman Islamic laws in Pakistan, to genital mutilation practice in Africa, these unjustifiable acts are virtually impossible to explain because they all go against the moral principles and values of a civilized society. When a parent deliberately killed his daughter without having remorse because of financial reasons, the first thing that comes into ordinary people’s mind is sorrow and grief. Because dowry is paid by the bride’s family in India, cruel and selfish husbands killed their second daughter in order to avoid paying a second expensive dowry. Dowry in India can account for more than 50% of a household income. (Journeyman Pictures LTD, January 2001). For that reason, fathers murdered their female child. Even if a second female child makes it trough childhood, she may still have a marriage on the rocks if her dowry is not enough to satisfy her in-laws. It is very shocking and disturbing to know that these fathers are still doing it without impunity. The most outrageous of all is that the government of India is aware of these killings and does not take drastic measures to stop it. Because it is culturally right in India to do so, women can not oppose it to the risk of being physic ally abuse by their husbands.

Problems encountered in the onion cultivation of the Dambulla area

Problems encountered in the onion cultivation of the Dambulla area Big Onion crop was introduced to Sri Lanka by the British in 1855 and commercial cultivation was introduced by the Department of Agriculture during the 1950s and over the past years, the crop performance was evaluated in many parts of the country and it was observed that big onions can be grown economically during every Maha season in almost all parts of the country. 2. However, at present the cultivation of big onion is confined only to Matale, Anuradhapura, Puthalama, Pollonnaruwa, Mahawelli and Jaffna Districts. More than 50% of the total onion production in Sri Lanka is cultivated from the Matale District.  [1]   3. The Government strives to achieve a self sufficient stage in the production of big onions since Sri Lanka spends a significant amount of cash outflow every year on the importation of the big onions. Meanwhile, in the recent past it has been noticed that the big onion production has been affected in Sri Lanka and therefore customers are also paying a higher price for the big onions. In particular the big onion production in Dambulla area has been declining in the last few years. AIM OF THE RESEARCH 4. The Dambulla area plays an important role in the big onion cultivation in Sri Lanka. The Government has been paying less attention and support on promoting the big onion production in Dambulla. Therefore, it has so happened that the onion production in Dambulla has declined in the recent past as a consequence of the governments less support for this sector. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to promote the big onion cultivation in the Dambulla area. OBJECTIVES General Objectives 5. This research is carried out with the following specific and general objectives. a. The main general objective of this study is to identify the main problems encountered in the onion cultivation of the Dambulla area. Specific objective 6. The specific objective of this study is to give the recommendation to improve the Big onion cultivation in the Dambulla area and specific objectives are as follows. a. To study the recent history of Big onion cultivation in Dambulla area and to compare the present situation of the Big Onion cultivation. b. To identify the main issues encountered in big onion cultivation in Dambulla. c. To identify the critical contributing factors. d. To make recommendations based on the findings. CHAPTER TWO METHODOLOGY HYPOTHESIS 1. Low yield of onion industry in Dambulla is due to less assistance of the government sector STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 2. The Matale District plays an important role in the big onion cultivation in Sri Lanka in particular Dambulla provides big onions for the Sri Lankans consumption. In the recent past due to the lack of support from the government sector the big onion cultivation has been declining. 3. As a result the big onion cultivation in Dambulla will be non existence in the very near future. Furthermore, many farmers depend on the big onion cultivation as their livelihood in Dambulla. Hence, if the big onion cultivation in Dambulla is affected many families will lose their income and it will affect the survival of many families. Thus the lack of support from the government and the consequent less onion cultivation are considered as the research problem for this study. SCOPE OF THE STUDY 4. This research studies the declining stage of the onion cultivation in Dambulla. The scope covers only the Dambulla area of big onion farmers. Therefore, this research has been limited to the onion farmers of the Dambulla area. DATA COLLECTION METHODS a. Primary Data . Structured questionnaires were used to collect the data. These questionnaires consist of 2 parts they are; Part I the factors determining the big onion cultivation in Dambulla and Part II the personal profile. The first part comprises statements of two major factors which determine the big onion cultivation in Dambulla; poor quality of seeds and the lack of fertilizer support. To identify the responses the questionnaire in part I applied the Likert scale of 1 5, which ranges from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. The second part included the personal profile of the respondents relating to; age, sex, civil status and number of years the farmer has been in cultivation. b. Secondary Data. In addition to primary data, secondary data also was collected for this research. It was collected by referring to the reports from the Agricultural Department and from the Department of Census and Statistics. SAMPLE OF THE STUDY 7. This research studies the factors influencing the decline of the big onion cultivation in Dambulla. Therefore, the responses were collected from the local onion farmers from the Dambulla area. Thus, 100 big onion farmers were considered as a sample for this study since all farmers could not be accessible within the limited time for this study. These farmers were selected in a random basis. Therefore, the simple random sampling method was applied for the selection of the sample. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY 8. The following limitations were encountered in the study. a. Time is limited, so that within the limited time the research has to be finished because of this in-depth analysis cannot be applied. b. The researcher encountered limitation of resources. c. The sample was limited only to 100 farmers. LITERATURE REVIEW 9. The big onion is an important minor crop consumed by many Sri Lankans and it has been estimated that 34,000 metric tons of onion is imported annually and Sri Lanka spends around 300 million rupees on onion importation (Gunawardena, 2009). Furthermore, it has been also estimated that 45,000 labour units are employed in the onion cultivation and production annually by Sri Lankans and therefore, it increases income and employment generation for many Sri Lankans.  [2]   10. Many countries worldwide are getting involved in the big onion production. In particular they are; Belarus, Russia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, India, Pakistan etc (Research Institute for Vegetable crops, 2006). 11. According to Shanmugasundaram (2001) there are varieties of onion and it mainly includes the sweet, red, white, yellow, brown and green etc. TYPES OF ONION Source Shanmugasundaram (2008) BENEFITS OF ONION PRODUCTION 12. Furthermore, it has been identified that the big onion production brings several comparative benefits when compared to with other crops (Autko Moisevich, 2006). Some of the benefits are given below. a. Output can be obtained in a short period of time. b. Initial costs such as; seeds costs, fertilizer costs are comparatively less. c. It does not require a set cost. d. Less technology the machines are sufficient. e. High employability of manual labourers. f. Easy to find markets. g. Less storage period. 13. The onion basically has been divided into red onions and big onions and each variety requires different eco-agricultural conditions, labour, fertilizer, weather and climatic conditions, temperature, etc. REQUIREMENTS AND CONDITIONS NEEDED FOR THE ONION PRODUCTION 14. The literature suggests different requirements for smooth growing of the big onion production. Some of the conditions suggested by Autko and Moisevich (2006) are given below. a. Increase of fertile soil layers in the zone of plant root by 4-6 cm b. Increase of aeration and warming of soil, excluding over wetting in the period of heavy precipitation c. Decrease of fertilizer rate application by 30% d. Decrease of seed sowing rates e. Ensuring of looser soil state during the whole period of vegetation f. Possibility of soil surface copying by working organs of machines, during inter-row treatment, lowering of plant protective zone 3-5 cm, mechanical weed destruction by 70-75% and band application of pesticides that ensures the decrease of their rates by 2-3 times g. Increase of irrigation efficiency h. Diminution of nitrate content in the production j. Decrease of energy expense during harvesting by 20-40%. 15. Therefore, the above conditions can be considered as the basic requirements for the growth and survival of the big onion production. 16. The onion basically has been divided into red onions and large onions and each variety requires different eco-agricultural conditions, labour, fertilizer, weather and climatic conditions, temperature, etc. DECEASES IN THE ONION CULTIVATION 17. Shanmugasundaram, (2001) has identified the following diseases that affect the onion cultivation. He has divided these deceases into two. a. Field diseases b. Storage diseases 18. The field diseases comprises of Stemphylium blight , Purple blotch, Anthracnose, Botrytis leaf blight, Downy mildew, Pink root, Smudge, Smut and several Basal rots (Shanmugasundaram, 2001). 19. The storage diseases covers common field rots, botrytis neck rot, black mold and bacterial soft rot (Shanmugasundaram, 2001). PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED IN THE BIG ONION CULTIVATION IN SRI LANKA 20. Meanwhile it has been learned that in the recent past the onion cultivation has been reducing as a result of many factors. Some factors identified by Kulatunga (2006) are presented below. a. Lack of quality seeds b. Lack of advice given for application of seeds c. Insufficient loan facilities available to purchase high quality seeds d. Long durations taken for harvesting from seeds e. Lack of government support in providing fertilizer facilities to the onion production f. Lack of quality fertilizers available for the onion producers g. Lack of availability of fertilizer at outside and private outlets h. Absence of counselling and advice given on how to apply the fertilizers for the new variety j. Lack of storage facilities to store the onion production. 21. Though these problems are encountered in the onion production it can be divided into two major categories. These are given below. a. Lack of government support in giving seeds to the onion cultivators. b. Lack of government support to provide fertilizer to onion cultivation. LACK OF GOVERNMENT SUPPORT TO SEEDS 22. It has been observed that big onion cultivation has been affected to greater extent by the lack of government motivation in finding required seeds. Thus; lack of quality seeds, lack of counselling and advise on applying seeds, lack of new variety of seeds, insufficient government financial support to purchase seeds, absence of assurance on harvesting duration etc are encountered under seeds (Kulatunga, 2006). LACK OF FERTILIZER SUPPORT 23. Kulatunga (2006) has also identified that there is no sufficient fertilizer support to motivate the big onion production. In Sri Lanka it has been learned that the onion farmers lack government funding and subsidies to buy fertilizers. Furthermore, fertilizer is sold at a fairly high price in the outside outlets. In addition the efficient and harvest stimulating fertilizers are not available for the onion farmers. Also the high quality and different variety of fertilizers are also not available to increase the big onion cultivation in the Dambulla area. INCREASING BIG ONION PRODUCTION 24. It is therefore important that the onion production is increased in order to protect the big onion industry and to assure the livelihood of many Sri Lankans. Hence the literature suggests that the following measures can increase the onion production. a. Involving in research and development activities in order to increase the onion production. b. Government providing support to find high quality seeds. c. Government has to give seeds of the new varieties. d. Government has to provide seeds at subsidized prices. e. Government has to provide constant counselling and advice on handling seeds. f. Government has to extend the fertilizer subsidy. g. Providing high quality fertilizer. h. Monitoring fertilizer distribution. j. Counselling on handling diseases. Conceptual model 25. From the literature review the following conceptual model has been developed. Figure 3.1 Conceptual Model Decreasing onion cultivation Lack of fertilizer availability Lack of seed availability (Source Formed for this Research Study) 26. The above figure depicts two sets of factors that determine the decrease in the onion cultivation; the lack of seed availability and the lack of fertilizer availability. This was derived from Kulatunga (2006). Each set of the major factors have sub factors. Therefore, these two are considered as the independent variables. The decreasing onion cultivation can be identified as the dependent variable. Hence, this figure establishes links between the factors and the decreasing onion cultivation. Through this research study one need to know which factor(s) cause for the decreasing onion cultivation, among the farmers in the Dambulla area. Table 2.1 Operationalization of Variables Concepts Variables Indicators Level of Measurement Question No. Factors determining the onion cultivation Lack of seeds availability Receiving high quality seeds Likert Q1 Distribution of seeds by the government Likert Q2 Provision of subsidy by the government to buy seeds regularly Likert Q3 Seeds giving the expected harvest Likert Q4 Purchase seeds from the Government Agricultural Department Likert Q5 Provision of training and counselling regarding the new seeds by the government Likert Q6 I can get new varieties of seeds Likert Q7 I can get regular counselling and advice of the diseases on the seeds Likert Q8 Lack of fertilizers availability Fertilizer subsidy from the government Likert Q9 Purchase of fertilizer from the Government Agricultural Department Likert Q10 Purchase of fertilizer from the private outlets at a less price Likert Q11 Getting high quality fertilizer Likert Q12 Getting advice and counselling for the application of fertilizers Likert Q13 Getting different variety of fertilizers Likert Q14 Getting fertilizer that can maximize the harvest Likert Q15 Storage of excess fertilizer for future use Likert Q16 (Source Formed for this research study) DATA EVALUATION 27. The mean and standard deviation were derived for data analysis. Furthermore, the criteria shown in the table below was adopted to evaluate the mean values. Table 2.2 Evaluation Criteria for Mean Values Range Degree 1 3.67 Low level Moderate level High level Source Developed for this study CHAPTER THREE DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS 1. This chapter covers the data presentation, analysis and discussion. DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS 2. This section presents mean and standard deviation of the factors affecting the onion cultivation in Dambulla. The mean values have been distributed based on Likerts Scale of one to five which represents Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. Meanwhile, mean values were evaluated based on the already established evaluative criteria which range from low level to high level. Table 3.1 the values of mean and standard deviation (SD) of factors contributing to the onion cultivation: Statements From current staff Mean SD Lack of seed availability 1.90 .25 Lack of fertilizer availability 2.24 .41Source Survey Data 3. Table 3.1 represents values of mean and standard deviation of factors contributing to the decreasing level of the onion cultivation. The mean value of the seed availability is 1.90 and the standard deviation is 0.25. Since the mean value of seed availability (1.90) is less than 2.33, it falls into the category of low level satisfaction 4. Meanwhile, the mean value of fertilizer availability is 2.24 and standard deviation for the same variable is 0.41. Thus, the mean value of fertilizer availability (2.24) is less than 2.33 and it also falls under low level of satisfaction. Table 3.2 the mean and standard deviation values for the statements in the seed availability: Statements Mean SD I get high quality seeds 1.88 .89 Government distribute seeds 1.94 .81 Government provides a subsidy to buy seeds regularly 1.74 .69 Seeds give an expected harvest 1.56 .61 We can buy seeds from the Government Agricultural Department 2.16 .86 Government provides training and counselling regarding the new seeds 2.12 .91 I can get new varieties of seeds 1.79 .55 I can get regular counselling and advice of the diseases in the seeds 1.85 .45Source Survey Data 5. Table 3.2 shows the mean and standard deviation values for the statements in the seeds availability. As presented above, all eight statements that measure seed availability for the onion farmers in the Dambulla area have taken the mean values of less than 2.33. Therefore, it can be derived that farmers satisfaction on all statements of seed availability fall into the category of lower level satisfaction. Table 3.3 the mean and standard deviation values for the statements in the fertilizer availability: Statements Mean SD I get fertilizer subsidy from the government 2.20 .92 I can buy fertilizer from the Government Agricultural Department 2.14 .85 I can buy fertilizer from private outlets at a less price 2.18 .99 I can get high quality fertilizer 2.20 .94 I get advice and counselling on the application of fertilizer 2.15 .93 I get different variety of fertilizer 2.24 .84 I get fertilizers that can maximize harvest 2.12 .96 I can store excess fertilizer for future use 2.09 .92 Source Survey Data 6. Table 3.3 reveals the values of mean and standard deviation for the statements in the fertilizer availability. Hence all statements that measure the influence of fertilizer availability of the onion farmers in the Dambulla area have taken the mean values less than 2.33. Therefore it can be stated that the farmers satisfaction towards all statements of fertilizer availability fall into the category of low level of satisfaction. Personal profile 7. This section presents data on the personal profile of the farmers in the Dambulla area. It covers age, sex, civil status and the number of years of experience in the onion cultivation of the onion farmers in the Dambulla area. Age Distribution Fig 3.1 the age distribution of the onion farmers in the Dambulla area: Source Survey Data Table 3.4 the age distribution of the onion farmers in the Dambulla area Age category Frequency Percent Less than 25 30 30 26-35 28 28 35-45 24 24 Above 45 18 18 Total 100 100 Source Survey Data 8. Fig 3.1 shows the age distribution of the respondents from onion farmers in the Dambulla area. Thirty percent of the respondents are less than 25 years and the respondents falling into the category of 26 35 and 35 45 are 28% and 24%, respectively and 82% of the respondents are less than the age of 45. Only 18% of the responded onion farmers are above the age of 45. Hence it reveals a fact that the majority of the onion framers in Dambulla are less than the age of 45. 9. Therefore it can be concluded that most of the young employees are found to be faced with a decreasing level of onion production. Sex Distribution Fig. 3.2 Sex distribution of the onion farmers in the Dambulla area Source Survey Data Table 3.5 Sex distribution of the onion farmers in the Dambulla area Sex category Frequency Percent Male 68 68 Female 32 32 Total 100 100 Source Survey Data 10. Fig 3.2 shows the sex distribution of the onion farmers in the Dambulla area. Sixty-eight percent of the responded onion farmers in the Dambulla area are male and 32% of the responded onion farmers are female. 11. This shows that most of the male onion farmers in the Dambulla area are found to be affected with a decreasing level of onion cultivation the Dambulla area. Civil status Fig 3.3 Civil status of the onion farmers in the Dambulla area : Source Survey Data Table 3.6 Civil status of the onion farmers in the Dambulla area   Civil status Frequency Percent Single 38 38 Married 62 62 Total 100 100 Source Survey Data 12. Fig 3.3 shows the civil status of the responded onion farmers in the Dambulla area. Sixty-two percent of the respondents are married and 38% are single. 13. It is clear that most of the married onion farmers in the Dambulla area are found to be facing the problem of a decreasing level of onion cultivation the Dambulla area. Distribution of years of experience Fig. 3.4 Number of years of experience in the onion cultivation Source Survey Data Table 3.7 Number of years of experience in the onion cultivation Number of years of experience Frequency Percent Less than 3 20 20 3-5 46 46 6-10 30 30 Above 10 4 4 Total 100 100 Source Survey Data 14. Fig 3.4 shows the number of years of experience in the onion cultivation of the onion farmers in the Dambulla area. Accordingly, 20 % of the responded onion farmers in the Dambulla area have less than 3 years of experience and the responded onion farmers in the Dambulla falling into the category of 3 5 and 6 10 years are 46% and 30%, respectively. Only 4% of the responded onion farmers have the experience of above 10 years. Thus, more than 95% of the responded onion farmers in the Dambulla area have less than 10 years of experience. 15. Therefore it can be stated that the most of the onion farmers in the Dambulla area who have an experience of less than 10 years are found to be encountering the problem of a decreasing level of onion cultivation in the Dambulla area. CHAPTER FOUR DISCUSSION AND ARGUMENTS 1. This chapter provides the discussion on analysis. It presents the mean and the standard deviation of the two factors contributing to the onion cultivation. Table 4.1 Mean and standard deviation values for the statements in the seed availability: Statements Mean SD I get high quality seeds 1.88 .89 Government distribute seeds 1.94 .81 Government provides the subsidy to buy seeds regularly 1.74 .69 Seeds give the expected harvest 1.56 .61 We can buy seeds from the Government Agricultural Department 2.16 .86 Government provides training and counselling regarding the new seeds 2.12 .91 I can get new varieties of seeds 1.79 .55 I can get regular counselling and advise on the diseases in the seeds 1.85 .45 Source Survey Data 2. As presented in Table 4.1 the onion farmers have expressed their lower level of satisfaction on all statements of the availability of seeds and the quality, because all mean values are under the category of 1 2.33. 3. Thus the first statement I get high quality seeds has taken a mean value of 1.88 which represents that the onion farmers are not highly satisfied with the availability of the high quality seeds. 4. Similarly the second statement Government distribute seeds has taken a mean value of 1.94 and this also comes under the lower level of satisfaction. This reflects that the government does not distribute seeds and therefore it also affects their onion cultivation. 5. Third statement Government provides the subsidy to buy seeds regularly has taken a mean value of 1.79 which represents that the onion farmers are not satisfied with the governments subsidies to buy the seeds. 6. Fourth statement Seeds gives the expected harvest has taken a mean value of 1.56 which reflects that the onion farmers are less satisfied with the amount of harvest from the seeds and this affect the onion cultivation from the Dambulla area. 7. 5th statement We can buy seeds from the Government Agricultural Department has given a mean value of 2.16 which shows that the onion farmers are unable to purchase seeds from the agricultural department and this also reduces the onion cultivation. 8. Next statement Government provides training and counselling regarding the new seeds has obtained a mean value of 2.12 which indicates that the onion cultivators do not get sufficient training and counselling from the relevant authorities on how to apply the new varieties of seeds and this affects the onion cultivation in the Dambulla area. 9. 7th statement I can get new varieties of seeds has received a mean value of 1.79 and this refers that the farmers are unable to get new varieties of seeds and therefore the onion production has come down in Dambulla. 10. The final statement I can get regular counselling and advice on the diseases in the seeds has given a mean value of 1.85 which signifies that the onion farmers do not get regular counselling and advice on new diseases affecting the onion cultivation. Therefore, they are unable to protect the onion cultivation and ensure higher growth. Table 4.2 Mean and standard deviation values for the statements in the fertilizer availability: Statements Mean SD I get the fertilizer subsidy from government 2.20 .92 I can buy fertilizer from Government Agricultural Department 2.14 .85 I can buy fertilizer from the private outlets at a less price 2.18 .99 I can get high quality fertilizer 2.20 .94 I get advice and counselling on the application of fertilizer 2.15 .93 I get different variety of fertilizers 2.24 .84 I get fertilizer that can maximize the harvest 2.12 .96 I can store the excess fertilizer for future use 2.09 .92Source Survey Data 11. As in Table 4.2 the onion cultivators have indicated lower level of satisfaction on all statements of fertilizer availability because the mean in all comes under the category of 1 2.33. 12. Thus the first statement I get the fertilizer subsidy from government has taken a mean value of 2.20 and this means that the onion farmers do not get fertilizer subsidy to buy the fertilizer and this leads towards less onion cultivation. 13. Similarly the second statement I can buy fertilizer from the Government Agricultural Department. has taken a mean value of 2.14 and this falls under the lower level of satisfaction. This reflects that the farmers are unable to purchase fertilizer from the agricultural department and has limited capacity of increasing their production. 14. Third statement I can buy the fertilizer from private outlets at a less price has taken a mean value of 2.18 stating that the onion farmers cannot buy fertilizer at a less price from other outside outlets. Therefore, it has affected their capacity of the onion cultivation. 15. Next statement I can get high quality fertilizer has taken a mean value of 2.20 which represents that the onion farmers are finding difficulties in purchasing fertilizer that can maximize their harvest and it has reduced the onion cultivation. 16. 5th statement I get advice and counselling on the application of fertilizer has given a mean value of 2.15, indicating that the farmers are unable to get advise and counselling on how to use different varieties of fertilizer. This has limited the onion cultivation in Dambulla. 17. 6th statement I get different variety of fertilizer has obtained a mean value of 2.24 which indicates that the onion cultivators are unable to find different varieties and new varieties of fertiliser that stimulate more harvest. As a result the onion cultivation has been less in the Dambulla area. 18. 7th statement I get fertilizer that can maximize the harvest has received a mean value of 2.12 and it means that the onion farmers are unable to find fertiliser that can give the optimal harvest and this has affected the onion cultivation from Dambulla. 19. The final statement I can store excess fertilizer for future use has given a mean value of 2.09 which indicates that the onion farmers do not have facilities of storage and keeping fertilizer for future use. Therefore, their fertilizer utilization is not optimal. Therefore the onion cultivation has been limited in Dambulla. CHAPTER FIVE FINDINGS/RESULTS 1. This chapter provides the findings and the discussions. It presents the mean and the standard deviation of the two factors contributing to the onion cultivation. Table 5.1 Values of mean and standard deviation

Is Christian Conversion a Poltical Act for the American Indian? :: Essays Papers

Is Christian Conversion a Poltical Act for the American Indian? In Southeastern Alaska, Indian conversion to Pentecostalism generally removes indigenous identity from a place of value, and with this exclusion, removes a native cultural context for politically addressing behaviors that have developed within the Indian community as a result of the political economy in Southeastern Alaska. In the "larger processes of political economy and identity in the late twentieth century,† the native community is marginal and impoverished (195), and necessitates the social framework for native â€Å"collective identity projects† (5) and â€Å"symbolic representations† of nativism (7). Economy and native identity are inextricably connected, as subsistence living comes under direct threat from the economic â€Å"opportunities† foisted upon Indians and destructive behaviors, including alcohol abuse, physical and sexual abuse, and suicide, are intrinsic to the native life experience of many people. As â€Å"virtually all† Indian c onverts to radical Christianity â€Å"root their own church experience in an escape from alcohol addiction,† religious conversion influences how society redresses socioeconomic realities, and thus political realties (164). â€Å"To many marginal people,† the collective nature of salvation creates a â€Å"sociality of hope† that offers them relief from the economic realities around them. Converting to another system of hope and faith presents a â€Å"special appeal among those made marginal by the history of colonial expansion and by the continuing ebb and flow of capital penetration† (181). By advocating â€Å"a strategy of collectivity over one rooted in difference†(182), church converts reflect a desire to convert into a new economic life of â€Å"the American middle class† and escape their own economic realities (178). In the practice of Pentecostal religion, overcoming addiction through dedication to the teachings of the church means â€Å"giving up on trying to do anything about [addiction] yourself†(142), and shaking loose of an â€Å"institutional focus†¦on social or political order† that addresses non-Christian means of rehabilitation or pol itical change (178). Indian conversions to radical Christianity in Southeastern Alaska are thus not only spiritual changes, but political as well, in two significant ways. First, Pentecostal conversion is political because it transforms the collective structure of human values and accepted sociopolitical thought, principally in one’s perception of â€Å"cultural relativism†. When â€Å"the entire possibility of comparison and equivalence† between groups of people is utterly rejected, culture-group members are unjustly denied any basis for defense or justification for their differences in values and practices (154). Moreover, the political participation of church groups in society invariably â€Å"react against† any â€Å"political situation in which resource development and cultural revival† take place over issues of salvation, and in this opposition, conversion becomes a political act of social separation (173).

Censorship :: essays papers

Censorship Censorship is a variety of things from yelling "fire" in a crowded theater to showing sexual intercourse on television. These things aren't all either, there are millions of things we use or see every day that are censored for a reason. The reason can be many but the three most important reasons are for an adult or child^s well being, for the decency of our society and for privacy of each other. All of these things are censored because our lives are influenced by these reasons in one way or another. This will tell you that with out censorship we would live in a world so dirty and irresponsible so indecent and shameful that it could not exist. We pretty much ignore the growth in violence and sexual abuse in our movies and on television. Have they gone away? According to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, by the time an average child leaves high school, he or she will have watched the happening of 18,000 murders on television. Prime time says the National Coalition on Television Violence, is filled with degrading sexual material and incidents ^where violence is strongly glamorized or used to excite.^ There have been 85 major studies of the effects of such violence on children. Eighty-four of the eighty- five concluded that it caused an increase in all manner of aggressive behavior, up to and including homicide. What happened to the one study that disagreed? Well, they were paid off by the National Broadcasting Company that just shows how guilty they are of producing violence from television. Another study shows that American children are having sexual intercourse at an average age of 16. If the te! levision was not censored as much as it is today these things would be much worse, our children would be sexual active at very young ages and crime rates would shoot upward. A civilization does not rise in the strength of it^s laws, however. It rises on the strength of its values. What values are we teaching by not having censorship in our society? No its not freedom of speech and its not freedom of the press. It is decency. What all civilized social orders, including our own, have consistently identified as decent, civilized behavior. The real threat to the republic is not what might happen to rights, but what is happening to a

Prevalence Of Chlamydia Health And Social Care Essay

As before stated, chlamydia is the most prevailing sexually transmitted infection in the United States and is an of import public wellness issue. As a soundless infection with serious effects for adult females, forestalling the incidence of chlamydia is an of import issue for nurses advancing adolescent wellness and those who encounter sterility and ectopic gestation in their pattern ( Stewart & A ; Sparrow Center, 2005 ) . It is estimated that there are three million new infections each twelvemonth ( Adderley-Kelly & A ; Stephens, 2005 ) . Numerous prevalence surveies in assorted clinic populations have shown that sexually active striplings have higher rates of Chlamydia infections ( Adderley-Kelly & A ; Stephens, 2005 ) . In measuring and placing chlamydia infections quickly, the effects of wellness results will be decreased. This survey intends to look into whether or non early testing consequences to the bar and early sensing of chlamydia among immature adult females aged 13 to 25. In order to steer the proposed research inquiries of this survey, this literature reappraisal discusses important surveies and research that have been undertaken in relation to testing for chlamydia infection. Prevalence of Chlamydia Chlamydia is the universe ‘s most normally reported sexually transmitted infection ( STI ) ( World Health Organization [ WHO ] , 2009 ) . Its effects particularly to adult females are particularly serious: pelvic inflammatory diseases, ectopic gestation, and sterility. A greater concern among wellness attention practicians is the fact that chlamydia is mostly symptomless hence, testing becomes important in observing instances in order to cut down prevalence and the hazard of complications. the addition rates of chlamydia. Meyers, Halverson, & A ; Luckhaupt ( 2007 ) stated that if left undiagnosed and untreated, chlamydia airss several negative wellness results for pregnant every bit good as non-pregnant adult females. Complications originating from chlamydia could include PID, sterility, chronic pelvic hurting among non-pregnant adult females, chorioamnionitis, pre-term labour, premature rupture of membranes, preterm bringing, self-generated abortion, endometritis, and low birth weight in pregnant adult females. Harmonizing to the CDC ‘s Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Annual Report in 2007, chlamydia prevalence is increasing because of a figure of hazard factors. This is particularly true among the younger populations of adult females. CDC ( 2007 ) stresses that the usage of hazardous sexual behaviours, usage of non-barrier contraceptive method, deficiency of instruction, and deficiency of testing contribute to the intensifying rates of chlamydia infection. Furthermore, several barriers lead to proper proving and diagnosing among sexually active immature adult females. Adolescents are loath to seek out proving or care on their sexual wellness because of ignorance, deficiency of consciousness, deficiency of clip, deficiency of transit to the clinics, and vacillation to be unfastened about sexual wellness issues. These barriers, harmonizing to the CDC ( 2007 ) , must be taken down for any intercession plan to win in cut downing chlamydia prevalent rates. Importance of Screening Central to the attempt in cut downing chlamydia prevalence is proper showing of bad populations such as immature adult females aged less than 25 old ages old ( Alexander, 2006 ) . The function of doctors and nursing professionals are important because they are in an first-class place to supply showing, hazard appraisal, and intervention every bit good as provide guidance and instruction plans to forestall infection. Literature has besides suggested that testing reduces the hazard of chlamydia infection among sexually active immature adult females. Recommendations for one-year showing for chlamydia among sexually active females has been a top precedence of the CDC beginning 1993. A survey by Fiscus et Al. ( 2004 ) examined the rate of testing experienced by sexually active females. In a nationally-implemented longitudinal survey of misss belonging in classs 7 until 12 all across the United States, Fiscus and co-workers obtained site-of-care studies, proving studies, studies for intervention to find how many of sexually experience immature misss received one-year showing as recommended by the CDC. A sum of 3,987 sexually active immature misss were participants to Beckon 1 of the alleged National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The survey found that testing among sexually active immature misss was unequal and may be a major lending factors to the lifting degrees of chlamydia incidence among adolescent misss. A clinical survey conducted by Nelson and Helfand ( 2001 ) aimed to analyze the effectivity of testing for the bar of Chlamydia infection. This survey was conducted in visible radiation of the recommendation made by the U. S. Preventive Services Task Force to implement testing in order to forestall the incidence of Chlamydia infection. A big population of male and female participants served as the survey ‘s sample. Questionnaires were mailed and included inquiries on demographic features and designation of a figure of hazard factors such as multiple sex spouses, non-use of barrier contraceptive method or rubbers, and old history of STD infection. The survey conclude that showing is an effectual signifier of intercession to cut down chlamydia infection among bad groups peculiarly pregnant and non-pregnant adult females. Mertz et al. , ( 2001 ) conducted a non-experimental and retrospective survey to measure the grounds behind high incidence of economically disadvantage immature misss with ages 16 to 24 old ages populating in an urban country. The survey concluded that hazardous sexual behaviour ( for economic grounds ) , multiple sex spouses and non-use of rubbers are behind the 10 % incidence of chlamydia infection among the group of immature adult females. Furthermore, deficiency of entree or non-affordability of trials besides hindered immature adult females to take attention of their sexual wellness. Scholes et Al. ( 2006 ) conducted an experimental survey utilizing randomized control test design to measure whether showing is an effectual scheme to cut down incidence of Chlamydia infection. The showing scheme proposed included the designation, proving, and intervention of adult females identified to belong to bad groups. Intervention plans such as proviso of rubbers, instruction and consciousness, and sexual wellness focal point group treatments were used. Women participants were sexually active females aged below 26 old ages old and adult females aged more than 26 and below 35 old ages old. After a 12-month follow up showing, it was found that chlamydia incidence decreased by 51 per centum. A reappraisal of literature conducted by Weinstock, Berman, and Cates ( 2004 ) suggested that proper and accurate monitoring of the prevalence of chlamydia infection among immature people was important in bar attempts. Weinstock and co-workers analyzed national instance studies, national studies, old literature reappraisals, and WHO datasets to analyze prevalence and place intercessions used. The writers identified several obstructions that hindered bar attempts. The major obstruction identified is the symptomless nature of the infection, which means that the disease can travel on without being detected. The writers recommended the execution of cosmopolitan testing plans to supervise and forestall the intensifying rates of STDs and STIs. A longitudinal survey implemented at a national degree from 2000 to 2001 by Ford, Jacard, Millstein, Bardsley, and Miller ( 2004 ) found that stripling ‘s perceptual experiences on their hazard of infection is extremely prognostic of their results in testing and intervention of chlamydia and gonorrhoea. The writers suggested that when striplings make accurate single hazard appraisals, they are more likely to prosecute wellness advancing behaviours such as contraceptive method and safe sex. Ford and his co-workers studied the relationship between demographic and wellness features to comprehend hazard of infection among two groups: 1 ) a sample of sexually active striplings with ages runing from 18 to 16 and 2 ) a subsample of striplings diagnosed with gonorrhoea of chlamydia. The survey found that merely 14 % of the entire respondents perceived they were at hazard for infection while more than 30 per centum of septic respondents reported sensed hazard. The writers suggested that instruction and awareness plans should be implemented to increase the truth of perceptual experiences of hazard among adolescent young person. A survey conducted by Karaer, Avsar, and Batioglu ( 2006 ) aimed to find the hazard factors that contribute to ectopic gestation, which is still a top factor for high maternal morbidity and mortality rates among pregnant adult females. The survey focused on placing hazard factors perceived to be a consequence of Chlamydia infections left untreated. Karaer and co-workers examined 225 instances and 375 control groups to look for commonalty in assorted demographic and behavioural features. Among the factors evaluated were demographic features, smoke, gynaecological history, surgical history, obstetric history, prophylactic use and aided gestation. The survey found that among other hazard factors, PID stood as the most of import for doing ectopic gestation. While the survey acknowledged deficiency of representativeness and deficiency of generalizability, the writers recommended that enhanced instruction and consciousness among adult females and the hazard factors could let an accurate an d timely diagnosing of ectopic gestation. A national longitudinal survey conducted by Crosby and Danner ( 2008 ) wanted to analyze how attitudes and beliefs among striplings were prognostic of geting STI or STD during early maturity. The survey hypothesized that the sexual wellness attitudes of striplings peculiarly refering STDs will foretell whether or non they will be infected with STD when they become grownups. This survey used informations from Wave 3 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and measure the prevalence of STDs such as gonorrhoea, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Trichomonas vaginalia. In add-on, self-report steps were administered to 8,297 striplings who besides provided urine samples for analysis. Self-report steps indicated that there was a general deficiency of instruction and consciousness among striplings about STDs or STIs. Test consequences for STDs during early maturity suggested that those who had accurate perceptual experiences on sexual wellness issues were less likely to contract STD . The findings suggest that supplying striplings with instruction and greater consciousness will most likely avert STD infection in the old ages to come. In a survey on the effectivity of testing among Norwegians, Skjeldestad, Marsico, Sings, Nordbo, and Storvold ( 2009 ) conducted a longitudinal cohort survey that started in December 2007 and ended in April 2009. The survey wanted to place hazard factors associated with repetition chlamydia infection among adult females aged 24 old ages and younger. A sample of 898 Norse adult females participated in the survey. Data aggregation used questionnaires, urine samples for chlamydia testing and needed clinical signifiers, medical records, and other pertinent paperss. Participants were tested for inclusion, and tested once more as a followup. The writers were able to reason that the major cause of reinfection among Norse adult females was a old chlamydia infection. Furthermore, rubber usage during intercourse besides revealed to be a hindrance for reinfection among adult females ( Skjeldestad, 2009 ) .DrumheadThe surveies examined for this literature reappraisal revealed that chlamydia is a serious wellness job among striplings and that showing as a agency of bar remains unequal. The reappraisal besides highlighted the hazard factors associated with chlamydia infection and reinfection. Factors identified include holding multiple sex spouses, old STD infection, and the non-use of rubbers or barrier contraceptive methods. Surveies reviewed here which aimed at measuring testing as a bar method for chlamydia used the longitudinal design and involved big samples. Urine trying seems to be the most prevailing method of proving for chlamydia. Restrictions of the surveies reviewed include non-representativeness and deficiency of control.

Coach Inc. case analysis Essay

Coach, Inc. is an upscale American leather goods company known for women’s and men’s handbags, as well as items such as luggage, briefcases, wallets and other accessories (belts, shoes, scarves, umbrella†¦). The firm was founded in 1941, in a loft in New York as a partnership called the Gail Manufacturing Company. As of July 2, 2011, the company operates in over 20 countries with more than 1,100 retail stores and around 15,000 employees worldwide. Today, Coach Inc. has distribution, product development and quality control operations in the US, France, Italy, Japan, Hong Kong, China and South Korea. From 2001 to 2011, Coach launched a series of activities to take great control over the brand in the Asian markets, and it also accelerated its European expansion with the help of its European joint venture partner in 2011. Continuous innovation and affordable price are two keys for Coach to conduct international business. In addition, owing to its multi-channel retail n etwork, Coach, Inc. has successfully enhanced its brand image all over the world. Luxury goods industry is highly competitive due to a low market-entry barrier. It has experienced ups and downs during the 2000s. And in recent years, the industry has recovered and developed rapidly. More and more luxury goods corporations have expanded their operations in emerging markets through Internet and e-commerce. The future outlook of this industry is optimistic. The competitions in the luxury goods industry are pretty intense. Many competitors of Coach are from France and Italy such as Louis Vuitton, Hermà ¨s, Gucci, and Prada. Having superior brand recognitions and strong impacts on global luxury goods market make them become dangerous rivals of Coach, Inc. Even though Coach Inc. has come up with good strategy, it still suffered from harsh competition. The profit margin was still below the level achieved prior to the onset of a slowing economy in 2007 and its share price had experienced a sharp decline during the first six months of 2012. Due to the changing environment and harsher competition, it was not clear whether the company’s recent growth could be sustained and its competitive advantage could hold in the face of new accessible luxury lines launched by such aggressive and successful luxury brands as Michael Kors, Salvatore†¦ Therefore, I recommend that Coach thinks about spending money working on TV commercials, or cooperating with some world-famous jewelry brands to raise the brand aw areness. It also needs to consider expanding in China so as to cut down operating expenses and better meet the Ch ­inese customers’ growing needs. Question 1. What are the defining characteristics of the luxury goods industry? What is the industry like? Economics define a luxury good as one for which demand increase as income increase. Luxury goods are said to have high income elasticity of demand: as people become wealthier, they will buy more and more of the luxury good. This also means, however, that should there be a decline in income its demand will drop. Unlike inferior goods, they are related to price and high-income individuals. A luxury corporation may establish its image via pricing, exclusivity, limited availability, quality and location. High pricing gives the product its prestigious nature, and implies high quality. Luxuries may be services. The hiring of full-time or live-in domestic servants is a luxury reflecting disparities of income. Some financial services, especially in some brokerage houses, can be considered luxury services by default because persons in lower-income brackets generally do not use them. Luxury brands in general, relied on creative designs, high quality, and brand reputation to attract customers and build brand loyalty. Price sensitivity for luxury goods was driven by brand exclu sivity, customer-centric marketing, and to large extent some emotional sense of status and value. The luxury goods market has been on an upward climb for many years. The market for luxury goods was divided into three main categories: haute-couture, traditional luxury, and the growing submarket â€Å"accessible luxury†. At the apex of the market was haute couture with it very high-end â€Å"custom† product offering that catered to the extremely wealthy. Luxury goods manufacturers believed diffusion brand’s lower profit margins were offset by the opportunity for increased sales volume and the growing size of the accessible luxury market and protected margins on such products by sourcing production to low-wage countries. Eye-catching utilization of their products by prominent figures in society leads to increasing demands for luxury good items and it is a growing industry with the global luxury goods market growing 9% per year. These consumers buy their products for satisfaction and to boost their self-esteem rather than for ease or comfort. All these components blend in the context of a successful business of the luxury goods. The industry has performed well, particularly in 2000. In that year, the world luxury goods market –  which includes drinks, fashion, cosmetics, fragrances, watches, jewelry, luggage, handbags. The luxury-goods business needs people to feel good about spending money. The luxury goods industry is global in scope. In 2005, Italy (27%), Replica Armani Swiss France (22%), Switzerland (19%), US (14%) controlled a combined 82% of the worldwide luxury goods industry sales. In 2006, the industry was expected to grow by 7%. Much of this growth can be attributed to increasing income and wealth in developing European countries, China, and changes in consumer buying habits. Additionally, the entry of big box stores into the distribution chain has opened the market to middle-income consumers, who earn substantially less that the $300,000 household. The luxury goods industry is under drastic change and at different levels. This has an impact on Coach’s business because they have two different types of stores. Two different types of stores of Coach On one hand they have factory stores who sell at a discounted price and on the other hand they have full-priced stores or flagship stores which cater to higher end consumers. While the factory stores are being hit by the American financial crisis due to the lack of disposable income for the middle class, full-price stores or flagship stores have brighter future with an increasing number of millionaires. Question 2. What is competition like in the luxury goods industry? What competitive forces seem to have the greatest effect on industry attractiveness? What are the competitive weapons that rivals are using to try to outmaneuver one another in the marketplace? Is the pace of rivalry quickening and becoming more intense? Why or why not? The competition in the luxury goods is very strong. The financial crisis (2007-2009) had a great effect on the luxury goods industry. This led to a huge decline in sale in United States, Japan and Europe. Therefore, the competition in old market and especially emerging market is extremely intensive. In the emerging market (China, India and Southeast Asia), from 2% of industry sales in 2001, they had 20% of industry sale in 2011. Thousands of companies compete in this fields, which are mainly from  Italy, France, Swiss and United states. According to Merrill Lynch, the most valuable luxury brands in terms of annual revenues in 2011 were Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Hermes and Cartier. The competition in the luxury goods industry is extremely intense due to a low market-entry barrier, that is, not all the corporations in this industry can gain great achievements. Many companies had to withdraw from the market because of being short of effective follow-up financial support. Nowadays, this industry provides services for two types of clients: to the rational consumers, some companies choose to offer affordable luxury goods w hich are classic styles and won’t be outdated for a long time; and to the fashion-conscious customers, plenty of firms try to supply higher-priced products whose designs are keeping up with the newest fashion trends. Luxury goods industry has experienced ups and downs during the 2000s. The world’s top brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Hermes all generated benefits of more than 100% at the end of 1999. In 2000, the industry continued performing well in the global financial markets. However, the changes took place in the following years. Luxury goods industry was strongly impacted by the adverse effects of wars, diseases, and global economic recession. Fortunately, it soon started recovering with the support of its loyal customers who were eager to buy luxuries to demonstrate their wealth and status. Recently, with the rapid development of Internet and e-commerce, more and more luxury goods corporations have successfully marketed their products in emerging markets. And they will constantly optimize their goods and services to meet the international customers’ higher demands in the future. So on the basis of above analysis, luxury goods industry is promising. Coach Inc. is the biggest name of luxury goods in the United States. Coach’s market share in the U.S. handbags market fell from 19% to 17.5% between 2011 and 2012. This share was mostly grabbed by competitor Michael Kors, whose market share has risen from 4.5% to 7% in the same period. This discouraging trend hasn’t been reversed in the past year as comparable store sales fell by approximately 15% in the holiday quarter. This drop in sales was due to lower traffic in Coach’s stores as shoppers were turned off by the lack of online flash sales over the quarter. Sales have now fallen for the third straight quarter in succession and management expects sales to fall further in the second half of the fiscal year. The bright spots for Coach in this  quarter were sales in China, which were up by 25%, and the sales of handbags priced above $400, in North America. The disappointing thing for the company is that these high-priced handbags only comprise about a fifth of their handbag products and this means that the company is losing out to competitors on nearly 80% of their product lines in this division. The main competitor of Coach in the US is Michael Kors, having grown its revenues between 58% and 67% in the last three years, posted a revenue growth of 59% in the holiday quarter. This growth is an ominous sign for Coach as Michael Kors hasn’t reached its full store capacity yet. The store count for Michael Kors’ stood at 284 by the end of the previous quarter or approximately 70% of its stated long term target of 400 stores. Without having reached its full store capacity yet, it is possible that Michael Kors isn’t meeting the full demand for its products and there is still potential room for growth. This is a challenging scenario for Coach. One of the competitive forces that have a great effect on industry attractivenes s is the threat of new entrants and how hard it is to build up a brand name that can compete with the likes of Coach, Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, and Versace. It takes deep financial pockets and great commitment to create luxury image with well-known brand and superior quality. Thus making it costly for new entrants to gain exposure and market share. Luxury items are known for their superior quality and to some people, the status that they carry. New entrants must build this status from the ground up, which can prove difficult without sufficient resources. Even if new competitors enter the luxury goods market with high quality products, they cannot compete with established fashion brands easily. Another competitive force can be the bargaining power with suppliers. A high end leather producer would like to be linked to the luxurious brand names of Coach and Louis Vuitton. The power industry members have over suppliers is in favor of the globally known luxury brand which is known to produce quality goods. Competitors use many weapons to beat the competitors in the luxury goods industry. The competitive weapons that rivals are using to try to outmaneuver one another in the marketplace mostly lie in the mode of pricing and offering economy levels of products. H igher quality is a must use weapon in the luxury industry. Higher quality is one of the most important weapons First is to hire celebrities to build a stronger brand image to help sell products and obtain a higher status. For instance Louis Vuitton, who utilizes celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Uma Thurman, and Naomi Campbell to promote its brand image, Or other brand name, Gucci, use Camilla Belle, Salma Hayes or Brad Pitt for advertising their name. Introducing new fashion trends and product innovation is another weapon used in the luxury industry. Big brands such as Hermes always held a fashion show annually in France to promote their late trends, and many people follow this trend to feel more confident and fashionable. But perhaps the most overlooked weapon is customer service, where some industry members are failing. According to the Luxury Institute, more than half of luxury store shoppers are unhappy with their shopping experience and that could lead to losing customers. Providing superior customer service like companies such as Giorgio Armani, who topped the Luxury Instituteâ€℠¢s research, can not only lead to customer satisfaction but brand loyalty as well. The pace of rivalry quickening and becoming more intense nowadays. No companies want to lose their market shares. All of them have the impressive strategy to develop and pass their competitors. Moreover, the globalization makes a chance for the product can easily export and import, therefore they can reach to emerging market with new customers, such as China, Southeast Asia or India. Moreover, the handbag market encompasses dynamic players and an expanding consumer base, which is expected to flourish due to increasing demand from emerging markets and strong performances by the international luxury brands. It is true that the rivalry is quickening and becoming more intense because not only the differences between the companies are becoming less but also because the market is expanding by a great pace and it is important to engulf a better part of the market share to maintain sustainability. Question 3. How is the market for luxury handbags and leather accessories changing? What are the underlying drivers of change and how might those driving forces change the industry? The market for the luxury handbags and leather accessories is highly competitive. Recently, Coach Inc. is the market leader in the US market. But the market for luxury handbags and leather accessories is now changing rapidly because of many reasons.  Firstly, the middle class is expanding and become younger and they are gaining disposable income to spend on luxury goods with different agendas than previous generations. Secondly, they also have different perspective on change, financial smarts, and have a very strong opinion and style on dressing up. Industry members need to account for the differences between the two, specifically how these differences affect their luxury goods buying habits. Finally, there has been the change in generations. The change from Generation X to Generation Y consumers has ar rived and they are gaining disposable income to spend on luxury goods with different agendas than previous generations. Coach was founded in 1941 and began producing ladies handbags with simple and extremely resilient to wear and tear, but over the next 40 years, Coach was able to grow at a steady rate by setting prices about 50 percent lower than those of more luxurious brands, adding new models and establishing accounts with retailers such as Bloomingdale’s and Saks Fifth Avenue. In 1996, Reed Krakoff – a top Tommy Hilfiger designer as a Coach’s new creative director believed new products should be based upon market research rather than designers’ instincts about what would sell, so the design process launched new collections every month to be satisfy with customers. By 2000, the changes to Coach’s strategy and operations built the brand into a sizeable lead in the â€Å"accessible luxury† segment of the leather handbags and accessories industry and made it a solid performer in Sara Lee’s business lineup. Therefore, the market for luxury handbags and leather accessories has changed through time from the beginning to now, also the changing has depended on both the favor of customers and the difference from existing handbags to be unique ladies Coach’s handbags and new creative monthly collections. The value of the global personal luxury goods market was reported at $191 billion for 2011 by Bain & Co. up 10% from the previous year. In the same report luxury leather goods are estimated at $28 billion for 2011. Luxury leather goods are a rapidly growing category, with a 16% growth from 2010 to 2011. The leather goods category is at times also grouped with luggage, with bags, wallets and purses accounting for 57.1% of the global luggage and leather. The market for luxury handbags is rapidly growing in the U.S., which has helped Coach a great deal, seeing that 36% of its revenues come from handbags as seeing in Exhibit 4 (C-77). From 2002 to 2006 the overall market size for U.S. handbags grew doubled and has been a  main contributor for Coach’s growth personally. Some analyst believe that this can be linked to consumers trading up from brands such as Banana Republic and DKNY, while others link it to the rise in wealth. The world is now full of information. This gives consumers some bargaining leverage. With the internet and other technological advances, consumers are well informed and can know the latest fashion trends at the click of a button. A research done in 2007, surveyed 7,705 college students in the US and their findings were that 97% owned a computer, 94% owned c ell phones, 34% use websites as primary sources for news, and 28% write blogs. This means that a large majority of the new generation is heavily entrenched in technology and able to do extensive research on their products before making purchases. They not only have internet search engines like Google or Yahoo, but they have each other to communicate from an end consumer’s perspective. There are even websites set up to talk about the experience when buying luxury goods found at Style.com. Style.com – Leading US fashion website The demand for customer service is also increasing. When paying a lot of money, they want superior customer service, not the average one. The customers pay a high price, whether it is for quality or status, they expect to get their money’s worth. Because more and more people demand luxury goods, they demand better customer service along with it. With the demand for customer service becoming more apparent, industry members can expect a more intense competition in regards to customer service to satisfy this demand. Also, changing societal concerns, attitudes, and lifestyles represents another industry driving force for a number of reasons. First, changing preferences by middle class consumers towards luxury goods inevitably created a new segment in accessible luxury goods. Without the changes in the way these consumers thought about the brands and wanting to own something more elite without having an elite price tag, Coach (among other companies) was able to capitalize on this o pportunity. With new accessories coming out in all shapes and sizes every day, it is absolutely essential that firms keep in tune with changes in the external environment – particularly with one’s consumers. Last, but not least, there is an increasing demand on services on customers in the luxury goods industry so  that customers are willing to pay more money to receive good services with high prices, whether it is for quality or status. There are many other drivers of the luxury goods market as mentioned below: Tourists are changing their consumption habits, seeking out new destinations (e.g., Dubai, South East Asia, Australia) and showing more savvy in the items they purchase Each year, more â€Å"HENRYs† (High Earnings, Not Rich Yet) become potential customers, with ten times as many HENRYs as ultra-affluent individuals The rise of the middle class in emerging countries is polarizing the competitive arena, becoming a â€Å"new baby boom sized generation† for luxury brands to target. Absolute luxury items (consisting of high-end products with no logo, highest quality materials, and exquisite craftsmanship) lead the way Despite some recovery of spending on apparel, leather goods and other accessories will continue growing faster than other categories Watch consumption has sharply decelerated as retailers de-stock and as Chinese luxury consumers slow their purchasing Cosmetics are slowing down in mature markets, while still delivering growth in emerging markets High consumer confidence among the affluent, increased store openings in American cities, and intensive investment in linking physical and digital shopping are all fueling United States sales growth. The impact of 12 percent sales growth across Central and South America (notably Brazil and Mexico) will result in overall growth of five to seven percent in the Americas In Asia, growth in China is stabilizing to an expected seven percent, while South East Asia will experience 20 percent growth driven by a wave of new store openings, and increasing strength and relevance of second-tier markets Japan returns to a strong growth story of five percent as the country’s monetary policy depreciates the yen and pushes local consumption Europe remains a challenge for the industry; as tourism slows, as tourists spend less per visit, and as Europeans, especially in southern Europe, curtail spending—Bain expects flat-to-two percent growth Middle East is growing at a steady pace, with Dubai continuing as the center of gravity and the only city attracting foreign luxury consumers (e.g. Russians, Indians, Africans) There has been many changes such as changes in who buys the product, c hanges in industry’s long-term growth rate, changes in cost and efficiency The driving forces can change the industry by 1. Superior customer experience Luxury will depend more than ever on word-of- mouth promoters who share their delight with products and experiences Consumers expect every interaction in stores, online, and on mobile devices to be premium, differentiated, and targeted to their tastes and preferences Marketing must maintain a persistent drumbeat of innovation in media and messaging to keep consumers connected to what’s new. 2. Flawless retail management Physical and digital storefronts are accelerating their arms race for offering more compelling engagement to wow the luxury shopper The era of the disengaged, formal shopping experience is ending. Shoppers now expect inviting and personalized service to welcome them into the store As store networks grow into new markets and tap new segments, the bar is raised for ensuring the right products are in the right stores in the right quantities. 3. People excellence Brands are investing more in top management talent from strategy to finance to supply chain to back office operations The store employee serves as brands’ direct face to shoppers, with brands expending significant resources on training and development of people on the front lines Luxury players are more and more putting the customer first in their strategies. Question 4. What key factors determine the success of makers of fine ladies handbags and leather accessories? There are many key factors that determine the success of makers of fine ladies handbags and leather accessories including these following elements: Coach, Inc. has consistently fashioned their product line to coexist with the newest styles and seasons. This Spring Coach is introducing a new â€Å"scribble line† that consists of a poly cotton material and bright colors. These new products were tested at fifteen stores and were â€Å"enormously well received†, says CEO Lew Frankfort. Coach Inc. is expecting to increase sales in February thanks to the new â€Å"scribble line† and Valentine’s Day. In an effort to keep up with the broadening competition Coach, Inc. has is planning to add up to nine more stores in the United States along with two more in Japan. Coach Inc. sales have been  helped by the recent innovative accessories such as the PDA leat her holder. The diverse product line consists of women’s handbags, key fobs, belts, electronics accessories, cosmetic cases, gloves, hats, scarves, watches, shoes, and sunglasses. By having a large product line, it allows for the company to diversify and differentiate. Similarly, Coach frequently introduces new products which are indicative of a commitment to diversifying its product lines. Coach’s diverse product line Thanks to the changes to Coach’s strategy and operations to build a sizeable lead in the â€Å"accessible luxury† segment of the leather handbags and accessories industry a solid performer in Sarah Lee’s business lineup, in October 2000, spinning off Coach through an IPO is a part of a restructuring initiative designed to focus the corporation on food and beverages. Therefore, Coach Inc. proved the ability to manufacture high quality products while increasing margins by outsourcing production to lower cost markets and Coach did in having around 80% of its products outsourcing in 2000. The evidence for that is the quadrupled growth in annual sales was from $555 million in 1999 to more than $4.2 billion in 2012, reflecting their success in identifying and capitalizing quickly on opportunities for growth. The coach brand is one of the most recognized handbag and accessory brands in the World. Coach is committed to leading the fine accessories market by designing and producing the finest quality of accessories including handbags, luggage, travel accessories, wallets, outerwear, eyewear, gloves, scarves, and fine jewelry for both men and women. Using a multi-channel distribution strategy Coach is presently able to have 200 stores in the United States alone with locations in eighteen countries outside the United States, as well as a full colored catalogue and an online store at www.coach.com. Online store of Coach A well-known and well-respected brand name is clear advertising. The Luxury Institute rated Coach’s advertisements atop their ranking for print advertisements in regards to the overall Luxury Ad Effectiveness Index in 2006. Wealthy consumers said that Coach’s message were â€Å"bold and to the  point† and â€Å"extremely eye catching† with its use of black and white photography and lack of other distractions. Coach is very strong when it comes to brand image. As indicated by the case, Coach held a 25 percent share of the U.S. luxury handbag market and was the second best-selling brand in Japan, with an 8% market share. To earn strong market share, Coach offers a â€Å"winning combination of styling, quality, and pricing† that essentially operates off the premise that they would target the new accessible luxury goods segment. Besides strong brand image, Coach also possesses strong distribution capabilities. For example, in the United States, Coach products could be found in approximately 900 department stores, 218 Coach full-price stores, and 86 Coach factory outlet stores in addition to sales generate from their website. Essentially a strong distribution network allows for Coach to position their luxury goods as accessible (without tarnishing their image). Coach has since it has distribution, product development, and quality control in the United States, Italy, Hong Kong, China, and South Korea. Coach currently uses a multi-channel distribution strategy. The products are sold through direct mail catalogs, on-line store, e-commerce websites, 200 retail stores and its 76 factory stores. The catalog has had increasingly popularity and has been an important advertising and sales tool for Coach, both domestically and abroad. In addition, Coach launched its online store at www.coach.com. Coach has also spread to various retailers and departments stores to increase sales. To improve and market the brand, boutiques have been set up in the department stores. Through this distribution strategy and advertising campaign Coach has become one of the most well recognized brands in the United States and is rapidly gaining recognition internationally, especially in Japan. With an established global brand, strong demand for innovation in technology remains high, Coach has introducing a new collection on a monthly basis. For example, Coach utilizes its website to generate sales worldwide. While some businesses think that web development is easy, maintaining a sophisticated website on a global scale that not only considers cultural elements, language, and product lines, can be a daun ting task. Besides web development, Coach also needs strong technology to maintain quality control  with its product lines. Because Coach’s products are luxury goods, consumers essentially expect quality with minimal defects. By maintaining and continuously investing in technology in order to innovate products and minimize defects, Coach not only assures quality to their customers, but also justifies their premium prices over one of the major problems facing all luxury goods – knockoffs. Coach is, â€Å"America’s number one accessible luxury accessories brand, and the fastest growing imported handbag and accessory brand in Japan.† Without marketing and design it would not be possible for Coach to receive such distinguished titles. In 2004 marketing and design costs reached 63.5 million. As a result Coach was able to penetrate new markets such as Japan and strengthen their position in existing ones. Coach recently announced the next phase of its growth strategy Japan. It involves capitalization on the significant growth opportunity that exists with the domestic Japanese consumers. The company expects sales to more than double during the next four years to over 80 billion yen by 2009. F urthermore, Coach announced that it is strengthening its leadership team at Coach Japan, or CJI, later this spring. Coach will also add two executives who will be responsible for all Coach retail and factory store strategy and operations. In addition, CJI will shortly be announcing the appointment of its first Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, a new position for the company. The Chief Operating Officer will spearhead logistics initiatives as well as oversee administrative, finance and information technology functions. To sum up, to determine the success of makers of luxury handbags and leather accessories, Coach need to have the significant key factors which there are the ability to manufacture high quality products while increasing margins by outsourcing production to lower cost markets, strong brand image, strong global distribution capabilities, diverse product line and strong innovative technology. Question 5. What is Coach’s strategy to compete in the ladies handbag and leather accessories industry? Has the company’s competitive strategy yielded a sustainable competitive advantage? If so, has that advantage translated into superior financial and market performance? 1. Coach’s strategy to compete in the ladies handbag and leather accessories. Coach’s strategy is  to offer distinctive, easy recognizable luxury products that were extremely well made and provided excellent value. The company has used the best-cost strategy. The company’s array of products included ladies handbags, leather accessories such as key forbs, electronic accessories, and cosmetic cases. Coach pursues this strategy by many ways: Coach positioned its brand in the lower part of the accessible and affordable luxury pyramid. This particular market provides a larger opportunity relatives to that of more exclusive brands. Coach targeted the top 20 percent of Americans by households’ income, as opposed to the top 3 to 5 percent targeted by most European luxury brands. Coach has focused on sales in China, Japan and the United States because these three countries lead global luxury goods spending. Coach has flexible sourcing. All of Coach’s production was outsourced to contract manufacturers, with vendors in China accounting for 85 percent of its products requirements. Vendors located in Vietnam and India produced the remaining 15 percent of Coach products requirements. Management control quality throughout the process with product development offices in Hong Kong, China, South Korea, India, and Vietnam. This broad-based, global manufacturing strategy was designed to optimize the mix of cost, lead times, and construction capabilities. The company’s procurement process selected only the hi ghest-quality leathers and its outsourcing agreements with quality offshore manufacturers contributed to the company’s reputation for high quality and value. Coach launched new collection every month. The market research design process developed by Executive Creative Director Reed Krakoff provided the basis of Coach’s differentiated product line: each quarter, major consumers research is undertaken to define product trends, selections and consumers designs. Monthly product launches enhanced the company voguish image and gave consumers reason to make purchases on a regular basis. Lew Frankfort said the increase was attributable to monthly product launches that â€Å"increase the frequency of consumer visits† and women’s changing style preferences of â€Å"using bags to complement their wardrobes in the same way they used to use shoes†. A retail analyst agreed that the frequent product introductions is â€Å"a huge driver of traffic and sales and has enabled them to capture the†¦customer who wants the newest items and fashions†. Coach sought to make  customer services experiences an additional differentiating aspect of the brand. It had agre ed since its founding to refurbish or replace damaged handbags, regardless of the age of the bag. The company provided store employees with regular customer services training programs and scheduled additional personnel during peak shopping periods to ensure all customers were attended to satisfactorily. Customers are allowed to order merchandise for home delivery if the particular handbag or color wasn’t available during a visit to a Coach store. 2. The company’s competitive strategy yielded a sustainable competitive advantage thanks to its strategy to have both full-price stores and factory store. In 2011, Coach had 345 full-price retail stores in the United States, which comprised 70 percent of its total US outlets. Full-price stores were divided into three categories-core locations, fashion locations, and flagship stores. Under Coach’s tiered merchandising strategy, the company’s flagship stores carried the most sophisticated and high-priced items, while core stores carried widely demand lines. The company’s fashion locations tend to stock a blend of Coach’s best-selling lines and chic specialty bags. Coach had 143 factory stores by 2011. About 75 percent of factory store inventory was produced specifically for Coach factory stores, the remaining 25 percent was made up of overstock items and discontinued models. Coach’s 10 to 50 percent discount offered a year round full-price poli cy in full-price stores. Handbags sold in Coach full-price stores ranged from $200-$500, which was well below the $700-$800 entry-level price charged by other luxury brands. So the buyers could get a branded product in an affordable value. Coach’s products price Therefore, Coach’s factory stores target customers who might not otherwise buy Coach products. Both full-price stores and factory stores customers were equally brand loyal, but there was a distinct demographic difference between the shopper segments. It means that each type of consumer does not affect the other. During these economic times, it may seem as though the factory store shoppers might reduce spending. However, these same economic times have little effect on full-priced shoppers due to their amount of wealth. This might be able to help Coach in its struggle between being an exclusive brand or just another common brand. Coach has many product lines- items with  appealing attributes, assorted upscale features. Coach Inc. designed and marketed women’s handbags; leather accessories such as key fobs, belts, electronic accessories and cosmetic cases; and outwear such as gloves, hats and scarves. Coach also designed and marketed leather business cases and luggage. C oach is production emphasis- build in upscale features and appealing attributes at lower cost than rivals. The outsourcing agreements allowed Coach to maintain a sizeable pricing advantage relative to other luxury handbag brands in its full-price stores as well.  Moreover, Coach is marketing emphasis. Coach’s wholesale distribution international markets involved department stores, freestanding retail locations, shop-in-shop locations, and specialty retailers in 18 countries. The company mailed about 4.1 million catalogs to strategically selected households in the US during 2006 and place another 3.5 million catalogs in Coach retail stores for customers to pick up during a store visit 3. That advantage has translated into superior financial and market performance both in the United States and worldwide. In 2011, Coach had 169 retail locations in Japan, which generated $748 million in sales. In 2012, Coach had 66 stores in China, up from 41 stores in 2011. Coach anticipated recording fiscal 2012 revenues in China approximately $300 million. Coach’s products were sold in approximately 970 wholesale locations in the U.S. and Canada. From 2002 to 2006, Coach has been growing faster than the handbag market in the U.S. This has resulted in Coach continuously gaining market share. Which, in 2002 was 19% and just four years later Coach was holding 26% of the U.S. handbag market share in the U.S. and also had total revenues of $2.6 billion in 2008, a 26.9% increase from 2006. As of June 2008, it operated 289 retail stores and 102 factory stores in the United States, five retail stores in Canada. This is not satisfying enough as Coach expects the number of factory st ores to top out at around 100 in the U.S. while the full-priced stores could reach up to 350. Coach’s wholesale distribution in international markets involved department stores, freestanding retail locations, shop-in-shop locations, and specialty retailers in 18 countries. In 2006, international wholesale accounts amounted to $147 million and have grown some 7.8 percent per year to reach approximately $230 million in 2011. Question 6. What are the resource strengths and weaknesses of Coach Inc.? What competencies and capabilities does it have that its chief rivals don’t have? What new market opportunities does Coach have? What external threats do you see that could adversely impact the company’s future wellbeing? Strengths Coach is very strong when it comes to brand image. As indicated by the case, Coach held a 25 percent share of the U.S. luxury handbag market and was the second best-selling brand in Japan, with an 8% market share† .To earn strong market share, Coach offers a â€Å"winning combination of styling, quality, and pricing† that essentially operates off the premise that they would target the new accessible luxury goods segment. Besides strong brand image, Coach also possesses strong distribution capabilities. The company works closely with its distributors to sell its products through domestic as well as overseas department stores. It also markets its products by making effective use of Internet, like sending emails to its selected customers and updating the information on its website in time. These retail channels truly boost Coach’s presence in global markets and promote its brand. For example, â€Å"in the United States, Coach products could be found in approximately 900 department stores, 218 Coach full-price stores, and 86 Coach factory outlet stores† in addition to sales generate from their website. Essentially a strong distribution network allows for Coach to position their luxury goods as accessible (without tarnishing their image). Another strength Coach has is the diverse product line consisting of women’s handbags, key fobs, belts, electronics accessories, cosmetic cases, gloves, hats, scarves, watches, shoes, and sunglasses. By having a large product line, it allows for the company to diversify and differentiate. Similarly, Coach frequently introduces new products which are indicative of a commitment to diversifying its product lines. Moreover, when it comes to the financial performance, Coach, Inc. has handed in a satisfactory answer to the public over the years. In 2011, the revenues of the company were $4,159 million, an increase of 15.3% compared with 2010. Besides, its operating profit and net income reached $1,305 million and $881 million in the same year, an increase of 13.5% and 19.8% over 2010 respectively. Finally, one of Coach’s greatest strengths is excellent customer service when it comes to taking care of their customers. In an effort to show value-added benefits, Coach  refurbishes damaged handbags and provides â€Å"Special Request service† to allow consumers to custom order a product if a â€Å"particular handbag or color wasn’t available during a visit to a Coach store†. Weaknesses With locations all over the United States, one of Coach’s biggest weaknesses is also one of its previously mentioned strengths: accessibility. With so many retail stores attempting to sell high-cost inventory, Coach inevitably puts itself in a situation with a high risk/high reward situation. Currently, the strategy has paid off because middle class consumers have started to purchase luxury goods; however, as the case states, Coach’s most loyal consumers visited the store once every two months and made a purchase once every seven months with an average customer purchasing around four handbags per year. While consumers are benefited in accessibility, the question remains when sales begin going sour, can Coach endure the high costs of so many retail stores and any left-over inventory? Coach has had a high level of inventory. As of 2011, the value of the company’s merchandise inventories was $422 million, an increase of over 16% over 2010. It is obvious that large inventories damage a corporation’s liquidity. Therefore in order to clear inventories, Coach may have to make a painful decision to cut prices, which could have an apparent negative effect on the firm’s profitability. Though Coach, Inc. is a luxury brand aiming at the international market, its operations heavily rely on American market. The evidence was that the US represented 74.6% of Coach’s total revenues in 2006. Such a market concentration may put the company at risk of having to suffer a slump in demand for Coach’s products caused by American economic slowdown or recession. Opportunities While Coach currently has a strong base in international markets, as standards of living around the world continue to increase, Coach can really exploit the opportunity to invest overseas particularly in developing nations such as China. In Japan, there are many young single ladies whose age is between 25 to 30 are pretty fashion conscious and willing to pay much more than their American peers for similar western luxury goods in order to demonstrate their good personal taste. So it is advisable for Coach to take the business opportunity of excavating such a vast latent market. The  Chinese market for luxury goods was predicted to increase to 24% of global revenue by 2014, which would make it world’s largest market for luxury goods. Along the same lines of globalization, Coach can increase its market share through development of sales via their website. While Coach currently operates an e-commerce site, it still remains to be seen on how sophisticated it really is. Coach could look into some potential new avenues of possibly adding some customization features or, at the very minimum, enhance the functionality and friendliness of their site so that they can generate sales from individuals not within range of their other stores. Threats As nations become more and more sophisticated in the ways that they are able to produce counterfeit products, one of the biggest threats that faces Coach is the ability of these knockoffs to serve as substitute products. To illustrate the extent of counterfeit goods, â€Å"in 2006, more than $500 billion worth of counterfeit merchandise were sold in the United States and internationally;† moreover, these staggering numbers illustrates the global problem confront many industries (Thompson C-106). This is a particularly dangerous threat to Coach because any time one of these fake products has defects, consumers, unknowingly, may associate it with a defective product. In addition, consumers who want their reference group members to think that they can afford high-end products may not want to pay premium prices for those products so they rely on the affordability of an identical product for half the price. As an American-based company offering fine leather goods, Coach has proved to be extremely successful in the domestic market. However, when the company launches its global expansion, it has to be confronted with lots of strong foreign rivals. So Coach should pay more attention to maintain its competitive advantages, or its dangerous competitors, such as LVMH Moà «t Hennessy †¢ Louis Vuitton S.A., The House of Gucci, and Hermà ¨s International S.A. will encroach on its market shares. Like most products, particularly luxury goods, Coach is impacted based on the economy. When the economy is down and consumers do not have a lot of spending money, so is Coach’s bottom line. In recent years, the consumers in the US have reduced their spending as a result of high interest rates and rising fuel prices. Under this kind of pressure, Americans tend to cut down their unnecessary expenses, especially the costs of luxuries. Consequently, the US Coach would lose a large number of customers which leads to poor sales. With luxury goods, consumers often find such products to be extremely elastic so dramatic drops in income will result in dramatic drops in sales of Coach’s product lines; moreover, this is particularly d angerous because of the high cost associated with maintaining high-cost inventory and facilities. Question 7. What recommendations would you make to Lew Frankfort to improve the Coach’s competitive position in the industry and its financial and market performance? Short-Term Recommendations Elevate Men’s Product Offering Currently, Coach concentrates on designing and offering women’s products, especially the handbags. The company only supplies the customers with a small part of men’s accessories which merely represent 2% of the total net sales.1 But in fact, an increasing number of men today have a great appetite for western luxury goods. They have the same desire for fashion products and prepare to spend much money on packing themselves. So Coach should do its utmost to meet men’s demands. Recruit Talented Fashion Designers Brilliant fashion designers are in high demand in luxury goods industry since a brand’s soul is the design of its products. So in order to set a good brand image as well as instill new vitality into the enterprise, Coach, Inc. needs to recruit more talented designers who are extremely sensitive to the pulse of fashion and have the ability to design a number of marketable products. Ally With Strong Jewelry Brands In many countries and areas throughout the world, Coach is considered as a mid-range luxury brand rather than a world’s top brand like LVMH, Gucci, Hermà ¨s, Prada and so forth. This phenomenon may be caused by Coach’s cheaper price. To compete against these powerful opponents and draw more attention from the upper-class customers, Coach can think about allying with a group of world-class jewelry companies to try to combine varieties of jewelries with its products. On the one hand, this practice is a sign of seeking novelty. On the other hand, it can also enhance Coach’s fame. Long-Term Recommendations Upgrade Brand Image In 2006, it took Coach’s 4.8% of net sales to design, advertise, and market its merchandise.2 However, the result was disappointing. The corporation’s reputation is still not as good as its international rivals. Actually, according to Coach’s performance in the past few years, it is clear that there is no big problem in product design and marketing, so Coach should take more advertising strategies into consideration besides Internet. For example, TV commercials, as a kind of cyclic visual stimulation, are much more eye-catching and effective than emails, catalogs and information listed on the websites. Curb Counterfeit Trade In international business, it is extremely significant for Coach to protect all its intellectual property rights so as to maintain the competitive advantages. Nevertheless, no matter how many efforts the company made, counterfeiting still happens frequently and shows an upward trend. At this time, Coach, Inc. should further improve the technological content of products to make it difficult to imitate and counterfeit. In addition, since Coach, Inc. operates in many countries, the company could strive to persuade the foreign governments to enact and amend their intellectual property laws, which can legally protect Coach’s interests. Expand in China As an emerging market, China has attracted more and more foreign investments from multinational enterprises in the past few decades. China is an ideal place for international investors because it offers cheap labor force, rich natural resources, huge potential market, as well as stable political and economic environment. What’s more, as a result of Chinese fast economic development, the number of Chinese customers who have a strong desire for the world-famous luxuries has dramatically increased in recent years. Thus it is advisable for Coach to set up factories and retail stores in China so as to both reduce operating expenses and better satisfy the growing needs of Chinese customers.