Easy Shop Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Easy Shop - Essay Example This trend has been all the more marked with the emergence of new urban centres that are more or less sub-urban in nature. With the creation of new urban centres and with the rapid expansion in the Indian middle class there is good reason to believe that retail businesses would do well in a country like India. This reasoning has led to the development of new shopping centres and retail businesses throughout India. This report will look into the survivability of Argos’s Easy Shop concept located in a suburb of New Delhi, India’s capital. The nature of the city and the nature of the retailer will be looked into to see the suitability of business. Furthermore, the cash flow statement of the retailer will be presented in order to discern if the retailer would be able to survive the current market conditions. The basic approach will be to contrast earnings from sales and the incurred costs. A worst case scenario or a pessimistic business picture has also been developed in or der to assess the survivability of the business if faced with overwhelming odds in the first year. The major expense areas have been identified realistically along with the local taxation scheme in order to present as realistic a picture as possible. 2. GURGAON CITY’S DEVELOPING ECONOMIC PROWESS 2. Gurgaon City’s Developing Economic Prowess Gurgaon has emerged as the second largest urban centre in the Indian state of Haryana becoming its chief most industrial and financial hub. The urban centre can also be looked at from the perspective of New Delhi’s suburb given that it is only a 30 kilometres ride from New Delhi. As such Gurgaon is considered as one of the four major satellite cities that surround New Delhi (Sustainable Cities Collective, 2011). The city also hosts the third highest per capita income in India (Behl, 2009) making it a particularly attractive place for launching a retail business. Most of the city’s workers are employed by Fortune 500 companies as well as local businesses in and around Gurgaon (Taleja, 2009). This ensures that the local population have high levels of disposable incomes which are essential to the survival of any retailing business. Disposable incomes are particularly higher in the younger generation so there is no dange r of sustainability in terms of business. Also the chances for disposable income to increase are on the rise given that Gurgaon is fast becoming one of India’s largest outsourcing hubs (Government of Gurgaon, 2010). Instead there are chances that operating a retail business in a financial and industrial hub such as Gurgaon would lead to expansion in upcoming years. This fact can also be gauged from the presence of over forty five different malls around Gurgaon that are only set to increase further in upcoming times. 3. Background to Argos Argos is one the largest catalogue merchants being based in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Within the geographic domains of the United Kingdom, Argos is the largest retail brand with over 800 stores around the United Kingdom. Argos is owned and operated along with its sister concern Homebase by the Home Retail Group. Argos relies on catalogue retailing and so offers a wide range of brands that it owns and operates thereby adding greater val ue to both the consumer’s purchase and the business. The more notable brands being operated under Argos include Elizabeth Duke, Chad Valley, Sun Pearl, Challenge, Alba, Schreiber and Bush as well as a number of other brands (Intellectual Property Office, 2012). Argos is now looking to expand into the Indian market using the Easy Shop concept which would serve as a retail outlet for the Indian market. The first retail store is planned for Gurgaon in order to enter the Indian

Marketing Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing - Literature review Example Also, the study analyzes how product placement is utilized in different TV shows and movies in, different countries. Also, the literature review will look at the effects of the product placement on the consumer behavior and how likely are the product placement to change consumers mode of buying a certain commodity. It is crucial for people to know how to use product placement positively (Johnson, 2009). Product placement is the use of diverse types of media to make people conscious of different products and services when they are entertained through watching. Its development dates back upto 1896, when it was used by Lumiere brothers in their short film â€Å"washing day in Switzerland† and they advertised soap. It was introduced by Henri Lavancy who was the film director and publicist for the soap company but, it became popular in the 1930’s when the sound movie was introduced. For example, in 1934 in the movie, â€Å"It happened One Night,† the star Clarke Gable featured bare chest and sale of men’s shirts reduced; therefore, use of the movie is a strong tool of product placement (Johnson, 2009). It gained popularity with the years, but in 1980’s, it became more successful when the movie â€Å"Extra Terrestrial† by Steven Spielberg advertised Reese Pieces and increased its sales by 65%. The 80’s was the turning point of product placement where there was a working partnership between the movies and the commercial sector. According to Mary-Lou, product placement is necessary because moviemakers need money for their movie production; therefore, they will turn to the commercial sector to provide the money and them to provide the services of product placement (Johnson, 2009). Product placement in Sweden developed in the 1990’s when the real first commercial commenced, this was due to strict government regulations on media operations. It has been embraced in the recent past, for example, where TV shows get spon sorship from the commercial sector in SVT. In Kanal 5, the home improvement show â€Å"Room Service† was sponsored Marlamastana which is the trading association of painters. To the broadcasters this is a way of decreasing costs. Therefore, all media houses in Sweden are finding it important to use product placement also; the moviemakers are finding it important to advertise in movies which is becoming popular day by day, for example, in the movie â€Å"Hamilton† 1998 sponsored by Statoil. Product placement in Seinfeld and other TV shows, in the TV show they use product placement in their episode making them come in a unique way. They have registered success in advertising. Also, in the James Bond movies, product placement has been used to show new car models and gadgets (Johnson, 2009). Product placement can be unethical when it brings negative influence like smoking, use of guns. For example, teens tend to smoke if the influential stars in movies do so. In conclusion, product placement has become popular since its inception in the 1930’s. It is important increasing consumers’ knowledge of products. The product placement is embraced in most parts of the world. Also, product placement is an important tool in today’s business where the movie makers use it as a source of sponsorship while commercial industry view it as a source of publicity and a way to expand their market. The Product Involvement Inventory (PII), developed in 1985 by Zaichkowsky is a good measure at construct development. It has shown

China today Essay Example for Free

China today Essay China today would not miss the inquisitive recognition of an observative eye. Ranging from the political, economical and social, China has moved from some of its early concepts, thoughts, philosophies and forms of ruling. Today, much more influence from the outside world has had major impact on the outlook of the modern Chinese people and their culture. To talk about China without reflecting about their ancient culture and the dynasties would be to do a great injustice to the Chinese people. Although, the concern of this essay is to look at individualism, thus it would be not possible not to generally mention the emperors ruling and the culture which has dominated China since 221 BCE. The Chinese society was largely an agricultural settled society that was propagated by the Confucius thought. Many of those who have written the history of China have at instances tried to compartmentalize it into culture, politics and society. This loses the value of their study since being a Chinese before the eighteenth and nineteenth century involved culturalism as opposed to nationalism. These are a people who largely had a shared identity and collective rituals. Confucius ideas, self development, among others and negative attitude to profit making had an impact and an expression of individualism. Culturalism impeded the growth of the state because it emphasized on ones ties to the family, region or city. In other words China was fragile due to ethnic nationalism which made it a very unstable state especially under the poke of other countries. The ethnic nationalism was responsible for the revolution of the 1911 because of anti Manchurian Han oriented ideas that they, Manchuria courts were not in a position to defend the Chinese people. It is at the twentieth century that China was faced by threats from Western and Japanese capitalism and imperialism. Therefore it had to define its position on the national stage and set itself a much a country to be consulted in matters of the world (Wang, pp ix 211). The importance of the individualistic view in the Confucianism tradition helped to set China in preparation of later developments and changing realities that could not allow it to retain the empire style. Thus, it is by the negation of Confucius ideas that led to the rise of new culture thus the birth of state nationalism. Closely following this era is the period of Chairman Mao who was an ardent socialist. During his time era, from 1949 it was considered behaving like a bourgeoisie when one showed interests in self. China was a collectivist state that suppressed the individual desires advocating for the society’s plight. The changes in China today are as a result of the government outlook reforms of the 1980’s. Mostly the youth in China mirror more of the Western culture more than the older generation thus sometimes causing conflict between the two groups. The Western culture has brought individualistic thought and perspectives that even in education politics and all other parts of the society reflect an outlook of self. In education as an example most the parents are urging the sons and daughters to pursue high paying courses for the sole purpose of personal better placement. Post Mao China has overcome the collective notions of the society to emphasis on individualism. No longer will you see workers donning the same color or style clothes (Robert, para 8, 9 10). The fact that the modern Chinese society was formed on the foundations of the West does not mean that the Confucius thought completely was exterminated. The power of the community is still in force as Wei-ming Tu puts it, that there is group solidarity which is involved decision making through consensus can d conflict resolutions. There is no distinction between personal and public lives of the people. The classical outlook of the family by the Confucius thought still forms as the major connection of politics education capitalism and social lives. This has the implications of a sense of duty responsibility obligation relationship independence and autonomy. Thus, in the wake of being the best person through self respect and dignity such a person does not fall short of having the role of taking care of his fellow neighbor family community state and the state. This is seen as the modern psychological approach to the new China in the fact that if one is found falling less of this, then you loose your place in the public hence a sense of personal guilt. It is therefore evident that the Chinese value collective individualistic aspects for the betterment of the society (Tu, pp 7, 8, 9 10). Bibliography: Robert L. , M. Ethnology: Generation KU: individualism and Chinas millennial youth, 22nd September 2005. Retrieved from http://goliath. ecnext. com/coms2/gi_0199-5616321/Generation-KU-individualism-and-China. html#readmore on 25th April 2009 Tu, W. Confucian Traditions in East Asian Modernity: Moral Education and Economic Culture in Japan and the Four Mini-Dragons. ISBN 0674160878, 9780674160873, Harvard University Press, 1996. Wang, K. Modern China: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture, and Nationalism. ISBN 0815307209, 9780815307204, Published by Taylor Francis, 1998.

The State And The Nation

The State And The Nation Although the two terms state and nation have different meanings they tend to be used interchangeably and identically bringing confusion to the use of the terms both in intellectual and popular discourse. The terms state means a legal and political entity while the term nation denotes a group of people that share common characteristics such as language, religion and ethnicityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ In spite of the difference between the two concepts of nation and state, the two terms tend to overlap due to many reasons mainly the advent of nationalism, Wilson fourteenth point which made the nation-state an ideal form of government and the aspiration to be a nation-state. This research paper will analyze the difference between the two concepts and the reasons behind the confusion about the two terms. The first part is devoted to the difference between nation and state by giving their definitions and the second part deals with reasons behind the confusion between the two terms. Before analyzing the difference between the state and the nation, the two terms need to be defined. First, the state is a legal and political entity that has five geographical components: territory, population, government, organized economy and a circulation system in addition to two political components: sovereignty and recognition. (Glassner and Fahrer, 31-32). Second, The etymology of the word nation as a Latin word natio means birth or descent' (Schulze,99), foreigners that are inferior to Romans, it also means a group of university students. The modern use of the word nation started in the 16 century to mean a group of people that share unified characteristics. (Visvanathan, 533) According to Hagen Schulze, the nation is a state of mind, a community that exists as long as it is willed and lives in the hearts and minds of its members and which perishes when it no longer exists in their thoughts and aspirationsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Nations come to know themselves through their common his toryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (99). According to those two definitions we can discern many differences between the nation and state. First, the state has many tangible components such as territory and population while the term nation is merely based on ideas and concepts that run the risk of disappearing if no one believes in them. In addition, unlike the nation, whereby the link between its nationals is a moral one: religious, linguistic, ethnicà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the relation between the state and its citizen is a legal one that is channeled through institutions. Second, the state is a legal entity that has authority, a government that represents its citizens and needs both the five geographical and the two political components to be recognized as a state. While the nation is rather an invention (Visvanathan, 533), that is based on history that is modified to serve the purpose of the nation even if it never existed as long as it serves the purpose of uniting people, this means usually turning such negative events in histo ry into positive ones. For instance, the state of Israel used the siege of Masada as a symbol for the glorification of the Jewish nation during their battle against the roman whereby many Jews preferred to commit suicide instead of succumbing to the Romans. Although historical and scientific research shows remains of pigs in the area, a fact which stains the event as it used to glorify people who adhere to Jewish law. Basically history is used selectively by any nation to advance its agenda (Gelvin ,6-9). Besides, it is not conditioned for a community to belong to a nation based on the entire cultural characteristics, sometimes one feature is enough. For instance, the concept of the Israel as a nation is based on religion while language and culture did not matter during its construction. While for the Kurds it is based language and ethnicity. Finally, since a nation needs only one common binding point between its community and the state needs rigid requirements, there are more natio ns than state to the extent that there are multinational states mostly administered through federal system such as Russia and India. Definition of the Nation State The term nation-state was invented to mark the homogeneity of a state in terms of having one unified nation. This term is going to meet problems as it A nation-state has been a mythical goal, often sought, but never fully achieved (Walby, 532) due to its impracticality. According to Saadia Toor The nation-state is a particular form of representative state, wherein it is assumed that the people who live within the territorial boundaries of a state are members of a unified community-a nation-whose corporate interests the state represents. (187) this term is popular among ruling elite and those who espouse to rule as it is The ideal composite of rule and its legitimacy in the contemporary world, (Saadia Toor, 187) For instance, the country of France needs legitimacy. This term brought a problem of making this type of state being sought by any nation in the world as term denotes that Each nation had a right to its own state (Saadia Toor, 188) The Reasons behind the Confusion between the Two Terms First, According to Weber since the nation means a community of sentiment which normally tends to produce a state of its own, (Reis, 252) therefore it is the nation (that) tends to create state (Reis, 252) the basis of this argument lies on the German nation building in which the state was built from the bottom. Even Marcel Maus defined the state as: society integrated in material and moral terms, with a stable and permanent central power, fixed frontiers, and a relatively stable moral, mental and cultural unity among the inhabitants who consciously respect the state and abide by its laws. (Reis, 253) The reasons behind this confusion between the state and the nation is due to the shared space which is regarded by the nation as a homeland and the state is a basis of territory upon it sovereignty lies. Another major source of perplexity in the use of the term lies in the concept of self determination which was brought by the fourteens point of Wilson to denote the right of any nation to have its state therefore the two terms became two faces of one coin. Furthermore, even the use of the word United Nations and league of nation before WWII creates confusion in the use of the term nation to mean a state. The use of the term nation in the UN is ironic because the organization is composed of states instead of nations. Nationalism brought together to be two faces of the same coin and an ideal form of government as it stated by Ernest Gellner Nationalism holds that they (nation and state) were destined for each other; that either without the other is incomplete, and constitutes a tragedy. But before they could become intended for each other, each of them had to emerge, and their emergence was independent and contingent. The state has certainly emerged without the help of the nation. Some nations have certainly emerged without the blessings, of their own state (6). Moreover, the emergence of nationalism after the American Revolution and French revolution brought an upheaval to the territorial state as it tightened the relation between state and society (Axtmann, 260). Before the two revolution, population used to pay allegiance to religious communities and dynastic realms but with the coming of the age of enlightenment people found nationalism to be a new way to be attached to their community and thi s brought the idea of the nation state as The ideal composite of rule and its legitimacy in the contemporary world (Toor, 187), which in its way brought confusion to the use of the two terms. Second, another important source of confusion is due to the fact that nation is becoming an important possession that any human being should have as it is stated by Ernest Gellner Having a nation is not an inherent attribute of humanity, but it has now come to appear as such (6). And regarding the date the state predates the nation even though the term exited for a long time because the modern meaning of the nation came into being only in the 16th century. In fact the A nation-state has been a mythical goal, often sought, but never fully achieved (Walby, 532), to the extent that even the countries currently hold to be nation-states are not homogenous for instance, one of the most insular country Japan has a minority of Ainu in Hokkaido as well as a different language spoken in Okinawa island, France has both ancient and new minorities and even Bangladesh which considered one of the most homogenous countries in earth in terms of religion has a Christian minority in Chittagong. Third, one of the reasons behind the confusion between the two terms has two with some shared characteristics between the two. For instance, as it is stated by Christopher Pierson: nations reflect claims of sovereignty at a particular level (not local, not cosmopolitan). They reflect the formalization of borders and the importance of a shared legal apparatus. They also evoke elements of the citizenship side of the modern state: rights shared within a particular community, authority deriving from the will of the sovereign people, the state as an expression of this collective will and so on (48). The example of Pakistan prior to the cessation of Bangladesh exemplifies states that regard themselves as nation-states in which the integrity-and indeed authenticity-of a nation-state were dependent on the existence of a bounded and unitary national culture, of which language was a crucial part (Toor, 186), which means complete disregard for the cultures of minorities that live in the country mainly the Bengalis, the same can be said regarding the Kurds in Turkey that were obliged to assimilate into the nation of Turkey Conclusion To conclude, the terms nation and state tend to be used interchangeably in spite of their different difference due to the belief in the right of each nation to have a state enforced by such concept as nationalism and self determinism.

Black and TV :: Art

Black and TV Have u ever thought about African Americans invalid with television? If not in this report you will learn about how African Americans have influenced television. You will learn about television shows that have effected television and also just certain people that have effected television also. Commercial television was born in 1948 as each of the three major networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC, began broadcasting. 1948 was also a great year in African American history with the desegregation of the United States armed forces to see Blacks in the American Military and an endorsement of civil rights in the presidential platform of the Democratic Party headed by President Harry S. Truman. (http://www.africana.com/tt_178.htm) As television news shows began to report seriously on racism and the fight for civil rights television's entertainment programs became even more white. Since its birth, the medium had avoided controversy. During the 1960s, as protests rose against both racism and the Vietnam War programming became less and less realistic. For example, some of the most popular shows on television at that time were Witches, Genies, and other Escapist Fantasy. As the cultural critic J. Fred McDonald pointed out, comedies such as Petticoat Junction and The Andy Griffith Show both set in the South portrayed all-white worlds in which prejudice did not exist. (http://www.africana.com/tt_178.htm) In 1965-a movie that came out starred Bill Cosby and Robert Culp both African Americans. The name of it was I Spy. The movie was directed to race mostly. By the late 1960s television began to come out from its fantasy world to present programming more in touch with the reality of the present times. The first comedy series to deal with race was All in the Family a show with a mostly white cast. At its head was Archie Bunker a racist. While some felt that Archie's use of racial slurs amounted to prejudice most saw the series as an important move toward realism particularly in terms of race relations on television.The Bunkers' next door neighbors were a black family whose characters were later featured in a popular spin-off series. The Jefferson’s which aired from 1975 to 1985. (http://www.engl.virgina.edu/~enwr1016/amc2d.html) Then in the late 90’s the TV World came out with a whole new channel BET. Black Entertainment Television, this was to make African Americans more noticed around the world.By the late 1990s more African Americans than ever were involved in the television industry, some in executive and production roles.

Urban Safari :: Free Essay Writer

Urban Safari There are times when having a brother with twenty more years of age, experience, and wisdom, can adversely effect your credibility. This is especially true at nine years old. I found this to be the case one Christmas day many years ago when my brother Tom came home for the holidays. It appeared to be the start of a special Christmas, for my brother was coming to visit. I was even more excited than usual for a nine-year-old boy at this time of year. I wondered what new presents would be under the tree? In the past, Tom always got me such neat stuff. I could hardly wait to start shaking the gifts and guessing. As usual, I was up before dawn, tearing into my gifts with all the fervor with which the drowning seize life preservers. My folks, along with my brother, had now joined me in the gift-opening ceremony. Saving the best for last was out of the question; it was the gift from my brother that I tore into first. My dreams had come true. My prayers were answered. There it was, bigger and shinier than anything in the display case of any Western Auto store in the world. It was a B B gun. Finally, I had entered the ranks of the big kids. The prestige of such a gift! I anticipated the glory of shooting my first bird. This was truly a present for a twelve years old, maybe even a teenager. While reveling in my grandeur, I hadn't noticed that my Mother was watching with obvious disapproval. Apparently she had other plans for the B B gun. "You can't shoot that thing in the yard!" she barked. "You'll have to go to the riverbed." With those words, I was instructed to leave the B B gun under the tree with the less attractive presents. "You can open your other gifts now. Tom will watch you while we go visit Auntie Mabel, and don't forget, leave the B B gun alone," Mom ordered. No sooner than they were out the door my brother grabbed the gun and headed towards the back yard. "Where’re you going?" I asked. "To test your gun out before Mom and Dad get back" was his reply. I thought this was a grand idea. Our back yard was full of potential targets. My brother's first choice was two cases of empty mason jars my Mom used for canning fruit.

Vote For Snowball: The Kosher Porker

Tulip Serbin Plansinis Vote For Snowball: The Kosher Porker At a time when food and spirits were low, a certain candidate stepped up to the hay mound to lift up such grief and depression. In his actions and improvements to better the farm, he made the harvest more productive, and led victory through a tough battle. No one would be a greater leader than Snowball. He supported animals’ rights, a continued revolution, and productivity. Shortly after the rebellion of Mr. Jones, to signify this exciting new change to the society of human kind, Manor Farm was quickly changed to Animal Farm.By Snowball changing the name of the farm, it now indicated that this farm was run and operated by animals. Not only did this show farmers the strength of the animals, but also the effecting power they could have. Snowball’s dream was to have every farm run and operated by animals. Snowball was very persuasive. Snowball persuaded the animals with the simple sentence, which said, â€Å"Sure ly, comrades, surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back† (Orwell 52)?To put his plan of a continued revolution in action, he then sent pigeons to all the neighboring farms to spread the word of the rebellion, hoping to get other animals thinking of the same idea. Also, the Beats of England song was being highly recognized and sung by animals and humans alike. Snowball was definitely a highly determined pig, and knew how to popularize his farm and its effecting power. Nothing could be more superior in a leader, than being â€Å"for the people†.Snowball was for the Animals’ Rights, and showed it prominent ways. During Old major’s speech, he came up with the idea of Animalism, where animals are highly acknowledged, and humans are shunned from the animal world. Snowball was the first pig to take any action in improving upon Animalism. Old Major had a long list of rules and regulations for the animals if a rebellion was to take place. Sn owball elaborated the long set into The 7 Commandments. The commandments were then written on the barn so that all the animals could see them.By doing this, all the animals knew what they could and couldn’t do. Every person (or animal) likes to patriotic to their cause or country, and snowball helped them raise their patriotism by making a flag. An organization or town or anything that has a leader†¦ could not be a professional name until a flag is made. By making this flag, it published and popularized again the power the farm had. Snowball also came up with very good ideas. The most important idea was the idea for the building of the windmill.In the story he said, â€Å"I do not deny that to build this would be a difficult business, but you would decrease your working time, and it would provide luxury to all animals† (Orwell 65). Snowball also liked to get involved. One example is he fought himself in the Battle of the Cowshed. By using Julius Caesar’s ta ctics he led his farm to victory. He knew how to lead animals very well. In the text he said, â€Å"War is War. The only good human being is a dead one† (Orwell 59). Snowball showed immense courage and definitely earned the animals’ respect for it.Snowball knew how to listen and treat the animals to their own wants and needs. Snowball knew how to get the â€Å"hay† rolling. Snowball was very productive. In order for the animals to have some say in the matter, he made up the idea of The Committees, which included The Egg Production Committee for the chickens, The Clean Tail Committee for the cows, and Whiter Wool Committee for the Sheep, plus many more. Although, the committees didn’t go very far, showing the animals that he (a pig) was letting the animals in the â€Å"in crowd† , showing something no other pig was able to do.Also, Snowball made the harvest successful. In the story he said, â€Å"Now, Comrades, let us make it a point of honor to ge t in the harvest more quickly than Jones and his men did† (Orwell 43)! Snowball was determined to make it a point that the animals could accomplish far more than Jones could do. By saying that quote, he got the animals excited to participate in the â€Å"challenge† of â€Å"Beat Jones in the Harvest†. Snowball also taught the animals education.Although some animals couldn’t get passed the 4th letter in the alphabet, every animal on the farm was literate. Indeed, they did beat Jones in the harvest thanks to Snowball’s supervision and Boxer’s hard work. Snowball supported animals’ rights, a continued revolution, and productivity. He also was involved in getting work done, such as fighting in the Battle of the Cowshed. He also knew how to get the work accomplished, but in a way that benefited everyone. Snowball in the end knew how to win the â€Å"popular vote† by â€Å"being for the animals†.