Managing Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Overseeing Conflict - Essay Example On the off chance that these three issues are tended to the office will have an expanded yield on execution. These three focuses advocate for both great working connections and execution. The terrible working relationship in the office is the reason for the not adequate execution. I would address the issues in the gathering since administrators in the association would be searching for a superior working connections and an improvement in execution. The issue on execution will be centered around having out and out the best execution from every representative. This will help move their concentration from difference to working. The right to speak freely of discourse will be routed to all workers who have the inclination that they have been isolated from dynamic and assessments in the office (Priscoli and Wolf, 2009). This expands the working proficiency and relationship since all representatives paying little mind to race will feel that they are considered as significant in the association. A decent working relationship will be an advancement of agreeable working between the representatives. To influence the three focuses, harsh admonitions and discipline ought to be actualized. End of working agreements and departmental exchanges are instances of discipline (Mullins, 2005). Representatives will react emphatically to the improvement necessities since their workplace and generally speaking execution will be improved altogether (Levine, 2005). The board of contentions is the most ideal approach to advance execution and efficiency of an association. Every single departmental head and administrators require compromise abilities to lead an association to anticipated

Themes in The Giver free essay sample

Topics of The Giver Broadly, the book The Giver, composed by Lois Lowry, is about how a kid name Jonas, conceived in the ideal world where there are no opportunity and shading, individuals there advances equality. Until Jonas establishes out that there are all the more then this network when he landed his one of a kind Position doled out at 12 years old. Being a recipient of memory let him realize that this present reality is excellent and bright; there are rights for each individual. Jonas felt out of line and want to escape from this catastrophe. In this story Lois Lowry needs to show the perusers that there is no ideal perfect world worked by people, f they have constructed one, there will have penances made. The older folks endeavored to assemble an ideal world yet some way or another privileged insights will before long be uncovered. Lowry needs the perusers to comprehend the impediments through Jonass Job, being the collector of memory. We will compose a custom article test on Topics in The Giver or then again any comparative subject explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page There are numerous topics referenced for the duration of Jonass life in the network. Im going to examine and depict three of the subjects, which are opportunity of decision, feelings and shading. In the Giver, Jonas lives in a network where there are no opportunities of decision. Everything is chosen, the older folks settles on all the choice and residents dont get to hoose. Consistently, there is a service for all ages. By the age of 12, they will get a task, which is their future Job for their rest of their life in the network. Each task was set, appointed; they dont get the chance to utilize their future Job. Jonas landed his Position as the collector of memory at the service of 12. (Section 7 8 pg. 50-71), In a frim, telling voice she reported, Jonas has been chosen to be our next beneficiary of memory. For the new-borns, there are names to the point that are decided for them at the naming function when they are conceived. Section 2, page 11-13) New youngster Twenty-three, the namer had perused. Lily. (Section 1, pg. 3) Jonas was cautious about, dislike his companion, Asher, who talk too quick and blended things. The older folks feels that having the opportunity of pick i s hazardous, (Chapter 13 pg. 99) I cannot envision it, we truly need to shield individuals from wrong picks. Consequently, they dont have any opportunity of picking, name, Job, utilization of language or companions and so forth. When Jonas gets the recollections from his preparation with The Giver, he began to get opportunity and rights. He felt so uncalled for and thought of dissent, yet the provider halted him on the grounds that the guidelines are quite a while back. (Section 14, pg. 113) The choice was made well before my time or yours The provider said In the network, Love doesnt exist, on the grounds that the individuals there dont have sentiments, they believe that affection is an improper wording that can't be utilized. (Section 16, pg. 127) Do you love me? There was a cumbersome quietness for a second. At that point Father gave a little laugh. Jonas. You, surprisingly. Accuracy of language, if you don't mind . Individuals in the ommunity need to have punishments in the wake of doing things wrong, so the older folks thought of a discharge for the individuals who needed to leave this network or they had done some genuine wrongdoings. Yet, turns out, they cannot leave the town, they essentially Just homicide them by deadly infusions. Which the individuals are guiltless, they have no clue about when he saw his dad (as a nurturer) executing one of the twins. (Part 19 pg. 150) He slaughtered it! My dad slaughtered it! Jonas said to himself. The second subject Im going to discuss is feelings. Feelings in Jonass people group re uncommon on the grounds that they are removed. Jonas was just about 12 when he got his first fantasy about observing her companion Fiona and needed her to be exposed. Your mother revealed to him that it was absolutely typical and Jonas needs to remove the pills to take the Stirrings. (Part 5, pg. 37) Its Just the pills, youre prepared for the pills, there's nothing more to it. That is the treatment for Stirrings. The pills in fact Just remove Jonass affections for Fiona. It shows how the older folks remove their feelings. They dont feel torment additionally, on the grounds that the pills can likewise have this capacity of removing torment. When Jonas turned into the mentor of the collector of memory, he began to encounter torment, contrast of climate, and bliss, outrage and so on. The sentiments that he never had, all originates from the recollections that the supplier had move to Jonas. Since just Jonas and The supplier thinks about genuine sentiments, Jonas felt desolate when he cannot communicate plainly with his loved ones. The supplier indicated him a memory of war, where there are individuals shooting one another, sanguinity all around the floor and is extremely tragic. At that point He endeavors to tell them that the war game that his old buddy, Asher (diversion partner) plays, isn't acceptable. In any case, his companions imagines that its lone a game and believes that hes being over-responding. (Section 17 pg. 132-134) Whats wrong Jonas? It was just a game, said Fiona. mfou destroyed it Asher said in an aggravated voice. Dont play it any longer Jonas argued. Im the one whos preparing for Assistance Recreations executive. Asher brought up furiously. Games arent your region of expertness. Lowry needs to show that feelings are exceptionally fundamental, on the off chance that feelings are missing, at that point it will be dull and Jaded. The third topic Im going to talk about is hues.

Book Riots Deals of the Day for October 22nd, 2019

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Analyzing The Dna Of Human Embryos Essay - 1568 Words

Scientists today are developing ways to edit the DNA of human embryos. Although people think the positives out shine the negatives when enhancing an embryos health chances, that is not always the case socially when the child is born. Parents create this picture in their mind of the perfect child that they want when they find out they are pregnant, this child most often times has eyes as blue as the sky, blonde hair like sand at the beach, and a smile that lights up the world like the sun. A dad wants a son to play football, but the son wants to do theatre; a mom wants a daughter who does pageants, but the daughter wants to be a boxer. When these details start developing in a couples mind they can get selfish. Parents can develop a child to have the characteristics they want them to have; however, that does not mean that is who the child will be. The children in these cases do not have a say in what they should have, they are not even created yet. Parents can be eager and obsessed wi th a child who has the best features and capability to do whatever it is the parents wants them to do. The spread of what citizens are calling designer babies should have limits to what guardians can choose to improve health chances is a right choice but enhancing all a child s characteristics is all wrong. Doctors encourage parents to edit the DNA of their child if it is necessary for the survival of the child. For Amanda and Bradley Kalinsky, the possibility of their child getting herShow MoreRelatedGenetically The Human Genome Manipulation Essay1237 Words   |  5 PagesGenetically Modifying the Human Genome Genetically engineering the human genome, also known as the complete set of genetic material, is now more than just science fiction, after 25 years of collecting and analyzing scientific research, altering the human genome is becoming a concrete reality (Yu-Wai-Man 1323). Genetically modifying the human genome is deliberately altering human genes for the purpose of producing offspring with those genetic changes. Understanding the history of genome engineeringRead MoreEssay On Gene Editing1389 Words   |  6 Pagessuccessfully edited the DNA of human embryos to eliminate a mutant gene of a heritable heart condition, using gene editing technology known as Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR). They focused on an inherited heart disease called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is the potential thickening of the heart muscle. The procedure consisted of using molecular scissors to cut out the mutation in the sperm right before it fertilized the egg. The embr yo then repaired the cutRead MoreDna Barcoding Using Coi For Species Identification For Conservation1573 Words   |  7 PagesDNA Barcoding using COI for Species Identification for Conservation Introduction and Literature Review The DNA Barcoding is becoming more popular in the present times due to its accuracy in the identification of different species. It has been approved to be more accurate than other taxonomic methods. The DNA Barcoding employs in the use of Polymerase Chain Reaction to magnify the COI gene. The amplified COI genes of the organisms are sequenced and compared with a known database of the organismsRead MoreHomework Assignment : Vitro Fertilization ( Ivf )1178 Words   |  5 Pagestechnologies or not. People believe that the procedures are too expensive, can cause health issues, give too much freedom in selecting the features of a baby. According to Stephen Baird, scientists nowadays go farther in exploring a human s body genes code. Having an access to DNA cells allows to search for specific characteristics of a future baby. It all begins from looking for different pathologies or diseases in order to create a healthy child; then it gives a chance to people to select a gender, characteristicsRead MoreThe Ethics Of Human Genetic Engineering1424 Words   |  6 Pageswith the aide of genetic engineering. Human genetic engineering refers to the process of directly manipulating human DNA to produce wanted results. DNA is a simple but very complex chemical that has the power to change the world and has begun to do so already. Many opponents to gene therapy fail to realize that genetic engineering has great potential to become very important in the biomedical industry. Though controversy exists regarding the ethics of human genetic engineering, it can produce numerousRead MoreVitro Fertilization ( Ivf )1519 Words   |  7 Pagesbelieve that the procedures are too expensive, can cause health issues, give too much freedom in selecting the features of a baby (Baird, 2007, p.12). According to Stephen Baird (2007), scientists nowadays go further in exploring human s body gene code. Having an access to DNA cells allows to search for specific characteristics of a future baby. It all begins by looking for different pathologies or diseases in order to create a healthy child; then it gives a chance to people to select a gender, eyeRead MoreIs Human Cloning Beneficial?2198 Words   |  9 PagesIntroduction Human cloning is described as â€Å"the creation of a genetically identical copy of a human.† Although human cloning has no record of being successful, cloning was demonstrated to be possible when scientists Sir Ian Wilmut and the rest of their research team successfully cloned Dolly, a sheep (Wilmut 12). This demonstration opened up a new area of science ready to be explored. If animals can be cloned, can human beings be cloned too? If successful, scientists would be able to clone human copiesRead MoreMy Inner Fish : A Journey Into The 3.5 Billion Year History1608 Words   |  7 PagesNeil Shubin, author of â€Å"Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion Year History of the Human Body† once said, â€Å"in a perfectly designed world-one with not history-we would not have to suffer everything from hemorrhoids to cancer† (Shubin 185). In his account as a paleontologist, Shubin constructs a composition about our body’s history using fossils and DNA to compare the physical description of our body to that of the common fish. Upon reading his detailed scientific accounts, I can easily identifyRead MoreIVF and Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis: Essay1048 Words   |  5 Pagesfertilized embryos are transferred back into the females uterus. Successful implantation of a healthy embryo into the uterine lining would need to take place for the woman to become pregnant. PGD enables reproductive endocrinologists to test the chromosomal structure of a three-day embryo prior to transfer to the womans womb (Werlin). The process begins by using DNA probes to biopsy the embryo at the eight-cell stage of development (Figure A). One cell, or blastomere, is removed for analyzing throughRead MoreA Study On The Lac Operon1332 Words   |  6 Pagesexpression. Question #2. Proteins interact with DNA through the major groove. Scientist have discovered that it is unnecessary for the helix to unwind for proteins to distinguish one DNA sequence from the other. The major groove of the double helix is where proteins bind to interact with the base pairs. The major groove is defined as the larger of the two grooves in a DNA helix, where the paired nucleotides’ hydrogen bonds are accessible. DNA-binding motifs are three-dimensional structures that

Linguistic Features of Language - 6234 Words

4 Stylistic Features of Language Speech communication employs a host of expressive means ranging from linguistic to paralinguistic and extralinguistic features. It is the natural language, however, whose systematic variation on all levels of its structure (phonology, morphology, lexicology and syntax) offers the widest possibilities of suiting its use to fit communicative functions of discourses in various contexts. Thus linguistic expressive means, which are systematically identified and cetegorized by linguistic stylistics (stylolinguistics), lie at the core of stylistic variation. However, it should be noted that as stylistically relevant are considered those linguistic variations which perform similar or alternative communicative†¦show more content†¦When combined, they impress a distinguishing mark upon users of language by which, together with their physiological traits (face, posture), humans are recognized as individuals (i.e.,  ´voice signature ´ which serves as an important recognizable to identify a phone caller, see also Individuality, 3.2.2). Also, an  ´accent ´ (i.e., a particular way of pronunciation, emphasis pattern and intonation characteristic of the speech of a particular person, group, or locality) identifies one as belonging to a particular region (e.g., Southern accent), social class (e.g., Cockney) or whether one is a native speaker or a foreigner (e.g., to speak with an accent) (9.3). The the three types of speech modulation (generally also called intonation) are important sources of stylistic variation: 4.1.1 Temporal Modulation. As to the temporal modulation, of significant stylistic relevance is the manner of pronunciation of sounds, e.g., free vs. lazy movement of articulatory organs which produces clear vs. mumbled speech, or careful (slow) vs. careless (rapid) speech which is manifested, on the one hand, by clear enunciation of words (e.g., in theatre performances, pathetic or elevated public speeches) or, on the other hand, by reduction, assimilation, slurring (e.g., in casual, relaxed atmosphere: Sapning? = What ´s happening? or dialectal (Pittsburghese) A:Show MoreRelatedEssay about The Relationship Between Language and Worldview1369 Words   |  6 PagesThe Relationship Between Language and Worldview There has been a raging debate over the relationship between language and worldview, and especially on cultural affiliations in different parts of the world. The main agenda is based on the origin of language, the unique features portrayed by humans, and its essence in the development of varying cultures, beliefs and practices. Different researchers have developed theories and arguments to explain the origin of the languages, its connection to worldviewRead MoreDescriptive Linguistics In Literary Studies By M. K. Halliday Summary1072 Words   |  5 PagesM. A. K. Halliday: In his essay â€Å"Descriptive Linguistics in Literary Studies†, Halliday (1970) explains that the categories and methods of descriptive linguistics are as much applicable in the analysis of literary texts as in the analysis of any other kind of textual materials. In this approach, he focuses the attention on the revelation and precise description of language features which might remain undiscovered because of inexact linguistic investigation. Halliday in his approach uses the termRead MoreFeatures And Formation From A Sociolinguistic Perspective1618 Words   |  7 PagesJie Gao Student No.13031802 English localised in London – MLE: features and formation from a sociolinguistic perspective Introduction As the largest city in Europe, London is not only an important node of the global economy, but also a hub of cultures with a significantly diverse population as a consequence of globalisation. People from all over the world come to work and live here, bringing their own unique cultural and diasporic characteristics to a multicultural society. Chinatown, ItalianRead MoreLanguage and Lexicon Paper1061 Words   |  5 PagesLanguage and Lexicon Paper PSY 360 August 13, 2012 Introduction Language as we know it is very hard to define because it is the linguistics of the language, but we know it is important for our life. It is very important tool to express my feeling and opinion, and we could know what others think about. As a result, we could make connection with others. However, have you ever thought why we can communicate each other? Do you know why human’s communication is defined as language and other animal’sRead MoreWho is Leonard Bloomfield?768 Words   |  3 Pageswork, the school of American Structuralism Linguistics appeared. Leonard Bloomfield is considered as the founder of school of Linguistic in America. He sat up the basic methodological guidelines to follow. He described himself as a behaviorist. Bloch described Bloomfields contributions as sophisticated and varied ones, With sample knowledge of the Germanic, Indic, Slavic, and Greek linguistic groups (1970) Language can be seen as a major part of linguistic behavior in any community, which refersRead MoreLinguistic Theories Essay1626 Words   |  7 Pagessignificantly role in language teaching and learning. The reasons for teaching and learning are different in each period. In some eras, a major aim of teaching and learning was making learners to be able to communicate. In others, it was essentially taught for the purposes of reading and writing. For these reasons, the studies of two linguistic theories, the traditional grammar and the structuralism were created. They can be viewed differences by views on language, language learning and teachingRead MoreInvestigation Into Real Life Incidents1542 Words   |  7 PagesUp until 1968, the idiom, ‘Forensic Linguistics,’ had not been used, and it is only since then that law enforcement agencies have recognised the importance that is has upon the ‘analysis of statements’ and of ‘courtroom interactionâ€℠¢ (Ollson, J. (2008, pg. 3-4.) In the past, the application of linguistics to language, crime and law, involved the enforcement of ‘Judges’ Rules’ within the legal system, in which suspects had to ‘dictate their narrative to police officers,’ then the officer would typeRead MoreThe Integration Of Officially Integrating Borrowings Into The Host Language1406 Words   |  6 Pagesintegrating borrowings into the host language and for speakers to casually use them in their conversations, all borrowings and creations undergo linguistic changes based on the features of the recipient language. The following words will analyse the phonological and morphosyntactic strategies used in French language contact situations. Phonetical change Every language has its own phonological system and therefore reproducing foreign sounds is usually a great linguistic difficulty. The most common strategyRead MoreTeaching Hel Is The Variation Of Language And Give Voice Of Ordinary People Speaking796 Words   |  4 PagesOur approach to teaching HEL is to embrace the variation of language and give voice to ordinary people speaking these variants. While we must rely on textual documentation for most historical samples, we do have recordings of older speakers in American English that continue to exhibit some of the same dialect features found in early Englishes. These voices are found in the interview data collected for the Dictionary of American Regional English, a six-volume dictionary of regional American EnglishRead MoreIntercultural Communications: Cultural Stereotypes And Communication With Foreigners1807 Words   |  7 PagesCommunications Introduction The relationship that exists between culture and communication is quite strong with the former having substantial influence on the later. Basically, all forms of communications take place under a cultural context since the linguistic features are influenced by the same. Aspects of greetings, gratitude, taking leave, and complimenting, requesting, giving apologies, turn-taking and apologizing are all achieved through some form of communication, either verbal of non-verbal. As such

Software Engineering †Payroll System Free Essays

Introduction Information System is processing of information received and transmitted to produce an efficient and effective process. One of the most typical information systems is the Transaction Processing System. Transaction Processing System collects, stores, modifies, and retrieves the transactions of a certain organization. We will write a custom essay sample on Software Engineering – Payroll System or any similar topic only for you Order Now The process of retrieving, modifying and transmitting data to be stored using information system is referred to as transaction. Transactions occur is known to be a part of records. All of these records were originally kept in paper. When a certain organization uses a certain transaction processing system, retrieving and transmitting of information will be available at anytime needed. The number and volume of transactions can be calculated for a given time period. Payroll System is complete Payroll  software  right from Employees Personal Information, Pay Structure, Loans, Reimbursement, Pay Slip Generation Printing, Salary Register, P. F. , E. S. I. , Profession Tax, Income Tax, and L. I. C. Reports etc. Added to the above reports, standard formats for annual submissions of PF, E. S. I. , and P. T. are also generated automatically. This  software  can be used by Industrial units, Distribution Agencies, Departmental Stores, Consultants, Business Houses and Contractors Etc. The developers of the  package  follow a predefined pattern so that the user has the ease of use and can utilize the  package  to its fullest extent. Care has been taken so that the  software  is as much user friendly as possible and any suggestions on improvements in this regard are welcome. The use of this  package  is a must for  personnel  departments in various Industrial houses since it will help in reducing monotonous manual labour and produce accurate results for salary and related calculations. Payroll System with Time keeping and Fingerprint refers to the records – paper or electronic – and calculations that you make to work out your employees’ pay and deductions under the PAYE (Pay As You Earn) system. It’s essential to a business or company that you pay your employees the right amount and on time – and that you make the correct deductions. So keeping accurate payroll records is really important. Now a day, Manual System is replaced into more advance and modern technology, just like the Manual Payroll System where the accountant, computes or process employees salaries through calculator. The way of saving files and important documents are only filed in filing cabinets that may cause loss of files when large amount of data are being received. In addition, it is not secured. And in fact, most accountant, uses same software of Microsoft office especially MS Excel. And with the use of this proposed system, a new and more advance Payroll System may be produced which can provide data security, prevent loss of data and redundancy and easier to access, accurate and faster to use. ABSTRACT Project Objectives The Software engineering course that we took this semester placed emphasis on the paradigm of extreme Programming (XP) techniques. Extreme programming is a programming technique that bases its values on simplicity, communication, feedback and courage. It encourages team work and constant communication with the client. The objective of this project is to put into practice the teachings that we have learnt about XP. Approach When we were first given this project, we met to determine how we were to carry out the task assigned to us. We drew up a time-line, discussed about the programming language to use to carry out the task, how the GUI would look like and also to make sure that we understood what was assigned to us. We finally settled for Visual Basic (VB) as our programming language. We got more information on what we were to do and set about completing our task, making use of the new ideas taught in class, and especially spikes. Achievement Our task was to develop a payroll system that would keep a record of employee data including their pension plan, union membership status, and taxes and also to be able to calculate the pay of the employees taking into consideration employee data. We have been able to achieve these task. The software we developed calculates the employee net pay from the deductions. The pay slip can be printed out as a receipt. Most of the bugs that we found and those that the clients and beta users found have been corrected. Any new bugs found will also be corrected and the software will be updated and released. Because we used object-oriented principles, modifying the software to fix bugs or add a new feature has been relatively easy. The Company name We believe that consistent quality results can be achieved only if the organization is â€Å"process† driven. Therefore, we have designed a standard process which needs to be followed by our development group for each project/product. A process audit is carried out by the quality department, and any deviations from the standard process are reported. We keep enhancing our process depending upon the suggestions of our defect prevention board, and the Following is the snapshot of our standard software development process: Related Document| COMPANY NAME Software Development Life Cycle| Requirement Specifications| Step 1: Requirement Analysis:   This is perhaps the most important step in the entire cycle. If the requirements are understood well and documented clearly, then the implementation becomes much smoother and less amount of re-work is required in the software. Functional Specifications| Step 2: Functional Documentation: After the requirements are known, we make â€Å"Functional Specifications† which mainly consists of specifications of the user interface and the reports. These are given to the client, to give him the knowledge of how the system would function to meet his requirements. The comments of the client are addressed and then this document forms the basis of Software Design. | Design Specifications| Step 3: S oftware Design: Once the functionality is frozen, the software is then designed to implement the same. A design specifications document is created which describes the overall software architecture and the components included in the same. The Design Specification also divides the system into smaller components (modules) which we can be treated as individual units. | Program Specifications| Step 4: Module Specifications: After the Design is finalized, program specifications are prepared for each independent unit identified in the Design. The development of modules is carried out on basis of these program specifications. |   | Step 5: Unit Development: Each module is developed on the basis of program specifications. The software developed is reviewed by peer as well as by SQA. | Unit Test Plan| Step 6: Unit Testing Each unit developed is then tested independently. Stubs are used wherever there is integration required with other units. The unit is first tested by the developer, and then an Independent unit testing is carried out to flush out unit level errors. |   | Step 7: System Integration Once all the units are developed, the system is then integrated together by the integration team. | System Test Plan| Step 8: Integration Testing This is the last step before the software is released to the user. The integrated system is tested on basis of system integration test plan to see whether it meets all the requirements of the system. The integration testing is first carried out by development group and then carried out by the SQA. The system is released only when it gets satisfactory quality rating by the SQA. | UAT plan| Step 9: User Acceptance Test Once the software is released, a user acceptance test is carried out in the production environment. The system is put into production when the user is satisfied with the results of user acceptance test. | Payroll System  Our Payroll System is specific to Philippine setting. It has a fully integrated attendance leave credit monitoring, benefits compensation management. It has an open-ended employee number capacity. It is ready for integration with any timekeeping device(s) or software. Its robust database capability can process large records with ease. TimeKeeping and Fingerprint System  Ã‚  The Timekeeping System works as the Bundy-clock component of the payroll system. The list of employees is imported from the payroll software. There is no need for an employee list encoding! The package includes a biometric Finger Print Recognition Device. The initial list of mployees is imported from the payroll software. It is just a simple â€Å"click† on the interface button. * Simple Interface with Photo Display upon Finger Print Recognition. * Intelligent Finger Print In Out Recognition, right on the spot for real-time verification of employees. * Fully Supported and Seamless Inter – connectivity with the PayrollPro. * Customized reports and fi ne-tuning is guaranteed for specific attendance-related company-policies. Statement of the Problem   In any company, it is very important to monitor the employee’s attendance or time for accurate payroll and discipline. Some companies and schools are using manual punch card to record the employee’s attendance while others are still using logbook. Traditionally, such information would be gathered on a site by site basis and transmitted by either manual or electronic means, to a central point where payroll would then be processed and other reports prepared. Oftentimes, the information was outdated by the time it arrived, delaying payroll preparation and requiring numerous employees to complete just that one task. Based on observation, Universidad de Manila is currently using the punch card machine and log book for time and attendance data tracking. But these systems are inaccurate and are less secured. These also have the following time keeping problems: 1. Lost card/ logbook – Misplacement by the time keeper. – Pages of logbook are crumpled and torn apart. 2. Buddy punching -Proxy attendance for others 3. Manual encoding of attendance to payroll programs and other frauds. | General Problem: i. How to develop an upgrade payroll system that can help the employee’s to lessen their effort and consuming of time when they using it? Specific Problem: i. What are the Benefits of Payroll System? An automated payroll system helps the company to manage its payroll processes more effectively. As an organization expands, the operations can be more challenging. The company hires new employees, promotes current ones to new positions, and terminates others. It’s hard for a payroll employee or department to keep track of all these changes by hand. An automated payroll system solves these problems because it captures and stores new hire information and processes payroll quickly and accurately especially we will upgrade their current system to a new one which is much easier to access data. ii. How the Fingerprints help the employees to lessen the time they consume before? Well Fingerprints help solve mysteries and crimes and such is because a fingerprint is unique because you’re the only one who has that pattern such as cuts, curves, and swirls. But now we will use Fingerprint as Time in and Time out to lessen the waste of time of an employee. They just need to touch the biometric and that is so easy than the previous system they use. Current State of Technology In a company, payroll is the sum of all financial records of salaries for an employee, wages, bonuses and deductions. In accounting, payroll refers to the amount paid to employees for working for a period of time. Payroll is crucial because payroll and payroll taxes considerably affect the net income of most companies and they are subject to laws and regulations. The primary mission of the payroll department is to ensure that all employees are paid accurately and timely with the correct allowances and deductions, and to ensure the allowances and deductions are paid in a timely manner. This includes salary payments, tax withholdings, and deductions. Pens and big notebook are usually used in logbook system. Employees will simply write down their names, time they log-in and signatures as their attendance. When the time of work is done or employees had to leave from their work because of an emergency, they will just write the time-out for completing their attendance for the day. While in punch card machine, the employees simply insert the time card or punch card into a slot on the Bundy clock. When the time card hit a contact at the rear of the slot of the clock, the machine could print day and time information on the card. Using this, employees can easily do the proxy attendance for others. Especially when you will need to calculate manually the taxes, insurance and any other applicable deductions and allowances in addition to each employee’s actual earnings. The advantage of using their manual system is that it is very inexpensive, with virtually no start-up costs and the disadvantage of it is that whatever you save on start-up costs will probably be eaten up by the amount of time it takes to process payroll. In addition, it’s very easy to make mistakes when processing payroll manually, and the penalty for mistakes, especially mistakes in taxing, can be very costly. Project Rational The study focuses on the Automated Payroll System that will help the company to have an accurate system that will lessen the waste of time when they use this system. This study will be the one source to improve the Technical knowledge in system in software engineering. This study will be a great foot step to practicing their ability in making an automated system and to their knowledge in programming. The computerized payroll software systems save time and money, they’re very easy to use and they’re also very practical. Especially for the employee, Computerized payroll systems are much faster and easier compared to the manual processing also quick and accurate it will be easy for Time In and Time Out and also it lessen the work load of the Accountant specifically when preparing the summary of their report and the computation of monthly deduction and net salary. General Objective Specific Objective: An objective of our proposed system is to develop a system that will eliminate the problem of insufficient and incomplete information. This proposed system will contain a different flow in calculating the salary, eduction and etc. that will eliminate the error. and also we provide a fingerprint to make a sufficient process when making a Login and Logout. To develop a payroll system that has a fingerprint technology we provide a fingerprint to make a sufficient process when making a Time in and Time out and it will be much faster and less of time for the employee and to the accountant. She don’t nee d to encode it in a spreadsheet because, it’s connected to the payroll so it become easy for the accountant. Computerized Payroll System File Maintenance The system provides the following: Employee File The employee file program is used to add, change view or delete employees’ data. Position Deduction File This program is used to maintain employee deduction records. Note: only employees who have adjustments, misc. earnings, or misc. deductions should have a deduction record. Deduction records that do not have a corresponding employee record will be automatically purged by the calculate payroll pre-processing program. Scope and Limitation After several interviews and observations, the researchers have come to identify how the payroll works. The aim of the research is to provide a specific COMPANY, a computerized payroll system. The proposed system will guide the employer through all the stages of the process. SCOPE The  System  is designed for the enhancement or development of Computerized Payroll System for COMPANY. It includes the features that can Add Employees record, Edit Employees information, Delete Employees record, print / Save the Pay Slip of each employee and Updating Employees information as well as the Weekly Salary, Cash advance, the rate per day, overtime, Gross payment, Net pay, and Deduction such as withholding tax and SSS, adding up with a log-in log-out process for security purpose. Moreover, with help file can be used by the users to know how to use the payroll software. Special Features Time Card Entry (Daily Entry or Summary Entry per Payroll Period) Automated computation of withholding tax * (weekly/ semi / monthly/ year-end) * Automatic computation of SSS/ PhilHealth and PagIbig Premiums * Infinite slots for user definable other income and deductions * Loan handling module for SSS, PagIbig and your very own company vales which effectively keeps track of each balances * Printing of Pay Slips and Payroll Register Report generation for SSS, PhilHealth, PagIbig ; withholding tax (monthly ; quarterly reports) * Automatic year-end recap of withholding LIMITATIONS On the other hand, this study limits only to the proposed enhancement Computerized Payroll System of the COMPANY. A proposed system which can only be access by authorized person. It does not support network topology implementation, online program or online transaction. How to cite Software Engineering – Payroll System, Papers

King Lear The Roles Of The Fool Essays - British Films,

King Lear: The Roles Of The Fool The Roles of the Fool in King Lear Fools in traditional royal households were seen as imbecils and jesters, nothing more. The older role of a royal fool, which Shakespeare adopted from the pagan setting of King Lear, was to correct minor faults and incongruencies in their masters. By detatching the Fool from a conventional fool's role, Shakespeare allows for the crowd's suspention of disbelief in the Fool's ability to get away with the comments he makes to the King. In the opening scenes, King Lear fails to arrouse pity from the audience despite the fact that he is the tragic hero. Enter the Fool in Act I, scene iv. The Fool's original and supposed role is that of an entertainer. Soon vernturing from this role, he provides the dramatic irony nessasary to close the gap between Lear's understandings and the audience's. The explicit and underlying roles of the Fool allow this juncture to occur. The Fool is used as the deciminator of ultimate truth to Lear, a representation of the goodness in Lear, and a manifestation of Cordilia in her absence. A gift of words is the Fool's only power. He speaks bitter truths to Lear in hopes that Lear will realize his folly. The Fool's commentary throughout the play is sad because he knows his statements are ineffective. The Fool attends to the King out of love and loyalty to him, Nuncle Lear, nuncle Lear, tarry! Take the Fool with thee! (I.iv.322). His concern is shown again when the Fool and Lear are exposed in the storm, Good nuncle, in, and ask thy daughters blessing. (III, ii, 11-13). The Fool is laughed at, not because he is foolish, but because he speaks the truth. Lear is told he is a fool for not knowing the nature of his own daughters. Everyone laughs, but it is the truth. The Fool plays the role of the provider of painful truth, a friend who tells the truth but is ignored. He gets away with comments such as, I had rather be any kind othing than a fool, and yet I would not be thee, nuncle and If thou wert my fool nuncle, I'd have thee beaten for being old before thy time...Thou should'st not have been old till thou had'st been wise. (I, iv, 176, I, v, 41-45). Eventually the Fool gets Lear to recognize the folly of his actions concerning his daughters, But yet thou art my flesh, my blood, my daughter; or rather a disease that's in my flesh, which I needs call mine . . . Mend when thou canst (II.iv.220-228). Not only is the Fool wise, but he is also committed to the side of good. His innate goodness allows him to portray the good side of Lear, Lear: Who is it that can tell me who I am? Fool: Lear's shadow. (I.iv.236-237). This indicates that Lear is incapable of seeing himself and solidifies the Fool's representation of Lear's good side. The Fool mysteriously disappears at the end of Act III, scene vi, supporting Lear. This represents the union between the Fool and Lear marks the end of Lear's blindness to the truth. When Lear calls himself the natural fool of fortune, he has recognized the folly of his actions and realized that he has taken on the role of the fool, watching everything without having any control over it. (IV, vi, 193). Lear's level of sanity can also be represented by his interaction with the Fool. In Act I, scene v, as Lear gets close to madness, he nearly makes the mistake of striking the Fool. Lear shows some retention of sanity by stopping himself and saying, Let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven! (I, v, 46). This is to say that if Lear were to lash out, he would be labled as mad. Lear's sanity can be measured again after he talks about taking revenge on his daughters, O Fool, I shall go mad. (II, iv, 285). In Cordilia's absence, the Fool takes on her role as the child. This acts as a constant reminder of Lear's folly in banishing her. Lear treats the Fool with affection and protection just as if

Essay on no idea

Essay on no idea Essay on no idea Abraham Lincoln Questions Who was he, what do we know about him as a key political figure in American politics?: Abraham Lincoln was a self-taught Illinois lawyer and legislator with a reputation as an eloquent opponent of slavery. During the Union on the brink of victory, Abraham Lincoln was shot and killed by the Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth in April 1865,; his untimely death made him a martyr to the cause of liberty and Union. Over the years Lincoln's mythic stature has only grown, and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest presidents in the nation's history. What is the Gettysburg Address of 1863? When was it delivered by him (not just the year!!) and what issues did it address? His Emancipation Proclamation, issued in 1863, freed all slaves in the rebellious states and paved the way for slavery's eventual abolition. Gettysburg Address later that year stands as one of the most famous and influential pieces of oratory in American history. On the morning of November 19, Everett delivered his two-hour oration (from memory) on the Battle of Gettysburg and its significance, and the orchestra played a hymn composed for the occasion by B.B. French. Lincoln then rose to the podium and addressed the crowd. He spoke for less than two minutes, and the entire speech was only 272 words long. Beginning by invoking the image of the founding fathers and the new nation, Lincoln eloquently expressed his conviction that the Civil War was the ultimate test of whether the Union created in 1776 would survive, or whether it would "perish from the earth." The dead at Gettysburg had laid down their lives for this noble cause, he said, and it was up to the living

How to bridge language barriers - Emphasis

How to bridge language barriers How to bridge language barriers A new dictionary is set to make sense of that most inscrutable of languages: teen speak. This comprehensive reference book, called Pimp Your Vocab, aims to allow bemused parents and teachers to comprehend such teenglish terms as owned (meaning embarrassed), smacked it (to have done well), and teek (adjective for very old; from antique). Understanding your child or pupil may help you to save face (though its probably best not to adopt these words yourself); but being completely clear in business communications can be the difference between winning and losing a client. Thinking globally In the modern world of global commerce, chances are at some point youll have to correspond with someone in another part of the world. We know technology can instantly transport information to just about anywhere on the planet, but are you sure your message will be completely understood once its there? If you are writing any work document (including any letters and emails) for someone whose first language isnt English, there are some rules that you must follow if you want to be understood. 1. Think of the reader and keep it simple This advice really applies to all business writing, but it is particularly important across language barriers. Use the most straightforward words and sentences you can. So, instead of saying, we have been thinking of implementing some alterations, please see them outlined in the attached document, try descriptions of the changes we want to make are in the attached document. Usually you should try to avoid tions (like description, recommendation etc.), as they tend to make sentences heavy with extra words. However, in this case its good to use them, since other languages often have recognisable equivalents. 2. Structure thoughtfully You want to make the readers journey through your document as smooth and easy as possible. Plan thoroughly first to make sure you structure it in the most logical way and use clear subheadings to guide them. If they have to work even harder by following a haphazard stream-of-consciousness, you risk irritating them and losing their interest entirely. 3. Be literal and explain yourself Be very aware of the language you choose. English is bursting with idioms (expressions that dont make sense from literal translations), like put the project to bed, cut the mustard and clear as mud. Avoid these entirely. What is an everyday term to us could well be utterly bewildering to your reader just imagine them looking up each individual word to understand the sentiment behind think outside the box or a different kettle of fish. Even such simple phrasal verbs as turned up and stand for dont make literal sense. Use came and represent or mean instead. Abbreviations and acronyms should also be used with care, or left out if possible. If you really cant avoid including them, make sure you explain them at your first use, or add a glossary. If you stick to these principles in your global dealings, you will reap the rewards. But when you do, just try to resist telling your colleagues that you totally smacked it.

Long Serving Members, Party Leadership and Committees in U.S Congress Essay

Long Serving Members, Party Leadership and Committees in U.S Congress - Essay Example An institution should never work for a particular segment of people alone. It should work for the wellbeing of all the people. This paper analyses American Congress as an institution with its long-serving members, party leadership and committees. First, and foremost, Congress is sometimes called the "People's Branch," because it is so close to the electoral process and, hence, the voters. Whereas the entire Executive Branch has two elected officials, president and vice president (and they run together as a team), the population of Congress results from 535 separate elections. Members can rarely rest from fund raising or campaigning. Every two years, about 470 of those seats are up for reelection--all of the House and 1/3 of the Senate (Weingarten). Before analysing Congress as an institution, it is necessary to know what an institution is. Institution is often become a controversial word. It has no standardized definition. Different people define the term institution in different way s. According to James Pedlar (2011), â€Å"An institution is a changeable, but permanent, product of purposive social role behaviour which subjects the individual to obligations, gives him formal authority and possesses legal sanctions† (Pedlar). If this definition is true, one can safely say that American Congress is definitely an institution at least in principle. It should be noted that none of the Congress members are permanent and each of them are elected for a specific period only. At the same time, one should not be forgotten that American congress is a permanent entity even though its members are changing periodically. All the congressmen have some kind of obligations towards the country and also towards the people the constituencies they represent. Moreover, each congressman has some kind of power given to them by the American constitution. In short, American Congress satisfies all the requirements of an institution. At the same time, it should be noted that some of the members of American congress have already crossed 50 years service as Congressman. For example, Robert Byrd, who died at the age of 92 recently, had served American Congress for around 52 years. Same way more than 25 members of the current Congress have crossed more than 35 years of service in Congress. These statistics clearly suggest that even though a prescribed term was there for the Congressmen, many of them were able to continue in Congress for very long periods. This is because of the fact that American constitution allows a person to compete elections to Congress as many times he likes. Even though presidential term is fixed to two terms maximum, such restrictions are not there for the congressmen. That is why many people argue that American Congress is not at all an institution since many of its members remain the same for a longer period. As everybody knows, conservatives and Democrats are two of the major political parties in American Congress. The leadership of these parties in the Congress will be elected by the party conferences. One of the will be the majority party leader whereas the other would be the minority party leader. At present, Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky are working as the floor leaders in

Anzia yezierska struggle for independence in the new world and her Research Paper

Anzia yezierska struggle for independence in the new world and her strategy on being successful - Research Paper Example She struggles to rise out of the poverty of the New York City ghetto, to have cleanliness and space for herself. She also struggles with the desire for secular education, while continuing to respect her father's strict religion. Most importantly, Sara is struggling to be able to make her own choices. She desires independence and free-will and she is willing to work hard to achieve it. The novel's ending is controversial, though Sara does get the happily-ever-after ending the American dream promises to all immigrants. The youngest of nine children in a devoutly Jewish family, Anzia Yezierska was born in the Russian-Polish village Plinsk, near Warsaw, between 1880 and 1885. The exact date of her birth is unknown and Yezierska, herself, was constantly lying about her age to further convolute the biography. Her family immigrated to the United States in the early 1890's, joining an older brother who had moved several years earlier. Yezierska was given the name Harriet Mayer by her new gov ernment, though she went by Hattie at first and then reassumed Anzia in her late twenties. Her family moved to the Lower East Side of Manhattan, a largely Jewish ghetto, where Yezierska would later find inspiration in the crowded, bustling Hester Street for her writing. The crowded tenement her family lived in, as well as all the unfortunate idiosyncrasies of living in such close proximity to your family members and your neighbors is reproduced in Bread Givers as well as her other novels. Yezierska's writing, as well as her struggle for independence, personal space, cleanliness, education and financial security come from this period of her life (Horowitz). Yezierska's father, Baruch, also reproduced in Bread Givers, was a talmudic scholar and valued the study of sacred books over any work that would financially support his family. The task of bread-winning fell on Yezierska's mother and subsequently, their nine children as soon as they were able. Extreme poverty, coupled with the fa ct that their religion does not respect the educational aspirations of women, caused Yezierska to attend elementary school for only two years. She finally moved into the Clara De Hirsch Home for Working Girls, determined to gain her independence. Choosing education as the route away from her parents and their old world beliefs, Yezierska forged a high school diploma and was admitted to Columbia University's Teachers College and given a scholarship. Yezierska was said to have wanted to become a â€Å"domestic science teacher to help better her people,† though she only taught elementary school for five years before turning to fiction as a career. Her determination to acquire an education and carve her own way in her new country is evident in every phase of her life. By placing her desire for education above everything else she was able to earn a living for herself and earn a good reputation in her community. (Horowitz). In the novel, Bread Givers, Sara Smolinsky struggles with many of the same issues as Yezierska. The tenement the Smolinsky family lives in on Hester Street is incredibly crowded and cleanliness is something often strived for, though never fully achieved. They're so poor that when Mother comes home to find ten-year-old Sara peeling potatoes for dinner, with all the weight of the families hardships upon her young shoulders, she reprimands her wastefulness. â€Å"

The Abuse Of Power In Night And The Pearl

The Abuse Of Power In Night And The Pearl In the story Night by Elie Wiesel and The Pearl by John Steinback, I will be explaining, action,reasons, and the consequences of abuse of power in an excessive or unreasonable way. In Night I will be talking about Elieze and his father the abuse of power they experienced. In The Pearl I will be talking about Kino, and his family, the abuse they received by someone else having the power. In The Pearl Kino and Juana are also experiencing abuse of power. Have you money to pay for the treatment. (pg.11) this is the abuse uneducated, poor people, like Kino and Juana go through, for not having enough money to pay the doctor. Coyotito, Kinos son was stung by a scorpion and could not be attended by a doctor, because his parents cannot afford to pay. The doctor has gone out, he said. He was called to a serious case. He shut the gate quickly out of shame. (pg.12) the doctor abuses his power by helping only the clients with money, and putting aside the poor like Kino, Juana and Coyotito. Moishe the Beadle, was afraid that nobody would believe the massacre he experienced, as it turns out Moishe was right and nobody believed him. But now a young man named Elieze along with his family is experiencing the abuse of power by the Germans and the Hungarian police. We no longer had the right to frequent restaurants or cafes, to travel by train, to attend synagogue, to be on the streets after six o clock in the evening. Then came the ghettos. (pg.11) Elieze and his family are now prisoners in their own home, having to live by others rules. Sighet was divided into two ghettos, and every home was well watched and every window facing the street had to be sealed. Elieze and his family are now worried after finding out that, they will transferred to a unknown place. The ghetto was to be liquidated entirely; departures were to take place, street by street, starting the next day. (pg.13) The Germans are abusing their power and making everybody in Sighet fear for their lives, not know ing where they are going to be taken. That was asecret, a secret for all, except one: the president of the Jewish council. But he would not tell, or could not tell. The Gestapo had threatened to shoot him if he talked. (pg.13) everybody is waiting to find out what will happen, and what awaits them, after being imprisoned in their own homes unjustly by the Germans. Kino and Juana go fishing one day for oysters. Kino dives down into the water and starts to pull oysters off the hummock where they live. After opening all the oysters Kino opens the biggest one of all and finds a big shinny pearl inside. News of Kinos finding travels quickly into the ears of the doctors. He is a client of mine, the doctors said; I am treating his child for a scorpion sting. (pg.22) Now that the doctor knows Kino has money to pay for CoyotitoÂÂ ´s scorpion sting. The doctor decides that he will cure Coyotito, because Kino can now afford to pay him. The doctor is taken advantage of his power. The pearl was a sign of evil from the first time Kino found it. And suddenly he was afraid of his talking; his hand closed down over the pearl and cut the light away from it. Kino was afraid as a man is afraid who says, I will without knowing. (pg.26) the pearl as Kino and Juana start to notice is nothing but problems for them. One night after someone breaks into Juanas and Kinos home, Juana begs Kino to throw the pearl away. Throw it away; Kino let us break it between stones. Let us bury it and forget the place. Let us throw it back into the sea. It has brought evil. Kino, my husband, it will destroy us. (pg.38) Juana just wants to live in peace the way they lived before finding the pearl. Finally Kino and Juana take the pearl to sell it because they know people will try to take advantage of them. They are followed by the whole town, Now the dealers glanced quickly at one another, they knew they had played too hard, they knew they would be disciplined for their failure. (pg.52) the dealers try to take advantage of Kinos knowledge; they think they can convince him the pearl is not worth anything. Kino is aware of their evil intensions so he decides not to sell the pearl for the fifteen hundred pesos they offeredhim. The time has come you must leave all this, Hungarian police used their rifle butts, their clubs to indiscriminately strike old men and women, children and cripples. (pg16) The moment they have been waiting for has finally come. They are brutally being forced out of their homes by the Hungarian police and the Germans, the citizens are sacred and do not understand the cause of the police brutality. All the Jews, outside hurry (pg16) the citizens, are being lined up outside the street, so the police can take roll call They are forced to stand outside in the hot sun with no water. The heat was oppressive, sweat steamed from peoples faces and bodies children were crying for water. (pg16) Everyone has to wait in the hot sun for hours. Cruel and brutally is how the Germans are treating these poor people, not being able to stand up t o a higher power, the Germans are abusing their power on innocent people. Oh God Master of the Universe, in your infinite compassion have mercy on us. (pg20) El ieze after seeing his father cry for the first time in his life realizes this is not a game it is not a dream; all Elieze can do now is pray for all the injustice, pray and hope that this is just a big misunderstanding. Elieze cannot believe what they are being put through. We walked towards the station, where we were going to be taken by the Gestapo. After a long ride the train had finally come to a stop. In the air, the smell of burning flesh, it must have been around midnight, we had arrived in Birkenau. (pg28) The SS man came forward hitting and telling everyone to leave all the objects behind in the wagon. Their only things of value they had brought along had to be left behind Men to the left, women to the right. (pg29) This was the harsh reality, the moment when Elieze had been separated from his family, not knowing whether this was going to be the last time they would ever see each other. Elieze was scared and did not want to separate from his family. The threats continue for Kino and his family, the pearl has now become a real problem. Kino was attacked outside his own home by some stranger; Kino had no choice but to take a life to protect his family, killing a man for this reason Kino had to leave his home town. Kino was going to be wanted by these men and decided to leave It bit through neck and deep into the chest, and Kino was a terrible machine now.(pg86) This is what Kino has been driven to do, after being chased all over the place by some trackers trying to take his pearl and kill his family, Kino had no choice running out of places to hide Kino had to kill again. Kino had become as cold and deadly as steal.(pg87) After being pushed to the limit, Kino finally got tired and had to push back. Kino was tired of running, being scared, and treated like a dog. Worst of all Coyotito was shot, and killed by one of the trackers, causing Kino to lose his temper and go crazy. Kino killed the tracker with the rifle and with the same r ifle Kino killed the other two trackers. Sons of bitches, why have you come here? (pg30) The search for the truth is finally over, after a SS officer tells Elieze and the rest of the prisoners, why they have been brought to the concentration camp, and the terrible things that await them. You will be burned! With no compaction, you will be burned to cinder! Turned into ashes! (pg34) Elieze is stunned, and petrified at the news of being burned alive, how can the Germans be so cruel and cold hearted to just kill people for no reason, this is all a horrible nightmare for Elieze and the prisoners. A truck drew close and unloaded its hold, small children, Babies! Yes I did see this, with my own eyes.(pg32) Elieze cannot believe his eyes, how can something so incredible to believe be happening, and why doesnt anybody do something about this terrible nightmare. Why doesnt the world know about this horrible place, that is burning human being, and little defenseless children alive? If that is true, then I dont want to wait, ill run i nto the electrified barbed wire. That would be easier that slow death in the fire. (pg33) Elieze is now panicking and thinking of a better death, than to be burned alive. If he is going to die then he wants to have control over his own death. Now Elieze and his father are prisoners having to work and wait for their turn to be thrown into the crematorium, and be burned alive. As they approach the flames, they are ordered to go back to the barracks and wait to be transferred to another camp site. We had arrived in Buchenwald.(pg103) Elieze s father at this point cannot go on any further; he is tired, sick, and weak from all the beatings and cruelty the prisoners have been putting him through. They said that we were sick, that we would die, soon and that it would be a waste of food. (pg107) The guards did not feed Eliezes father because he is about to die, for the guards Eliezes father is just another body to throw away, they are just waiting for him to die so they can get rid of him. His last word had been my name.(pg112) Eliezes father could not fight any longer, after having a strong fever, he had started to hallucinate he could no longer go on dying on January 29. The resistance movement decided at that point to act.(pg1 15) Americans have penetrated into the camp and caused the SS to flee, and leave the prisoners behind. At six oclock that afternoon, the first American tank stood at the gates of Buchenwald.(pg115) the nightmare was over, just like that Elieze was a free man, he and the prisoners had been rescued from death. Not wanting to celebrate all Elieze wanted to do is eat some bread, he was dying of hunger and the way he wanted to celibate was by eating. From the depths of the mirror, a corps was contemplating me; the look in his eyes as he gazed at me never left me.(pg115) after so long of not eating right and being over worked like a slave, Elieze for the first time and could not believe it was him. In conclusion life is unexpected, and uncertain. The message The Pearl and Night give us is to never give up, to always keep fighting in what we believe. To stand up for our selves, and if possible to not allow others to control or take advantage over us. If we fall, to get up again to not allow miner speed bumps to slow us down. Fight for our right, our equality, and most importantly our freedom. These two amazing stories show us how brave and how much a human being can endure, under constant beatings and such cruelty by other human beings. This is a reminder to enjoy our life to the fullest, because any day our life, our luck can change so be happy with what we have and be grateful.

Billabong Case Study

Introduction Billabong International Limited (BBG) produces surf wear, sports apparel and accessories for the surf, skate and snowboard markets (Macquarie, 2012). The firm recorded an 18. 4% decrease in net profit to A$119. 1 million in 2011 (Billabong Shareholder Review 2010/2011). After intense acquisition efforts, which saw Billabong buying over 11 brands (Appendix A), the company was forced to undergo a major restructuring, closing 150 stores and cutting 400 jobs worldwide (AAP, Feb 2012).The report will be analyzing the Billabong brand, specifically its surf wear in Australia, to identify the underlying crucial issues that must be addressed. Current opportunities and threats that Billabong can leverage on will be prioritized, then weighed against the firm’s internal strengths and weaknesses in order to increase sales. Solutions in line with Billabong’s mission of striving to set new benchmarks through youthful lifestyle brands and experiences will be explored. Situ ation Analysis & Problem IdentificationTo identify the key issues and opportunities that Billabong is facing, an analysis was conducted on the following five areas. Appendix B shows the consolidated list of issues Billabong faces. 1. Customers (Appendix C) The Customer Experience Cycle was used to identify key opportunities such as improving the Purchase context through greater interactivity with customers. Another opportunity was to promote an eco-friendly way to dispose of used products while gaining rewards. 2. Competitors and Context (Appendix D, E & F)A PEST analysis of the Australian market reveals a demographic shift to the under -15s market (Euromonitor 2012), which was an opportunity for Billabong to target. Using Porter’s Five Forces (Appendix E), a Positioning Map and Competitor Threat Analysis (Appendix F) to analyse the boardsport industry confirmed that competition from a few big surf brands was high and that all had a strong brand following and highlighted the need to differentiate its products from them. 3. Company (Appendix G) The Balanced Scorecard was used to measure Billabong’s performance.They had high brand awareness of 86% in Australia but a lower conversion rate of 46% (Billabong 2012), which presents an opportunity to target those already aware of Billabong. 4. Collaborators (Appendix H) Billabong has yet to explore the opportunity to â€Å"unsource†, allowing for customer collaborations in designing boardshorts. Another area to explore could be coopetition with surf brands to tackle problems which affect the surf wear industr y. Through an opportunity and threat matrix, the consolidated lists of issues were prioritized. Opportunity Matrix Threat MatrixThose with the highest probability of success and attractiveness in the Opportunity Matrix and those with highest probability of occurrence and seriousness in the Threat Matrix were taken into consideration as key issues. Those chosen were the most pressing issues th at Billabong would be able to address with a good chance of success. Key Issues/Opportunities Key Objectives Undifferentiated surf wear products To produce a new product line that is among competitors not available by other surf wear brands by 2013. Low conversion rate despite high brand To increase conversion rate to 52% and awareness brand loyalty by 7% by 2014.Surf wear is declining in popularity as a To revive the popularity of surf wear as form of casual apparel due to increasing casual wear and increase sales by 10% availability of cheaper alternatives from the 34% of Active Lifestyle consumers. Australians are increasingly To create an environmentally friendly environmentally conscious product range by end of 2012. Shifting demographics to under 15s Create activities for consumers under 15s to garner 50% brand awareness by 2014. Solution Scenarios & Implications Solutions to the identified key issues/opportunities were gathered from the Active SWOT, ERRC Grid and CEC (Appendi x I, J, C).The What if analysis (Appendix K) was used to consolidate the solutions. Active SWOT Scenario 1 Building a new Billabong Customer Experience Key Issues Addressed With the main objective of increasing conversion rate by 6%, Billabong physical stores will be revamped to offer 1. Low conversion rate despite a new surf experience for customers. high brand awareness The Sense Value, from the CEC, is an important factor 2. Undifferentiated surf wear products among competitors 3. Shifting demographics to under 15s in the retail experience as stimulating the five senses causes it to be memorable and engaging.As identified in the ERRC grid, Billabong Surf Villages will be constructed at popular surf beaches to be closer to potential customers. A surf school will be created to give under 15 year old customers surfing lessons and to introduce them to Billabong’s products through a starter kit. Interactivity and a multisensory experience in physical stores will be implemented through surfboard simulators so that customers can try how their apparel feels like while surfing. Surf enthusiasts will be hired as sales associates to spread the passion of surfing to customers and to increase retail expertise – a weakness highlighted in he Active SWOT. Scenario 2 Differentiating Billabong’s surf wear products Key Issues Addressed Differentiate Billabong’s surf wear through value adding rather than reducing price. Reversible boardshorts (one 1. Undifferentiated surf wear products among competitors side featuring a formal design and the other a fun design) will be introduced as a main differentiating point from competitors in the market. Low conversion rate despite high brand awareness To capitalise on the individuality of surfers, their Self Esteem Value, customization of apparel will be 3. Surf wear is declining in popularity as a form of casual ntroduced through Billabong’s e-commerce site and boutique stores. apparel due to increasin g availability of cheaper To create exclusivity and reduce over-supply, Billabong alternatives can reduce the quantity per collection and increase the frequency of collections to keep up with trends. Collaborations with well known fashion designers, celebrities or pro surfers can be explored for limited edition ranges. Billabong can introduce a customer innovation platform, where customers give feedback or submit designs through their e-commerce site and physical stores. This ensures that styles remain relevant. A CRM system can e installed to track customers’ purchases and predict successful collections. Scenario 3 Incorporating Environmental Sustainability to achieve a competitive advantage Key Issues Addressed 1. Australians are increasingly environmentally conscious Billabong will either engage in a coopetition with a supplier or competitor to invest in green research and development for the surf wear industry. The brand can also rely on its strength of superior research and 2. Undifferentiated surf wear development skills highlighted in the Active SWOT. products among competitors An innovative way to engage customers and 3. Surf wear is declining in ifferentiate themselves from competitors in the popularity as a form of casual Disposal Context (from the CEC) is to launch an apparel due to increasing environmental disposal programme for Billabong availability of cheaper wetsuits and boardshorts. It would allow customers to alternatives recycle their used ones in exchange for a discount on their next purchase. Billabong could adopt a green approach from business practices to the design of the physical retail outlets. These solutions would motivate environmentally conscious consumers to purchase their products even if it is more expensive than casual wear alternatives.Scenario 4 Transformational Strategy Key Issues Addressed Billabong aims to focus on product and experience to 1. Undifferentiated surf wear products among competitors appeal to the acti on sports core and active lifestyle segment (Billabong, 2012). It will focus on simplifying its business by cutting down on style duplications and Low conversion rate despite leverage on the Billabong brand to translate the high brand awareness customer experience across channels including their ecommerce and physical store. Customer insights research will be undertaken. Customer driven innovation capability will also be mplemented. Its retail stores will be revamped to be more customer centric and retailing IT systems will be updated to gather more customer insights through its point of sales. The lack of retail expertise will also be addressed. Recommendation & Justification This matrix helps prioritize which of the 4 scenarios from Billabong is more urgent and which would have a greater impact upon the company. We can see that Scenario 2 is rated high in urgency and high in potential impact. Therefore it is recommended that Billabong conduct a detailed planning and implementation of this scenario immediately.This is urgent because Billabong’s product line is the core of it’s business; if it’s products are not attractive, creating other strategies should be secondary. Furthermore, a Risk and Return Analysis (Appendix L) on the recommended solution shows that the returns are much higher than the risks involved. Surf wear brands look similar due to limited styles. Customers have low switching costs and can easily purchase another surf brand or fast fashion brand. However, with differentiated products such as reversible boardshorts, Billabong offers greater value at its existing price.Furthermore, differentiated products would lead to an increased conversion rate among customers once they see the value in purchasing Billabong’s products over others. Costs incurred to manufacture such boardshorts are high; a budget of $1. 5 million was allocated. Several factors that Billabong has to consider are the specialised equipments, hygiene (i . e. shorts must be safe and clean to be worn on both sides in the same day) and materials used. In addition, Billabong will introduce customization services at it’s boutique stores and ecommerce platform to appeal to customers’ individuality.By being able to customize their surf wear, customers would find greater value in their purchase versus off -the-rack. To ensure Billabong apparels are trendsetters, quantity per collection will be limited to 500 pieces per design. With that, Billabong can introduce more collections per year aligning with current trends. By limiting quantity, it ensures Billabong inventory moves quickly before the season changes. This reduces the risk of selling excess inventory through heavy discounting (Walters 2012) and obsolete products.Billabong will introduce a new product line by 2013, the limited edition collection, which will be available for sale in Billabong’s boutiques only. These collections feature collaborations with fashion designers and pro surfers. Quantity will be limited to 300 pieces throughout Australia to ensure exclusivity. Such collaborations are likely to cost Billabong $3. 5 million. However, the returns are much higher as the limited quantity encourages customers to make purchases faster. To facilitate customer participation, Billabong can introduce a platform to collect customers feedback on what they would like to see in the upcoming collections.A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system will be installed at sales points to track customers purchases and best selling apparel in order to launch similar successful collections in near future. Although the remaining three scenarios solve similar problems i. e. undifferentiated surf wear products amongst competitors, however, the returns as seen in KPI measurement below would enable Billabong to achieve its key objective of increase of 6% conversion rate and 7% increase of brand loyalty through the various initiatives. Objectives Measures Target Initiatives (actions Budget (in (KPI) (Current) ased on scenario planning) $) Financial 1. Monthly 1. Increase 1. Launch 1 new 1. $70,000 Perspective sales profit sales by collection each 15% by 2015 month, instead of the 1. Increase in current plan of revenue launching new collections once every 3 months. 2. Decrease 2. Operational 2. Reduce 2. Lock in several costs expenses costs by main suppliers to gain 2. $800,000 10% by 2015 EOS Customer 1. Brand loyalty 1. Repeated Perspective conversion rate purchases 1. Track 1. $500,000 purchases using CRM system 1. Increase in brand loyalty 2. Improve brand 2. Market brand 2. Increase 2. Exclusivity of perception arket Billabong’s products shares by (Limited edition line) shares 2. $1,000,000 15% by 2015 3. Improve 3. Customer 3. Increase product offerings Satisfaction rate satisfaction rate by 10% 3. Value-added 3. $2,500,000 product – reversible shorts by 2015 Capabilities 1. Number of 1. Increase 1. Customers persp ective customized by 15% by collaborators / Mass 1. $850,000 products 2015 customization 2. Delivery 2. Percent of 2. Reduce 2. Invest in quality quality product failures product management control / rejections failure by 1. Customization 2. $600,000 20% by 2015 Innovation 1. Number of 1. Implement 1.Introduce a Perspective feedback from 15% of platform to collect customers that customer customers’ feedback 1. Usage of Billabong feedback customer’s implemented feedback 1. $500,000 Conclusion To be able to differentiate its product offering would give Billabong a competitive edge over the few big players in the market who have all been competing on the same dimensions for the past decade. The focal point is to understand consumers through the CRM system and the information is crucial in order to design products and activities that appeal to them; increasing conversion rate and building loyalty to Billabong.By keeping its mission statement in mind of continuously setting a new standard in board sports through youthful lifestyle brands and experiences, the brand will be able to increase sales by selling the right product and offering the best experience. (2096 words) Appendix Appendix A: Sub Brands under Billabong International Sub Brand Description Element A line of shoes for technical skate footwear and for girls. Von Zipper Eyewear, accessories and premium apparel targeting the boardsports and general action sports sectors. Kustom Surf inspired footwear brand.Palmers Surf Surf hardware brand specialized in the manufacturing of surfboard wax and surfing accessories, including deck grip and legropes. It also offers an apparel range of t-shirts, boardshorts and walkshorts, as well as workwear. Honolua Surf Inspired by the iconic Hawaiian waterman and has a strong presence Company in Hawaii. Nixon Offers watches and accessories. Xcel Offers specialty wetsuits and a sun protective product line. Tigerlily Markets swimwear and apparel products in Austra lia. Sector 9 Skateboard brand specializing in skate longboards. DaKine Engages in the design and development of technical bags and ccessories for the surf, skate, snowboard, ski, mountain bike, windsurf and kite disciplines. RVCA Lifestyle brand offering apparel in the action sports category. Appendix B: Consolidated table of issues/opportunities identified Opportunity Customer Increase consumers’ sensory experience by creating a Billabong Surf Village. Increase relational and selfexpansion value by hiring surf enthusiasts to impart knowledge to customers and increase sense of belonging. Encourage a personalised experience by introducing a CRM system which caters to individual customer preferences. Introduce a simulated surf machine into selected retail utlets to increase element of fun and adventure; entertainment value. Raise status value of Billabong products by increasing exclusivity; create limited edition items. Threat Emphasize customers’ individual identities through customization of boardshorts. Create an incentive for customers to dispose of their Billabong products in an environmentally friendly manner. Launch a tradein program where customers may exchange their old boardshorts for a discount on a new pair. Context Value add Billabong’s products Lower buyer confidence and their surfer experience on affects discretionary spending other avenues beyond price reating price conscious differentiation. consumer New market of customers under- Demographic shift decreases 15s the usual 15-39 years old sports consumption age group. Increasing convergence of surf Increasing convergence of wear and casual clothing leads surf wear and casual clothing to opportunities for greater leads to threat of substitute differentiation among surf brands Body size shift and high Surfwear is decreasing in concerns of Body Image leads to popularity and fashionability a trend towards end-user (due to moving trend) customization and innovative shapewear. Gro wing environmental Government support, GST tax onsciousness among reprieve, stronger Australian Australians and the growth of eco dollar and better network and ethical clothing brands infrastructure give rise to more e-tailer competitors who offer lower prices and the ability to do price comparison. Innovations in green surf wear technology and creation of sustainable materials Growth of m-commerce and proliferation of smartphones leads to new retail formats A real driver for growth in the Australian luxury goods market from ordinary middle-class Australians shows an opportunity for collaboration with luxury fashion brands. Competitors Little differentiations between roducts leads to low switching cost and lower brand loyalty Little differentiations between surfer experience provided by Billabong, Quiksilver and Hurley Surfwear and other offshore e-tailers poses a strong threat as online buying becomes more popular with Australian customers. â€Å"Windows shoppers† who are on line shoppers who try products in physical shop with the intention to buy from an offshore e-tailer. To introduce customer customisation and more innovative surf wear technology into product range Collaborator Customer collaboration through â€Å"Unsourcing† allowing peer-to-peer support among user or through esign collaboration (The Economist 2012) Supplier Collaboration through collaboration with green supplier for new sustainable materials and green technology like ecosupreme suede to be incorporated into Billabong products Competitor Collaboration to tackle problems which affects the surf wear industry in general – to increase overall interest in the surfing culture or environmental isssues Company High brand awareness, low conversion rate. Convert remaining 54% of those already aware of Billabong into customers. Cut down on number of designs, Designs not catering to focus on those popular with consumers needs customers.Re-evaluate which designs are favoured by mar ket. Cut down number of suppliers in order to achieve economies of scale. Appendix C: Customer Experience Cycle The Customer Experience Cycle (CEC) explains Billabong’s current value proposition and the proposed improvements. Fig 1: Customer Experience Cycle Billabong’s existing value proposition (red dots): Search Context ? Functional Value: W hen searching for information about Billabong, customers would desire a website that provides all that they need in one place, so as to achieve their objective easily. Billabong provides a comprehensive website that fulfills this. Sense Value: Customers would like an interactive experience when searching for information as it would make things more interesting and break the monotony. ? Linking Value: Customers would appreciate having a place that connects them to other people who may provide information to them. Billabong currently has platforms such as Facebook which facilitate this. ? Entertainment Value: Since Billabong is se lls apparel, customers who search are likely to be searching leisurely, and not for urgent purposes. As such, they would enjoy having a fun website which provides information while also being engaging.Billabong uploads videos of their team of surfers, which engages the customers. ? Convenience Value: Information about Billabong is easily obtained online through its website or at any retail outlet in Australia. Purchase Context ? Functional Value: Billabong’s retail outlets and it’s e-commerce platform provide customers with the features needed to purchase their products, which achieves the desired outcome of buying new products from Billabong. ? Confidence Value: W hen purchasing Billabong products online, customers desire for it to be safe and reliable, without the risk of having their credit card details stolen.Billabong certifies its e-commerce platforms to be safe, using online security programs Mcafee Secure and Norton Secured to protect consumers. ? Convenience V alue: It is important for customers to be able to purchase Billabong’s products quickly and easily. For it to be convenient, a store selling their products should be easily accessible. Billabong owns 287 stores in Australasia (Billabong 2012), even if 50% were in Australia alone, that would be 143 stores, not including its wholesale outlet. This indicates that it should be easy for a consumer to find a store selling Billabong products near to where they are.Purchasing online makes it even more convenient to purchase Billabong products. Use Context ? Functional Value: Billabong’s products must be able to fulfill the basic purpose that the consumer bought it for. An example would be that boardshorts should be lasting and comfortable to wear, as expected of surf wear. Billabong has been known for its high quality products (Billabong 2012), which indicates that customers are satisfied with the function of their products. ? Linking Value: Billabong customers want to be asso ciated and be part of the Billabong’s community which brings surfers together.Billabong does this well through various surf events such as Billabong Pipe Masters and Australian Open of Surfing (Billabong 2012). Their Facebook page is also a platform for customers to network with each other. ? Confidence Value: Billabong customers desire to have apparel that can withstand the rough water and weather conditions; reliable surf wear that can be worn repeatedly. As mentioned, Billabong has been known for its high quality products which satisfy customers. Billabong’s proposed value proposition (blue dots) Search Context ?Relational Value: In order to increase a sense of belongingness when customers begin to search for Billabong products, they could start a customer collaboration. Unsourcing: An online forum controlled by Billabong, with contributions by customers. They could share about their experience with Billabong products and recommend what to buy (The Economist 2012). Billabong could also hold contests where customers design boardshorts, with the winning design being produced and sold in retail outlets. Customers would feel a part of the Billabong family as they contribute towards the brand. It also helps Billabong to understand what customers want.Purchase Context ? Sense Value: W hen a retail environment stimulates the five senses, it would become a memorable experience for customers. Billabong could open a Surf Village by the beach, where there are a combination of retail outlets, eateries and surf classes are held. Having retail outlets by the sea would also enhance the sight, sound and smell of the Billabong surf experience. ? Relational Value: Store assistants should be friendly and able to hold a conversation with customers. Towards high-value customers, they should be able to greet the person by name. This would cause customers to feel a sense of belonging. Self-Esteem Value: Billabong could adopt a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, whereby it tracks purchase history of individual customers. When customers login to the e-commerce platform, the system could provide personalised suggestions for each customer based on their purchase history. It would make the customer feel valued and become a personalised experience. ? Entertainment Value: Customers would enjoy a fun experience while shopping at the retail outlet. A simulated surf machine could be placed in selected outlets to entice customers to surf, leading to higher conversion rates.It would be fun and also a way to attract more people to learn surfing. ? Self-Expansion Value: In order to facilitate customer’s learning experience, Billabong could hire surfer enthusiasts to work as store assistants. Their job would be to engage customers in conversation about surfing skills and knowledge, also to pass on the passion of surfing to customers. Another idea would be to include a surfing school in Billabong’s Surf Village, where newcomers are w elcome to take lessons. Every purchase of a pair of Billabong boardshorts could entitle a customer to a discounted price for a surf esson. Hence, customers would be encouraged to participate in the surfing experience. Use Context ? Status Value: As Billabong’s target market consists of aspirational surfers as well as actual surfers, they would value clothes that speak of their â€Å"surfer status†. Billabong could aim to raise its status value through sponsorships of surf-related movies. Strong Billabong brand placement could be used in the cast’s wardrobe, accessories and filmed in it’s retail outlets. Billabong could also produce limited edition apparel, which only sells for a short season.This would increase it’s exclusivity as a brand and as a result, increase its status. ? Self-Esteem Value: Customers value experiences that emphasize their individual identity. In response to this value, Billabong could create a platform for customization of bo ardshorts and other surf apparel. It could be designed on Billabong’s website then submitted online, or at the actual retail outlet itself, where computer terminals are available for customers to design the clothes. Wearing clothes that are customized yet branded would increase the customer’s sense of identity as an individual. Disposal Context Price Value: If customers were able to obtain a cash discount when disposing of their old surf apparel, they would make the effort to do so. Billabong could launch a program where customers trade-in their old surf apparel for a discount on their next purchase. ? Self-Esteem Value: Australians pride themselves in being environmentallyfriendly, therefore, being able to recycle their surf wear would appeal to them as it emphasizes their identity. ? Convenience Value: The recycling surf wear program must be convenient for customers as well, so that it can be done quickly without much effort.Recycling bins could be made available in the shops and customers would allowed to trade in shorts at any of Australia’s many Billabong outlets. ? Self-Expansion Value: The recycling project would boost customer’s learning experience and be a new initiative for many. They would learn how to properly dispose of their surf wear through a novel programme. APPENDIX D: PEST Analysis General Industry Analysis – Billabong Forces (Australia) Implications Political / Legal ? Push for online retail ? presence Domestic brick-and-mortar retailers must adapt to multi- Australian Retailers channel retailing to stayAssociation (ARA) is pushing competitive. local retailers to adopt an online store or upgrade their ? Rise of local and foreign current online or mobile internet retailers with wide presence to facilitate range of surf brands as product, location and strong competitors. opening hour searches (Euromonitor 2012) ? Carbon Taxes ? Australia is set to introduce a Australia has obligations tax on carbon emission in under the Climate Change July 2012 which taxes Convention and the Kyoto companies as well as rail Protocol to reduce its transport and domestic carbon footprint aviation for each tonne of Euromonitor 2012) to CO2 emitted. encourage Australia to move towards a clean energy ? future. Apparel industries in Australia are unlikely to be liable however they will feel an indirect impact through various increasing costs, namely through freight and electricity costs. ? There is growing consumer scrutiny of the processes used to manufacture and source products. ? Green Sustainability ? industry is to align green The Green Party in Australia credentials with value-for- is today a significant political money fashion. force (Euromonitor 2012). ? Tariff Barriers Australian governments ontinued protection of the domestic clothing and The challenge for apparel ? Trade tariff barriers on foreign export increase the price of goods produced by Billabong’s foreign manufacturing industry throu gh the maintenance of (Hawaiian Island Surf & tariff barriers (TPJ Sport) and Californian International 1999) ? competitors – Hawaiian (Pacific SunWear). No GST Taxes on imported ? Online channels will become goods a more popular shopping Online shoppers have won a choice due to savings from reprieve from goods and taxes and stronger Australian services tax (GST) on dollar. More local retailers mported goods worth less have to catch up with an than A$1,000 (US$1,030). online presence. Economic ? Weaken Consumer’s ? Creating a price-conscious consumption – price being a Confidence Severe floods, the global more important determinant economic downturn and with consumers spending less increased unemployment on clothing by looking for rate – from 0. 1% to 5. 2% cheaper options. (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2012) have ? Rise of value clothing made weaken consumer’s available via cheap imports confidence affecting from China or online channels. discr etionary spending. ? Many Australian retailers use xtensive and prolonged sales ? Spend per capita and activity to coax customers back volume per capita declined which might not be sustainable between 2005 and 2010 in the long run. (Euromonitor 2012). ? Appreciation of the ? Australian dollar Offshore retailers are of interest to local consumers due With an increase of about to appreciation of the 31% against the US dollar Australian dollar and the (April, 2012). 1. 00AUD = relatively lower prices available 1. 05526USD (XE, 17 Sep on surf apparels abroad. 2012) Social ? Thrifty Characteristics of ? Rise in price-conscious consumption – consumers want the Australians he best possible value for their Despite the strong economy, a purchases. consumer sentiment survey conducted by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) ? This includes measures such as revealed that Australian waiting for the next inevitable shoppers were among the most worried and financially wave of industry-wide pri ce insecure in the Developed slashing, purchasing fewer items World, with many planning or seeking value offerings additional reductions in their through mass merchandisers, discretionary spending shifting down to a lower price (Euromonitor 2012). band. ? ? Consumers seek clothing suited Body Image o all body shapes and sizes. According to a survey Garments that flatter and conducted by Mission compliment a range of body Australia on 30,000 under-25 types are a crucial aspect of the participants – Body Image is trend towards end-user apparently the number one customization. concern for young Australians, ahead of the environment and family issues. ? Shift in average body size ? Sportswear have great potential Men in Australia are also for design features that cater to undergoing a body size shift. larger body sizes, with The average male weight innovations in shapewear and rose from 77. 4kg in 1989-1990 ther performance-enhancing to 83. 6kg in 2004-2005 support garments. (Eur omonitor 2012). Weight gain is not just due to ? Compression sporting garments fat, with muscle bulk deemed are likely to drive growth in desirable by many â€Å"Aussie sportswear as consumers blokes. † become better informed about their benefits for optimum muscle performance and recovery. ? Demographic shift ? Critically, there will be a squeeze As seen in fastest-growing age on the traditionally core 15-39 band over the coming decade year old sports consumption age will be the over-65s, followed band. by the under-15s (Euromonitor 012). ? Sporting Culture ? Apparel items can provide a key Sporting activities play a incentive to participating in central role in Australian physical activity and sports. This cultural life signifies a growing need for well- Australians are currently designed and correctly-fitting encouraged to adapt simple, clothing which enhance everyday changes for better performance as well as injury health as part of the â€Å"Measure prevention. Up† nationwide public awareness campaign (Euromonitor 2012) ? Extreme sports/expeditions ? Specialist apparel is facing challenge to merge consumer is currently ranked as no. 10 nterest in sport with growing in a Euromonitor demand for value fashion as International from FDS seen in the example of Stella International's â€Å"Supporting McCartney has a line of Sport† survey as one of the sportswear with Adidas. top 10 self reported sports interest (Euromonitor 2012). ? Beach Culture ? Australian male has always prided himself on being laid back With the vast majority of and casual, this impulse has Australians living within a short been replaced among many by distance from the beach, the an urge to succeed and reflected influence of the beach culture by the greater demand for suits, s significant, particularly in dress shirts and ties. However Sydney and up the east coast there must be strong emphasis of Queensland. This was on how price conscious their reflected by Australian fashion tastes tended to consumers spending of A$29 become. per capita spending on swimwear (Euromonitor 2012). ? Dressing Down ? Euromonitor (May 2012) also Inexpensive, everyday fashion has steadily become the primary revealed trends of Australians type of fashion purchased by dressing down in times of Australian shoppers. economic uncertainty. Australians are dressing down and filling their wardrobes with nexpensive, clothing, according to the AMP Capital Shopping Centres Shopping Intent Report (2012). ? Attitude to Luxury Products / Services ? There is a real driver for growth in the Australian luxury goods market coming from ordinary Research by American Express Business Insights published on fashion website middle-class Australians who are looking to splash out on something special. This shows fashioinmag. com appears to an opportunity for collaboration confirm the appeal of luxury with luxury fashion brands. products and services to a new group of luxury consumers, referred t o as the newcomers, who are not articularly rich but who are spending a lot in high-end fashion and restaurants (Euromonitor 2012). By 2010, newcomers‘ share of luxury spending represented 14% of the total luxury spending in Australia. ? Domestic Holidays ? Though there is a rising outbound tourism due to the Australia contains a wide appreciation of the Australian variety of holiday options dollar and cheap fares from low within its own borders making cost carriers, domestic holidays Domestic holidays typically are still more common involve visits to the rural and outnumbers the number of coastal areas that are in close oreign holidays taken by nearly proximity to Australia‘s major cities. ? nine to one (Euromonitor 2012). Given various choices for ? This reveals an opportunity to types of holidays, market boardsports as a tourism respondents ranked nature activity within Australia holidays, (beaches, especially in coastal areas like waterways, wilderness and Secret Har bour (Perth), Noosa wildlife) first in terms of (Sunsine Coast), Bondi Beach interest, followed by holidays (Sydney), Boomerang Beach involving relaxation, health (Pacific Palms) and many more and indulgence; (travelintelligence. com) entertainment, nightlife and hopping; arts, culture, history and heritage; and food and wine. ? Key principal motivations behind tourism includes ‘to get away from everyday life, and to do/experience something new’. Other motives also include ‘to master a skill’ and ‘to engage in challenging physical activities’ (Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism) ? Eco – Consciousness ? among Australian Eco-friendly brands are tipped to show upbeat growth consumers over the next five years, albeit from a low base. Deadly bushfires in Southeastern Australia and prolonged periods of drought across the region have brought issues of climate