Do’s and Dont’s About French Culture

* When you are invited somewhere, DO give a gift that shows that you are intellectual, such a gift of books or music. * DO bring a gift for the hostess if invited to a French person's house. Good host gift ideas include flowers and wine or dessert (if you are invited for a dinner). However, keep in mind that France is known for its wine, so it is better to do some research before and bring a nice bottle of wine! As a tourist from another country, a gift from your native country is also really appreciated. * DO expect a glass of wine with dinner. Wine glasses are filled only three-quarters of the way. DO be careful when picking out flowers as a gift. Indeed, white flowers are typically only used during weddings, white lilies and chrysanthemums are flowers for funerals, and red carnations stand for bad will. * DO maintain eye contact: it shows that you are interested in the conversation and your full attention is to them. * DO shake hands when you meet someone you don’t know for both male and female. * DO address people with the titles â€Å"Monsieur† (Mister) and â€Å"Madame† (Mrs. ) when meeting someone for the first time, or in a business meeting. Use â€Å"Mademoiselle† when greeting a young, unmarried woman or girl and â€Å"Madame† for older and married women. * DO wear what you normally wear, but keep in mind that attire such as baseball caps, flip-flops, and white sneakers are not traditionally worn by French people. It is fine to wear it, but you will probably be labeled as a tourist. * DO be polite. French people all the time say â€Å"Bonjour† (Hello), â€Å"Aurevoir† (Goodbye), â€Å"excusez moi, pardon†(excuse me, sorry) if you touch someone in the street or even if you just brush past the person! * DO apologize for your lack of knowledge if you do not speak French. Don’ts * DON'T eat with your fingers. You should always use your place setting; however you can use your fingers at a fast food restaurant. * DON'T eat on the street because it can be seen as unsophisticated. * DON'T start eating immediately after being served, you have to wait for everyone to have their meal and only after you say â€Å"Bon appetit† and you can start. It seems as really impolite to start without waiting for others. * DON'T put your arms on your lap during dinner but don’t put them above the table either. * DON'T give an even number of flowers as a gift. Flowers should always be given in odd numbers, except for thirteen, as that is an unlucky number. * DON'T expect the people you are meeting with to be on time. People in France are not often punctual: â€Å"le quart d’heure francais† (the french quarter). However, be careful if it is a business meeting you have to be on time! Without any good reason people will not be happy at all. * DON'T show any impatience or a confrontational attitude in a business meeting, it can be seen as a sign of being unprofessional. * DON'T take a bite from a whole piece of bread. Instead, tear your bread into a bite-sized piece and then eat it.

God’s Intervention in the world Essay

Explain what is meant by the bible describing God as a miracle worker? Miracles have been reported all over the world for thousands of years. In most scenarios miracles are related to God, and the activity of God within the world suggesting God’s imminence. The world miracle originates from the word â€Å"miraculum† meaning a thing of wonder. It is an interruption to the processes of nature that cannot be explained by natural laws and therefore a transgression. An interruption such as this normally bears some deeper and usually religious significance. The bible recites many ideas of miracles by either God or though Jesus. Within the old testament the story of Joshua and the Israelites. This story explains how he took his army to defend a place called Gibeon and that God was on the side of Joshua and helps them defeat the enemies of Gibeon. God does this by the interruption of natural laws such as pro longing the days, and throwing down a storm of hail. Other texts within the bible suggest miracles performed by God. For example during the story of Moses where he parts the reed sea in order for the Israelites to escape from the Egyptians. Another way miracles are shown within the bible is through Jesus. This is shown in such miracles as the feeding of 5000 and healing of the paralysed man Jesus was told to even bring people back to life. The bible uses these miracles to show Gods immanence within the world and his the relationship between God and humanity. â€Å"miracles make it difficult to believe in a reliable god† The idea of miracles is that they defy the laws of nature. That God Is transcendent but shows his power and goodness by interacting within the world as a miracle worker. For many who have experienced miracles they see it as an experience with God, for an example the theopany between God and Moses. However many issues are raised by the idea of God interfering in the lives of others. Firstly, some people see miracles as being morally unfair. They would say that if God was all good why would he interfere in the lives of some and not others. Why would a good God chose to help certain people and leave others to suffer. For example God helped the Jews many times within the bible whether it be in the story of Moses, Joshua or the feeding of 5000. However let them suffer through persecution so badly during the holocaust of world war two. Not only this but through the stories of Joshua and Moses God is choosing to help some people, in this case the Israelites but not the Egyptians or the enemies of Gibeon if God is the creator of everything in order to be morally correct God should be fair and just. Furthermore in some accounts of miracles from the bible God chooses to help a single person, how would God chose who to help and who to stay in suffering if God was just and fair. A miracle itself therefore contradicts Gods omnibenevolence. Miracles also make God uncertain. According to religious believers God is the creator of everything â€Å"creation ex nihilo† and yet for a miracle to exist God must work against his own creation to create a miracle. This questions God’s immanence as it goes against the idea that God is omniscient and never changing. By producing miracles the original laws created by God are uncertain and changeable. Why would a God that is all God and powerful need to work against his own creation there should be no need for miracles. â€Å"God looked as his work and saw it was good.† How could God be the creator of the earth and want to change how it works?Maurice wiles would agree with this arguing that God couldn’t intervene on an individual level without undermining his whole creation. And that a good who could reject some suffering whilst choosing to help others it not worthy of worship. Although many follow this argument there are those who would say there does not need to be a choice between natural law and miracles, that they can co exist within the same world. That science can only develop by accepting new ideas of which miracles could be one. Also that miracles can have the same sorts of evidence as that of science, accounts by people, memories or physical traces left behind. David Hume is another philosopher who rejects that a reliable God cannot be a God of miracles. He suggests that miracles have nothing to do with God and that those talk of experiencing miraculous events are â€Å"barbarous† â€Å"ignorant† and â€Å"gullible† By this he means that the idea of God creating miracle is simply an excuse for those who cannot understand the true and natural reason for the occurrence. On the other hand there are those who would argue with the ideas of Hume and others sharing that opinion. They would say that although it is questionable as to whether miracles exist and are caused by God there is and equal lack of evidence to deny the occurrence of miracles. Equally that for a religious person it is not to question how God interacts within the world, just to have faith and accept that God is omnipotent, omni benevolent etc and that God must perform these miracles for a reason that is beyond the understanding of humans but is for a good cause.

The Rights of Women in Saudi Arabia

â€Å"Women’s rights are human rights† is an important message which Plan Canada’s â€Å"Because I am a Girl† campaign has adopted. The rights of women around the world have an effect on everybody in the world, including males. According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2009 the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranked 130th out of 134 countries on the Global Gender Gap Index in 2009 (Hausmann, Tyson, & Zahidi, 2009). In Saudi Arabia, women are often suppressed in society and are noted as having the rights of minors.Saudi women are subject to unjust laws, sexist family code, and tainted education systems. This systemic inequality towards women must change. Many of the so-called laws in Saudi Arabia are in fact not written laws. Often individual judges use their own discretion when punishing people for their crimes as based upon Sharia. Sharia is defined by Oxford dictionary as â€Å"Islamic canonical law based on the teachings of the Koran and the traditions of the Prophet (Hadith and Sunna), prescribing both religious and secular duties and sometimes retributive penalties for law breaking.†This can often lead to rulings that follow archaic religious rituals; although it should be noted that Sharia in itself is not sexist, but rather common Saudi Arabian cultural interpretation is sexist. Women are often subject to punishment for acts that are often not thought of as crimes in the Western world. A particularly disturbing case of this was in 2007 when a Saudi court issued a preposterous sentence to a gang-rape victim. The girl had gotten into a car with a boy she knew from her school because he had a picture of her.His having the picture of her was taboo as she was soon to marry another man. Both the boy and girl who were in the car were kidnapped and all involved were punished. The female victim was sentenced to 90 lashings for having had contact with men who were not relatives of hers. Her sentence was later upped to 200 lashes and six months in jail because her defense lawyer had begged for compassion (Vankin, 2013). Having women who have been raped receiving lashings because they dared enter a car with a man is a despicable reason to punish someone.At this point in Saudi Arabia there is also a driving ban in effect for women. Though it is not technically illegal, Saudi Arabia refuses to issue licenses to women and by law drivers must have a license (Jabeena, 2012). Though women have protested by driving, the ban remains in place and women do get punished for driving. This is a blatant denial of a path to independence for women. Although laws in Saudi Arabia are not always written laws, harsh punishment (especially towards women) often occurs and is tainted due to the variation of interpretation of the law by judges.Females in Saudi are also required to have a male guardian at all ages. This male guardian can be a father, husband, brother, and even grandson based on the woman’s specific circumstances. Thes e male guardians may be responsible for giving women permission to marry, divorce, travel, undergo certain surgeries, seek employment, and many other major decisions or matters in the woman’s life (Human Rights Watch, 2008). This treatment seems demeaning and acts as a way to keep women overpowered in the country. There are activists whom are very much against the guardianship custom.In particular one Saudi widow, Wajeha Al-Huwaider stated that it was absurd because â€Å"If I wanted to get married, I would have to get the permission of my son. † She is 45 and her son is 17. Should a 17 year old boy really not only be able to, rather encouraged or enforced to make a life-altering decision for a 45 year old woman? Though some activists have tried to abolish this way of living, all attempts have failed thus far. The ideas that many Saudi Arabian conservatives hold of how women should be treated and viewed under the law are nothing short of severely outdated.The necessary male guardian is a tool of mass suppression that provides no benefit to the women of the Kingdom. These ideas tie in closely to the family code that is expected to be upheld in Saudi society. Saudi Arabian views on women’s rights are widely based on traditional culture. Even though forced marriages are now illegal in Saudi Arabia, the marriage contract is strictly between the groom and the bride’s male guardian (Social Institutions & Gender Index, 2011). This implies that even though a woman cannot legally be forced to marry a certain man, the man she marries must have the approval of her male guardian.Saudi family law also makes it very hard for women to obtain a divorce; they must provide a good circumstance and evidence to support it whereas men are able to obtain a divorce without question (Social Institutions & Gender Index, 2011). This makes it inherently difficult for a woman to leave a relationship, even if it is abusive or otherwise harmful to her. Traditiona l Saudi Arabian cultural practices remain in practice, despite the fact that they are wildly inappropriate for the times.Though literacy rates of Saudi Arabian females are seemingly quite advanced at 82.2%, which is close to the 90. 8% literacy rate of males (CIA Factbook, 2011), the quality of female education is lower than that of males. Schools, from primary to post-secondary education are segregated by sex. This segregation allows for different curricula to be used and for women to learn about their role as a nurturing mother and wife as dictated by commonly accepted Wahabi beliefs (AlMunajjed, 1997). Having differences in the curricula that are used is an outrageous disadvantage to the women trying to become equal to their male counterparts.Another hardship that women seeking an education in Saudi Arabia must face is that of transportation. Women are not allowed to drive and living at their university, away from their male guardian is often strongly discouraged by family (Rawaf & Simmons, 1991). This can cause a tremendous barrier between women and higher education. Therefore, although girls are required to complete some level of education and are able to attend post-secondary institutions, they are not receiving the same quality of education as boys and they have limitations in post-secondary as well.Katy Watson (2012), a reporter for BBC News, found that: Despite the fact that it [the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] spends heavily on educating both men and women – 60% of those who graduate from Saudi's universities are female – only 17% of women are actually in the job market. That compares with 75% of men. There are many reasons why this may be true, but the lack of equal education does not help the situation. Saudi Arabians must modernize their view on women.The discriminatory laws, chauvinistic familial structure, and corrupt education systems are unacceptable, especially in the world today. By having men and women equals, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will have a significantly improved human rights rating. Steps toward equality within the country would also help Saudi’s relationship with other countries. Thus, the elimination (or near elimination) of sexism towards women in Saudi Arabia would ultimately help with world peace.

Instructors be required to apply a normal cure to grades, rather than Essay

Instructors be required to apply a normal cure to grades, rather than scaling the grades - Essay Example This is because the scores of students are not classified in continuous manner, but judgment on the cutoff points illustrates the attainment of different levels of performance. This means that students can progress to the next level since their grading is based on the relative performance of the whole class. However, this method has a limitation since students may have ignored the subject and attains a poor performance. Consequently, the grading will warrant such students to progress to the next level. Based on the above, the best method of grading students would be the use of the normal curve. This is because the curve provides a clear indication of how the class was attentive to course work. The curve also eliminates the extremities of grade awarding such that all the students grades are considered with an equal level of fairness. In addition, using the normal curve enables elimination of the issue of grade

Siminar to Criminal Justice paper 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Siminar to Criminal Justice paper 4 - Essay Example 2). The multifactor approach used by Glueck and Glueck (1950, as cited in Wright, Tibbetts, & Daigle, 2008) is influential in modern criminology that applies scientific methodology. This approach stresses the point that the tendency to commit crime and violence develops through time (Glueck & Glueck, 1950, as cited in Wright, Tibbetts, & Daigle, 2008). In the cohort longitudinal studies made by Farrington and West (1990), Shannon (1982) and Racine (1949), the same trend emerged with only a minority of the subjects being responsible for committing a majority of the crimes, thus reflecting a career from crime (Wright, Tibbetts, & Daigle, 2008). A criminal career approach studies the stages of offending for a period of time (Blumstein et al., 1986, as cited in Wright, Tibbetts, & Daigle, 2008) which typically spans for a short period (beginning at adolescence and ending at early adulthood) (Blumstein, Cohen, & Farrington, 1988, as cited in Wright, Tibbetts, & Daigle, 2008). Based from t he studies, criminal behavior is not stable through time. There is an onset period that begins during the teenage years. The behavior escalates and later dwindles in early adulthood.

Historical leaders in quality improvement Research Paper

Historical leaders in quality improvement - Research Paper Example services, affecting the manners on which risks are perceived, care is organized, and healthcare providers are supported (McLaughlin and Kaluzny, 2006). By recognizing and applying the organizational and production principles in the manufacturing sector, healthcare professionals can improve the delivery of healthcare services suited to the needs of the patient or organization. As such, fitting the curative environment to an individual’s or organization’s needs is important in beating the production goals. This approach can also be employed in the delivery of healthcare services to a single patient or population through a definite disease management program (McLaughlin and Kaluzny, 2006). Thus, reflecting on the lives of healthcare quality leaders is insightful. Florence Nightingale is known as a hospital reformer and a pioneer of nursing. She strived for innovations not only in nursing care, but in hospital administration as well. In 1854, along with well-trained women, Nightingale served the British military hospital during the Crimean War. She documented her observations on the victims and casualties of war by means of statistical applications, treatment, and analysis of mortality and injury cases. She used line diagrams to show the comparison of mortality cases between civilian and military personnel and presented such to government authorities through polar-area diagrams. From 1854 to 1856, in a British military hospital in Turkey, Nightingale led nursing efforts where she prioritized clothing and bedding supplies for the casualties of war and emphasized the need for a more sanitary clinical environment (Knudsen and Debon, 2003). She used to visit wards, even late at night, looking after the conditions of ill soldiers. This exemplary p erseverance, dedication, and patience made her to earn the title â€Å"The Lady with the Lamp.† After six months, the mortality rate in the military camp fell from 60% to 2% (Knudsen and Debon, 2003). Through her efforts,

Collaborative Innovation. Things that motivate companies to Essay

Collaborative Innovation. Things that motivate companies to collaborate in innovation - Essay Example Technology increases the productivity and profitability of a firm in which it is used. Usually, firms collaborate to innovate in the running of their businesses (Gloor, 2006, p72). When two or more firms choose to work together to develop a technology, they identify the things they have in common. Various factors that are perceived to be beneficial to partnering firms cause them to come together and innovate together. Some of the factors that cause firms to collaborate in innovation include reducing the cost of development of the technology, reducing the potential risks that are involved in technological development or entering the market, to achieve the economies of scale, which reduce the cost of production, promoting shared learning between the firms involved, and reducing the time taken to produce and market new products (Tidd, Bessant and Pavitt, 2005, p25-78). The results of the collaborative invention vary significantly according to different companies, and these factors may b e beyond or within the abilities of the partnering firms. Some factors that influence the results of a collaborative interaction between firms include: the competitiveness of the partners, the transparency issues, receptivity of ideas, the rate of learning and bargaining power of partners, the intention of the firms when they accepted to enter into collaboration, and sustainability of the deal (Hamel, 1991, p.83-101). These factors determine whether or not the collaboration will continue in order to develop technologies together; if the factors are favourable to the collaborating firms, they continue to develop technologies together. Different companies collaborate in innovation according to different interaction policies. These interactions are determined by conditions that are set by those partners, when joining together as well as those that are related to sustainability. In order to understand the issues that are related to the collaborative innovation, there is need to explore the factors that influence firms to come together as well as those that influence the sustainability of collaborative innovation interactions. Things that motivate companies to collaborate in innovation In events where firms collaborate to innovate, they need to put into consideration all the issues that can arise from it. When firms focus narrowly at the reduction of cost, it may work not for their benefit because although collaboration may reduce the cost of production and enhance economies of scale, it is also possible that the company will need to establish a strategy of developing the collaborative relationship. For instance, if firms consider the factor of cost reduction in a collaborative innovation deal, they can evaluate other costs apart from the basic raw materials for the company. A good collaborative innovation deal needs to consider the amount of money that will be required to facilitate collaborative capabilities. For instance, different firms will need to develop peo ple within their firm that will sustain the technology that they develop. This means that they should not develop a technology that they will lose within a short time (MacCormack, Forbath, Brooks & Kalaher, 2007, p17-102). Firms may be driven to form a collaborative interaction in innovation by their need to increase the income share; this is by maximisation of all the opportunities they have in their production. Every chance a firm has to reduce the risk of making losses and increase profitability becomes a motivation for the company to involve other companies to innovate (Da Vinci, n.d, p1). When firms come into collaboration, they intend to develop fast to gain their competitive advantages.

Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Literature - Essay Example Yu Hua has drawn inspiration for his novel from an American folk song about an elderly slave â€Å"who experienced a life’s worth of hardships, including the passing of his entire family—yet he still looked upon the world with eyes of kindness, offering not the slightest complaint†. (Hua, P.249) At the end of the novel, Xu Fugui is left alone, with his only companion being an ox that he names after himself. He uses the mutual identity between man and beast as a metaphor for the human condition. The novel begins and ends the story through the mechanism of a double narration: one a young student collecting songs and folk stories from the peasants in the countryside and the other, old Fugui and his ox telling their story to the student. Zhang Yimou, a noted Chinese film director, has gained notoriety among his own people due to his recurring acts of exposing a dark side of his country to the outside world. But he persists with his mission in the same manner through the film adaptation of To Live. He attempts to convey several profound messages through this movie, in an attempt to prod the viewers’ conscience to awareness of injustice in the Chinese society. Though in this context, the novel as well as its film adaptation serves the same purpose there are several charact eristics that distinguishes one from the other. The film and the novel are significantly different even though Yu Hua participated in writing the screenplay. Each medium offers different possibilities and at the same time suffers from different limitations too and these are reflected in the differences between the novel and the film. The novel has Fugui telling his story in installments, chronologically, with returns to the narrative present. This aspect is attributed to the novel’s being first published in serial form in a literary journal. The film has no second narrator to whom Fugui will

Journal of Clinical Nursing FOLLOW-UP CARE An exploratory study of the Assignment

Journal of Clinical Nursing FOLLOW-UP CARE An exploratory study of the follow-up care needs of patients treated for colorect - Assignment Example This is in line with the assertions of Alasuutari, P. et al. (2008); Balsley (2007) that a document abstract should in brief present the researcher’s proposed objectives and whether they were met; how he/she had proposed to carry out the research-the research paper design; the reasons for choosing such a design given there are so many design methodologies citing the advantages and disadvantages and comparing the shortcomings with those of other potential design methods; perceived outcomes citing the actual and the expected impacts. Further, the abstract should clearly give the research methodology including the research tools giving reasons of their choice, the data collection methods, , how the data will be analyzed and including the software to be used (SPSS, STATA, EnVivo, GenStat etc) in addition to research schedule and envisaged budget. As Alasuutari, P. et al. (2008) puts it, all the above are meant to present the research protocol in an easier manner to comprehend. The authors of the research paper article have taken all the above into consideration while writing the paper. One important aspect included in the research paper it background, which gives a foundation for the paper citing the existing information gap to form a sound justification for current and future research works in the area. Further, relevance of the research work in the provision of health services is well articulated and sound well for a research work findings which are expected to be generalized and replicated. Evaluation In any research work, the research design and methodology which form the research protocol are entirely based on proposed research objectives. Research objectives guide the researcher in the formulation of specific, measureable, attainable, realistic and time bound activities which guide the researcher in avoiding those that are likely to interfere with the research timelines and budget. According to Kinta, B. et al. (2010), the research objective was to exp lore patient perceptions of their experiences of follow-up care after treatment for colorectal cancer. The research objective is supported by the formulated questions which the research aims at answering and which are disaggregate into a level which is easily manageable. In this case the null hypothesis assumed that the traditional method of routine hospital follow-up may be effective in the surveillance of disease recurrence, but does not always address patients’ psycho-social and information needs adequately (Kinta, B. et al. 2010). The null hypothesis assumed none effect of follow-up of cancer patients. The formulated hypothesis formed the basis for the development of research tools, data collection protocol, determination of the analysis methods and the way to report the findings. Hypothesis formulation is very important in that, they are integral parts which guide the readers on what to expect, what the research paper aimed at in addition to reducing the research questio ns into manageable components (Babbie 2007). The importance of a research article is clearly captured by the authors stating that nurse-led clinics and/or telephone follow-up by specialist nurses may be effective models of care for this particular patient group, providing appropriate access for meeting clinical, psycho-social and

American International Group Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American International Group - Case Study Example The major business line of American International Group are functions, supports, services, and operations. The failure of these lines would result on the huge material loss of profit, revenue and franchise value for the organization as a whole. Therefore, American International Group prepared a resolution plan and for that purpose 22 companies as material entities were identified, from which one is AIG Markets, Inc; and the type of this entity is derivatives intermediaries. Fear of revenue, profit and franchise value loss motivated organization to be a part of derivatives market. American international group utilizes derivatives as a part of the company’s risk management framework. The major purpose of the company in entering in a derivative market is to mitigate the risk either by providing a profile of the investment or by hedging exposure. American international group is no longer engage in activities of derivatives that contributed materially to concerns throughout the fin ancial crisis or also not act as a market for the contracts of derivatives. The exposure of derivatives and derivative portfolio is examined on a regular basis in order to avoid any risk and fulfill the market standards of investment. Interest rate derivatives are used to deal with interest rate risk that is associated with insurance assets and liabilities. The company is involved in making investments in hybrid securities in order to generate more income. Therefore, company is involved in such derivative activities that are associated with investment operations for risk mitigation (AIG, 2014). After the financial crisis of 2008 the insurance industry like other industries faced backslash, this crisis and other infamous events proven as threat for the economy of the country. Many of American people rely on financial services for ability to get more mortgages, for investment opportunities and retirement savings. When ethical analysis taken into consideration, and the

Eating with Your Hands Essay Example for Free

Eating with Your Hands Essay Society today is one big melting pot. People bring their customs and cultural traditions and it conglomerates with others creating these norms we follow. We live by, what time has created over time, a status quo, or social rights and wrongs. In the passage, Eating with Your Hands, the author opens the topic about etiquette, one of the major social controversies. She talks about why some foods are only acceptable to be eaten with proper utensils while others can be â€Å"finger food†. It’s true—but why is that a known rule? And why is it frowned upon? The passage has some background history of people groups within certain countries eating food with their hands, and how it almost gives an individual a better sense of what he or she is eating. The author brings up how it’s the meeting of the soul and the skin; whereas silverware places a distance between you and your food. She compares it to that of two people making love—giving food and yourself an intimate relationship. I got the sense that society has changed the soul and feeling behind food and meals due to the kosher norms of modern day etiquette. Personally I have never given thought to how I eat my food in comparison with other cultures. Growing up in twenty-first century America I have always eaten the way Im â€Å"supposed† to; I never gave it a second thought. My culture has almost given me tunnel vision, letting me focus only on what I know as acceptable or natural. This topic opens my mind to what else I might be blinded to. I have never explored what other cultures grow accustomed to like religion, style, relationships, family dynamics or even school. I have always considered myself incredibly fortunate for the life I live, and therefore I never examined the varying cultural aspects of differing nations or people groups. As far as the message of society erasing the intimacy of our meals to ourselves, I can absolutely sympathize with the author’s thoughts. In retrospect, the singular thing that could most certainly bring my family together was the warm meal that awaited us. The physicality of sharing a meal together provided each of us the opportunities to engage, with every member of my family, our singular experiences. Food is a social activity! Assuredly, eating is an activity. When an individual goes out with his or her friends, more often than not they all get dinner together. When one throws a birthday party, a favorite restaurant or catering or favorite home-cooked meal is involved. Social interactions like dating usually incorporate food of some sort. In the generation of everything digital, it is common to take a picture of a meal and post it to a social media. Food has always been a part of social interaction. I do think that society has put a strain on the comfort of eating how we desire, without our conscious recognition. Perhaps because we grew up learning that we couldnt eat spaghetti with both hands.

Throughout life Essay Example for Free

Throughout life Essay Every situation that an individual is exposed to throughout life, helps mold our self. As humans we have the ability to see ourselves from the outside, and all through life we try to see what others see and our self revolves around the generalized other. We observe how others perceive us and we make conclusions depending on our observations. How we act around others depends on the image we feel they have towards us. Charles Horton Cooley, a symbolic interactionist, concluded that our sense of self develops from interactions with others. Cooley described this process as the looking -glass self. The looking- glass self consisted of three elements. We first imagine how we appear to those around us. We may feel that others see us as boring or quiet. Therefore we try to interpret the reactions of others when we are around them to confirm if what we think is true. If others seem to avoid to talk to you or if you really cant keep a continuous conversation, this may prove to you that you are indeed boring and not so conversational, maybe making you a little uncomfortable when being around people. On the other hand if you see yourself as an individual who can communicate without a problem and you see that you can keep others interested in a given conversations, your reaction is more positive. Through this looking- glass self we develop a self concept. Depending on the observations we make concerning the reactions of others we develop feelings and ideas about ourselves. The reflection we see in the mirror is either negative or positive depending on the feedback we get back from those around us. Misjudgments of the reactions of others become part of our self concept also the misinterpretations of how others think of us. Self concepts begins in childhood but it continues to develop throughout life. As we observe how other people react to us, we modify our self. The self is never a finished project, and it continues to change as our life takes different turns. Our self reacts to the environment that we are in. As the self expands we put together the different reactions making us a unique individual. Every individual has a different way of thinking and therefore they make their own choices about certain situations. Going through different life changes, means the self is expected to change to accommodate the life stage we find our selves in. The way we perceived things when we were adolescents changes when we become adults. We perceive things differently and take in reactions with a different attitude. Even though the family sets basic fundamentals of our personality, we are not destined to keep those characteristics if we dont like them. We can expose ourselves to different groups and ideas that we prefer. Therefore our self transforms depending on the circumstances that we are in. Cooley concluded that our sense of self develops from interactions with others, therefore we modify our self depending on those people around us. For example if we perceive the reactions of others towards us as negative, we tend to change the way we act and sometimes think. There are times when we might try to fit in to a crowd were our self those not meet there qualifications and we focus on the generalized other. The way society expects an individual to be, also tends to bring about change in a persons self over the course of time. Society sets standards and as individuals we tend to form ideas about the way others see us. The self is something that never stops expanding. Change is inevitable, since we must accommodate to our environment. Our self is build by the interactions we have with others, therefore the reactions that we obtain from those around us are very important. This reactions can create either a positive or negative reflection that will influence the way we feel about ourselves and even some of the choices we make in life.

Marketing Strategy Coffee-Mate

Marketing Strategy Coffee-Mate 1.0 Introduction Aim Coffee-mate, a popular retailed non-dairy creamer manufactured and owned by Nestle (A Swiss multinational food and beverage company). Being part of Nestle is one of the reason behind the successful branding of Coffee-mate, Nestle provide value-added advantages that differs Coffee-mate from its peers. Coffee-Mate has developed 29 flavours of creamers, customers can enjoy them in different forms in the wide range of: Powder, Liquid, Sugar-free and reduced fat (Coffee-mate, 2014). These comprehensive varieties of flavours offer Coffee-mate unrivalled product options which satisfy their customers’ expectations. ‘Coffee-mate kind of lifts the flavour. It makes a richer, better-tasting cup of coffee, whether it be an instant or a real one.’ (Coffee-mate article, 2014). The huge customer base could be an opportunity for Coffee-mate to target and capture their market; or a thread if Coffee-mate targeted the market wrongly. This report will be presented according to the ma rket segmentation of Coffee-mate, following by evaluating and analysing the TGI’s consumer survey in terms of target market attractiveness of Coffee-mate. 2.0 Market Segmentation Broad Narrow (Figure 1) Market segmentation is a process of dividing the whole market for a product or service into segments with different and unique characteristics (Hartline F, 2011). By referring to Figure 1, Market targeting can be implemented at different stages: Broad (Mass-marketing), Narrow (Micro-marketing) or in between (Concentrated marketing). In this subtitle will evaluate the market targeting strategies and recommend the best strategy according to Coffee-mate current situation. 2.1 Mass-marketing (Targeting one segment) If Coffee-mate chooses to use mass-marketing, which means it will be ignoring the entire market segments’ characteristics and choose to target the whole market with only one product type (Hartline F, 2011). If so, Coffee-mate will lose the market share generated by their extended product, Coffee-mate Lite (Article, 2014). It is most likely to be impossible for Coffee-mate to develop a product to fit into all the segments because each segments has their own unique characteristics. Also, Coffee-mate might be facing more competitive peers with a more product-focused and tailored marketing strategy (Micro-marketing). Micro-marketing only aims at one segment where the company will try to customize its product to fit the customer perfectly, which can be considered as a thread for Coffee-mate if it is implementing the mass-marketing strategy which aims the market segments broadly. Consequently, Coffee-mate will lose its competitiveness; relatively lose its market dominance. 2.2 Concentrated Marketing (Targeting multiple segments) Differentiated marketing allows Coffee-mate to target few large and potential sub segments with one or more than one product (Hartline F, 2011). Coffee-mate should choose to target multiple segments by implementing differentiated marketing strategy, in order to increase their profitability and its possible for them to gain more market dominance it’s achieved in previous times (55%). In details, Coffee-mate and Coffee-mate Lite should have targeted different segments according to to customers age, income level, social status etc. It was given that the coffee-mate and coffee-mate lite act as a complement goods to coffee, they both are undergoing a change in parallel. Through observation wise, National Food Survey (N/A) suggested that households will keen to spend more on coffee if they are earning high income and old pensioners spent most among the customers (Exhibit 10.3). Additionally, childless households are the most intense coffee drinkers (Exhibit 10.4). Therefore, Coffee- mate should target the high income, old pensioners and childless segment. In order to perform a more precise and efficient market targeting, Coffee-mate should target its Coffee-mate and Coffee-mate Lite into separate market segment. The National Food Survey (N/A) stated that there is a slightly skew of heavy Coffee-mate buyers towards the characteristics of: lower social class, aged 45+ and 2-3 person households with children. Whereas, the Coffee-mate Lite users have a slight bias towards 45-64 year-olds, full-time working housewives and households without children. Health concern like fat intake has been raising the awareness of customers. Consequently, some customers might be reluctant to add creamer to coffee. Therefore, Coffee-mate Lite can be segmented for customers who are most likely yo be concerned with their health levels. From all information and observations, it is concluded that Coffee-mate should aim at multiple segment. 3.0 Evaluation of TGI’s user survey TGI’s User Survey covered instant/ground coffee and powdered milk/coffee creamer, market yielded five potential consumer groups for Coffee-mate. As aforementioned, Coffee-mate should choose to aim to serve multiple segments. Hence, this part of the report will aim to evaluate the attractiveness of these 5 potential segments that TGI surveyed. It is also aim to recommend the best segment for Coffee-mate to target. Total Sample Proportion of TGI’s User Survey 3.1 Segment 1 – Experimentalists The experimentalists can be considered as younger group which are keen to pay for luxurious products. In fact, Coffee-mate positions itself as ‘Indulgence’. Therefore, the strong branding of Coffee-mate through Nestle could help it to gain brand loyalty, by changing the buying behaviour of the experimentalists towards Coffee-mate. Additionally, users of creamer like the experimentalists are likely to replace their consumption from cream to Coffee-mate because they are considered as substitute goods. 3.2 Segment 2 Cost Constrained, Older, Conservative People in the cost constrained, older and conservative group are more sensitive to the variation of the price. When come to purchasing, the demand would be more price elastic, they would ignore the brand and price will be their first concern. In result, they would buy cheaper competitor brands. Furthermore, they are not really a user of Coffee-mate. Consequently, for Coffee-mate, this segment is not worth targeting due to a low brand loyalty and high possibility of substitution effect. 3.3 Segment 3 – Affluent, Young Foodies The affluent, young foodies are the people who prefer healthier diet; they are willing and affordable to pay more for that. These people claimed to use Coffee-mate often and also cream consumers. Consequently, the Sarah and Anna group would be the potential customer based for Coffee-mate. In addition, Coffee-mate Lite would be the best product to sell them since it is healthier and lower fat. 3.4 Segment 4 – Cost Constrained, Young Families ‘Dawn and Lisa’ group is severely constrained by their low income. They are not health conscious, indeed they have a mind-set of frozen food is as nutritious as fresh foods. Hence, they tend to buy own-label goods cause of the cheaper price they offer. Cost Constrained, young families never use cream. Thus, Coffee-mate should not set them as a targeted segment because they are improbable to use its product. 3.5 Segment 5 – Affluent The ‘Dorothy and Amy’ group of consumer has been considered as the people that are most likely to buy Coffee-mate’s product. However, advertising of Coffee-mate could be hard to reach them as they have low media awareness and they found ads are not entertaining. If Coffee-mate wants to aim this segment, Coffee-mate Lite would be the best product to serve them. Yet, they are fairly traditional, might tend to use milk or real cream as a complement to their coffee. 4.0 Recommendations Based on the TGI’s User Survey, the ‘Affluent, young foodies’ and ‘Experimentalists’ are the most potential group for Coffee-mate to target and they all fit into Coffee-mate’s strengths. The reasons behind the targeted segment are because they have interesting characteristics: Affluent, young foodies fit into Coffee-mate strengths: Middle Social Class Light Media awareness High Grocery expenditure High Income level (Afford to pay) According to the study, ‘Affluent, young foodies’ shared a sample proportion of 24.4% throughout the survey. They could be the potential customers for Coffee-mate because they are heavy users of instant coffee and cream. Coffee-mate has to use some traditional advertising to reach these customers because they are light users of media, in this sense, Coffee-mate could save some advertising cost in this segment. Affluent, young foodies tend to try new products, this push Coffee-mate a better position. However, the only drawback is they are very health conscious. Chealth (2014) stated that calling a ‘non-dairy’ creamer is not always true and non-dairy creamers makers tend to add extra ingredients to mimic the qualities of milk which will boost consumers’ calorie count. Marketing means persuading, Coffee-mate needs advertise their product in a healthier aspect to give Coffee-mate a healthier image. After all, the ‘Sarah and Anna – Affluent, y oung foodies’ still the most potential and lucrative segment to target by considering all the characteristics. Experimentalist fit into Coffee-mate strengths: High Media Awareness Middle income Heavy User of Coffee Experimentalist shared a 15.4% of sample proportion of the survey. They are considered as the same age group as the ‘Affluent, young foodies’, but they have some unique characteristics of: Materialistic, Fashionable and stylish. Experimentalist has high media awareness; therefore Coffee-mate could advertise their product by using celebrity. In result, it could be more reachable to this segment of customers because they will just buy it because the popular celebrity does. Advertising could take place by using multimedia advertising like Twitter, Facebook, Youtube ads and so on. 5.0 Summary This report was formed to evaluate the market segmentation of Coffee-mate with a further analysis and evaluation of the TGI’s User Survey for Coffee-mate. The report draws attention to the consumer behaviour from different groups, and how Coffee-mate should target it and which marketing strategies should Coffee-mate implemented. Furthermore, an evaluation of the TGI’s User Survey was taken into consideration to understand each and every different group of consumers’ behaviour. Last but not least, recommendations of the best segment to target were given to Coffee-mate: This will conclude that Coffee-mate should aim for the Experimentalist and Affluent, young foodies. 6.0 References BritishCoffeeAssociation (2014). British Coffee Association – Coffee Facts. [online] Available at: http://www.britishcoffeeassociation.org/about_coffee/coffee_facts/ [Accessed 15 November 2014]. CHealth (2014) CHealth: 7 Things You Need To Know About Non-dairy Coffee Creamer. [Online] Available at: http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_section_details.asp?text_id=5709channel_id=44relation_id=48473 [Last Accessed 14 November 2014]. Coffee-mate. (2014). Products – All Flavours/Coffee-mate. [Online] Available at: https://www.coffee-mate.com/Products/Default.aspx#f1d167d0-4141-4bf8-9ee5-b09a8b15e76e [Last Accessed 10 November 2014] Hartline, F. (2011) Marketing Management Strategies. 5th ed. South –Western, Cengage Learning. Moodle. (2014). Coffee-Mate case study. [Online] Available at: https://moodle.kent.ac.uk/2014/pluginfile.php/196771/mod_resource/content/1/coffee_mate_case_study.pdf [Last accessed 14 November 2014].

communication report :: essays research papers

Communication Report Effective Communication Changes the World This flowing report takes a look at some of the methods of communication observed at Liberty Bell Component Inc. over the past seven weeks. The report may discuss three communication models: 1) an external email message from LBC’s sales department. LBC use email to communicate with their customer mentioned that they were offering a discount on marketable products, 2) a fax message from sales manager. LBC use fax message to complaint about the late delivered, and 3) an external letter from LBC’s sales manager. LBC invited their business members to join the Component Convention in 2005. Each communication model may include three subjects: models’ describe, analyze and recommendation. The report may describe each model in great detail, and analysis the communication with the information necessary for assessing the effectiveness. Describe and analyze the communication model of E-mail message *Please see Appendix I This is an external email message from LBC to the U.S. manufacture’s company. The email subject is â€Å"discount on marketable products†. In this email, LBC offered a special offer of a10% discount on all their products to their customers for only a month. They mentioned the products were very marketable, and it is their final stock and is now out of production. They highly recommend their customers take advantage of this offer and make large order. The tone of the message gave stress the benefits for the reader. In the end of the paragraph, LBC using highlight on the sentence to remind their customers LBC cannot accept the order once they have elapsed. Finally, LBC provided their contact information which including the phone number, fax number, email address, contact person, and company’s address. As we know the email service is always automatic showing the sender, the receiver, and the received day. Therefore, the receiver can clearly understand the sender is and when is the due day for the LBC discount. In this new electronic world, Email is an effective communication model for business to business. I believe strongly in the value of electronic mail in corporate. Email is cheaper and faster than a letter, less intrusive than a phone call, less hassle than a FAX. Using email, differences in location and time zone are less of an obstacle to communication. There is also evidence that email leads to a more egalitarian information structure. Email is more conversational than traditional paper-based media because the turnaround time can be so fast.

Essay --

Change within any company is sometimes needed whether you want it or not. Everything around us is always changing even when we aren’t paying attention to it. The world is forever evolving and change is needed in order to keep up with the times. Organizations need change in order to keep growing and keep its employees and customers interested. Change means taking someone out of their comfort zone and imposing a new set of rules, disciplines or policies that are unknown to them. History has shown that only one approach works, for a company to stay relevant in this time of economic recession and that is change. The only company that I know very well is the casino that I worked for. There were many things that could have been changed to make the experience for customers and employees better. When you work at a casino there are so many different departments that are within that organization that there are many changes that you can make to help your company. I worked in the audit/money room. There were so many things that my department could have changed to make our job more safe and easier but they didn’t because they were so accustomed to how they had been doing things that they didn’t want to take the time out to learn something new. The managers just didn’t understand that things needed to be changed in order to evolve. â€Å"Change is the only thing that is consistent in business. Knowing how to manage change is the difference between successfully taking advantage of the opportunities it provides and letting it drag you down. Flexibility has its role in managing ch ange and organizations benefit from embracing flexibility.†(Laura Bramble, ehow.com) Commonly, some people fear what they do not understand, that of which is new and set ap... ...arge that deserved to be in charge and not people that they just liked because they were friends. This happened all the time. This should go for any organization. You need to have people in charge that knows what is going on at all times. You should never bring in someone that don’t know anything about a position and give them the leadership role. â€Å"Once formed, your "change coalition" needs to work as a team, continuing to build urgency and momentum around the need for change. What you can do: 1. Identify the true leaders in your organization, as well as your key stakeholders. 2. Ask for an emotional commitment from these key people. 3. Work on team building within your change coalition. 4. Check your team for weak areas, and ensure that you have a good mix of people from different departments and different levels within your company.†(Heraclitus, Greek philosopher)

Origins of the Shadow in A Wizard of Earthsea Essay -- Essays Papers

Origins of the Shadow in A Wizard of Earthsea Ged, the main character in The Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. LeGuin, through an act of pride and spite unwittingly unleashes a powerful shadow creature on the world, and the shadow hunts Ged wherever he goes. After failing to kill Ged the first time, he learns the only way to destroy the shadow is to find its name. What Ged must realize is the shadow was created by the evil in his own heart. Also, the shadow is not entirely evil, and Ged can actually draw strength from it. In doing so, Ged will realize that the only way to discover the shadow’s name is to discover that he and the shadow are one. Carl G. Jung in Man and His Symbols, describes the shadow as containing the hidden, repressed, and unfavorable â€Å"tendencies† of the conscious personality. â€Å"Such tendencies form an ever-present and potentially destructive ‘shadow’ to our conscious mind.† This shadow takes form in mythology as a dark, shadowy, and imposing figure or as â€Å"the cosmic powers of evil, personified by dragons and other monsters.† (Henderson 111) This shadow is shown to Ged in different forms: â€Å"...Like a clot of black shadow, quick and hideous...it was like a black beast, the size of a young child, though it seemed to swell and shrink; and it had no head or face, only the four taloned paws with which it gripped and tore.† (LeGuin 61) As it appeared when the shadow was first created. Later as the shadow pursued him, it held the same form. â€Å"The shadow did not have the shape of man or beast. It was shapeless, scarcely to be seen, but it whispered at him, though there were no words in its whispering, and it reached out towards him.† (LeGuin 81). Once Ged stops running, the shadow takes on a more identifiable form â€Å"...now some likeness to a man, though being shadow it cast no shadow.† The last form the shadow takes are the images people that Ged has come across in his life, â€Å"An old man it seemed, gray and grim, coming towards Ged; but even as Ged saw his father the smith in that figure, he saw that it was not an old man, but a young one. It was Jasper: Jasper’s insolent handsome young face, and silver-clasped gray cloak, and stiff stride. Hateful was the look he fixed on Ged across the dark intervening air...and it became Pechvarry. But Pechvarry’s face was all bloated and pallid like the face of a drowned man, and he rea... ... to face his fears. â€Å"In silence, man and shadow met face to face and stopped. Aloud and clearly, breaking that old silence, Ged spoke the shadow’s name and in the same moment the shadow spoke without lips or tongue, saying the same word: ‘Ged.’ And the two voices were one voice. Ged reached out his hands, dropping his staff, and took hold of the shadow, of the black self that reached out to him. Light and darkness met, and joined, and were one...’Estarriol’, he said, ‘look, it is done. It is over...the wound is healed...I am whole, I am free.’† (LeGuin 179-180) On the condition that one succeeds in assimilating and integrating the conscious mind the lost and regained contents. Since they are not neutral, their assimilation will modify the personality, just as they themselves will have to make certain changes. â€Å"If we could see our shadow, we should be immune to any moral and mental infection and insinuation.† (Jung 79) Bibliography: A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. LeGuin, published by Bantam Spectra Books. Fantasy Novel Man and His Symbols, edited by Carl G Jung and M.-L. von Franz, Joseph L. Henderson, Jolande Jacobi, Aniela Jaffe, published by Dell Books, non fiction.

Source Analysis Us History

Assignment: 1. ) Read the following document, â€Å"Another Race of White Men Come Amongst Us†: Native American Views as British Replace the French in the Lower Mississippi Valley, 1765 2. ) Answer the following questions based on a reading of the above document and material from your textbook. ——————————————– 1. ) TYPE OF DOCUMENT: Is this a primary or a secondary source? -Primary 2. ) DATE(S) OF DOCUMENT: When was this document created? -It was created shortly after the British replaced the French in the Lower Mississippi Valley in 1765 3. ) AUTHOR (OR CREATOR) OF THE DOCUMENT: Who created this document? Alibamon Mingo, elderly leader of the Choctaw nation 4. ) DOCUMENT INFORMATION (There are many possible ways to answer A-E. ) A. List three things the author said that you think are important: 1. I think it’s important to know that the French gave them guns and oth er things to make hunting bountifully better for them as they embarked on their lands trying to make peace with the â€Å"red man† buying their trust and loyalty in relationships between the two races and culture. Mingo was grateful for this as it provided many ways of life for his tribe to survive. This is important because it marked a great peace trade between French and Indians. . With respect to the Land I was not Consulted in it, if I was to deliver my Sentiments evil disposed People might impute it to Motives very different from those which actuate me, it is true the Land belonged chiefly to those who have given it away; that the Words which were Spoken have been written with a Lasting Mark, the Superintendant marks every word after word as one would count Bullets so that no variation can happen, & therefore the words have been Spoken and the eternal marks traced I will not Say anything to contradict, but, on the Contrary Confirm the Cession which has been made.What I h ave now to Say on that head is, to wish that all the Land may be Settled in four years that I may See it myself before I die. 3. â€Å"There was one thing I would mention tho' it cannot concern myself, & that is the Behaviour of the traders towards our Women† â€Å"often when the Traders sent for a Basket of Bread & the Generous Indian sent his own wife to Supply their wants instead of taking the Bread out of the Basket they put their hand upon the Breast of their Wives which was not to be admitted, for the first maxim in our Language is that Death is preferable to disgrace. Men who did not honor the authority usually treated Indian women with dirspect and used them for their own sexual expectations. It was normal for British men to take Indian women and marry them. I supposed this is how is started. 5. ) FRANCE/ENGLAND/NATIVE AMERICANS Your textbook discusses how Native Americans developed different relations with the French and the English (Chapter 6, pp. 162-167). Read ov er that section of your book to answer the following questions. A. Although Native Americans were not mentioned in the 1763 Treaty of Paris that ended the Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War), how did this treaty affect indigenous peoples who lived in Canada and areas east of the Mississippi River? -Britain gained control of Canada, eliminating the French threat from the North. France transferred all its territory west of the Mississippi River, including New Orleans to Spain as compensation for help during the war. B. ) What type of political/economic relationship did the French establish with Native Americans prior to 1763? The French had cemented respectful alliances with many Indian tribes. To Indians, gifts cemented social relationships, symbolizing honor and establishing obligation. The French had mastered the subtleties of gift exchange, distributing textiles and hats and receiving calumets (ceremonial pipes) in return. Generous givers expressed dominance and protec tion, not subordination, in the ceremonial practices of giving. C. ) According to your textbook (pp. 162-167), why didn’t the British believe in exchanging gifts with Native Americans (as the French had done)? From the British view, a generous gift might signify tribute (thus demeaning the giver), or it might be positioned as a bribe. They never indented to gain the friendship of Indians by presents. D. ) What caused Pontiac’s Rebellion of 1763? – The renewal of commitment to Indian ways and the formation of tribal alliances led to open warfare. Pontiac's Rebellion was a war waged by Indians of the Great Lakes region against British rule after the French and Indian War. The Indians, who had formed alliances with the defeated French, were dissatisfied with treatment from British officials.Unlike the Indian's French allies, British officials entrusted with Indian relations refused to offer gifts to tribal leaders such as guns, gunpowder, and ammunition. Furthermor e, English settlers began displacing Indians from their land. While French settlers and Indians seemed to live in relative harmony, the sheer number of English settlers that descended on the region prompted many Indians to support war. 6. ) Did Alibamon Mingo, the leader of the Choctaw nation, appear to look forward to future relations with the British (in the year 1765)? 7. ) LAND OWNERSHIP A. Did Alibamon Mingo think that once land treaties were signed with the British that Native Americans would no longer have access to those lands? -No he did not think that B. ) Did Native Americans view land ownership differently than Europeans? If so, in what way? – Yes. They viewed it as a place of abundance for food, clothing, and housing options for their way of living. He thought that the land, whether it forcefully taken or negotiated to share, that no matter what it still solely belonged to those who were there first. â€Å"it is true the Land belonged chiefly to those who have g iven it away†

Project Report on Retail

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Retailing consists of all activities involved in selling goods and services to consumers for their personal, family or household use. It covers sales of goods ranging from automobiles to apparel and food products and services ranging from hair cutting to air travel and computer education. Sales of goods to intermediaries who resell to retailers or sales to manufacturers are not considered a retail activity. Retailing can be examined from many perspectives. A manufacturer of white goods like washing machine and refrigerators has many options to reach out to consumers. It can sell through dealers, the company showrooms (Sony World, Videocon Plaza) or hypermarkets (Big Bazaar). The retail sector in India is highly fragmented with organized retail contributing to only 2% of total retail sales. The retail sector in developed countries was also highly fragmented at the beginning of the last century but the emergence of large chains like Wal Mart, Sears, and Mc Donald’s led to rapid growth of organized retail and growing consolidation of the retail industry in the developed countries. Today, in India we see a rise in the purchasing power and growth of a middle class which follows the western lifestyle. Hence, conditions are conducive for the rapid growth of organized retail in India. Organized retail is growing rapidly and we see the emergence of large organized retail chains like Shoppers’ Stop, LifeStyle and Westside. We also find retail malls mushrooming all over the country. The opportunities in retail industry in India will increase since Indian retailing is on the threshold of a major change. However, with the rapid growth in organized retail and increased emphasis of manufacturers on understanding sales at the retail level, the study of retailing has become increasingly relevant. -1- OBJECTIVE OF PROJECT v To understand the concept of retailing. v To understand the role and relevance of retailing for business and economy. v To identify the activities associated with retailing v To understand the operational structures associated with retail organizations v Understanding consumer behaviour in retailing v Understanding the importance of store location for retailer v To understand the nature of merchandise budgeting and unit planning v To understand the concept of relationship marketing and how does it apply to the retail sector. -2- METHODOLOGY This project is the mixture of theoretical as well as practical knowledge. Also it contains ideas and information imparted by the guide. The secondary data required for the project was collected from various websites and books of re puted authors. The project started with sorting all the raw data and arranging them in perfect order. To add value to the project and to understand the practicality of retailing business, I have visited various stores who are the best ones in retailing business. Further, to understand the consumers better, a field survey was also conducted to find out the tastes and preferences, purchasing habits, expectations of the consumers etc. Analysis of this primary data has been done to actually understand the survey in a better way. -3- ORIGIN OF RETAILING Although retailing does not enjoy the status of an Industry, the sheer size this behemoth will develop into, is grabbing attention. The origin of retail in India dates back to ancient times when the melas and mandis made heir presence felt. The changing socio economic patterns coupled with the consumption increase led to the emergence of the convenience stores, which became a par of the civic planning. The next step was the commercial plazas, which comprised merely shops offering a variety of goods and services clubbed together. The inconveniences caused by lack of parking place, toilets and maintenance, ushered in the entry big international brands opening their exclusive showrooms. The opening up of the economy only fueled this globalization. There are, however, certain bottlenecks as well; the scarcity of space, coupled with the stringent provisions of the Rent Control Act, act as a dissuasive factor for many players to initiate operations in the main markets. This also explains why the Raheja’s forayed into their retail venture- Shoppers’ Stop. CURRENT SCENARIO The Indian population is whooping 1 billion with 75% of the people living in villages and small towns. It is only natural that the agricultural sector is the biggest employer with its contribution to GDP pegged at 26. %. Retail is India’s larges industry after Agriculture with around 20% of the economically active population engaged in it and generation 10% of our country’s GDP. The growth of the efficient small store culture can be attributed to the 6 million villages distributed across the length and breadth of the country. The 12 million retail outlets in India are the hi ghest in the world, and cater to the purchase need of its pole. It is interesting to note, that the Urban Population although just 25% of the total, is an astounding 250 million in size and is growing at a healthy rate of 7% per annum. The chief driver of growth in the retail sector has been the consumer, with the spending increasing at an average of 11% per annum. The Core and the Lower middle have increased their share in the Growth. -4- The Indian consumer’s shopping needs are and traditionally have been fulfilled by Kirana sores (corner stores), Kiosks, street vendors, weekly bazaars and high-street shops for consumer durables and luxury goods. To cater to this, each city developed its own identity and shopping cluster, for instance in Pune there is MG Road, Bangalore has Brigade Road and Commercial Street, Delhi has Connaught Place, Karol Bagh and South Extension. India will have 358 shopping malls by 2007. Droves of middle-class Indians have broken off their love of traditional stand-alone shops that have no ACs, organized parking lots and other public amenities, according to a study by fashion magazine Image. At present (September 23, 2005), In India we have 96 malls, covering an area of 21. 6 million sq ft. And by year end the count will shoot up to 158 malls. It will cover 34 million sq ft area. Currently estimated at $205 billion to grow to $400-500 million, over the next 2-3 years. v Smaller cities will have about 12. 8 million sq ft of mall space by 2007. Ludhiana to account for 2. 5 million sq ft. v Ahmedabad about 3. 4 million sq ft. v Delhi and Mumbai now have maximum number of shopping centres. v Gurgoan saw the largest development in terms of retail outlet. v North region has 39% of India’s retail share. v East region has 10% of India’s retail share. v West region has 33% of India’s retail share. v South region has 18% of India’s retail share. v Government and co-operative sector is also making their steps in retailing. For example, Kendriya Bhandar, Apna Bazar, Mother Dairy, Super Bazar etc. -5- MAJOR RETAILER SPACE HOLDERS IN INDIA ORGANIZATION Bata RPG Raymond Area Sq. ft 10,00,000 6,00,000 5,42,000 Pantaloon/Big Bazaar 5,00,000 Metro cash-n-carry Spencer LifeStyle Shoppers Stop Trent Globus Piramyd 3,00,000 2,80,000 2,50,000 2,00,000 2,00,000 1,75,000 1,50,000 The 2nd Annual Images Retail Awards (September 22, 2005):v Retail Face of the Year: Kishore Biyani, MD, Pantaloon Retail India Ltd. v Retail Destination of the year: Shoppers’ Stop v Retail Launch of the Year: Pantaloon Central. v Shopping Centre of the Year: Inorbit Mall v Retail Brand of the Year: Titan v Retail Concept of the Year: Reliance Truck Stop. Retailer of the Year: Value Retailing: Big Bazar v Retailer of the Year: Catering Service: McDonald’s. v Retailer of the Year: Food & Grocery: Food Bazaar. v Retailer of the Year: Health & Beauty: VLCC. v Retailer of the Year: Entertainment: PVR. v Retailer of the Year: Department Store: Westside. v Retailer of the Year: Forecourt Retailing: Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd. v Retailer of the Y ear: Leisure: Crossword Bookstore. -6- SWOT OF THE MARKET STRENGTH 1. Organized retailing at US$ 3. 31 billion, growing at 8%. 2. 2nd largest contributor to GDP after agriculture at 20%. . Pattern of consumption changing along with shopping trends. 4. A Growing population will translate to move consumers. 5. Consumer spending increasing at 11% annually. 6. Almost 25 million sq. ft. retail space available. 7. Paradigm shift in shopping experience for consumers pulling in more people. 8. Most of the entrants to organized retail come from 3 main categories, and have ventured into retail as their business extension. v Real Estate Developers v Corporate Houses v Manufacturers/Exporters WEAKNESSES 1. Shortage of quality retail spaces at affordable rates. 2. Government regulations on development of real estate(Urban Land Ceiling Act) 3. Need to provide Value for Money-squeezing margins 4. Lack of industry status. 5. Retail revolution restricted to 250 million people due to monolithic urban-rural divide. 6. Footfalls not a clear indicator of sales as actual consumers lower in number. 7. Lack of huge investments for expansion. OPPORTUNITIES 1. Increasing urban population-more participants in retail revolution. 2. Increase in consuming middle class population. 3. Social factors like dual household income has enhanced spending power. 4. Spends moving towards lifestyle products and esteem enhancing products. 5. Availability of old industrial lands-prime real estate locked in sick industrial units. -7- 6. Average grocery spends at 42% of monthly spends-presents a huge opportunity. 7. Increase in use of credit cards. THREATS 1. Rising lease/rental costs affecting project viability 2. FDI restrictions in the retail sector 3. Poor monsoons and low GDP Growth could affect consumer spending drastically. 4. Archaic labour laws are a hindrance to providing 24/7 shopping experience 5. Personalized service offered by Mom-&-Pop stores. 6. Unavailability of qualified personnel to support exponential growth in retail. 7. Differentiate taxation laws hindering expansion. RETAIL VIABILITY As per the CII McKinsey report, based on a GDP growth rate of 6-7% per annum, by 2010 the retail sector is expected to be US $ 300 Billion industry. Some of the major factors hindering the growth of this sector are as follows: v The non-industry structure and status v The lack of adequate infrastructure v FDI restrictions in this sector v The huge investments required in expanding their markets, v Problems associated with working Capital funding from lending Institutions. 8- BIG BAZAAR: THE INDIAN WAL-MART Pantaloon Retail (India) Limited is today recognized as one of the poneers in the business of organized retailing in the country with a turnover of over RS 400 crores in the financial year ending June 2003. The company is headquartered in Mumbai with zonal offices at Kolkata, Bangalore and Gurgaon (Delhi). It has 4 kinds of stores; 14 P antaloon Family Stores, 7 Big Bazaar discount hypermarkets, 6 Food Bazaar Stores with over 6. 5 lakh sq ft retail space across Kolkata, Mumbai, Thane Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Bagpur, Ahmedabad, Kanpur, Chennai and Gugaon (Delhi). Pantaloon Retail India Limited is the flagship company of the Pantaloon group promoted by Mr Kishore Biyani. It has been one of the pioneers in organized retailing in India. It began its retailing operations in India way back in 1987. Currently, it manufactures and sells ready-made garments through its own retail outlets and two discounting stores. The company plans to diversify into the business of discounting in a big way, which is targeted at the growing middle class segment. It has India’s second largest retail chain with 17 retail outlets and two discounting stores branded as Big Bazaars across the country at an estimated retail space of ,01,300 sq. ft. The company plans to double its retail space in the next couple of years. Pantaloon has come up with an excellent revenue model, focusing on ‘value for money’ segment. Pantaloon plans to target the upper middle and the middle class segment, which forms the large chunk of Indian population. This segment is very price conscious and always looks out for value for money. Pantaloon successfully launched its discount store chain, which targets the large and growing upper-middle and middle class of Indian society. This is totally in contrast to the other organized retail players, which focus on high net-worth of individuals. Big Bazaar has strong own brand names in its portfolio across product categories. The brands include Pantaloon, John Miller and Bare. Higher percentage of ‘own brand’ sales improves margins, thus reducing the breakeven level of sales. Big Bazaar has diversified from apparels to household items in its discount stores. This has enabled them to enlarge their basket of offerings. -9- RETAIL CONCEPT The distribution of consumer products begins with the producer and ends at the ultimate consumer. Between the producer and the consumer there is a middleman—the retailer, who links the producers and the ultimate consumers. Retailing is defined as a conclusive set of activities or steps used to sell a product or a service to consumers for their personal or family use. It is responsible for matching individual demands of the consumer with supplies of all the manufacturers. The word ‘retail’ is derived from the French work retaillier, meaning ‘to cut a piece off’ or ‘to break bulk’. A retailer is a person, agent, agency, company, or organization which is instrumental in reaching the goods, merchandise, or services to the ultimate consumer. Retailers perform specific activities such as anticipating customer’s wants, developing assortments of products, acquiring market information, and financing. A common assumption is that retailing involves only the sale of products in stores. However, it also includes the sale of services like those offered at a restaurant, parlour, or by car rental agencies. The selling need not necessarily take place through a store. Retailing encompasses selling through the mail, the Internet, doorto-door visits—any channel that could be used to approach the consumer. When manufacturers like Dell computers sell directly to the consumer, they also perform the retailing function. Retailing has become such an intrinsic part of our everyday lives that it is often taken for granted. The nations that have enjoyed the greatest economic and social progress have been those with a strong retail sector. Why has retailing become such a popular method of conducting business? The answer lies in the benefits a vibrant retailing sector has to offer— an easier access to a variety of products, freedom of choice and higher levels of customer service. As we all know, the ease of entry into retail business results in fierce competition and better value for customer. To enter retailing is easy and to fail is even easier. Therefore, in order to survive in retailing, a firm must do a satisfactory job in its primary role i. e. , catering to customers. Retailers’ cost and profit vary depending on their type of operation and major product line. Their profit is usually a small fraction of sales and is generally about 9-10%. Retail stores of different sizes face distinct challenges and their sales volume influences 10- business opportunities, merchandise purchase policies, nature or promotion and expense control measures. Over the last decade there have been sweeping changes in the general retailing business. For instance, what was once a strictly made-to-order market for clothing has now changed into a ready-to-wear market. Flipping through a catalogue, picking the right colour, size, and type of clothing a person wanted to purchas e and then waiting to have it sewn and shipped was the standard practice in the earlier days. By the turn of the century some retailers set up a storefront where people could browse, while new pieces were being sewn or customized in the back rooms. Almost all retail businesses have undergone a similar transition over the years. DRIVERS OF CHANGE IN RETAILING v Changing demographics and industry structure v Expanding computer technology v Emphasis on lower costs and prices v Emphasis on convenience and service v Focus on productivity v Added experimentation v Continuing growth of non-store retailing. In today’s competitive environment retailers have redefined their role in general, and in the value chain in particular. Retailers act as gatekeepers who decide on which new products should find their way to the shelves of their stores. As a result, they have a strong say in the success of the product or service launched by a business firm. kA product manager of household appliances claimed, ‘Marketers have to sell a new product several times, first within the company, then to the retailer and finally to the user of the product. ’ It is a well-established fact that manufacturers need to sill their products through retail formats that are compatible with their business strategy, brand image, and market profile in order to ensure a competitive edge. The role of retailers in the present competitive environment has gained attention from manufacturers because external parties such as market intermediaries and supplying partners are becoming increasingly powerful. It is necessary for -11- marketers of consumer products to identify the need and motivations of their partners in the marketing channel. This is especially true in the case or new products. The increasing numbers of product categories followed by multiple brands in each category complicate decision-making for both manufacturers and market intermediaries. Retailers want of optimize sales within the limited shelf space, governed by their individual sales philosophy. Retailers undertake risk in selecting a portfolio of products or brands to offer to their customers. Retailers have to make optimum selection of goods to be sold given the following major concerns: v Selling space available is relatively fixed and must return maximum profits. If such space is occupied by merchandise that is not moving, it will not result in profit. The retailer may have to resort to substantial price reductions in order to get rid of the unsold stock. There is always the risk of non-performance in terms of quality, supplies etc. , which in turn harms the image of the retail outlet. Retailing is a dynamic industry—constantly changing due to shifts in the needs of the consumers and the growth of technology. Retail formats and companies that were unknown three decades ago are now major forces in the economy. Therefore, the challenges for retail managers the world over are increasing—they must take decisions ranging from setting the price of a bag of rice to setting up multimillion dollar stores in malls. Selecting target markets, determining what merchandise and services to offer, negotiating with suppliers, training salespeople—these are just a few of the many functions that a retail manager has to perform on a perpetual basis. The world over retail business is dominated by smaller family run chain stores and regionally targeted stores but gradually more and more markets in the western world are being taken over by billion dollar multinational conglomerates, such as Wal-Mart, Sears, McDonald’s, Marks and Spencer. The larger retailers have managed to set up huge supply/distribution chains, inventory management systems, financing pacts and wide-scale marketing plans. In the backdrop of globalization, liberalization and highly aware customers, a retailer is required to make a conscious effort to position himself distinctively to face the -12- competition. This is determined to a great extent by the retail mix strategy followed by a company to sell its products. GLOBAL RETAIL-INDUSTRY-RELATED FACTS v Worldwide retail sales are estimated at US $7 trillion. v The top 200 largest retailers account for 30% of the worldwide demand. The money spent on household consumption worldwide increased by 68% between 1980 and 1998. v Retail sales are generally driven by people’s ability (disposable income) and willingness ( consumer confidence ) to buy. v The 1998 UNDP Human Development Report points to the fact that global expenditures on advertising are ( including in developing countries ) increasing f aster than the world economy, suggesting that the sector is becoming one of the major players in the development process. REGIONAL FACTS v Some two-thirds or US $6. 6 trillion out of the US $10 trillion American economy is consumer spending. About 40% or that ($3 trillion) is spent on discretionary products and services. v Retail turnover in the EU was almost 2,000 billion in 2001 and the sector’s better than average growth looks set to continue in the future. v Retail trade in Europe employs 15% of the European workforce (3 million firms and 13 million workers). v The Asian economies (excluding Japan) are expected to have 6% growth rates in 2005-06. -13- CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS v Time and quality of life are becoming relatively more important than money; 60% of Americans want to lead a simple life. Product performance was found to be the top purchasing criterion, while environmental features were a close second in a survey conducted by the Alliance for Environmental Innovation in conjunction with SC Johnson Wax. CHARACTERISTICS OF RETAILING Retailing can be distinguished in various ways from other businesses such as manufacturing. Retailing differs from manufacturing in the following ways: v There is direct end-use r interaction in retailing. v In is the only point in the value chain to provide a platform for promotions. v Sales at the retail level are generally in smaller unit sizes. Location is a critical factor in retail business. v In most retail businesses services are as important as core products. v There are a larger number of retail units compared to other members of the value chain. This occurs primarily to meet the requirements of geographical coverage and population density. Direct Interaction with Customers Retail businesses have a direct interaction with end-users of goods or services in the value chain. They act as intermediaries between end-users and suppliers such as wholesalers or manufacturers. Therefore, they are in a position to effectively communicate the response and changing preferences of the consumers to the suppliers or sales persons of the company. This helps the manufacturers and markets to redefine their product and change the components of its marketing strategy accordingly. Manufacturers require a strong retail network both for reach of the product and to obtain a powerful platform for promotions and point-of-purchase advertising. Realizing the importance of retailing in the entire value chain, many manufacturers have entered into retail business by setting up exclusive stores for their brands. This has not only provided direct contact with customers, but has also acted as advertisement for the companies and has provided -14- the manufacturers with bargaining power with respect to other retailers who stocked their product. Retailing provides extensive sales people support for products which are information intensive, such as in the case or consumer durables. Lower Average Amount of Sales Transaction The average amount of sales transaction at retail point is much less in comparison to the other partners in the value chain. Many consumers buy products in small quantities for household consumption. Due to lower disposable incomes, some consumer segments in India even buy grocery items on a daily basis rather than a weekly or a monthly basis. Inventory management becomes a challenge for retailers as a result of the many minor transactions with a large number of customers. Hence, retailers must take care of determining average levels of stock, order levels and the retailer has to keep a tight control on costs associated with each transaction in the selling process. Credit verification, employment of personnel, value-added activities like bagging, gift-wrapping and promotional incentives all add up to the costs. One way to resolve this is for the retail outlets to be able to attract the maximum possible number of shoppers. Point-of-purchase Display and Promotions A significant relevant chunk of retail sales comes from unplanned or impulse purchases. Studies have shown that shoppers often do not carry a fixed shopping list and pick up merchandise based on impulsive or situational appeal. Many do not look at ads before shopping. Since a lot of retail products are low involvement in nature, impulse purchases of the shopper is a vital area that every retailer must tap into. Therefore, display, point-of-purchase merchandise, store layou8t and catalogues become important. Impulse goods like chocolates, snack foods and magazines can sell much more quickly if they are placed in a high visibility and high traffic location. Larger Number of Retail Business Units Location of retail store plays an important role compared to other business units. Manufacturers decide the location on the basis of availability of factors of productions -15- and market. Similarly, retailers consider factors like potential demand, supply of merchandise and store image-related factors in locating the retail outlet. The number of operation units in retail is the highest compared to other constituents ot the value chain, primarily to meet the needs for geographic reach and customer accessibility. THEORIES AND MODELS OF RETAILING 1. DIALECTIC PROCESS: – An evolutionary theory based on the premise that retail institutions evolve. The theory suggests that new retail formats emerge by adopting characteristics from other forms of retailers in much the same way that a child is the product of the pooled genes of two different individuals. 2. GRAVITY MODEL: – A theory about the structure of market areas. The model states that the volume of purchases by consumers and the frequency of trips to the outlets are a function of the size of the store and the distance between the store and the origin of the shopping trip. 3. RETAIL ACCORDION THEORY:- A theory of retail institutional changes that suggests that retail institutions go from outlets with wide assortments to specialized, narrow, line store merchants and then back again to the more general, wide-assortment institution. It is also referred to as the generalspecific-general theory. 4. RETAIL LIFECYCLE THEORY:-A theory of retail competition that states that retailing institutions, like the products they distribute, pass through and identifiable cycle. This cycle can be partitioned into four distinct stages: i. Innovation, ii. Accelerated development, iii. Maturity, and iv. Decline. 5. WHEEL OF RETAILING THEORY: – A theory of retail institutional changes that explains retail evolution with an institutional life cycle concept. 6. NATURAL SELECTION THEORY: – A theory of retail institutional changes that states that retailing institutions that an most effectively adapt to environmental changes are the ones that are most likely to prosper or survive. -16- 7. CENTRAL PLACE THEORY: – A model that ranks communities according to the assortment of goods available in each. At the bottom of the hierarch are communities that represent the smallest central places (centres of commerce). They provide the basic necessities of life. Further up the hierarchy are the larger central places, which carry all goods and services, found in lower-order central places plus more specialized ones that are not necessary. FUNCTIONS OF RETAILING Retailers play a significant role as a conduit between manufacturers, wholesalers, suppliers and consumers. In this context, they perform various functions like sorting, breaking bulk, holding stock, as a channel of communication, storage, advertising and certain additional services. SORTIONG Manufacturers usually make one or a variety of products and would like to sell their entire inventory to a few buyers to redu7ce costs. Final consumers, in contrast, prefer a large variety of goods and services to choose from and usually buy them in small quantities. Retailers are able to balance the demands of both sides, by collection an assortment of goods from different sources, buying them in sufficiently large quantities and selling them to consumers in small units. The above process is referred to as the sorting process. Through this process, retailers undertake activities and perform functions that add to the value of the products and services sold to the consumer. Supermarkets in the US offer, on and average, 15,000 different items from 500 companies. Customers are able to choose from a wide range of designs, sizes and brands from just one location. If each manufacturer had a separate store for its own products, customers would have to visit several stores to complete their shopping. While all retailers offer an assortment, they specialize in types of assortment offered and the market to which the offering is made. Westside provides clothing and accessories, while a chain like Nilgiris specializes in food and bakery items. Shoppers’ Stop targets the elite urban class, while Pantaloons is targeted at the middle class. -17- BREAKING BULK Breaking bulk is another function performed by retailing. The word retailing is derived from the French word retailler, meaning ‘to cut a piece off’. To reduce transportation costs, manufacturers and wholesalers typically ship large cartons of the product, which are then tailored by the retailers into smaller quantities to meet individual consumption needs. HOLDING STOCK Retailers also offer the service of holding stock for the manufacturers. Retailers maintain an inventory that allows for instant availability of the product to the consumers. It helps to keep prices stable and enables the manufacturer to regulate production. Consumers can keep a small stock of products at home as they know that this can be replenished by the retailer and can save on inventory carrying costs. ADDITIONAL SERVICES Retailers ease the change in ownership of merchandise by providing services that make it convenient to buy and use products. Providing product guarantees, after-sales service and dealing with consumer complaints are some of the services that add value to the actual product at the retailers’ end. Retailers also offer credit and hire-purchase facilities to the customers to enable them to buy a product now and pay foe it later. Retailers fill orders, promptly process, deliver and install products. Salespeople are also employed by retailers to answer queries and provide additional information about the displayed products. The display itself allows the consumer to see and test products before actual purchase. Retail essentially completes transactions with customers. CHANNEL OF COMMUNICATION Retailers also act as the channel of communication and information between the wholesalers or suppliers and the consumers. From advertisements, salespeople -18- and display, shoppers learn about the characteristics and features of a product or services offered. Manufacturers, in their turn, learn of sales forecasts, delivery delays, and customer complaints. The manufacturer can then modify defective or unsatisfactory merchandise and services. TRANSPORT AND ADVERTISING FUNCTIONS Small manufacturers can use retailers to provide assistance with transport, storage, advertising and pre-payment of merchandise. This also works the other way round in case the number of retailers is small. The number of functions performed by a particular retailer has a direct relation to the percentage and volume of sales needed to cover both their costs and profits. As a result of these functions, retailers are required to perform the following activities: ACTIVITIES PERFORMED BY RETAILERS Retailers undertake various business activities and perform functions that add value to the offerings they make to their target segments. Retailers provide convenient location, stock and appropriate mix of merchandise in suitable packages in accordance with the needs of customers. The four major activities carried out by retailers are: 1. Arrange for assortment of offerings 2. Breaking quantity 3. Holding stock 4. Extending services ARRANGING ASSORTMENT An assortment is a retailer’s selection of merchandise. It includes both the depth and breadth of products carried. Retailers have to select the combination of assortments from various categories. The assortments must include substitutable items of multiple brands and price points. They should be distinguished on account of physical dimensions and attributes e. g. , colour or flavour. The small retailer takes assortment decision on the basis of his experience; -19- on the other hand retailers from organized retailing depend on a detailed study of past trends and future projections. Retailers need to consider certain factors while devising assortment plans for their stores: profitability associated with particular merchandise mix, store image, layout and the level of compatibility between the existing merchandise. For example, FoodWorld, a leading food supermarket positioned as a one-stop shopping centre, deals in multiple product categories along with all possible variants of brands, stock keeping units, and physical attributes in order to meet the expectations of their consumers and survive in the business. Whereas, Subhiksha, a grocery chain in south India has impressive assortments of only the fast moving brands rather than all available variants in the market. Their assortment plan is governed by location, size and store image of their stores. BREAKING BULK Breaking bulk means physical repackaging of the products by retailers in small unit sizes according to customer’s convenience and stocking requirements. Normally, retailers receive large quantities of sacks and cases of merchandise from suppliers to reduce their transportation costs. In order to meet their customers’ requirements retailers have to break or arrange the bulk into convenient units. This entire function of the retailers adds value to the offerings not only for the end customers but also for the suppliers in the value chain. Even in the earlier days of generic and commodity-based trading most of the retailers used to perform this important function in the value chain. This function receives negligible attention from the retailers now due the introduction of new product categories, such as FMCG and readyto-wear apparel. HOLDING STOCK To ensure the regular availability of the offerings retailers maintain appropriate levels of inventory. Consumers normally depend on the retailers directly to replenish their stocks at home. Therefore, retailers, on periodic basis, maintain the required levels of stock to meet the regular or seasonal fluctuations in the demand. Retailers need to maintain equilibrium between the range or variety carried and the sales which it gives rise to. Retailers have to face the negative consequences of holding unwanted levels of stock—for instance, too little stock -20- ill hamper the sales volume, whereas, too much stock will increase the retailer’s cost of operation. Generally, in small towns of India most retailers have arrangements with the nearby warehouses to stock the goods. Some are so small that they have to stock only on the shop floor. Retailers in the organized sector, to a certain extent, are using effective software packages for maintaining adequate leve ls of inventory. At the same time, retailers avail of just-in-time deliveries with the help of efficient consumer response systems, which reduces the burden of maintaining high levels of stocks. EXTENDING SERVICES Retailing provides multiple services to immediate customers and other members of the value chain. The set of services extended by particular retailers may be part of their core product offerings or it may be ‘add on’ to their product or service. Retailers offer credit, home delivery, after-sales services and information regarding new products to their customers, thereby making the shopping experience convenient and enjoyable. At the same time, they provide stocking place, reach to the ultimate customers, and information about the oncerned target segment to the suppliers. For example, Time Zone, the first organized retail chain of wristwatches in India, started by leading watch manufacturers Titan, set up in all its stores, service centres with proper equipment and trained manpower. This has not only diluted the relevance of service providers in the unorganized sector but has also enhanced the confidence of the customers in the retai9l services provided by the particular retail chain, as after-sales service is considered to be an integral ingredient of the watch purchase. CATEGORIZING RETAILERS Categorizing retailers helps in understanding the competition and the frequent chandes that occur in retailing. There is no universally accepted method of classifying a retail outlet, although many categorization schemes have been proposed. Some of these include classifying on the basis of v Number of outlets v Margin Vs Turnover v Location v Size. -21- The number of outlets operated by a retailer can have a significant impact on the competitiveness of a retail firm. Generally, a greater number of outlets add strength to the firm because it is able to spread fixed costs, such as advertising and managers’ salaries, over a greater number of stores in addition to acquiring economies of purchase. While any retailer operating more than one store can be technically classified as a chain owner, for practical purposes a chain store refers to a retail firm which has more than 11 units. In the United States, for example, chain stores account for nearly 95% of general merchandise stores. Small chains can use economies of scale while tailoring merchandise to local needs. Big chains operating on a national scale can save costs by a centralized system of buying and accounting. A chain store could have either a standard stock list ensuring that the same merchandise is stocked in every retail outlet or an optional stock list giving the outlets the advantage of changing the merchandise according to customer needs in the area. Because of their size, chain stores are often channel captains of the marketing channel—captains can influence other channel partners, such as wholesalers, to carry out activities they might not otherwise engage in, such as extended payment terms and special package sizes. Big stores focus on large markets where their customers live and work. They use technology to learn more about their customers and target them with point-of-sale machines interactive kiosks, and sophisticated forecasting and inventory systems. They tend to stock a narrow range of inventory that sells well and maintain an extensive inventory of the fast selling products. Branding is important to them. Pricing is often a key area of focus for these retailers. Big stores have many strengths, including regional or national reputation, huge buying power, vast inventory and hassle-free return and exchange policies. Their prime locations, the consistency in their products and services, the fact that they are open when people can and want to shop and the clear consistent image and identity they develop and maintain challenge the abilities and resources of many small retailers. Perhaps their biggest advantage is their knowledge in every aspect of their business, from inventory selection to store layout. However, large retailers are not perfect. They have competitive weaknesses that small retailers can exploit. Most offer the same standardized assortments of products nationally. Local managers have little say in inventory selection. Often, sales staff has minimal product knowledge. Staff turnover is extremely high. Most large retailers have little connection with -22- the community they serve. They usually do not offer special services. Larger companies are often slow to recognize and react to changes in their local markets. Independent retailers can co-exist and flourish in the shadow of the big chains by developing a niche within the diverse market. The niche should be developed on the basis of new or unusual product offerings, superior service and overall quality. While value is important, price may be less important. Efficient operations, including precise buying practices, are a must. Customer contact within the niche market must be characterized by ‘high-touch’ service. The key factor is innovation: stores that do not change will perish. The road to success for the independent retailer lies in doing all the things those big chain stores can not or will not do. The successful independent retailers embrace the following principles: v Be prepared for change. v Move to a narrower niche market and stop competing directly with the big retailers. v Learn more about customers and include best customers in a database. Invest appropriately in advertising and promotion. v Charge regular prices and avoid discounting (ensure requisite mark-up). v Buy with precision and search out speciality suppliers. v Maintain essential inventory. v Focus on profit instead of volume (be ready to lose an occasional sale). v Provide extraordinary service. v Employ the best possible staff. v Understand the signi ficance of the Internet. Gross margin and inventory turnover is another means of classifying retailers. Gross margin is net sales minus the cost of goods sold and gross margin percentage is the return on sales. A 30% margin implies that a retailer generates Rs 30 for every Rs 100 sales that can be used to pay operating expenses. Inventory turnover refers to the number of times per year, on average, a retailer sells his inventory. On the basis of this, retailers are classified as low margin low turnover—those that cannot survive the competition—and low margin high turnover, exemplified by Amazon. com. Jewellery stores and appliance stores are examples of high margin low turnover stores and only a few retailers achieve high margin high turnover. These -23- etailers are in the best position to combat competition because their high turnover allows them to withstand price wars. The drawback of the classification by this method is that service retailers who have no inventory turnover cannot be encompassed. One of the old means of classification of retailers is by location, generally within a metropolitan area. Retailers are no longer satisfied with traditional locations within a cit y’s business district but are on the constant lookout for alternate locations to reach customers. Besides renovating old stores, retailers are testing unorthodox locations to expand their clientele. With the advent of the Internet, this area of retailing is likely to undergo tremendous changes in the coming years. Size is often used as a yardstick to classify retailers because costs often differ on the basis of size, with big retailers having lower operational costs per dollar than smaller players. However, in this sphere too, the Internet may make size an obsolete method of comparison. TRENDS IN RETAIL FORMATS Retail industry is continuously going through changes on account of liberalization, globalization and consumer preferences. While multinational retail chains are looking for new markets, manufacturers are identifying, redefining, or evolving new retail formats. The existing retail houses are also gearing up to face the emerging competition from the organized sector and the changing outlook of the consumers. For example, consumer spending is shifting from goods to services. Accordingly the retailers too are fast adjusting to the changing consumer preferences. Consumers are not only looking for the core products or functional benefits from the retailers but also the non-functional benefits, which need to be compatible with their lifestyles. For example, most of the traditional eating joints in India such as Haldiram, Bikaner and Sagar Ratna have revised their product offerings and atmospherics on the lines of the multinational chains to compete with them and to serve changed expectations of the consumers. Mom-and-pop Stores and Traditional Kirana Stores The retail sector is changing as new store categories have started dominating the marketplace. Mass merchandisers (Wal-Mart, Big Bazaar), discount clubs (Subhiksha), -24- so-called category killers (Home Depot, Vishal chain), and speciality retailers (Time Zone, Tanishq) have all developed a successful retail models. At the same time, the small mom-and-pop stores and the traditional department stores, are finding the competition intense. In 2002, while Wal-Mart and Target saw revenues grow (by 12% and 10%, respectively), department stores such as Saks and Federated experienced declining revenues (down 3% and 1% respectively). But even in the mass-merchandising segment, the competition is fierce, as is evidenced by Kmart’s bankruptcy announcement in 2002. Small independent stores, across product categories, is a very common retail formats they are also undertaking large scale renovations to appeal and attract their target consumer segments. E-commerce The amount of retail business being conducted on the Internet is growing every year. Indeed, Forrester Research Agency projects e-commerce revenue to rise to $123 billion in 2004, an increase of some 28% over the previous year and for e-tailing to comprise a bigger slice of the overall retail pie (5. 6%, up from 4. 5% in 2003). Many major retail organizations and manufacturers have online retail stores. Companies like Amazon. com and First and second. com, which helped pioneer the retail e-commerce concept, are now being followed by bricks-and-mortar and catalogue retailers like J. Crew, which are expanding retail e-commerce into new markets. Department Stores A few years ago, names like Sears, J. C. Penney, Macy’s, and Montgomery Ward dominated malls and downtowns all over America. Over the last decade or so, however, these department stores have suffered badly. In part, this is a result of changing shopping patterns and increased competition from discount stores. It has also come from financial burdens incurred by companies that acquired competing companies and grew too fast. It is unlikely that these players will disappear from the market. However, they should be ready to expect more bumps as the strong get stronger and the weak get absorbed. -25- Discount Stores These are giants such as Wal-Mart (the largest retailer in the world, with more than a million; employees), Target and Kmart, as well as membership warehouses, such as Costco. These, along with the category killers, have changed the landscape of both the retail industry and America. Where once mom-and-pop and department stores dominated retail, now the discount retailers and category killers are at the top of the heap. And where once shopping malls, anchored by at least one major department store, ;used to be the dominant retail presence lining the nation’s roads, now it is the behemoth Wal-Marts and Home Depots. Category Killers These are the giant retailers that dominate one area of merchandise (e. g. , Office Depot, Tower Records and The Sports Authority). They are able to buy bathroom tiles, file cabinets, electronic goods or pet food in such huge volumes that they can then sell them at prices even fairly large competitors cannot match. The future of this category is better than that of many of the more general discounters, but the same employment caveats apply. For most job seekers, these companies offer earn-and-learn experiences with vendors and distributors before they move onward and upward. Speciality Stores These include Crate & Barrel, the Body Shop, and Victoria’s Secret. These stores concentrate on one type of merchandise and offer it in a manner that makes it special. Some are very high-end (Louis Vuitton) while others cater to the price-conscious masses (Old Navy). Many are so successful that department stores have started to emulate their buying, marketing, and merchandise display strategies. Industry experts predict growth in this segment, particularly in home furnishings and home improvement, and it seems to attract many of the best and brightest in retail. Promotion and responsibility come quickly to those willing to work hard, and in many of these stores the hand of bureaucracy is not heavy. -26- E-tailers While most retailers have online storefronts, strictly online purveyors with no bricksand-mortar counterparts are hoping to snare a percentage of the retail profit. Major players, such as Amazon. com, have generated enough business to cause top brick-andmortar competitors to come up with their own Internet sites. Traditional retailers like Wal-Mart and Starbucks, hugely successful in their own right, have also set up online stores so as not to miss out on the revenue opportunities that the Interned offers. -27- BARISTA Barista positioned its outlets as a place where people meet each other in an environment, which fulfills both their social and intellectual needs. The music is not too loud and encourages conversation, and the person behind the counter is non-intrusive and friendly. Any consumer knows that even when it is crowded at Barista, you will have your share of privacy. This is because the other consumer is not listening in; he is too involved in himself. MARGIN FREE MARKETS Margin Free Markets is the largest retail chain in the state of Kerala and one of the leading retail chains in India. The first outlet of this chain started functioning on 26 January 1994 at Thiruvananthapuram. There are currently more than 275 franchisees of Margin Free Markets spread all over south India. The outlets are franchises and are not actually owned by the chain. The Consumer Protection and Guidance Society currently control Margin Free Markets, which is registered charitable institution that started functioning in 1993. The consumers are assured of quality, quantity and fair price of the goods sold through the Margin Free Markets. Any retailer can upgrade his shop to a Margin Free outlet by sending in an application to the society. If his application is accepted, he has to make the necessary investment as required. These shops deal in the enter gamut of foods required by a home for its monthly onsumption, grocery, food and non-food FMCG items, fruits and vegetables, consumer goods and household articles. Margin Free outlets are typical discount stores, offering one-stop-shop convenience and self service facility at significant discount to its customers. Most of these customers, in time, turn out to be its permanents customers by taking discounts cards, which permit them to obtain larger discounts than the non-card holders. The necessity to o ffer protection against the rising prices gave birth to the idea of Margin Free Markets. An enthusiastic entrepreneur, named Mr N. Ravikumar, conceived the idea. The idea turned out to be an instant success in Kerala especially because Kerala is more of, a ‘consumer’ state than a ‘producing’ state Kerala depends on her neighbouring states for her consumer needs. Due to the large number of intermediaries involved and the transportation costs, the prices are high and there is a wide fluctuation in the prices of groceries, fruits and vegetables. -28- RETAIL ORGANIZATION The term retail organization refers to the basic format or structure of a retail business designed to cater to the needs of the end customer. Recently, some scholars have started referring to India as a nation of shopkeepers. This epithet has its roots in the huge number of retail enterprises in India, which were over 12 million in 2003. About 78% of these are small family businesses utilizing only household labour. Retail firms may ;be independently owned, parts of a retail chain, operated as a franchisee, leased departments, owned by manufacturers or wholesalers, consumersowned or co-operative society. A retail unit could be owned by: v Manufacturer (e. g. , company owned retail outlets) v Wholesaler (e. g. Vastra outlet in Rajouri in New Delhi) v Independent retailer (Chanakya Sweet Shop near Hazratganj in Lucknow) v Consumer (consumer owned grocery stores in man y residential societies) v Co-operative society (e. g. , Mother Dairy milk booths in Delhi) v Government (e. g. , Cottage Emporia) v Ownership shared among franchiser and franchisee (e. g. , Archies Gallery) Although most Indian retailers fall in the category o f small-scale units, there are also some very big retailers. Organized retail stores are generally characterized by large, professionally managed store formats providing goods and services hat appeal to customers, in an ambience that is conducive for shopping and provides a memorable experience to customers. From positioning and operating perspectives, each ownership format serves a marketplace niche and presents certain advantages and disadvantages. Retail executives must not lose sight of this in playing up their strengths and working around their weaknesses. THE CHANGING STRUCTURE OF RETAILING All dynamic developments in retailing, from the birth of departmental stores in the last century to the recent emergence of warehouse clubs and hypermarkets, have been -29- responses to a changing environment. Changing customer demand, new technologies, intense competition, and social changes create new opportunities even as they shake up existing business. The retail business formats have been changing very fast mainly due to technological influences. The Internet and the Web technologies have created a myriad f opportunities for the Web-based business model of retailing. This has created a competition for the retailer with its own self. Besides, the challenge for the retailer now is to keep abreast of these latest formats in order to maintain and grow its share of market and compete within its band of retailers. A key impact of technology has been provision ;of greater information to the customer. Hence, a big challenge for the retailer in the information savvy world of today is that the opportunities for price differentiate itself qualitatively by superior customer services or better value for money to the customer. CLASSIFICATION OF RETAIL UNITS Conceptual classification of a business unit provides the marketers with strategic guidelines, useful in the design of retailing strategy. Besides, retail businesses are extremely diverse and there are quite a few types of retail units. Therefore, retail units are classified on multiple of ownership, geographical locations, kind of customer interaction level of services provided etc. Retailers Classified on the Basis of Ownership One of the first decisions that the retailer has to make as a business owner is how the company should be structured. This decision is likely to have long-term implications, so it is important to consult with an accountant and attorney to help one select preferred ownership structure. There are four basic legal forms of ownership for retailers: 1. Sole proprietorship: – The vast majority of small businesses start out as sole proprietorships. These firms are owned by one person, usually the individual who has the day-to-day responsibility for running the business. -30- 2. Partnership: – A partnership is a common format in India for carrying out business activities (particularly trading) on a small or medium scale. In a partnership, two or more people share ownership of a single business. 3. Joint venture: – A joint venture is not well defined in the law. Unless incorporated or established as a firm as evidenced by a deed, joint ventures may be taxed like association of persons, sometimes at maximum marginal rates. It acts like a general partnership, but is clearly for a limited period of time or a single project. 4. Limited liability Company (public and private):- The Limited Liability Company (LLC) is a relatively new type of hybrid business structure that is now permissible in most states. The owners are members, and the duration of the LLC is usually determined when the organization papers are filed. Classification of Retailers on the basis of Operational Structure Retail businesses are classified on the basis of their operational and organizational structure. Operational structure defines the key strategic decision of retail entity, whether to hire employees and manage the distributed sales function internally or to reach customers though franchised outlets owned and operated by local entrepreneurs. Retail firms can be classified into five heads on the basis of their respective operational structures: 1. Independent retail unit: – The total number of retailers in India is estimated to be over 5 million in 2003. About 78% of these are small family businesses utilizing only household labour. An independent retailer owns one retail unit. 2. Retail Chain: – A chain etailer operates multiple outlets (store units) under common ownership; it usually engages in some level of centralized (or coordinated) purchasing and decision making. 3. Franchising: – Franchising involves a contractual arrangement between a franchiser (which may be a manufacturer, a wholesaler, or a service sponsor) and a retail franchisee, which allows the franchisee to conduct a -31- given form of business under and establishments name and according to a given pattern of business. 4. Leased Department or Shop-in-shop:-It refers to department in a retail store that are rented to an outside party. Usually this is done in case of department and speciality stores and also at times, in discount stores. 5. Co-operative Outlets: – Co-operative outlets are generally owned and managed by co-operative societies. In this context the detailed example of Kendriya Bhandar in India. Classification of Retailers on the basis or Retail Location Retailers have also been also been classified according to their store location. Retailers can locate their stores in an isolated place and attract the customers to the store on their own strength—such as a small grocery store or paan shop in a colony, which attracts the customers staying close by. Classification of retailers on the basis of location is discussed below: 1. Retailers in a free-standing location:- Retailers located at a site which is not connected to other retailers depend entirely on their sore’s drawing power and on the various promotional tools to attract customers. This type of location has several advantages including no competition, low rent, better visibility from the road, easy parking and lower property costs. For example the Haldiram’s outlet on the DelhiJaipur highway and the McDonald’s outlet on Delhi-Ludhiana highway. 2. Retailers in a Business-associated Location:-In this case, a retailer locates his store in a place where a group o retail outlets, offering a variety of merchandise, work together to attract customers to their retail area, and also compete against each other for the same customers. 3. Retailers in Specialized Markets: – Besides the above location-based classification, we also have in India-retailers who prefer specialized markets, particularly traditional independent retailers or chain stores. -32- In India, most of the cities have specialized markets famous for a particular product category. For example, in Chennai, Godown Street is famous for clothes, Bunder treet for stationery products, Usman street for jewellery, T Nagar for ready-made garments, Govindappan naicleen street for grocery, Poo Kadia for food and vegetables. 4. Airport Retailing: – For quite some time, duty-free shops and newsstands dominated the small amount of commercial space provided at airports. Lately, serious efforts are being made to design new airport facilities in order to incorporate substantial amounts of retail space. The key features of airport retailing are: v Large groups of prospective shoppers v Captive audience v Strong sales per square foot of retail space v Strong sales of gift and travel items v Difficulty in replenishment v Longer operating hours v Duty-free shopping possible. ` -33- VARIETY OF MERCHANDISE MIX The retail merchandising has come a long way in India since the days when general stores (kirana) that stocked everything from groceries to stationery and small shops that sold limited varieties of products (such as clothes, furniture, medicines) reigned supreme. There are many different retail stores in India—convenience stores, supermarkets, hypermarkets, department stores, brand stores and discount stores characterized by the variety of merchandise mix offered by a respective retail format. The consumer can choose between different stores for different needs. Retail units, on account of variety of merchandise mix, can be classified as follows: . Department Stores: – It is a large retail store organized into a number of departments, offering a broad variety and depth of merchandise, commonly part of a retail chain. Usually, department stores are located within the planned shopping centres or traditional up market downtown centres. The leading fashion department stores in India are Ebony, Globus, LifeStyle, Pantaloon, Shoppers’ Stop and Westside. All of them are multiproduct stores, Ebony has 7 stores, Globus has 4 stores, LifeStyle has 3 stores and there are 12 Pantaloon Family Stores. Discount Stores: – Retailers offering a broad variety of merchandise mix, limited or no service and low prices are characterized by low margins, heavy advertising, low investments on fixtures, limited support from sales people etc. Discount stores prefer shopping centres that provide space at lower rents as they attract customers from other adjoining stores in the shopping centre. Speciality Stores: – Speciality stores stress on one or a limited number of complementary product categories and extend a high level of service to their customers. In India, the traditionally independent retailers in the specialized market centres operate in a particular product category, at these centres attract large crowds. Such specialized retail operations provide expertise economies of scale, bargain and image to the particular stores. Supermarkets and Hypermarkets:- A hypermarket is a very large retail unit offering merchandise at low prices. Superstores have a sales area of over 50,000sq. ft. Hypermarkets are characterized by large store size, low operating costs and margins, low prices and comprehensive range of merchandise. -34- RETAIL IN INDIA The retail industry in India is largely unorganized and predominantly consists of small, independent, owner-managed shops. Retailing is India’s largest industry in terms of contribution to GDP and constitutes 13% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product). There are around 5 million retail outlets in India. There are also an unaccounted number of low cost Kiosks (tea stalls, snack centres, barber shops) and pushcarts mobile vendors. Total retail sales area in India was estimated at 328 million sq. mt. in 2001, with an average selling space of 29. 4 sq. mt. per outlet. In India, the per capita retailing space is about 2 sq. ft. , which is quite low in comparison to the developed economies. In 2000, the global management consultancy AT Kearney put retail trade at Rs 400,000 crore, which is expected to increase to Rs 800,000 crore by the year 2005—an annual increase of 20%. According to a survey by AT Kearney, an overwhelming proportion of the Rs 400,000 crore retail markets is unorganized. In fact, only a Rs 20,000 crore segment of the market is organized. There is no integrated supply chain management outlook in the Indian traditional retail industry. Food sales constitute a high proportion of the total retail sales. The share was 62. 7% in 2001, worth approximately Rs 7,039. 2 billion, while non-food sales were worth Rs4189. 5billion. However, the non-food retailing sector registered faster year-on-year growth than the food sales sector. The trend to market private labels by a specific retail store is catching on in India as it helps to improve margins. The turnover from private labels by major retail chains was estimated at around Rs 1200 million in 2000. Growth in retail outlets (millions) Year 1978 1984 1990 1996 Urban 0. 58 0. 75 0. 94 1. 80 Rural 1. 76 2. 02 2. 42 3. 33 Total 2. 35 2. 77 3. 36 5. 13 Source: indiainfoline -35- Composition of urban outlets Retail Outlet Grocers Cosmetic stores Chemist Food stores General stores Tobacco, pan stores others Source: indiainfoline Composition 34. 7% 4. % 6. 3% 6. 6% 14. 4% 17. 0% 17. 0% Composition of rural outlets Retail Outlet Grocers Composition 55. 6% General stores 13. 5% Chemists Others 3. 3% 27. 6% Source: Indiainfoline EMERGENCE OF ORGANIZED RETAILING Organized retailing in India repres