Stella Mccartney

Stella McCartney Famous English fashion designer, Stella Nina McCartney, was born September 13, 1971. From the young age of twelve she became interested in designing clothes, when she made her first jacket. After graduating from Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and design, Stella McCartney has made a name for herself in the fashion industry. Stella McCartney shops are spread across the globe in exclusive locations including Manhattan’s Soho, London’s Mayfair and Brompton Cross, LA’s West Hollywood, Paris’ Palais Royal, Milan and Tokyo. Out of the twenty-three shops this paper focuses on the store in London, Mayfair.Stella McCartney collections range from women’s ready-to-wear, accessories, lingerie, eyewear, children’s wear, and Adidas by Stella McCartney. Marie Claire calls McCartney, the queen of Eco-Cool. As a strict vegetarian, McCartney refuses to use fur or leather in her designs and is a strong supporter of PETA. In some of the designs the text elaborates on her â€Å"no animal† policy. McCartney explains that depending on what season, twenty to thirty percent of the collections contain some kind of eco or sustainable element, either being organic fabric or a natural dye.Before going to the store and doing some research I found out that the London store and offices are powered by Ecotricity which invests in wind power. Keeping with the companies earth-friendly views they use biodegradable bags and recycled paper products. The London, Mayfair shopping experience was completely different to how a normal day out in the shops would be. From the moment of walking in we were analysing and paying more attention to different things in the store from the lighting, to customer service, music, the design and the layout. When entering the shop the atmosphere was calm and relaxing with nice vibes from the staff.The staff were very kind and attentive and assisted with sizes. Another thing we noticed was the perfume smell that was sprayed around the shop, it made the shop unique and memorable. You associate smell with many things including places so in a business perspective it is a smart technique. The design of the shop was simplistic with white walls and big windows which gives the shop a great natural light. The big mirrors spread everywhere made the store look a lot bigger than it really was. The colours of the collection all blend really well together sorting from green, blue, orange and pinks.I found the whole shopping experience comfortable and stress-free. The shop was inviting and I would definitely go back not only for the clothing but also for the customer service that you rarely see in shops in London. References Dafont. com (n. d. ) Fancy > Retro fonts | dafont. com. [online] Available at:http://www. dafont. com/theme. php? cat=115[Accessed: 27 Feb 2013]. Interview Magazine (2013) Stella McCartney. [online] Available at:http://www. interviewmagazine. com/fashion/stella-mcc artney [Accessed: 27 Feb 2013]. Marie Claire (2013) Stella McCartney: The Queen of Eco-Cool. online] Available at:http://www. marieclaire. com/fashion/trends/stella-mccartney-eco-fashion [Accessed: 27 Feb 2013]. Stella McCartney – Online Store (2013) Stella McCartney – Official website. Women’s ready-to-wear, accessories, lingerie, sports performance collection â€Å"adidas by Stella McCartney,† eyewear, fragrance and kids. [online] Available at:http://www. stellamccartney. com/ [Accessed: 27 Feb 2013]. Vogue UK (2012) Stella McCartney. [online] Available at: http://www. vogue. co. uk/spy/biographies/stella-mccartney-biography [Accessed: 27 Feb 2013].

Comparison Between Two Major Textile Companies

Executive Summary In this report, I have discussed about the two major textile organizations that are AL-karam and Gul Ahmed textile mills. I have conducted a ratio analysis from the information gathered from their financial statements. In my study, I found out that AL-Karam is doing comparatively well from Gul Ahmed textiles as various ratios proved to be positive in terms of AL-Karam textiles. Accounting Policies Through accounting strategies and the methods of computation used in the preparation of this financial information are the same as those applied in the preparation of financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2011.These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with approved accounting standards as applicable in Pakistan. Approved accounting standards comprise such International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) issued by the International Accounting Standards Board as are notified under the Companies Ordinance, 1984, provisions of and directives issu ed under the Companies Ordinance, 1984. In case requirements differ, the provisions or directives of the Companies Ordinance, 1984 shall overcome operating assets.Operating assets are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and any identified impairment loss except leasehold land which is stated at cost. No amortization is provided on leasehold land since the lease is renewable at the option of the lessee. Depreciation is charged on reducing balance method at rates specified in the note 13. 1. Full year’s depreciation is charged on additions except major additions or extensions to production facilities which are depreciated on pro-rata basis for the period of use during the year and no depreciation is charged on assets in the year of their disposal.Structures on leased retail outlets are depreciated over the respective lease term. Gains and losses on disposal of operating assets are included in profit and loss account. Capital work-in-progress Capital work-in-progress is stated at cost accumulated up to the balance sheet date and represents expenditure incurred on property, plant and equipment in the course of construction. These expenditures are transferred to relevant category of property, plant and equipment as and when the asset starts operation. Intangible assets Intangible assets are stated at cost less accumulated amortization.Amortization is charged over the useful life of the assets on a systematic basis to income applying the straight line method at the rate specified in note 14. Investments Investments in subsidiary company are stated at cost. The Company reconsiders the carrying amount of the investments to assess whether there is any indication of impairment loss. If such indication exists, the carrying amount is reduced to recoverable amount and the difference is recognized as an expense. Where an impairment loss subsequently reverses, the carrying amount of the investment is increased to the revised recoverable amount.The reversal of such impairment loss is recognized as an income. GUL AHMED Financial Ratios | 2010| 2009| liquidity| Current ratios| 0. 97| 0. 95| Quick  Ratio| 0. 39| 0. 44| Leverage| Total  debt  to  Total  assets  ratio| 75. 37%| 77. 04%| Times  interest  earned| -| 1. 00 times| Funded  debt  to  net  working  capital| 61. 80%| 63. 49%| Efficiency| Average  collection  period  | 4. 3 days| 44. 56 days| Inventory  turnover  | 3. 98| 4. 43| Total  assets  turnover| 1. 34| 1. 11| Net worth turn over| 5. 47| 2. 99| Net  working  capital  turnover| -87. 86| 50. 92| Profitability| Net  profit  margin| 2. 42%| -0. 56%| Gross  profit  margin| 16. 11%| 7. 30%|Return  on  total  assets| 3. 27%| -0. 71%| Return  on  Net  working  capital| 13. 28%| -48. 01%| Return  on  net  worth| -213. 10%| -3. 26%| Ratios Analysis LIQUIDITY RATIOS: A liquidity ratio measures the company's ability to pay its bills. The denominator of a liquidity ra tio is the company's current liabilities, i. e. , obligations that the company must meet soon, usually with in one year. The numerator of a liquidity ratio is part or all of current assets. The current ratio of Gul Ahmed for year 2010 is 0. 97 and for year 2009 it is 0. 94. When we look at quick ratio, the quick ratio for Gul Ahmed is 0. 39 in 2010 and 0. 44 in 2009.It shows that Gul Ahmed had enough liquidity to meet its short term liquidity need during the better economic situation as well as in worst economic situation. The factor behind being well in its liquidity ratio is that company is well managed in financing its assets. LEVERAGE RATIOS: The leverage ratios accomplish two things: First, they are a measure of the extent to which firms finance their assets through debt; second, they are indicators of the financial risk of the firm. .We has considered three leverage ratios for Gul Ahmed: total debt to total assets, times interest earned, and funded debt to net working capital. Company’s datedness increased over the 2009-2010 periods. The times’ interest earned ratio for Gul Ahmed during 2009 show that it is slightly lesser than the industry average. Whereas in 2010, Gul Ahmed’s time’s interest earned ratio increased to, which was higher than the industry average of that year From this, it is concluded that the company has been able to meet its interest obligations from funds available from operations during 2010. The comparatively lower funded debt to net working capital ratio for Gul Ahmed indicates that it follows the industry practice of heavily utilizing credit lines at banks.It appears that the company did not have reasonable funds to meet its funded debt payments although it is performing better than the industry. Taking, the preceding leverage ratios in considerations, it may be concluded that Gul Ahmed is highly leveraged and most of its assets are financed by current debt. EFFICIENCY RATIOS: Ratios are typically used t o analyze how well a company uses its assets and liabilities internally. Efficiency Ratios can calculate the turnover of receivables, the repayment of liabilities, the quantity and usage of equity and the general use of inventory and machinery.The average collection period is far from the median and that shows a loose credit term policies in receiving the payments late but somehow the average collection period reduces close to median in2010 explaining the improvement in receiving payments. The inventory is kept at good level by ensuring timely supplies to its customers. The Asset turnover seemed to be in a good shape standing  just above the median in both years, telling that Gul Ahmed is utilizing its assets properly introducing the sales.The net working capital turnover is far higher than the median telling that the firm’s current assets are sufficiently utilized in producing high sales. However, the net worth  Turnover being below the median tells that the Gul Ahmed is bit high on using debt financing and less efficient in using equity financing. PROFITABILITY RATIOS: Profit margin is 2. 42% (2010) and 0. 57% (2009). This reflects the firm's managerial efforts at controlling the markets acceptance of the firms product, the effectiveness of its marketing and sales efforts and the firms overall reputation.The profit margin is improving hence the firms profitability is improving. Return on total assets= 3. 27% (2010) and 0. 59% (2009) this reflects the earnings productivity of the total assets. Here there is an increase. This is because the firm is very profitable as far as its assets are concerned. Return on net working capital=13. 28% (2010) and 2. 50% (2009) reflects the profitability of  managerial decisions regarding investments in net current assets. This is improving in a way that the company is generating profits on its net working capital as compared to 2003. AL-Karam TextilesFinancial Ratios Ratios| 2009| 2010| Liquidity Ratios| | | Curr ent Ratio| 1. 04| 0. 97| Quick Ratio| 0. 4757| 0. 2787| Leverage Ratios| | | Debt to asset ratio| 0. 7381| 0. 80179| Funded to net working capital| 0. 3692| 1. 365| Efficiency Ratios| | | Average collection period| 30days| 35days| Inventory Turnover| 0. 7089| 0. 008109| Total Asset turnover| 0. 000933| 0. 000693| Net Worth Turnover| 2. 15| 2. 56| Net working capital turnover| -0. 0017583| -0. 010899| Profitability Ratio| | | Profit Margin| 0. 0078| 0. 0075| Return on Total Assets| 0. 6885| 0. 53351| Return on Net Worth| 0. 1792| 0. 853| Return on net working capital| -0. 1643| 0. 08387| Equity Ratio| | | Price to earning Ratio| 2. 11| 2. 01| Dividend payout| 0. 41| 0. 83| Book value per share| $15. 12| $19. 48| Ratios Analysis Liquidity ratios A) Current ratio: Total current assets/Total current liabilities is 0. 97(2010) and 1. 04(2009). This explains that in 2010 the liabilities were outweighing the assets however the previous year the asset became more than the liabilities and he nce the ratio exceeds 1. b) Quick ratio: (Total current assets-inventories)/total current liabilities is 0. 2787(2010) and 0. 4757(2009).This ratio is taken out in order to check the liquidity of the firm. When the inventory was subtracted from the total current assets, it gave us a figure of all the current assets other than the stock. This figure was divided by the total current liabilities which gave us a significant decrease in the overall figure value as compared to the current ratio. However, the ratio is decreasing later on in 2010. This means that the stocks have increased. Leverage ratios A) Total debt to total assets ratio: Total debt/total assets = 0. 80179(2010) and  0. 7381(2009). This tells us about the amount of assets which are debt financed.This means that in the last one year there has been a rise in the amount of assets which are being financed by debt and hence reduction in the ones which have been financed by equity. b) Funded debt to net working capital: Fund ed debt/net working capital=1. 365(2010) and0. 3692 (2009). This basically explains the ratio of debt which has a maturity of more than one year divided by the difference between the current assets and current liabilities. Hence the ability of the firm to retire its funded debt using available relatively liquid assets has increased. Efficiency ratios A) Inventory turnover ratioThe inventory turn over ratio is 0. 008109 (2010) and 0. 7089(2009). It is a ratio which tells the effective inventory management policies. Recently, the ratio has reduced in value than the previous one. Either the firm has a lot of inventory or its sales are reducing. b) Total assets turnover The total asset turn over ratio of the two year is 0. 000693(2010) and 0. 000933(2009). It is a measure of the firm’s overall effectiveness in generating sales. The decrease in this ratio is not significant enough. However, it shows that the firm’s effectiveness in generating sales from assets is decreasing to some extent. ) Net working capital turnover = 0. 010899(2010) and -0. 0017583(2009). It is a measure of the firm’s productivity in generating sales. Again here the firm's performance is decreasing in a way that the ratio of conversion of the net working capital to sales is decreasing. However, even this difference is not very significant between these two years. Profitability ratios A) Profit margin =0. 0078(2010) and 0. 0075(2009). This reflects the firm's managerial efforts at controlling the market's acceptance of the firms product, the effectiveness of its marketing and sales efforts and the firms overall reputation.The profit margin is improving hence the firms profitability is improving. b) Return on total assets =0. 53351(2010) and 0. 6885(2009). This reflects the earnings productivity of the total assets. Here there is a decrease. This is because the firm is not very profitable as far as its assets are concerned. c) Return on net working capital=-0. 08387(2010) an d -0. 1643(2009). This reflects the profitability of managerial decisions regarding investments in net current assets. This is improving in a way that the company is generating profits on its net working capital as compared to2009.Equity ratios A) Price to earnings ratio=2. 01(2010) and 2. 11(2009). This is basically a measure of the desirability of a firm. The more desirable a firm is to the investor the higher the P. E ratio it has. The P. E ratio is slightly decreasing. This is because the ratio of earning per share to price per share is greater in 2009. The higher this ratio the more attractive it is to the investors. B) Debt to  equity ratio=0. 3481(2010) and 0. 4937 (2009) shows a decrease in  the  preceding year2010. Conclusion Ratios| Gul Ahmed| Al karam| | Liquidity| Current Ratios| 0. 97| 1. 04|Quick Ratio| 0. 39| 0. 4757| Leverage | Total debt to total Assets ratio| 73. 37%| 73. 81%| Funded debt to networking capital| 61. 80%| 36. 92| Efficiency| | | Average collect ion period| 43 days| 30 days| Inventory turnover| 3. 98| 0. 7089| Total assets turnover| 1. 34| 0. 000933| Net worth turnover| 5. 47| 2. 15| Net working capital turnover| -87. 86| -0. 0017583| Profitability| | | Net profit Margin| 2. 42%| 0. 78| Return on net worth| -213. 10%| 17. 92| Return on Total Assets| 3. 27%| 6. 88%| Return on Net Working capital| 13. 28%| -0. 1643| Equity| | | Price to earning ratio| 7. 5| 10. 85| Book value per share| 19. 48| 21. 45| The ratio analysis of the two companies shows the result that Al-karam has been increasing its equity and its profitability and showing signs of an efficient company. On the other hand, Gul Ahmed is decreasing its business and going towards loss Liquidity Ratios: Al-karam has a higher Current ratio as well as Acid Test ratio as compare to Gul Ahmed which means that it is in a better shape to meet its current obligations and has more inventories. Gul Ahmed therefore has lower margin safety to meet its current obligation.Efficien cy Ratios: Al-karam seems to be in a better financial standing as compare to its efficiency. The company has a lower turnover ratio for both, the assets and the inventory showing high amount of sales and effectiveness as compare to Gul Ahmed. Profitability Ratios: Al-Karam has been rising in its profitability continuously, showing improvements in return on net worth and return on total assets. Equity: Equity ratios are primary interest to the firm’s stockholders and include the price to earnings ratio, dividend payout, and book value per share.The price to earnings ratio, popularly referred to as the P/E ratio, is an overall measure of the desirability of the firm. The more attractive the firm is to the investors, the higher the P/E ratio. The P/E ratio is highest of Al Karam that is 10. 65 which is higher than the other textile ratio, then comes Gul Ahmed. Al-karam has been showing improvements in the dividend yield and the book value per share. This shows that the company h as been increasing its equity by involving more investors in its base. The company thus shows signs of expansion and higher sense of determination towards acquiring more of the business.The book value per share is highest of Al Karam. . Bibliography http://www. gulahmed. com/investor_financial_information. html http://www. gulahmed. com/downloads/annual_reports/AnnualReport2012. pdf http://www. gulahmed. com/investor_financial_information. html http://download-reports. blogspot. com/2009/10/financial-analysis-ratio-analysis-of_2826. html http://www. gulahmed. com/downloads/annual_reports/Annual_Report_2009. pdf http://www. facebook. com/l. php? u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww. alkaram. com%2Fpsl%2FHalf%2520Yearly%2520Financial%2520Information%2520December%25202011. pdf&h=zAQGDqpbt http://www. scribd. com

The Angry Black Woman

I am deeply interested in why Black women are received and portrayed as both â€Å"angry† and â€Å"strong† Black Women. It may seem inexplicable that a respected black woman educator would stamp her foot, jab her finger in someone’s face and scream while trying to make a point on national television, thereby reconfirming the notation that black women are irrationally angry. When confronted about race and gender, as a black woman I stand in a crooked room. I have to figure out which way is up. Bombarded with warping images of humanity, I sometimes tilt and bend to fit the distortion.From the single mother who complains about child support to the first lady of the United States, it seems like Black women of all ages and classes have been accused of either being â€Å"angry† or too â€Å"strong† at some point in life. For centuries, the angry black female has been a pervasive stereotype in the United States. You may have heard the term â€Å"Angry Bl ack Woman Syndrome (ABSW)†. Angry Black Woman Syndrome is not only the dynamics between black woman and black men. It is definitively not an official clinical diagnosis or anything.The attitudes behavior of some black women, by some can best be described as a word that starts with â€Å"b† and rhymes with the word â€Å"itch†. Angry Black Woman is just as inescapable today as it was during the slave era. Melissa Harris-Perry, suggests that anger is still one of the most ubiquitous stereotypes faced by black women in modern society. In a recent Super Bowl commercial, Pepsi was criticized for perpetuating this negative perception by depicting a black woman kicking, shoving and punishing her husband for cheating on his diet.America’s first lady had to address the stereotype: In a recent television interview on CBS, Michelle Obama denied the â€Å"angry black woman† depiction of herself that emerged in some coverage following the release of The Obamaâ⠂¬â„¢s, a book by Jodi Kantor. Mrs. Obama defended herself by saying instead that she is â€Å"merely a ‘strong’ woman†. By calling herself â€Å"strong† is she somehow trying to overcompensate for feelings of shame? Although many may think that the Angry Black Woman is a white supremacist myth, they are wrong.In fact, it is a regularly revived and recreated perception in the Black community. The anger black women have is something that ignites strong feelings among black women. The idea of the angry woman is particularly recreated by African-American men who have an interest in displaying Black woman as emasculating or overbearing or angry as a means of basically controlling. Preconceived ideas of black women as dominant and assertive may hurt when it comes to romantic relationships.Yes, there are black women that need to seriously check themselves – particularly black women who think it is cute to be bitter, argumentative, man-hating, and generall y feels angry. She is that woman that frowns or rolls her eyes when smiled at, brands all men as being â€Å"dogs† or â€Å"no good† and she is that woman that thinks it is necessary to curse out another female if she bumps into her in the store even after she has received a sincere apology. It is unfortunate that black women have attitudes and behaviors like this.It is this type of female that sometimes gets acknowledged as the representative for all black women. At the end of the day, the vast majority of black females do not suffer from Angry Black Women Syndrome. If you ask for what you want need or what you want, you are just an angry Black woman. If you do not ask for what you need and try to do everything on your own, however, you could then be labeled as a â€Å"strong† Black woman – a term that may sound like a compliment, but in reality contributes to a derogatory ideal that holds Black women back from progression.When black women respond to rac ism they are responding with anger; the anger of exclusion, of unquestioned privilege of racial distortions, of silence ill-use, stereotyping, defensiveness, misnaming, and of betrayal. Black women may have a well-stocked arsenal of anger potentially useful against those oppressions, personal and institutional, which brought that anger into being. Focused with precision it can become a powerful source of energy serving progress and change. —Audre Lorde, â€Å"The Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism† (1981).The emotion which accompanies the first steps toward liberation is, for most women, anger. Through the exercise strength may be gained. As a black woman I envisioned a new America in the 1990’s, anger may have been a vital political tool. I was provided new perspectives, new understandings of oppressive conditions that had previously remained unquestioned. I was introduced to my anger through relationships, through individual and collective political con sciousness; because the angry black women had been theorized.Attention seemed to have been drawn to the anger of black women; it exposed knowledge that had been buried and speech that had been silenced. Anger was a link to previous suppressed histories, and a revolutionary coalition. I couldn't believe—still can't—how angry I can become, from deep down and way back, it sometimes feels like a five-thousand-years of buried anger. Every black woman in America lives her life somewhere along a wide curve of ancient and unexpressed angers, Audre Lorde observed. Only when women are able to feel anger, and then recognize, accept, and direct it towards the real enemy can an association occur.If black women can identify their sources of anger and analyze why they use it is a form of expression. Their anger may then be used as a paradigm for understanding the ways in which black women, at different historical moments, have responded to myriad forms of oppression. Even though, the re is this long-lasting and unfair stereotype it is typically seen as a negative one, standing for abrasive brash and even ill-tempered, it is also consistent with qualities that is often associated with leadership, such as being decisive, aggressive and resolute.In a recent study conducted by Robert Livingston and Ella Washington of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, it was found that black women leaders who displayed dominant behavior when interacting with subordinates got more favorable reviews than their white female or black male counterparts who behaved the same way. In fact black women were evaluated comparable to white male leaders who display similarly dominant assertive behavior. Black people are proud; African Americans feel a sense of kinship with other Blacks with whom they can take pride in the accomplishments.The other side of racial pride is the underlying feeling of shame. Because we feel pride, about accomplishments of Blacks not related , we can also feel ashamed for failure, transgressions and misbehaviors. The ‘strong’ Black woman’ is a negative image of Black women. Black women are super-strong, hyper-competent; we do not have that many individual needs, we really can take care of others, and we can handle business. Despite the â€Å"angry† figure that some may try to replace with a â€Å"strong† image, Black women are not superhuman. We are not universally strong; we do sometimes feel weak and need help.Whether being labeled angry or strong, the biggest danger as a Black woman is when I began to think the labels were accurate, and began calling myself a â€Å"strong† Black woman. My goal is to recognize that labels are false. They are not indicative to who I am. I may be angry but I am not inherently angry. I am angry about something. So my anger has a meaning. It is not a personality trait. I may be strong enough to make it through difficult circumstances, but that is n ot because I have an inherent inborn capacity for strength – it is because I have very few other options except to be strong or be destroyed.

Bribery and Corruption in China's Construction Industry Essay

Bribery and Corruption in China's Construction Industry - Essay Example In the end, the approach proposed in this paper may hopefully provide a new understanding of bribery and corruption in the Chinese construction industry. The contemporary world’s experience of globalisation is a unique phenomenon known only in the last fifty years (Soros, 2002). Globalisation has opened the doors of the global market, which has paved the way for countries across the globe to redefine their national and international trading relations. In this regard, China’s response to the demands and challenges of globalisation has stirred worldwide interest as China’s economic growth in the past twenty years have been considered as remarkable and even to some â€Å"miraculous† (Sachs & Woo 1993). Studies have shown that the fast phase economic growth of China in the past twenty years can be attributed to the coming together of multi-factors that creates the proper ambiance and environment for economic progress and development (Haddad, 2007). However, it is undeniable that China’s economic policy of opening its door to international trade is appreciated as one the strongest and clearly perceptible decisive impetus that drives and hastens China’s economic growth. (Yao 2006; Chen & Feng 2000; Fukasaka ,Soligna, & Lecomte 1996; Liu et al 2002). And in the context of China’s rapid economic progress, the contribution of one industry is undeniable – the construction industry. China’s construction industry plays a pivotal role in the China’s economic progress. The construction industry in China is worth US $ 93 billion, it employs nearly 24 million people (more than 5%of the total labour force); it accounts for more than 6% of the GDP, and has been growing at an average rate of nearly 10%since 1979 (Daud & Zong, 2005). Being such, the high performance of China’s construction industry makes the industry one of the most successful and lucrative

Article about Understanding Portraits Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

About Understanding Portraits - Article Example I believe these similarities invoke the differences, and that if taken together these three images could be interpreted to show the development of the same subject across different stages of life. As mentioned above, I feel that these portraits could easily have a meaningful relationship to each other. I imagine that they are of the same subject, but depicted at very different ages in life. There are two parallel structures that progress together: the age of the person depicted and the complexity of the elements used in composing the portraits. The first portrait, image forty-three depicts a very young child in the arms of his or her mother. The identity of the child is hidden by the lack of detail in the simple line drawing – there is little to give a face or an identity. The second image, image twenty, differs from the first in both compositional complexity and age. It depicts a young man, fifteen or more years older than the baby depicted in image forty-three, but when disp layed together invoking the aging process and making the viewer inherently think that the child in image forty-three might have aged into the man in image twenty. The visual complexity also takes a noticeable jump. While sketch-like elements still remain the form and features of the face have jumped drastically in sharpness, and the shading has moved from a simple check-box and line technique to a blended approach where the shading darkens gradually. In this imagined narrative the third portrait, portrait six, takes another jump in age of the subject. It shows the young man aged into a gnarled, lined old man, who despite his age retains the certain light of the eye from the more youthful portrait. While age here takes its largest leap between the three portraits, visual complexity also takes its largest leap. The overall tone of the composition darkens making the points of light shining off the subject’s eyes forehead and aged white hair become more pronounced. The shading al so reaches its apex with entirely fluid transitions from light to dark through the folds of the old man’s face. If I were to arrange these items on a wall I would depict them in the order described, forty-three first, then twenty, then six. This arrangement makes the most sense for several reasons. The first is that the aging narrative makes the most sense in this format; the viewer, seeing three images in somewhat the same style and the same medium of a child, a young man and an old man naturally connects the three into an aging narrative. The second reason for laying these portraits out in this way is that the increase in visual complexity mirrors that of the aging process, which is evocative in several ways. One of the most interesting things about this portrait layout to me is how the narrative of artistic and stylistic progress is juxtaposed to the aging narrative also contained in these images. Moving from the first to the second narrative, one sees a child becoming a m an, and the increase in stylistic mirrors the aging process exactly – the child becomes beautiful, fully grown and powerful, mirroring the new more robust art. The narrative changes, however, moving from the second to the third portrait. In this movement one sees the artistic quality increase apace with a far more robust set of abilities and a more complex composition. The

Article summary Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Summary - Article Example As an online currency, Bitcoin serves as a mode of currency in a digital format that can be used by anyone online to receive and make payments for goods and services bought online. It works and can be used just like a regular currency. Anyone can start using bitcoin. The process of using bitcoins begins with having an online wallet which can be downloaded online for free. Just like the physical wallet where it can be kept anywhere in the house, the digital wallet can be stored as file in hard drives, USB and even smartphones and users can also have several digital wallets similar to having multiple bank accounts. The transaction involving bitcoin online however is different from the traditional mode of payment. The system have volunteers called miners who checks the transaction using bitcoin and decides whether to approve or decline it. If approved, it is then recorded to a blockchain which is a ledger that contains the history of such wallet. The Vice President and economist with the St. Louis Fed David Andolfatto explained that bitcoin is a good investment by citing its stability compared to traditional currency. As an example, he cited the trend of the purchasing power of purchasing power of each currency to 100: the yen, the euro, the U.S. dollar and the Zimbabwean dollar. The currencies were extremely volatile compared to bitcoin underscoring the stability of the currency. The theory of nominal exchange rate indeterminacy was cited to help explain why bitcoin is a good investment. It was cited that there is no single economic theory that dictates the relative price of two intrinsically two objects such as bitcoin and currency. The value assigned to currencies therefore are relative. Bitcoin in fact is secure compared to regular currencies because the presence of digital wallet in someone else’s computer will allow the transaction history of such digital wallet to be viewed and therefore, could be linked and traced to its users which could help

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Marketing - Essay Example The product reflects the efforts of the firm to respond to the needs of all consumers in terms of hair care. The position and the prospects of the firm in the Australian market are explored through the marketing mix model, which involves in the examination of the product, pricing, distribution and promotion, as elements of the marketing strategy used for the promotion of the product in the above market. 1.1 Current Product When referring to product as an element of the marketing mix model, a series of issues have to be mentioned: apart from the product, as a physical unit, its appearance and the brand name are also important in order to decide the position of the product in its market (Lamb et al. 2008). From a similar point of view, it could be stated that the term ‘product’ as used in the marketing mix model encompasses the ‘goods-and-services combination the company offers to the target market’ (Kotler et al. 2010, 76). ... The product is part of a series of products aiming to help consumers who have frizzy hair; these products (hairspray, mousse and creme) are part of the firm’s ‘Straight & Glossy Styling range’ (Schwarzkopf, 2011). The package of the product is well designed highlighting the key advantages of the product. Schwarzkopf & Henkel is a well-known firm in the global cosmetic industry. The firm’s products are available in the markets of 125 countries worldwide (Schwarzkopf, 2011). The brand name of the firm is quite known, representing products of high quality. In this context, the specific product has many chances to succeed in the Australian market, a market which is strongly related to the specific company – in accordance with the corporate website ‘Schwarzkopf was first available in Australia in 1961’ (Schwarzkopf, 2011). Consumers in Australia are expected to prefer this product from the ones of the competitors because of its brand name-whi ch is synonymous with quality. 1.2 Current Pricing The price of the product is of critical importance for its success within a particular market. In accordance with Baker et al. (2007) the role of price in the success of a product is not standardized. Because of the increased competition in terms of pricing, the prices of products can present a high variation. Moreover, firms worldwide are likely to set different criteria for competing their rivals, for example, the quality of the product or the strategies used for its promotion within the targeted market (Baker et al. 2007). On the other hand, the management of pricing of a product can have many aspects being related to the legal rules related to the particular industry or the

Migration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Migration - Essay Example Immigration to the developed countries from the developing countries is a phenomenon that has deep impact over the lives of millions. The making of industrial revolution sparked a major twist in the labor distribution across the world. Although nation states are supposed to be homogeneous communities based on shared culture, identity, language, and ethnicity and so on, it does not hold true of all the countries, especially the countries that are favorite destinations of the immigrants. From its very inception, the United States has been overwhelmed by immigration from across the world. However, the issues pertinent to immigration to the United States in twenty first century are radically different from those of in the preceding centuries. There are a number of issues such as shifts in demographic patterns, lopsided economic effects, the rights of women and children, substance use, health care and public funds covered under the umbrella topic of immigration. Second generation allegian ce, citizenship and political assimilation, race and ethnicity, residential patterns, engaging in unauthorized employment too have been the ingredients of the immigration debate in the United States for last two-three decades. Since the issues to immigration are multidimensional, there needs to be a multidimensional policy framework to address the wide-ranging issues without losing their complexity. Illegal immigration to the United States involves an array of practices and techniques such as illegal entry, visa overstay and false representation. Amnesty has been contested idea as of there is no agreement on whether it is helpful to mitigate the grievances originating from illegal migration. Illegal migration also poses threat to social security, national security and the rule of law. Rightly or wrongly, aspects such as financial impacts, cultural mutations, labor disturbances, demographic changes, and transnational ties have been considered as the central issues of immigration.

A review of development facility at Samsung Essay

A review of development facility at Samsung - Essay Example It has been found that foreign companies have a tough time managing labor issues when they enter Chinese markets. These issues include lack of educated workforce in China, reluctance of migration to work in Chinese industries and Union and Labor Law sensitive issues (Cia, Park and Zhao, 2007). Samsung group is a South Korean multinational engaged in the task of manufacturing consumer electronic and electronic components. It operates over 80 subsidiaries and serves globally employing over 470,000 employees. Samsung has been facing acute shortage of labor and problems in recruitment and selection of workforce in China. The study aims to find out reasons behind such labor problems and address them with suggested solutions. 1.1 Research title: A review of manufacturing facility of Samsung in China 1.2 Research Question: What are the reasons behind labor problems for Samsung in China? 1.3 Research Objectives: To find out the persistent problems associated with labor in China. Investigatin g reasons associated with recruitment problems for Samsung in the country. To identify ways that shall help overcome these labor problems. 1.4 Research Rationale Identify ways of managing Samsung’s labor recruitment and selection problems in China. 2. Literature Review Figure 1: Fishbone Diagram for Labor Problems of Samsung in China (Source: Joy-Matthews, Megginson and Surtees, 2004) 2.1 Main Issue 1: Cultural fit - Lack of educated workforce China is moving largely from being a labor intensive nation to a manufacturing concern that requires more of skilled labor. Such high technology work has attracted many a foreign workers and also returning overseas Chinese employees. Along with this, more and more Chinese people are trying to gain international work exposure before they return to China to get better and higher working positions in foreign multinationals (Zhang, Zhao and Lei, 2012). While undertaking a hiring process, with increased talent movement into China from global nations, gaining cultural fit has become one of the most important criteria’s for hiring new recruits. This feature has become more important than salary some companies. Companies engage employees in training into various types of technical skills if the person fits with the cultural fit requirements (Cockain, 2012). However, despite such great employment opportunities, companies in China, operating with their hierarchical work structure find it difficult to recruit right employee for the right place and at the right time. Recruitment of caliber talent has posed challenges in front of companies because the number of opportunities available for skilled workforce is far more than the availability if such skilled manpower within the country (Dryburgh, 2011). Another problem impediment in hiring top talent in organizations in China found in the study of Golley and Meng, 2011, is that most of the Chinese people are not confident about working with foreign management. They prefer to recruit a Chinese for all their managerial decisions. The company under this study is also in dire need for leadership talent. It is in need of experienced individuals with perspectives to run senior leadership. The problems with sourcing of such talent is in association with lack of knowledge of

Infrared Film and Thermography Essay Example for Free

Infrared Film and Thermography Essay Thermogram of a traditional building in the background and a passive house in the foreground Infrared thermography (IRT), thermal imaging, and thermal video are examples of infrared imaging science. Thermal imaging cameras detect radiation in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum (roughly 9,000–14,000 nanometers or 9–14  µm) and produce images of that radiation, called thermograms. Since infrared radiation is emitted by all objects above absolute zero according to the black body radiation law, thermography makes it possible to see ones environment with or without visible illumination. The amount of radiation emitted by an object increases with temperature; therefore, thermography allows one to see variations in temperature. When viewed through a thermal imaging camera, warm objects stand out well against cooler backgrounds; humans and other warm-blooded animals become easily visible against the environment, day or night. As a result, thermography is particularly useful to military and other users of surveillance cameras. Thermography has a long history, although its use has increased dramatically with the commercial and industrial applications of the past fifty years. Government and airport personnel used thermography to detect suspected swine flu cases during the 2009 pandemic.[1] Firefighters use thermography to see through smoke, to find persons, and to localize the base of a fire. Maintenance technicians use thermography to locate overheating joints and sections of power lines, which are a sign of impending failure. Building construction technicians can see thermal signatures that indicate heat leaks in faulty thermal insulation and can use the results to improve the efficiency of heating and air-conditioning units. Some physiological changes in human beings and other warm-blooded animals can also be monitored with thermal imaging during clinical diagnostics. Thermogram of cat. The appearance and operation of a modern thermographic camera is often similar to a camcorder. Often the live thermogram reveals temperature variations so clearly that a photograph is not necessary for analysis. A recording module is therefore not always built-in. Non-specialized CCD and CMOS sensors have most of their spectral sensitivity in the visible light wavelength range. However by utilizing the trailing area of their spectral sensitivity, namely the part of the infrared spectrum called near-infrared (NIR), and by using off-the-shelf CCTV camera it is possible under certain circumstances to obtain true thermal images of objects with temperatures at about 280 °C and higher.[2] Specialized thermal imaging cameras use focal plane arrays (FPAs) that respond to longer wavelengths (mid- and long-wavelength infrared). The most common types are InSb, InGaAs, HgCdTe and QWIP FPA. The newest technologies use low-cost, uncooled microbolometers as FPA sensors. Their resolution is considerably lower than that of optical cameras, mostly 160120 or 320240 pixels, up to 640512 for the most expensive models. Thermal imaging cameras are much more expensive than their visible-spectrum counterparts, and higher-end models are often export-restricted due to the military uses for this technology. Older bolometers or more sensitive models such as InSb require cryogenic cooling, usually by a miniature Stirling cycle refrigerator or liquid nitrogen. | Thermal Energy This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2008) | Thermal images, or thermograms, are actually visual displays of the amount of infrared energy emitted, transmitted, and reflected by an object. Because there are multiple sources of the infrared energy, it is difficult to get an accurate temperature of an object using this method. A thermal imaging camera is capable of performing algorithms to interpret that data and build an image. Although the image shows the viewer an approximation of the temperature at which the object is operating, the camera is actually using multiple sources of data based on the areas surrounding the object to determine that value rather than detecting the actual temperature. This phenomenon may become clearer upon consideration of the formula Incident Energy = Emitted Energy + Transmitted Energy + Reflected Energy where Incident Energy is the energy profile when viewed through a thermal imaging camera. Emitted Energy is generally what is intended to be measured. Transmitted Energy is the energy that passes through the subject from a remote thermal source. Reflected Energy is the amount of energy that reflects off the surface of the object from a remote thermal source. If the object is radiating at a higher temperature than its surroundings, then power transfer will be taking place and power will be radiating from warm to cold following the principle stated in the Second Law of Thermodynamics. So if there is a cool area in the thermogram, that object will be absorbing the radiation emitted by the warm object. The ability of both objects to emit or absorb this radiation is called emissivity. Under outdoor environments, convective cooling from wind may also need to be considered when trying to get an accurate temperature reading. This thermogram shows a fault with an industrial electrical fuse block. The thermal imaging camera would next employ a series of mathematical algorithms. Since the camera is only able to see the electromagnetic radiation that is impossible to detect with the human eye, it will build a picture in the viewer and record a visible picture, usually in a JPG format. In order to perform the role of noncontact temperature recorder, the camera will change the temperature of the object being viewed with its emissivity setting. Other algorithms can be used to affect the measurement, including the transmission ability of the transmitting medium (usually air) and the temperature of that transmitting medium. All these settings will affect the ultimate output for the temperature of the object being viewed. This functionality makes the thermal imaging camera an excellent tool for the maintenance of electrical and mechanical systems in industry and commerce. By using the proper camera settings and by being careful when capturing the image, electrical systems can be scanned and problems can be found. Faults with steam traps in steam heating systems are easy to locate. In the energy savings area, the thermal imaging camera can do more. Because it can see the radiating temperature of an object as well as what that object is radiating at, the product of the radiation can be calculated using the Stefan–Boltzmann constant. Emissivity Emissivity is a term representing a materials ability to emit thermal radiation. Each material has a different emissivity, and it can be difficult to determine the appropriate emissivity for a subject. A materials emissivity can range from a theoretical 0.00 (completely not-emitting) to an equally-theoretical 1.00 (completely emitting); the emissivity often varies with temperature. An example of a substance with low emissivity would be silver, with an emissivity coefficient of .02. An example of a substance with high emissivity would be asphalt, with an emissivity coefficient of .98. A black body is a theoretical object which will radiate infrared radiation at its contact temperature. If a thermocouple on a black body radiator reads 50  °C, the radiation the black body will give up will also be 50  °C. Therefore a true black body will have an emissivity of Thermogram of a snake held by a human. Since there is no such thing as a perfect black body, the infrared radiation of normal objects will appear to be less than the contact temperature. The rate (percentage) of emission of infrared radiation will thus be a fraction of the true contact temperature. This fraction is called emissivity. Some objects have different emissivities in long wave as compared to mid wave emissions. Emissivities may also change as a function of temperature in some materials.[3] To make a temperature measurement of an object, the thermographer will refer to the emissivity table to choose the emissivity value of the object, which is then entered into the camera. The cameras algorithm will correct the temperature by using the emissivity to calculate a temperature that more closely matches the actual contact temperature of the object. If possible, the thermographer would try to test the emissivity of the object in question. This would be more accurate than attempting to determine the emissivity of the object via a table. The usual method of testing the emissivity is to place a material of known high emissivity in contact with the surface of the object. The material of known emissivity can be as complex as industrial emissivity spray which is produced specifically for this purpose, or it can be as simple as standard black insulation tape, emissivity 0.97. A temperature reading can then be taken of the object with the emissivity level on the imager set to the value of the test material. This will give an accurate value of the temperature of the object. The temperature can then be read on a part of the object not covered with the test material. If the temperature reading is different, the emissivity level on the imager can be adjusted until the object reads the same temperature. This will give the thermographer a much more accurate emissivity reading. There are times, however, when an emissivity test is not possible due to dangerous or inaccessible conditions. In these situations the thermographer must rely on tables. Difference between infrared film and thermography IR film is sensitive to infrared (IR) radiation in the 250 °C to 500 °C range, while the range of thermography is approximately -50 °C to over 2,000 °C. So, for an IR film to work thermographically, it must be over 250 °C or be reflecting infrared radiation from something that is at least that hot. (Usually, infrared photographic film is used in conjunction with an IR illuminator, which is a filtered incandescent source or IR diode illuminator, or else with an IR flash (usually a xenon flash that is IR filtered). These correspond with active near-IR modes as discussed in the next section. Night vision infrared devices image in the near-infrared, just beyond the visual spectrum, and can see emitted or reflected near-infrared in complete visual darkness. However, again, these are not usually used for thermography due to the high temperature requirements, but are instead used with active near-IR sources. Starlight-type night vision devices generally only magnify ambient light. Passive vs. active thermography All objects above the absolute zero temperature (0 K) emit infrared radiation. Hence, an excellent way to measure thermal variations is to use an infrared vision device, usually a focal plane array (FPA) infrared camera capable of detecting radiation in the mid (3 to 5 ÃŽ ¼m) and long (7 to 14 ÃŽ ¼m) wave infrared bands, denoted as MWIR and LWIR, corresponding to two of the high transmittance infrared windows. Abnormal temperature profiles at the surface of an object are an indication of a potential problem.[4] Thermal imaging camera screen. Thermal imaging can detect elevated body temperature, one of the signs of the virus H1N1 (Swine influenza). In passive thermography, the features of interest are naturally at a higher or lower temperature than the background. Passive thermography has many applications such as surveillance of people on a scene and medical diagnosis (specifically thermology). In active thermography, an energy source is required to produce a thermal contrast between the feature of interest and the background. The active approach is necessary in many cases given that the inspected parts are usually in equilibrium with the surroundings. Advantages of thermography * It shows a visual picture so temperatures over a large area can be compared * It is capable of catching moving targets in real time * It is able to find deteriorating, i.e., higher temperature components prior to their failure * It can be used to measure or observe in areas inaccessible or hazardous for other methods * It is a non-destructive test method * It can be used to find defects in shafts, pipes, and other metal or plastic parts[5] * It can be used to detect objects in dark areas * It has some medical application, essentially in kinesiotherapy Limitations and disadvantages of thermography * Quality cameras often have a high price range (often US$ 3,000 or more), cheaper are only 4040 up to 120120 pixels * Images can be difficult to interpret accurately when based upon certain objects, specifically objects with erratic temperatures, although this problem is reduced in active thermal imaging[6] * Accurate temperature measurements are hindered by differing emissivities and reflections from other surfaces[7] * Most cameras have  ±2% accuracy or worse in measurement of temperature and are not as accurate as contact methods [8] * Only able to directly detect surface temperatures * Condition of work, depending of the case, can be drastic: 10 °C of difference between internal/external, 10km/h of wind maximum, no direct sun, no recent rain, Applications Kite aerial thermogram of the site of Ogilface Castle, Scotland. * Condition monitoring * Digital infrared thermal imaging in health care * Medical imaging * Infrared mammography * Archaeological Kite Aerial Thermography: Kite_aerial_photography * Thermology * Veterinary Thermal Imaging * Night vision * UAV Surveillance[9] * Stereo vision[10] * Research * Process control * Nondestructive testing * Surveillance in security, law enforcement and defence * Chemical imaging * Volcanology[11][12] * Building [13] Thermal imaging cameras convert the energy in the infrared wavelength into a visible light display. All objects above absolute zero emit thermal infrared energy, so thermal cameras can passively see all objects, regardless of ambient light. However, most thermal cameras only see objects warmer than -50 °C. The spectrum and amount of thermal radiation depend strongly on an objects surface temperature. This makes it possible for a thermal imaging camera to display an objects temperature. However, other factors also influence the radiation, which limits the accuracy of this technique. For example, the radiation depends not only on the temperature of the object, but is also a function of the emissivity of the object. Also, radiation originates from the surroundings and is reflected in the object, and the radiation from the object and the reflected radiation will also be influenced by the absorption of the atmosphere.

The Importance Of Water Recycling Environmental Sciences Essay

The Importance Of Water Recycling Environmental Sciences Essay The aim is to review the importance of water recycling and the unending effects of hard water all round us. Objective is to achieve a clear understanding of the present and future benefits of water recycling and why it is still practised today. A number of up-to-date water recycling tehnologies are studied to an extent. The perpetual need for the various solutions in softening hard water is looked into retrospectively carefully highlighting typical problems likely to occur. Water is a common substance that is essential to all forms of life. A massive 75 percent of planet earth is covered in water and is mostly found in oceans and large water bodies. Of this total volume of water, 97 percent is saltwater and 3 percent is freshwater. 69 percent of this freshwater is glacial and 31 percent is groundwater. For billions of years, earth has been reusing water over and over again in a natural process called the hydrologic cycle (BENEFITS OF RECYCLING., 2010). This cycle is the path water takes as it circulates from the land to the sky and back again. 1.1 Water Recycling Water recycling is a natural process which relies on technology to speed up such projects. It is sometimes described as unplanned and planned (GREYWATER RECYCLING SYSTEMS., 2010). By unplanned, this means for example, when cities draw their water supplies from rivers that receive waste water upstream from these cities. Water from these rivers has been reused, treated and piped into the water supply a number of times before the last downstream use withdraws the water (GREYWATER RECYCLING SYSTEMS., 2010). However, that of planned water recycling projects is developed with the aim of reusing a recycled water supply. Recycled water is waste water that has been treated and processed for useful nonpotable purposes such as agricultural, landscape, public parks, and golf course irrigation (GREYWATER RECYCLING SYSTEMS., 2010). Other nonpotable applications include cooling water for power plants and oil refineries, industrial process water for facilities such as paper mills and carpet dyers, toilet flushing, dust control, construction activities, concrete mixing, and artificial lakes (GREYWATER RECYCLING SYSTEMS., 2010). In an industrial facility, water is recycled and reused onsite used in cooling processes for example (GREYWATER RECYCLING SYSTEMS., 2010). Although most water recycling projects have been developed to meet the demands of nonpotable water, a number of them use recycled water indirectly for potable purposes (GREYWATER RECYCLING SYSTEMS., 2010). These projects include recharging ground water aquifers and augmenting surface water reservoirs with recycled water (OASIS DESIGN., 2009). Recycled water can be spread or even injected into ground water aquifers to augment ground water supplies, and to prevent salt water intrusion in coastal areas. Environmentally, water recycling provides tremendous benefits. Water recycling can help us find ways to reduce the diversion of water from sensitive ecosystems by providing a supplementary source of water. The lack of sufficient water flow, as a result of diversion for agricultural, urban, and industrial purposes, can cause impairment of water quality and ecosystem health for plants, wildlife, and fish which depend on adequate water flow to their habitat for sustenance and reproduction ( OASIS DESIGN., 2009). For streams that have been dried from water diversion, recycled water may be used to build these habitats (GREYWATER RECYCLING SYSTEMS., 2010). Water flow can be augmented with recycled water to develop and sustain the aquatic and wildlife habitats (GREYWATER RECYCLING SYSTEMS., 2010). 1.2 GreyWater Greywater is water that has been used domestically (from baths, showers, clothes washers, and wash-hand basins) except for water from toilets (GREYWATER RECYCLING SYSTEMS., 2010). Greywater takes up 50 80% of household wastewater (OASIS DESIGN., 2009). Wastewater produced by toilets is called black water (OASIS DESIGN., 2009). However wastewater from kitchen sinks and dish-washers is also considered to be black water as well due to the presence of organic contents (OASIS DESIGN., 2009). The clearest purpose of recycling domestic grey water is that it replaces potable water use (OASIS DESIGN., 2009). 2 BUILD-UP OF TOXIC ORGANIC POLLUTANTS FROM RECYCLING In water treatment, a wide range of chemicals are added in excess due to poor operation or accidents (GRAY N. F., 2005). However, most of these chemicals are discharged with the finished water product due to the nature of the processes themselves. These include iron, aluminium, and organic compounds used as coagulates, such as polycrylamide (GRAY N. F., 2005). These chemicals result in odour and discolouration in the water as well as poor taste. Furthermore, the new Drinking Water Directive sets limit values for all these compounds. Chemicals such as chlorine and fluorine are added intentionally to protect the public from pathogens and teeth decay respectively (GRAY N. F., 2005). 3 THE NEGATIVE PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF DRINKING SEWAGE WATER The increasing concern of the public is reflected by a large rise in the sales of bottled water and home treatment systems (GRAY N.F., 2008). The view of reusing sewage water for the purpose of drinking water ignorantly puts people off now and again. However, the knowledge of water recycling plays a big role here so educating the consumer about water quality and the regulatory functions of water undertakers is mandatory (GRAY N.F., 2008). All water is reused and with the system of treatment in place, sewage water can be drinkable. The use of chlorine in water treatment is a major source of complaint with consumers (GRAY N.F., 2008). The prevailing reasons for boiling water, buying bottled water or the use of home treatment systems are over an improvement in taste and health concerns. There is a strong belief that bottled water is safer and purer to drink which unfortunately is not always true. The media also plays a role in the influence of attitudes towards water and the assessment risk (GRAY N.F., 2008). 4 REGULATIONS In protecting public health, conditions and regulations have been made to allow for the safe use of reclaimed water. Reclaimed water often provides a vital water supply and fertilizer source (METCALF EDDY., 2003). For most developing countries, the greatest concern with the use of wastewater for irrigation is that untreated or treated wastewater can possess quite a number of intestinal nematodes (e.g., Ascaris and Trichuris species and hookworms) and bacterial pathogens which are often difficult to control (METCALF EDDY., 2003). The health of the general public consuming farm produce that have been contaminated by the wastewater infected by these viral and bacterial agents can deteriorate over time. The world health organisation suggest that irrigation of farm produce prone to be eaten uncooked, sports fields, and public parks should be irrigated with wastewater dealt with stabilization ponds (METCALF EDDY., 2003). From country to country, regulations in reusing water and wastewat er vary. In England and Wales, Drinking Water Inspectorate control the standard of drinking water provided (GRAY N. F., 2005). However, the quality of the water is the privatised water companies responsibility (GRAY N. F., 2005).These responsibilities are regulated by the Office of Water Services and it also controls the price of water before hitting the market. The Environment Agency for England and Wales is responsible for controlling water pollution, regulating waste and manage integrated pollution control (IPC) licensing (GRAY N. F., 2005). It also has the duty to issue licenses for water control functions, promote the conservation and enhancements of freshwater to promote the recreational use of freshwater, to improve and develop fisheries and regulate them, to issue flood warnings and the provision of defences to reduce the risk of sea and river flooding, the issuing of land drainage consents and many other tasks (GRAY N. F., 2005). The Agency points out water protection zones , protects groundwater and sets the objectives for water quality (GRAY N. F., 2005). 5 PRECAUTIONS Dont store grey water Grey water should be used within 24 hours before the build up of bacteria develops. After this period, it is on its way to becoming septic, that is, black water (LETS GO GREEN., 2009). Avoid contamination and contact Identify grey water plumbing by labelling it. The use of gloves is vital when in contact with grey water filters or anything that has come in contact with it (LETS GO GREEN., 2009). Use only grey water that is fairly clean to start with. If otherwise, it should be diverted to a sewer or septic system (LETS GO GREEN., 2009). Microorganisms on consumable goods Untreated grey water possesses some microorganisms which affect lawns, or fruits and vegetables that are eaten raw (e.g., strawberries, lettuce, carrots) to an extent (LETS GO GREEN., 2009). Contamination of surface water Grey water should be disposed of properly either underground or in a mulch (a mulch is a covering made up of rotten vegetable matter which prevents evaporation and soil erosion). The addition of grey water to an already soaked soil should be avoided (LETS GO GREEN., 2009). 6 DESALINATION Desalination involves removing dissolved minerals from aquatic bodies to create drinking water (CITY OF RYDE, 2009). 15-50% of water is recovered with the other portion being brine (CITY OF RYDE, 2009). A few technologies have been produced for the execution of this process, including the best known and common membrane process is the reverse osmosis (CITY OF RYDE, 2009). http://www.esru.strath.ac.uk/EandE/Web_sites/98-9/offshore/ro.gif Figure 2: Diagram showing osmotic and reverse osmotic flow (Source: Courtesy of FWPBDP., 2010) Countries which do not have the advantage of continual fresh water supplies, competition for fresh water continually soars (TENE A. 2010). Israel is regarded pioneer in the area of desalination (TENE A. 2010). Following the water crisis in Israel, the state of water economy improved to an extent that even during harsh drought years, the water economy will continue to flourish since the water in the sea would not be running out anytime soon (TENE A. 2010). This sea water is pumped to as much volume is required and the final desalinated water is supplied as necessary. Another type of separation technique is the evaporation process (PEREIRA H.C. 1973). Developing economies such as California have warm climates of high evaporation rates (PEREIRA H.C. 1973). Its primary water resource is the sea where the evaporation process is practised. It is an effective alternative to water recycling in water poor regions (PEREIRA H.C. 1973). 7 FUTURE OF WATER RECYCLING Recycling is generally vital to our planets future. The rate at which the earths highly valued resources are been consumed is taking a rapid turn and many of these resources are not renewable (U.S. EPA., 2009). Recycling as a process takes considerably less energy to reuse an existing product than to source and make one from scratch (U.S. EPA., 2009). Water recycling has certainly established beyond doubt to be effective and resourceful in developing a new and reliable water supply. Nonpotable reuse is a widely accepted practise that will continue to expand (YOSHIKAWA N., 2006). Advances in wastewater treatment technology and health studies of indirect potable reuse will become common soon (YOSHIKAWA N., 2006). As water and environmental needs becomes urgent, water recycling would play a greater role in our long-term water supply (U.S. EPA., 2009). 8 WATER RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY The type of wastewater is essential for determining the kind of treatment plant and technologies to employ. Wastewater primarily arises from water usage by residential, commercial and industrial institutions including groundwater, surface water and storm water as shown in Figure 3. Figure 3: Sources of Wastewater (Source: Courtesy of ESCWA., 2003). Typical examples of water recycling systems in the domestic or industrial field are flotation and sedimentation, of which both are relevant to the chemical industry. 8.1 Flotation Flotation is a unit process used to remove solid or liquid from any form of liquid by releasing fine gas, usually air bubbles into it (ESCWA., 2003). The gas bubbles would stick to the liquid or would get trapped in the particle structure of the suspended solids, raising the floaty force of the particle and gas bubbles put together (ESCWA., 2003). Particles having a higher density than the liquid would be able rise. Flotation is used to remove suspended matter and to concentrate biological sludge in wastewater treatment (ESCWA., 2003). Flotation has an advantage over the sedimentation process in that; very minute and light particles are easily removed in a quicker time frame (ESCWA., 2003). Table 1: Data of Flotation Methods Process Brief Descriptions Dissolved Air Flotation Wastewater is subjected to the pressure of several atmospheres while air is introduced into it. The pressure then returns to atmospheric level, allowing the air to be released as small bubbles after a short time. These bubbles which stick to the suspended matter where it is removed by a skimming device. Air Flotation By the application of a revolving impellers or through diffusers, gas is passed into the liquid directly at atmospheric pressure Vacuum Flotation Wastewater is saturated with air. With the application of a partial vacuum, the dissolved air results in escaping as minute bubbles where they form a scam blanket. This blanket is removed by a skimming device. Source: Courtesy of ESCWA., 2003. Figure 4: A typical Flotation unit (ESCWA., 2003). 8.2 Sedimentation Sedimentation is a widely used unit operation in water and wastewater treatment (ESCWA., 2003). It involves the gravitational settling of suspended solids in a mixture usually water (ESCWA., 2003). These suspended solids are removed from suspensions by allowing it gravitate to the floor of a tank to form a sludge under near still conditions (ESCWA., 2003). This tank is referred to as a clarifier (ESCWA., 2003). It comprises of three main designs. They are; Horizontal flow clarifiers They can either be rectangular, square or circular in shape. The flow in rectangular clarifiers is rectilinear and parallel to the long axis of the basin. Furthermore, the water flows radially from the centre towards the outer edges in circular clarifiers. The clarifiers are usually made up of steel or reinforced concrete (ESCWA., 2003). Solid contact clarifiers They get solids into contact with a suspended layer of sludge near the bottom that acts as a blanket. The solids put in cumulate and remain trapped within the sludge blanket. As the solids remain below, the liquid is able to rise upwards (ESCWA., 2003). Inclined surface basins The flow here is laminar and there is little or no wind effect. Inclined trays are used to divide the depth into shallower sections, reducing the settling times in the process (ESCWA., 2003). Figure 5: Parts of a circular clarifier (Source: Courtesy of ESCWA., 2003). 9 HARD WATER Hard water is simply referred to as water that contains more minerals than ordinary water (FREE DRINKING WATER., 2009). Water that is said to be hard possesses minerals made up of calcium and magnesium compounds (FREE DRINKING WATER., 2009). This water usually comes from aquifers and other underground sources that collect dissolved minerals from rocks (FREE DRINKING WATER., 2009). Minerals of these sought reduces the ability of soap to lather and the ease of rinsing anything being washed made difficult. On the other hand, soft water is treated water that contains only sodium ion (FREE DRINKING WATER., 2009). Figure 6: Diagram showing hard and soft water processes (Source: Courtesy of LENNTECH., 2009). 9.1 PROBLEMS WITH HARD WATER Every cleaning task from laundering and dish washing to bathing and personal care is made unreasonably difficult taking up time and energy. The quantity of hardness minerals in water would determine the soap and detergent level required for cleaning. Additional detergent would have to be added to achieve the desired goal. Dishes and glasses washed using hard water may not be totally clean possessing certain spots when dry. The same goes with clothes which may feel harsh and scratchy when worn. Furthermore, skin was led with hard water may leave the skin feeling itchy and dry certainly not a remedy for skins with conditions such as eczema (HEIDEKAMP A. J., 2005). A number of detergents have ingredients that would mix with hard water minerals leaving a white deposit on clothing, making it look faded and worn out. Heated hard water affects water-using appliances (HEIDEKAMP A. J., 2005). It forms a scale of calcium and magnesium minerals which contributes to the inefficient and costly of these appliances (HEIDEKAMP A. J., 2005). Pipes become clogged with scale that impedes water flow and would in no time require pipe replacement. When hard water is heated, calcium ions react with bicarbonate ions to form an insoluble compound called calcium carbonate which is responsible for the scaling in pipes (HEIDEKAMP A. J., 2005). This is depicted in the equation below; 9.2 SOFTEN WATER TECHNIQUES 9.2.1 Lime-Soda Ash Technique It is the most common water softening method which involves the addition of slaked lime to hard water in water plants (FREE DRINKING WATER., 2009). Lime and soda ash are used because they are readily accessible and cost effective for softening water (FREE DRINKING WATER., 2009). Non-carbonate hardness is in turn reduced by the addition of soda ash to form insoluble precipitate which is also removed by filtration. Slaked lime is used to remove calcium bicarbonate from water (FREE DRINKING WATER., 2009). In this method, the slaked lime ions react with the calcium bicarbonate to form a slightly soluble calcium carbonate. This precipitate is usually removed by allowing it settle and then filtering (FREE DRINKING WATER., 2009). Additional lime is used in removing magnesium (FREE DRINKING WATER., 2009). This treatment becomes more costly as the hardness level has to be reduced to less than 5 grains. The use of the lime-soda ash treatment in homes was farfetched because of the equipment siz e and high cost involved in running one and even owning one (FREE DRINKING WATER., 2009). 9.2.2 Ion Exchange Columns Technique Ions could either be positively or negatively charged. A positive charge ion is called a cation while a negatively charged ion is an anion. The minerals, calcium and magnesium, that result in hardness are positively charged cations (NORDEN R. L., 2010). An ion exchange water softener has three main parts; A resin tank containing small beads of synthetic resin, A brine tank, The control valve (NORDEN R. L., 2010). When using ion exchange equipment, calcium and magnesium are exchanged for sodium from the brine tank (NORDEN R. L., 2010). As water passes through the resin tank, the sodium ions are exchanged with calcium and magnesium ions (NORDEN R. L., 2010). This is because the calcium and magnesium ions have a higher positive charge than the sodium ions. As the calcium and magnesium attach themselves to the resin beads is released simultaneously into the water. After the sodium in the resin, medium is exhausted, the medium can be regenerated by the sodium from the brine tank (NORDEN R. L., 2010). People with health problems such as heart or circulation problems, or are on low sodium diets may need to avoid using the ion exchange because of the high sodium content (NORDEN R. L., 2010). It is not even recommended for watering lawns or plants due to the sodium content present. However, potassium can be used in replacing sodium but it costs more. It is highly recommended that only hot water in a h ome be softened because the hot water line and heater benefits and the rate of soap consumptions are reduced (NORDEN R. L., 2010). Another importance in using the ion exchange equipment is that, it removes traces of iron as well to an extent because it is a positively charged ion (NORDEN R. L., 2010). 9.2.3 Chemical Conditioners/Suppressants Technique Chemical conditioning involves the addition of polyphosphates (SOUTHERN WATER., 2005). This reduces the availability of calcium in the formation of deposits. This would result in the water behaving as though softening although this would be false regarding the removal of calcium. A measure of this supposed softening is that such water would need less soap or detergent to lather. The polyphosphates can easily be set up by installing a relatively cheap dispenser in the pipework that could easily treat all the water going into the property (SOUTHERN WATER., 2005). When exhausted in the dispenser, the polyphosphates usually in solid glass-like balls are added at any appropriate time frame (SOUTHERN WATER., 2005). Alternatively, using polyphosphates helps to reduce traces of lead from any lead pipework but this should not be a guaranteed reason for using this technique (SOUTHERN WATER., 2005). HARD WATER CONTAINING CALCIUM AND MAGNESIUM ENTERING SOFTNER SOFTEN WATER CONTAINING SODIUM CONCLUSION Water is reusable. A high percentage of our water is recycled and the same water has been around for a long time. In this effect, water technologies have been cleverly developed in keeping this natural tradition alive. Hard water is water that contains calcium and magnesium ions, and can be reversed by softening it thereby leaving it usable in homes and industries. It has a costly effect on most equipment in our homes and a health risk in humans. In softening hard water, the rate at which all these negative effects take its course would be minimised.

1 Corinthians 13 What Is Love Essay

The Excellence of Love (1 Corinthians 13)1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) :: Globalization World Trade

The World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Before I took this class I would have never fathomed the fact that an organization such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) existed. I’m interested in the fact that the whole world takes part in the WTO’S dealing with rules of trade between all of the different nations. The World Trade Organization is located in Geneva Switzerland with about 147 countries in association with the organization. It was established on January 1st 1995 in an effort to forum for trade negotiations, handle international trade disputes, and monitor national trade policies and administering WTO trade agreements. I feel that this organization is very necessary because the world definitely needs the kind of formal order that the WTO gives regarding trade issues.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The IMF stands for the International Monetary Fund which is in charge of overseeing global monetary cooperation, securing financial stability, and promoting high employment and economic growth. This organization is associated with over 184 different countries in operating surveillance, and both financial and technical assistance. This organization strives to prevent any type of crisis in the system by encouraging countries to adopt effective economic policies. The World Bank Group on the other hand supports the efforts of developing country governments to build schools and health centers, provide water and electricity, fight various diseases and protect the environment. The World Bank is currently involved 1,800 projects around the world to try to improve every lacking quality of a country. Even though the World Bank claims the name that it does, it actually is not a bank at all but does lend money to nations with the intent of completing various projects. The IMF can be held responsible for this as well but the World Bank Group is probably more involved in giving the necessary funds to countries.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The WTO and the IMF play a big economic role because they continue to strive to improve the present global economic situation. I also like how they will not give a country the necessary funds if they are under communist rule because then the country’s leader could be doing God knows what with that money that’s really supposed to be used for the country’s well being.

The Irish Essay -- essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ireland has a great history of war, famine, despair, and hardship. Throughout the years the Irish have come from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs. In this paper I will give a history of the Irish people before coming to America, what it was coming here, how they were welcomed to their new home, and how they are faring now. I will also expose many of the stereotypes that the Irish have pinned to them and the reason that they are there.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the early 1800's, the Irish had great success in the potato industry due to the high prices for agricultural products because of the war with England. Soon though, prices began to fall and so did productivity. For that reason, the owners of the farm land turned there plots into grazing areas. There was an addition problem though, what would happen to the hundreds of other farmers that worked the land? One popular solution for most â€Å"landlords†, as they were called, was to evict all the tenants, whether they were paid up for rent or not. Then they would destroy their homes so that they could not return.(No author 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The now homeless people turned to secret organizations to retaliate against the people that they once depended on to live their lives. Some names of these groups were Rightboys, Thrashers, Ribbonmen, and Whitefoots.(No author 1). When these vigilantes were caught, their punishments were severe. Something as simple as stealing a piece of bread could land you a multiple year sentence in prison. To add insult to injury, the prisons that these people were sent to was in Australia, many miles away from there homes. It was thought that things for the Irish could not get any worse, but in 1845 that is just what happened.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The potato was a very significant part of the Irish way of life. It is one of the few foods that a person can survive solely on. Many homes lived exclusively on the potato, they could   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ... ...e in their new country. Now all we have to do as a society is drop all the foolish stereotypes that most of us still have and let the Irish be the Irish, Whites be the Whites, the Blacks be the Blacks and so on. Who cares where people come from or what has happened in the past? We are in the here and now, no need to look back on things done long ago. Put the past behind and the future in front and I think that America would be better off.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Cited Connery, Donald. The Irish   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Simon and Schuster. New York, NY. 1968 Kennedy, Robert. The Irish   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  University of California Press. Berkley and Los Angeles California. 1973 Larson, Audrey. History of Ireland www.humboldt1.com   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2-27-2004 McCarthy, Joe. The World Library: Ireland   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Time Incorporated. New York, NY. 1964 O Grada, Cormac. Black ‘47 and Beyond   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Princeton University Press. Princeton, New Jersey. 1999 No Author. Http://www.humboldt1.com/history/.2-27-2004   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

International Retail Buying & Merchandising

International Fashion Branding International Retail Buying & Merchandising ‘Evaluate the various buying structures that exist in order to support a retail buying function and the impact of these buying structures on the roles and responsibilities of the retail buyer. Use illustrative examples to support your answer. ’ Within the retail environment customer satisfaction and company profitability are a crucial consideration in the merchandise choice of the buyer (Diamond & Pintel, 2008).The range of the buyer’s duties will depend on the size of the business and can be seen as three main buying approaches; centralised, decentralised and a combination of the two. Throughout this essay the buying structures will be explored in depth and the advantages and disadvantages of each will be underlined. The difference between these three approaches will highlight further the roles and responsibilities of the retail buyer and how they change depending on the type of organisati on. The buyer’s role within the retail sector is an extremely crucial one.A fashion buyer selects a range of products targeted at a specific clientele within a certain price range to hopefully gain profit for a retail company (Kang, 1999). Therefore getting the merchandise collection correct has been described as ‘the engine of success’ within retailing (Aufreiter et al. , 1993). A successful buyer requires a variety of skills including communication, calculation, analysing market positions, the power of negotiation and should also be creative (Varley, 2005).There are three roles of a buyer as stated by Hirshman and Stampfl (1980), firstly as a change agent where the buyer inspires the consumer to consider purchasing new and exciting goods, secondly as a gatekeeper where the buyer will coordinate the movement of the product from supplier directly to the customer. Finally the opinion leader role will encourage the customer’s outlook however this does not ne cessarily result in a direct purchase from the company.The key activities which a retail buyer must carry out are as follows; analysis of market opportunity which helps understand consumer buying behaviour, the creation of a merchandise plan which will incorporate a range of goods and merchandise within that category. The buyer needs to then select and build a solid relationship with a supplier to give the business a competitive advantage. The development of the product will ensure an exclusive feel of the brand, precisely tailored to meet the desires of the retailer and their customer. These goods will then me packaged, presented and promoted accordingly (Fernie et al. 2003). The buying role can differ between companies due to the size of the organisation, the budget allocated, classification of merchandise, the number of employees and where the stores are located (Diamond & Pintel, 2008). These attributes clearly define the organisational structure that a business will use to appr oach the buying role. The first of the three approaches, which large chain stores favour, is a centralised structure. This is where a whole buying team are involved and all purchase decisions are made at Head Office.Usually buyers will have separate departments and select a specific product range, for example lingerie or footwear (Goworek, 2001). As the size of a company grows, the buyer’s role becomes more intense as they deal with larger sums of money, a greater number of products and competition increases. More staff is brought in to help spread the workload and this in turn separate the buying role from the marketing one. This can be perceived as a negative as buyers are required to be kept up to date with promotions and merchandising decisions (Rosenbloom, 1981).On the other hand, there any many advantages of buying taking place in Head Office over store level. Stores with full point-of-sale data capture systems can accumulate up to date information on sale trends and bu ying patterns for each item and store them to allow forecasts to be more precise. This helps provide buying power with the negotiation of supply prices and allows a single point of communication for supply base. Subsequently allocating more time to the buyer to analysis market trends and discovers new products for their customer.In short the cost of buying function is lower as economies of scale are achieved. Tighter quality control techniques can be applied to improve production and delivery performance whilst buying and stock control choices are levelled across all stores. This gives store managers the opportunity to focus on motivating their staff and the running of their store (McGolderick, 2002). However while centralised purchasing does have its advantages, it can occasionally not recognise the needs and variation in demand of an individual store as well as that of the store manager.With buyers working from Head Office quarters there is very little informal communication with the various units making ‘the organisation less adaptive to marketplace and environmental changes’ (Stampfl, 1978). Every store will have a different set of customers and product assortment. However as the retailer is not in control of buying the merchandise they must work with the allocated product from the central buying team (Wang, L, 2010). This in turn can demotivate managers at local levels as they feel their input or contribution to the buying activities is invalid.All buying teams within centralised structure main goals are to become the front runner in the marketplace. Marks and Spencer are one of the many chain stores which are constantly reviewing their buying strategy to ‘deliver lower stock levels, shorter lead times and greater flexibility’ (marksandspencer. com, 2013). Decentralised merchandising can be found within independent retailers selling products with stable demand. In such cases the store managers often take on the function of buying locally as well as many other numerous management roles.It is favoured when a number of decisions need to be made at store level based on customer’s needs. A well-known brand which takes this type of approach is Johnson & Johnson who offer a range of health care products. This is due to the various businesses they are involved in which have different customer desires. By having a diverse range of businesses, with more than 250 autonomous units, the company has managed to modernise and grow regardless of its size (Singer & Abelson, 2010). Giving store level management more opportunity to have an element of control over the buying for their stores.A method of enhancing customer service and the stores efficiency against the large companies who use the centralised method is to allow the small retailers to cater fully to their local product choice (Varley, 2005). A major plus of using a decentralised structure is the ability for a store to adapt to change within the local market without having to wait for the centralised buying team to give the go ahead. This can boost self-esteem of store managers as they feel they have a large contribution with the buying decisions.The CEO of Johnson & Johnson, William Weldon stated a negative with having a decentralised approach, the head of the company will have to gain a good deal of trust with their store managers to make the correct decisions. Having decisions spread out amongst the company can also lead to inconsistency across the organisation. Weldon also pointed out that by having a decentralised approach it allows his business to advance internationally. They count on local employees in overseas markets to make critical business decisions (Kokemuller, n. ). A combinative structure is the third approach that a retailer may adopt where the ability to purchase takes place at both central and local level. This may involve the central buyers buying the core lines for all the stores and products to suit local needs are bought in turn by local managers. This method has been utilised by international food retailers whose head office buy main brands sold in all stores. The local management are in control for obtaining goods from local suppliers in order to fulfil customer tastes.In 2001 Waitrose itself has encouraged the use of local produce by stocking over two thousand lines alongside other large chains such as Asda and Co-operative Group (Morrell, 2010). Another method used within this structure involves a centralised buying team who select a range of goods from which store level managers choose according to the desires of their consumers. Whilst this does not entirely give the opportunity for the store manager to select exact products for their outlet, it does allow them to have some say within the buying decisions.An example of this would be the franchise restaurant Subway, where their Head Office takes control of the marketing, menus and food quality but the store managers themselves take cont rol over matters such as hiring and training of staff (DuBrin, 2009). A further illustration would be the famous clothes apparel Benetton, who create a variety of styles. Although the individual licensee cannot buy from outside suppliers, the single units have the opportunity of selecting the clothes from the company that they believe will suit best with their customer (Diamond & Pintel, 2008).A combinative method fulfils the demands and expectations of customers through the organisations ability to buy centrally, prices are more competitive and the local taste is also met (Bruce, 2004). The roles and responsibilities of a retail buyer can vary in terms of what purchasing structure is used within a business. For a small organisation the buyer can be involved with the sales and promotional sides of the business whereas in large chain stores they have various positions at different levels such as buying directors, managers, buyers, buying assistants and trainees (Goworek, 2001).Single units opt for a decentralised buying approach where the store level management are responsible for all buying tasks. Shop owners operate their own store as they believe they could provide a tailored product and service specific to their customer. Independent stores generally sell one arrangement of products or restricted amounts of merchandise; this is purchased by the store level manager. Within single units the owner takes on many roles but with chains, that have hundreds of stores, the role of the buyer becomes more constrained and focused on purchasing (Diamond & Pintel, 2008).A crucial skill of the buying team within a centralised structure is to be efficient communicators as they are constantly speaking with suppliers and other departments. As the distance between stores increase, it becomes more challenging for a buyer to make frequent visits to each store. These units are controlled at Head Office with very limited contact occurring between buyer and store manager. The main focus being purchasing and communication is achieved through telephone and e-mail, information is also accumulated via electronic reports (Diamond & Pintel 2008).Within a smaller business the range of merchandise is usually wider, for example men’s business-wear which would include suits, shirts and ties. With large chain store such as Bhs and Oasis, buyers are given a more concentrated product range for instance men’s shirts. This in turn leads to further pressure to generate more sales for their specific department. In comparison to individual stores which acquire a more flexible buyer with a broader skill set to assist with quality control.The roles and responsibilities of a buyer within a combinative structure is a mixture between the buying department at Head Office purchasing the core lines of a range and the store manager’s contribution to providing the store with local good they believed to cater to needs of their customer. This could be difficult to ma nage as purchasing will take place at both levels, for this to be successful, the general manager and the buying team would need to communicate regular so that merchandise within the store was consistent.Overall a buying structure is needed in order to help support a retailing company deliver its market with a carefully selected product range, providing them with a competitive advantage and in turn hopefully generating profit. Three main approaches were evaluated and linked with different types of businesses which best suited them. Centralization is more broadly used by larger retailers such as chain stores; decentralization provides a structure for independent retailers and thirdly a combination of the two which takes elements of both of these to create a core line as well as using local produce.When companies are considering both the handling of data and of merchandise then the decision must be made as to which is the preferred method. A centralised approach allows organisations t o have a larger buying department with greater efficiency which becomes more focused on areas of purchasing. Some retailers see this as restricting as store managers have limited say within this process, therefore they opt for a more flexible method offered within the decentralised approach.After clear assessment of all three structures it was concluded that a combination of centralised and decentralised approaches would be an overall satisfactory method to put in place for most organisations as the main ranges within a retailer would be controlled by Head Office with an experienced buying department but also store level managers would contribute to the buying decisions as they had expertise with what the customer would desire. References Aufreiter, N. , N. Karch and C. Smith Shi (1993) ‘The engine of success in retailing’.McKinsey Quarterly, 3, 101-116. Bruce, M. (2004). The anatomy of retail buying. In: Butterworth-Heinemann, E International retail marketing : a case study approach . Oxford: Elsevier Ltd. 64-68. Diamond & Pintel. (2008). The Buyer's Role. In: Vernon R. A Retail Buying. 8th ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.. 3-32. DuBrin, A. (2009). Organizing. In: Calhoun, J and Acuna, M Essentials Of Management. 8th ed. Mason: South-Western Cengage Learning. 219-295. Fernie, J et al. (2003). Principles of Retailing. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. p145-150 Goworek, H. (2001).The Role of the Fashion Buyer. In: Blackwell Science Ltd Fashion Buying. Great Britain: DP Photsetting. 4-14. Hirschman, E. C. ; Stampfl, R. W. (1980). Roles of retailing in the diffusion of popular culture: Microperspectives. Journal of Retailing 56 Kang, KY. (1999). Conceptual Framework: Retail Buying Process. In: Kang, KY Development of an Assortment Planning Model for Fashion Sensitive Products. 1-14. Kokemuller, N. (n. d). Decentralized Company Business Structure. Available: http://smallbusiness. chron. com/decentralized-company-business-structure-20629. tml. Marks and Spencer. (2013). Careers. Available: http://corporate. marksandspencer. com/mscareers/opportunities/head_office_roles/headoffice_buying. McGolderick, P. (2002). Product Selection and Buying. In: Alcock, T and Howell, C Retail Marketing. 2nd ed. Berkshire: McGraw-Hill Education. 279-301. Morrell, L. (2010). The benefits of local sourcing. Available: http://www. retail-week. com/in-business/supply-chain/the-benefits-of-local-sourcing/5010688. article. Rosenbloom, B (1981). Retail Marketing. New York: Random House. Singer, N and Abelson, R. (2010).After Recalls of Drugs, a Congressional Spotlight on J. ; J. ’s Chief. Available: http://www. nytimes. com/2010/09/29/business/29tylenol. html? pagewanted=all;_r=0. Stampfl, R. W (1978). Structural constrains, consumerism and the market concept, MSU Business Topics, 2 (4), 37-66. Varley, R. (2005). The Role of Product Retail Managers. In: Taylor and Francis Retail product management : buying and merchandising . 2nd ed. Oxon: Routl edge Ltd. 21-41. Wang, L. (2010). Buying committees in Chinese retail industry. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics. 22 (4), 492-511.