Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Writing Experience Essay Sample free essay sample

Writing is an art but hard procedure for me. Cipher born as a author but he additions the experience to be able to show his ideas to others. My experience in authorship was really minimum. English is non my native linguistic communication and was non emphasized in my high school. English authorship was fundamentally attested of memory for pupils. They give us different subjects and they give us sample composing. We memorize them and one of the subjects would come in the trial. We write merely because we memorized them. Before I come to University of Louisville I went to intensive English Institute at University of Knoxville for one semester. I did several composing including statements. personal essays. and research paper. I besides learned how to construct sentences and paragraphs. The restriction of the English vocabulary made it difficult for me to set my ideas together and clear about certain capable to show it to my audience. We will write a custom essay sample on Writing Experience Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I besides face troubles with grammar. specifically with sentence construction. I am ever confused what type of sentence I should utilize. or how to word and mark a sentence to show the thought I want. I struggle in passages throughout paragraphs and ideas. and give my documents a smoothness that I would wish to. be. Every clip Whenever I get my essay back. the instructor puts circles all over the paper. They keep stating me that I need to remake this the full paragraph or something is non clear and that I need to compose more when I’ve explained everything I could about the subject. Besides. my essays are so short. which is why that I am invariably acquiring low classs for my English categories. I can neer believe of anything to compose about to do the essay longer and it is really frustrating. On the other manus. I was inquiring why there are some pupils that get first-class classs on their essays like it’s nil really easy. I started to look for my failings and strengths in composing and how to better my linguistic communication. To get the bette r of my composing failings accomplishments I had to take more English classs to better my composing accomplishments and larn a batch about the authorship procedure. Writing does non come spontaneously. but is enduring from the minute of outgrowth of thought. and so its agitation in head until we write it to the audience. I besides start reading English newspapers. Nnovels and narratives to garner creditable information to back up what I write and present it to my audience. Cipher doubts that the encephalon is like a sponge. and we are similar mirrors. We reflect back into the universe all that we have taken in. Therefore. I start reading several books in several signifiers from several epochs and different parts written by several writers in order to better my manner of authorship every bit good. Everything I have learned is utile and helpful to steer me to compose my term documents and essays. I think my authorship is still basic. and I have to work harder to heighten my composing ability while I am in the university. to be able to form my ideas to do sense. I besides need to compose term documents and researches to do them understood apprehensible by to the readers. Using the cyberspace is really utile for composing researches as I am ever able to back up my thoughts with adding citations and facts from other beginnings to my documents to convert my audience. Writing research is easier presents because Oof the complete online library in the cyberspace. I can easy seek for any subject and roll up adequate information about it. that aid assist me to show my thoughts to my readers. I ever find it difficult to believe in my native linguistic communication Arabic. and so interpret it to English. Therefore. life in America helped me to understand some parlances which I do non hold them in my native linguistic communication. Using these looks in my composing do the linguistic communication I use more colourful.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Strategic Markeitng Managemnt(Carrefour) Essay Example

Strategic Markeitng Managemnt(Carrefour) Essay Example Strategic Markeitng Managemnt(Carrefour) Essay Strategic Markeitng Managemnt(Carrefour) Essay Strategic marketing management Company Information Carrefour Group, in the past 40 years have grown to turn out to be one of the world’s leading distribution groups. Carrefour began its journey in 1959 which was established in France by the Defforey families and Fournier. The name Carrefour came into existence as shops were located on thoroughfare, which literally means a place where it’s convenient to shop. Carrefour hypermarket was first opened outside France in Belgium and the first in Brazil, outside Europe. The group currently operates in three major markets: Latin America, Europe and Asia, also including China, Brazil, Indonesia, Poland and Turkey. Carrefour has set its foot in 34 different countries. Carrefour Group is number 2 worldwide and number one in Europe with over 476,000 employees with four main store formats like: Hypermarket, super market, discount stores and convenience stores. Ambition and everyday values: With one ambition, that is ‘making Carrefour the preferred retailer wherever in operates’ with three pillars which support and make it happen : Client- Oriented Culture, Transformation and innovation, which is followed by everyday values which are: Committed, Caring and Positive which in turn help Carrefour to achieve their value which is ‘ to make Carrefour a business that is recognised and loved for helping its customers and consumers enjoy a better quality of life, each and every day’. 1. Discuss the role of strategic marketing in an organisation John Scully defined strategic marketing as ‘a series of integrated actions leading to a sustainable competitive advantage’. Another definition of Doyle (1998) defines, ‘strategic marketing as planning for the organisation to utilise the optimum resources and make tactics to achieve the overall objectives of the organisation’. The strategic marketing brings the following advantages to an organisation: 1. Brings competitive advantage to the organisation by making themselves different from the competitors (Doyle, 1998). Carrefour group in case of pricing use ‘everyday low prices’ strategy, which ensures cheaper good with superior quality, which pulls in customers. 2. Increase the business capability by guiding the managers with the clear direction (Doyle, 1998). Carrefour knowing both their internal and external strength and weakness sets strategies which guide the employers and employees in the right direction. 3. Helps in analysing the market, competitor analysis, product/service analysis, classify the segments, target the customers, and position to the audience what they offer (Doyle, 1998). Carrefour group uses strategic marketing to investigate not only competition but also the competitive advantage the others have and along with it analyse the market growth and potential of retail industry. 4. The best approach to increase the sale, communicate and deliver the value is strategic marketing (Doyle, 1998). Carrefour interact and communicate through their customers by getting feedback, advertising, promotions which attract new customers, which helps to increase brand value at the same time create a position for itself in the customers mindset. 2. Explain the processes involved in strategic marketing and evaluate the links between strategic marketing and corporate strategy Marketing Planning Process Market Planning Process Market planning is the process in which the organisations monitors and control the internal and external opportunities and challenges to maximise the profit by delivering the value to the customers. This is called as situational analysis. The market planning process should be aligned with corporate strategy to achieve the corporate objectives (McDonald, 2008). Market Planning Process: Figure 1: Market Planning Process (McDonald, 2008). Corporate strategy Carrefour group aims to satisfy every customer expectation and satisfaction with professionalism and offer best possible prices (everyday low prices) for high quality products and services and grow to become the number one hypermarket in the world. Internal analysis Strength 1. Wide market presence 2. Skilled labourers 3. Multi-format strategy 4. Strategic acquisitions 5. Presence in 34 countries 6. Expanding and growing market. 7. Strong brand in world retail industry 8. Pioneers in hypermarkets. Weaknesses . Decline in operating margin. 2. Entry of competitors with new strategies. 3. Low like-for-like sales in domestic market. 4. All countries may not accept the pricing strategies(JAPAN) 5. Strategies are same throughout different countries, which may not be acceptable by the customers. 6. Poor E-commerce performance. 7. Weak positions in Asia and Middle East countries. Opportunities 1. Rebranding the champion b rand stores 2. Entry into emerging markets like China, Poland, Turkey, etc. 3. Focus to boost non-food sales 4. Strategic acquisitions and joint ventures 5. Development in discount stores. 6. Maintain better labor relations Threats 1. Low consumer confidence (since low price, customers have a notion it may be low in quality, especially Japanese customers). 2. Fierce competition 3. Wal-mart low prices is a threat 4. Rising labor cost. 5. Terrorism and instability in Africa and Asia 6. Entry of new players. External Analysis Ansoff Matrix Ansoff matrix is tool to find the market position of the organisation in the current market. This matrix will to find about position of the organisation serving the particular target market (Hannagan, 2002). Market penetration |Product Development | |Market extension |Diversification | Existing Market New Existing New Products Source: Adapted from Hannagan (2002). According to IMAP retail report published in September 2010, it says there were around 1409 transactions which valued at $17. 1 billion. Two major transactions: Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Lotte Shopping Co. , represented alone around $2. 7bill ion which is nearly 15. 8percent of total dollar volume. In geographical terms, United Kingdom had the highest transaction volume of $3. 9billion with a total of 161 transactions in last 12 months till September 2010. United states fall second to a total value of $3. 4 billion USD. This report ultimately shows that the retail industry is growing worldwide at tremendous rate. Carrefour group along with the competiton made strategic acquisitions as below: Acquired 4 hypermarkets in Spain(2006) Acquired 6 hypermarkets in Taiwan. In 2005, acquired 10 hypermarkets in Brazil and 2 Turkish retail banners, including 12 hyper nova hypermarkets in Poland. They followed a pricing strategy called ‘everyday low price’ strategy where they provide goods at low rates each day and low when compared to other retail chains. They attract almost every new customer with ease due to their pricing strategy, but Japanese customers where the only ones who didn’t accepted the strategy and Carrefour at the same time was not able to keep up with the fashion trends of Japan. Marketing Strategy Carrefour aims at giving customers the best where ever it operates. By meaning preferred retailer it means drawing customers to shop to which they are loyal. It also means making customers want to visit, keep visiting the stores. For this very purpose Carrefour puts a low price for their products and keeps promotion and exhibitions for their shops which attract new customers keeping in mind their social commitment and corporate social responsibility. All strategies implemented or decided are always in line with the corporate strategy which is to achieve results. Implementation, Monitoring, Control and Forecast After setting the top level strategies, they analyse the business internally and externally and set the market strategies. They will communicate their plan to the stakeholders (agents, lecturers, staffs, etc). They will allocate their resources like finance, HR and physical resources to achieve their strategies. They monitor the progress of the plan through means of number of students, profit, and other key performance indicators. If the plan is not going in their way they make alternative plans or they try to control the situation as much as possible. With current analysis and market growth they forecast the future of their institution. Carrefour has B2B strategy in which implementation has three different levels, which are: local approach, regional approach with global co-ordination and finally global approach which have standard processes and shared tools. Monitoring and control is done by strategic partnership, advanced collaboration and entry ticket. Forecast at Carrefour is done by analysing the financial accounts and looking into the daily achievement of targets and set goals. 3. Assess the value of models used in strategic marketing planning SWOT analysis According to Johnson et al (2005) â€Å"SWOT analysis is used to identify the internal capability or strength and weakness of the organisation, deals with exploring and capitalising the opportunities and threat involved in the changing business environment. † Based on the internal analysis of the organisation CAMS can plan their strategic marketing, if they are strong the make offensive strategy (expansion and penetration) if they feel that they need to improve more than they should go with defensive strategies (retention, pricing, promotions, etc). Refer 2. 2 where the Ansoff matrix can be used a tool to identify position of the CAMS in the market. Situation analysis can be used along with market analysis to make the effective marketing planning. Carrefour strengths and weakness: Strength: 1. Largest hypermarket chain in terms of size. 2. Wide market presence 3. Ranked third in terms of profit in industry after Tesco and Wal-Mart 4. Multi-format strategy 5. Operating in 34 countries 6. Selling number of products with its own private brands. 7. Strategic acquisitions 8. More than 50% sales of the company come from France. Weaknesses 1. Reduce operating expenses. 2. Decline in operating margin 3. Weak position in Asia and Middle east countries. 4. Low like-for-like sales in domestic market. 5. Poor E-commerce performance 6. Too much time in opening new stores. Opportunities 1. Joint venture acquisitions for more expansion. 2. Rebranding champion stores 3. Improve sale performance 4. Reduce operating cost 5. Maintain better labor relations 6. Entering emerging markets 7. Focus to boost non-food sales 8. Develop discount stores. Threat 1. Fierce completion 2. Wal-marts low prices. 3. Low consumer confidence 4. Entry of new players 5. Slow expansion outside France. 6. Rising labor cost 4. Discuss the links between strategic positioning and marketing tactics Ansoff matrix is tool to find the market position of the organisation in the current market. This matrix will to find about position of the organisation serving the particular target market (Hannagan, 2002). Market penetration |Product Development | |Market extension |Diversification | Existing Market New Existing New Products Source: Adapted from Hannagan (2002). Carrefour group presently is running with around 495,000 employees and operating in 34 countries world wide. Carrefour offer a wide range of products like cosmetics, groceries, bakeries, every house hold items, including food items. Strategic positioning is positioning the organisation in the target market (image of the industry or organisation to the target audience) (Kotler and Armstrong, 2010). Marketing tactics is logical actions performed to position themselves in the markets (actions or steps taken to position themselves) (Kotler and Armstrong, 2010). The marketing strategy of Carrefour is mainly to offer goods at low prices and great quality and hence attract more customers. The group also provide promotions and exhibitions for its customers at various outlets. Now Carrefour has entered the Asian markets and also Poland, Turkey, etc. Also the B2B strategy which has been implemented gave out a positive result. 5. Analyse the merits of relationship marketing in a given strategic marketing strategy Relationship Marketing According to Payne et al (1998) the relationship is attracting, enhancing and maintain good customer relationship among the customers. The relationship is maintained between the existing customers and organisation through services and selling, by retaining the old customers they can grow in the market by getting new customers. The merits of having relationship marketing in Carrefour are a) they can get more customers through after sales feedback, b) offer bonus points and discounts for loyal customers which is possible by providing them with loyalty cards, c) advertising and promotion costs could be reduced through word of mouth marketing which is possible through loyal customers, d) market expansion, technology implementation, maintaining corporate social responsibility all is possible retaining existing customers, e) close relationship with existing loyal customers in form of special discounts for loyalty card holders, and f) which in turn ensures more customers due to referencing from old customers which saves cost on finding new customers. 6. Use appropriate marketing techniques to ascertain growth opportunities in a market Segmentation and targeting: According to Kotler and Armstrong (2010) segmentation is dividing the entire market according the buyer potential. Some of the types of segmentation are demographic, behaviour, psychographic, and geography. This technique is used to find out the potential users of the product or the service that we target to sell or produce. Targeting is selecting the clients to serve from the various segments selected (Kotler and Armstrong, 2010). Carrefour group can develop the existing stores located in Asia and Middle east countries which are facing problems. This may be done by having mergers or acquisitions with the retail chains established there. This provides Carrefour an ease to enter the market as well as use the raw materials or any transport medium which the merged company used. It also help to build contacts with suppliers and customers of the merged company, which brings new customers and increase in revenue can be guaranteed. Entry in Japan was failure, but they could again study the market in Japan and re-enter with a big bang which will help them capture the market in no time, but a different pricing strategy should be adopted in order to change their notion that ‘cheaper goods are low quality goods’. 7. Plan how to use marketing strategy options in a market Cost leadership: Porter (1985) said that when the organisation aims to provide the products or services at the minimum price, their strategy becomes cost leadership. They will compete with pricing from the other competitors. Mostly this technique is used when the clients are highly sensitive towards the price. Customers in today’s world are very price conscious as well as quality conscious. They are ready to pay higher price but without compromising on quality of the product. But Carrefour has product for all types of customers be it rich, middle class or poor. All good keep up their quality in low price too. This satisfies the middle class people’s needs to a certain level. Higher class customers may opt different or same goods at higher price. Giving product at low price is possible due to mass production as the customer base is huge. Own production plants act as a competitive advantage for Carrefour which puts the new entrants to re-think is their entry correct or not. 8. Create appropriate strategic marketing objectives for a market Marketing strategies for 7 P’s McDaniel and Gates (1998) defined marketing mix as â€Å"the unique blend of products, price, promotions, place and distribution to meet the specific demands of the customer. † They said the organisation or the marketing manager should focus on the 4 P’s and frame their plan according to their marketing strategies, each element should be focussed by the manager’s else entire plan will be failed. But now as technology got advanced and also the advancement in marketing areas and emergence of new theories, the 4 basic P’s of marketing mix has become 7 P’s, which are namely: product, price, place, promotion, people, physical distribution and process. Considering the product, price, place and promotion aspect of marketing mix, Carrefour has a wide range of product line and product extension. They see that there is no compromise on the quality of the product and since they produce most of the products in their plants, they are able to produce it at cheaper rates, which make them easy to sell at lower rates. The pricing strategy of Carrefour that is everyday low price is a niche in those times which they were able to implement with ease. Place and promotion of the stores and products are of vital importance. Access to market and customers convenience have to be checked before finalising the location and continuous promotion of stores and product should be there in order to keep up with the market. People, physical distribution and process are the latest in the marketing mix. People in general mean the, customers. Carrefour see’s that they meet their customer requirements and expectations when they do shopping. Distribution handling of Carrefour is done by themselves with the large trailers they have which they move to each stores in particular areas and delivering the products. 9. Report on the impact of changes in the external environment on a marketing strategy Marketing strategy Carrefour group share a common dream of a business that is recognised and loved for helping its customers and consumers enjoy a better quality of life, each and every day. This is ensured by three main pillars of Carrefour which are: commitment, caring and positive nature. Rising expectations: The number of consumers, consumer’s needs and fashion too is having a changing trend. One can say this is as a result of globalisation, which increases customer expectations and their standards. Customers prefer high quality goods with reasonable price. In case of luxury items it’s different, as potential customers go for high priced products and quality is in-compromisable. Carrefour carefully understands the customer needs and requirements with the change in trend and then produces which are in budget for them. Target market of Carrefour in general is the whole market where ever they are. Segmentation is possible in areas where its price sensitive. When we take the case of products, they avail products for different age. Let it be a baby, child, teenager or an adult, there are products that suits everyone. Customers are given suggestion box to give their feedback on products as well as the service rendered for them at time of shopping. This helps Carrefour improve its existing method of executing plans. Keeping a close eye on competitors pricing strategy and customer retention method, boosts Carrefour to think of innovative ideas to tackle their rival. 10. Conduct an internal analysis to identify current strengths and weaknesses in a marketing strategy Marketing strategy: Carrefour sees that their service and product as well, satisfies their customer in all ways and are meeting their expectations. This is not only to increase customer base and revenue, but also maintain and achieve their corporate social responsibility. Carrefour also integrates sustainable Strength and Weakness of Carrefour based on marketing strategies: Strength Wide market presence: presence in almost 34 countries helps them to have a wide span in the worldwide market. Multi-format strategy: means having everyday low price strategy and B2B strategy at the same time Joint ventures/acquisitions in different countries like Taiwan, Brazil, Turkey and Poland was a part of their marketing strategy which helps to expa nd their market. Employee base of approximate 495000 around the globe shows its wide network. Being a pioneer in hypermarkets give them additional competitive advantage among the rivals. Ranked third in terms of revenue in the retail industry after Tesco and Wal-Mart. More than 50 percent of revenue come from France which means they have a strong market base in France which makes them a pioneer in the French market. Strong brand in world of retail industry. Weakness One main weakness is that Carrefour takes too much time in opening new stores. Poor performance in E-Commerce Lack of maintaining labour relations. Rising labour costs make it difficult for retaining all labours Sometimes consumers may have low confidence; this is clear from failure of Carrefour in Japan market. Low like-for-like sales in domestic market. Weak own brand sales. 11. Propose strategic marketing responses to key emerging themes in a marketing strategy Proposal for Strategic Marketing: Carrefour c an target growing countries like India and China to set up a market base as both the countries are in growing stage with a tremendous growth rate. Rather than acquisitions, strategic alliance could be made with another company which enables Carrefour to reach a wider market. Maintain more close relationship not only with customers but also with suppliers as the chain with suppliers should not be tangled. Study of market, its customers in essential in order to enter a new market without fail. Failure in Japan is because of lack of market research and study. Strength and weakness of rivals should be found out which can be overcome by making it as the opportunities. Political and economical changes and involvement should also be noted before implementing a plan or strategic decision. References Doyle, P (2008) Value based marketing, John Wiley and Sons, United Kingdom Hannagan, T (2002) Mastering Strategy Management, Palgrave publishers, Great Britain Johnson, G, Scholes, K, and Whittington, R (2005) Exploring Corporate Strategy, Pearson Education Limited, United Kingdom Kotler, P and Armstrong, G (2010) Principles of Marketing, Pearson Prentice Hall, USA McDaniel, CD and Gates, RH (1998) Marketing research essentials, Ohio: Thompson Publishing McDonald, M (2008) Market planning and expert systems, Marketing Intelligence and Planning 7(7-8): 16-23. Porter, ME (1985) Competitive Advantage: Generic Strategies, Free Press, New York Websites IMAP retail report [online]. (2010) [Accessed 13/05/11]. Available from: imap. com/imap/media/resources/IMAPRetailReport8_23CB9AA9C6EBB. pdf. finance. world of maps [online]. (2010) [Accessed 13/05/11]. Available from: . Bottom of Form finance. world of maps [online]. (2010) [Accessed 13/05/11]. Available from: . carrefour swot analysis [online]. (2010) [Accessed 13/05/11]. Available from: . carrefour swot analysis [online]. (2010) [Accessed 13/05/11]. Available from: . carrefour [online]. (2010) [Accessed 13/05/11]. Available from: . Corporate Strategy Internal Analysis External Analysis Marketing Objectives/Strategy Plan Implementation and Control

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Economics of Developing Countries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economics of Developing Countries - Essay Example This strategy aims to increase the domestic production and reduce the dependency on foreign imports. Outward looking strategy Outward looking strategies are not just related to primary exports, but lay more importance on the trade of employment opportunities and other strategies which increases the level of income in the country. Trade expansion is to be used for economic growth and the generation of employment opportunities. b) India’s trade policies have changed rapidly since independence. Before independence India made imports for even those products which could be manufactured in India. But after independence there was a change in strategy and more emphasis is being laid on exports rather than imports. Today India has a strong trade policy and lays more emphasis on exports and follows the import substitute industrialization policy and restricts its imports. India now uses trade expansion as an instrument for economic growth and the generation of employment opportunities. I t has been effective in improving India’s economy especially developing the agricultural economy. The overall trade policy is good for Tamil Nadu as Tamil Nadu has increased its agricultural income. c) Both India and china have been successful in increasing their exports and reducing their dependence on imports. China has laid emphasis on the export of manufactured products, while India has laid much emphasis on the export of services. India’s exports are of capital and skill intensive products, while china’s exports are labor intensive goods. Both the countries have reduced their imports by the Import substitute industrialization strategy. Question 6: The article ‘Now we are seven billion’ states that Population growth has both positive and negative effects. Mr. Simon is of the opinion that prices would rise in real terms, when there is an increase in population. The article states that as the world economy boomed the population growth fell. Accord ing to the UN’s population division the world population will reach 7 billion as on 31st October 2011. According to Mr. Simon, the world’s rising population was not a problem since an increase in population is also related to an increased demand for investment. The author provides the example of China, where fertility is less and one child is the policy in the nation. The author states that china’s policy is a violation of rights. Encouraging smaller families is good for economic growth as it reduces the poverty in the country, but there are large families too. Although there is a basic view that rising population creates scarcity of resources, yet population is important for the economic growth of the country. The argument presented is that smaller families create economic growth. Smaller families create economic growth because smaller families’ means less poverty and each member of the family gets all the comforts of the life. Therefore this results in better economic growth of the country. The argument presented against is that when the population decreases then it reduces the growth of the economy, which again hampers the economic growth of the country. Thus population has both positive and negative effects. Question: V: DEEP in the South Atlantic, a huge business operation is under system that Brazil’s leaders say will turn their state into an oil power by the end of this decade. If the ambitious plans of the national oil

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Political Machines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Political Machines - Essay Example Therefore, the basis of political machines is on people who have dissimilar and varying interests. Theodore observes that the different people share a common link despite their fear and ignorance. Theodore perceives that the sole purpose of political machines were to develop American cities equally. This move aimed at promoting urban democracy (Lowi 84-85). Theodore allude that new machines replaced old ones. This essay rejects the arguments of Theodore Lowi. The new and old political machines display similarities signifying that nothing has changed in the governance of American cities. To start with, although some cities such as New York have experienced some reforms in their mode of governance, there are no considerable changes in others cities such as Chicago. For instance, Theodore asserts that Chicago maintained a strong hold of old political machines in the year 1967. This is opposite to the case of New York, which embraced new wave of political reforms. In the year 1967, Chicago reaffirmed and consolidated its old ways of doing political unlike New York, which ushered in political transformation (Lowi 85). This depicts that old machines is still in existence and did not disappear as Theodore claimed. The power of political machine still prevails in Chicago and there is no prediction of its disappearance. Second, new political machines depict many commonalities with the old ones. Methods of employment to senior positions resemble the old way of recruitment. This new method picks those candidates who have experience in their careers. This succeeds the dubious way of selecting candidates to the political seats. According to Theodore’s essay, the so-called reforms have painted politics as a dirt game. This is a perpetuation of the old political machines, which embraced such mode of electing people to occupy top ranks. Big cities such as New York have poor governance despite the fact that there is competent management team (Lowi 85-86).

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Ways of seeing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ways of seeing - Essay Example Thus, seeing is not just an action verb it’s an adjective. Therefore, perceptions impact extensively on images under observation and these images depict diverse meaning and value to the viewer. Emotions and belief acknowledge how one should comprehend certain phenomena like lightning in rain can be viewed, but not fully described in words as to what impact it leaves on a viewer. Secondly, personal perception do play significant role in this seeing phenomena, as a person with pessimistic belief will consider lighting as a bad omen for him. Similarly, a naturalist will enjoy the moment of climatic fury and in the same manner a religious person will consider it as a sign of God’s wrath on his creation due to disobedience. Seeing is like truth, some part always remains concealed. On the same, line he describes that although as a process gaze comes first and later on it is interpreted by the the gazer, but gaze itself is surrounded by prior belief therefore, elaboration of gaze does come the way it has been perceived in a society. For instance, sacrificing animals on a religious event is acceptable in Islam and few other religions of the world. Hence, the sight of sacrificing animal does not induce painful sentiments in Muslims. Instead it brings a sense of obedience by performing a religious ritual. Simultaneously, a person from a different faith would not accept this explanation and will develop negative perception for this Islamic ritual, as for him the sight will be frightening and an unacceptable action. Perceptions are like planes; they fly and land in a certain domain. Berger also claims that seeing brings the object of speculation, close to individual’s proximity i.e. understanding of it. Many at times, one observes death, however, it does not make sense to loved ones and they do not accept it immediately, but through a rational point of view it is a fact which remains the

Friday, November 15, 2019

Di (2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP) Hormone Levels in Males

Di (2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP) Hormone Levels in Males Introduction Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is one of phthalate ester and endocrine- disrupting chemical. It is used as plasticizer in Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics tubing to make PVC plastic tubing more soft and flexible. Animal data show that target organs of exposure to DEHP are the liver, kidneys, lungs, and reproductive system. DEHP may cause adverse effects of animal’s reproductive system such as reduced fertility, decreased spermatogenesis in males (Rais-Bahrami, 2004). Phthalate monoesters including mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) is the DEHP metabolites. The primary targets of Phthalate monoesters toxicity are Leydig cells (LCs) and sertoli cells (SCs). The function of LCs and SCs is spermatogenesis and testosterone production. The toxicant will damage the LCs to decrease the secretion of testosterone, which will affect spermatogenesis and decrease the sperm count. Food is one of the sources of exposure to DEHP for public (U.S. EPA, 2013). DEHP has been detected in many foods such as meat, cheese, milk, eggs, cereal products and fish. There is more and more evidence showing that DEHP induce many adverse effects on the reproductive system such as reproductive hormones included luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and free testosterone (Giuliana G. 2009). As DEHP can cause birth defects or reproductive harm, the government of California listed DEHP as reproductive toxin in 2003 (Chemical Market Reporter, 2003). In addition to the food intake exposure to DEHP, occupational and environmental are the another sources of exposure to DEHP (Guowei Pan et.al., 2006). It is essential to concern whether high levels of DEHP exposure would affect reproductive hormone levels in male. According to the studies of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, they have found that DEHP can cause birth defects in laboratory rodents (Chemical Market Reporter, 2003). However, only limited studies focus on the relationship between human reproductive hormone and DEHP exposure (J. Mendiola et.al., 2011). Hence, there are limited evidences to conclude a correlation between human reproductive hormone and exposure to DEHP. It is important to find out what chemicals will influence human reproductive hormone because it decides the total number of our offspring. Therefore, based on the related human studies, the effects of DEHP exposure on reproductive hormone levels in male would be discussed. Method The aim of the literature search was to find the associations between Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and reproductive hormone levels in male. A board research was first conducted by Medline (EBSCO HOST), Web of Science and ProQuest. The search term â€Å"Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate/ DEHP† AND â€Å"reproductive hormones† was used and excluded the term â€Å"animal.† The criteria used to select the studies were as follows: The Studies were primary sources and published within 10 years, 2004-2014. The Studies must be human study for adult and NOT animal study. The Studies should address the associations between DEHP and reproductive hormone levels in male. The studies were in good quality, such as in high impact factors of 2013. 3 main studies met the above criteria for the topic examination. The impact factor on the 3 studies are 3.206 (G. Pan et.al, 2011), 3.206 (J. Mendiola et.al, 2010) and 7.029 (Guowei Pan et.al, 2006). Totally 3 main studies at the end of literature has been searched. The three chosen studies were Cross-sectional study since there are limited long-term studies such as cohort studies and randomized controlled trial (RCT) fulfilled the above criteria. Result G. Pan et.al. (2011) carried a cross-sectional study to find the dose-response relationship between dose-response relationships between cumulative phthalate exposure and reproductive hormones in human. 74 male workers occupationally exposed to high levels of DEHP and 63 male construction workers as comparison group matched for age and smoking status. The urine and blood were collected from each patient on the same day. The authors of study observed a significantly negative correlated between hazard indices (HI) and serum concentrations of free testosterone (fT) in exposed workers (r = -0.195, p = 0.096), but not in unexposed workers. J. Mendiola et.al. (2011) carried a cross-sectional study to find the association between exposures to Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and reproductive hormone levels in men. 425 men were partners of pregnant women who were selected to participant in the study for Future Families (SFF). All men completed a questionnaire and received a physical examination. The questionnaire included the question about demographics, recent fever, history of sexually transmitted disease, diet and as well as lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol and caffeine consumption. The urine sample was collected within 15 min after the blood was collected. The result was found that Free Androgen Index (FAI) was significantly associated with the concentration of DEHP metabolites in urine. However, total testosterone levels were no associated with urinary concentration of DEHP metabolites. Guowei Pan et.al. (2006) carried a cross-sectional study to find the effect of occupational exposure to high levels of phthalate esters on the balance of gonadotropin and gonadal hormones, which including LH, FSH, free testosterone (fT), and estradiol. 74 male workers at a factory producing unfoamed PVC flooring exposed to di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) as exposure group and compared them with samples from 63 male workers from a construction company as comparison group matched for age and smoking status. Urine and blood samples were collected from each workers between 800 and 1100 hours on the same day, but not on the first day of the worker’s work week or the day after a night work shift. The authors of study observed there is significant reducing of serum fT in workers with higher levels of urinary MEHP (DEHP metabolites) compared with unexposed workers. fT was negative association to MEHP (r = -0.19, p = 0.095) in the exposed group. Discussion Study Design The three studies are a cross-sectional study. The limitations of cross-sectional studies are it cannot establish a temporal relationship and reflect the causal relationship between high levels of DEHP and the reproductive hormone levels in male. It only can provide a possible risk factor for reproductive hormones for further study. The three studies both have different advantages and disadvantages. The sample size of the study of Guowei Pan et.al. (2006) and G. Pan et.al. (2011) is relative small. They are all less than 100 people in exposed group and comparison group. The study of J. Mendiola et.al. (2011) has relative large sample size (N=425) but it does not contain a comparison group. The study of Guowei Pan et.al. (2006) and G. Pan et.al. (2011) only investigated the confounding effect of the influence of occupational exposure to DEHP. The study of J. Mendiola et.al. (2011) also only investigated the confounding effect of the influence of environmental exposure to DEHP. They did not considered the confounding effect of the influence of food intake exposure to DEHP. Study population Randomization is a basic and essential technique to avoid selection bias in Epidemiology Study and It can show better association between exposure and outcome is true or not. However, the participants of three studies are not strictly random. It may cause false association between high exposure of DEHP and male reproductive hormone. In the study of Guowei Pan et.al. (2006) and G. Pan et.al. (2011), the authors wanted to compare the reproductive hormone levels between exposed group and comparison group. Therefore, they selected exposed group in a factory producing unfoamed PVC flooring and using DEHP as plasticizers and comparison group in a construction company. The authors can ensure the exposed group was exposed to DEHP by dermal contact and/ or through dust inhalation in their work. A comparison group who without occupational exposure to DEHP and matched for age and smoking status to exposed group. The comparison group can help authors to exclude other factors that may influence reproductive hormone levels in male in addition to DEHP exposure. The study of J. Mendiola et.al. (2011) did not contain a comparison group. All the participants were conducted in the study for Future Families and at prenatal clinics affiliated with university hospital in five United States cities. Exposure assessment The concentration of MEHP and reproductive hormone were determined by using different methods. Both methods have advantages and limitations. Table 1: The methods used to determine the concentration of MEHP Three studies used similar method to determine the urinary concentrations of DEHP metabolites. Thus, the urinary DEHP metabolite concentration of three studies will not have significant difference. Table 2: The methods used to measure the levels of reproductive hormone The advantages of using radioimmunoassay are high sensitivity and highly specific. However, using radioimmunoassay method is very dangerous because it uses radiolabelled reagents. Thus, the labs require specially trained person and special license to handle radioactive material. The following methods have less dangerous than radioimmunoassay. Chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) is it has been applied broadly to the clinical diagnosis and environmental analysis. It can show the result quickly because it does not require long incubation time (Ayio, K. 2010). Also, CLIA has high specificity and relatively simple and inexpensive instrumentation (J.L.S. ARAÚJO-FILHO et.al 2011). An electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) procedure was based on solid-phase sandwich immunoassay method. Thus, ECLIA has the superior sensitivity to determine plasma and urine sample (Xiao-yan, C. 2013).The advantages of TR-IFMA are higher sensitivity due to lower background values, higher specificity as only intact molecules of FSH and LH can be measured. (Van Casteren JI et.al 2000) Result analysis The result of J. Mendiola et.al. (2011) in addition to showing the relationship between reproductive hormone in male and the concentration of DEHP metabolite (N=425), it also found some factors such as age, Body Mass Index (BMI) and smoking etc may influence the reproductive hormone in male. Therefore, J. Mendiola et.al. (2011) had done multivariate analysis for reproductive hormone in male and the concentration of DEHP metabolite (N=363) to control for factors such as age, BMI and smoking states etc. It can increase the accuracy of the studies. Although the study did not contain a comparison group, J. Mendiola et.al. (2011) tried consistent the factors found in the questionnaire of participants to minimize the influence of confounding factors to the data analysis. G. Pan et.al. (2011) was using hazard indices (HI) to show the result. The hazard index is the sum of hazard quotients. The ratio of hazard index is compared to 1.0. If the ratio is less than 1, then the systemic effects are assumed not to be of concern; if the hazard quotient is greater than 1, then the systemic effects are assumed to be of concern (U.S. EPA, 2012). It is more easily to show the result and indicate whether DEHP exposure as the concerned factors for reproductive hormone to public and epidemiology. In addition to showing the relationships between serums free Testosterone in workers and the exposure to high levels of DEHP, Guowei Pan et.al. (2006) also compared the demographic characteristics including age, marriage status, smoking and alcohol consumption and plastic material contact of exposed group (N=74), comparison group (N=63) and all the workers (N=137). Also, all the results of this study were compared to exposed group and comparison group. The result can be shown the different of reproductive hormone levels between exposed group and comparison group easily. Limitation of studies The data and result of the three studies were limited by using a single urine and blood/serum samples to determine the levels of DEHP and hormone. It may cause a bias in spot sampling because the result is not reflecting average hormone levels. The endogenous serum LH and FSH concentration had significant change by assessing in different time. The urine samples only reflect the recent exposure to DEHP because phthalates have short half-lives. Also, the concentration of DEHP in three studies was based on the concentration of urinary metabolites of DEHP (MEHP). Therefore, the concentration of DEHP may be not the real concentration of participants. Conclusion The result of three study indicate that there are adverse effects of high levels of DEHP exposure on reproductive hormone levels in male. However, there is no clear evidence to prove a causal relationship between high levels of DEHP and the reproductive hormone levels in male because cross-sectional studies cannot reflect the causal relationship between them. High level of DEHP can as an investigative target included in long term studies such as cohort study and randomized controlled trial of reproductive hormone levels in male. The further research is required to prove that high levels of DEHP exposure will decrease the reproductive hormone levels in human.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Explain Why Pope Urban Ll Called for a Crusade

In 1095, at the Council of Clermont, Pope Urban ll made a powerful and well planned speech. His message was clear and precise, ‘go to the holy land in Jerusalem and claim back what is rightfully yours or die trying, and in return remission of all your sins with the assurance of the imperishable glory of the kingdom of heaven’. He was addressing Christians from all over France calling for a ‘Crusade’ in the name of God and as many would argue, abusing his authority and status he received from the Catholic Church.What occurred during the First Crusade is well known to many, whereas the reason behind Pope Urban ll calling the Crusade is a highly debated and contradicting issue. One of the reasons which are occasionally cited for Urban’s calling of the First Crusade is the call of help which Alexins Comnenus had sent to Urban at the Council of Piacenza. This letter was sent in response to the loss of Byzantine land which had occurred after the battle of M anzikert in 1072.The letter When Urban received this letter it is debateable as to whether he was actually galvanised by the thought of helping Alexins or if his main motive was an attempt at ending the schism between the Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox church in Constantinople. This is likely as it was one of the ideals of the papal reform movement which Urban belonged to, following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Gregory VII. By making out to help the Byzantine emperor in their time of need, Urban hoped to heal the schism.Another reason behind why Urban called for a Crusade is for religious purposes. He felt Christians in the East needed to be rescued from persecution and had ‘suffered mightily at the hands of the Turks’ and there men and children were being persecuted and there women raped , this was also backed up in Alexins letter to the Pope. Christians were supposedly suffering under Muslim rule after the Byzantine Empire was defeated by the Seljuk Tu rks who reverted to Islam, at the point when Islam was a religion quickly rising in power and dominance.Urban saw this violation of the Christian race as a great disrespect of Christianity and used it as a stimulus in his speech at the Council of Clermont which angered and therefore manipulated the Christian race into heading to the holy land for the First Crusade. Finally, an additional reason for Urban’s calling for a so called Crusade was that he felt ‘the lands of Christ needed to be reclaimed’ and in the control of Christianity not in the hands of ‘infidels’. Jerusalem is at the centre of the Christian faith and is the eligions birth place. It is the land in which Jesus was crucified and then, as Christians believe, bought back to life in a miracle event. Urban said in his speech, ‘wrest that land from the wicked race, that land which the scripture says floweth with milk and honey and was given by god to the children of Israel’. By these few words we can understand why Urban felt so strongly that it the land of Christians and why he ordered for it to be reclaimed, even if it mean death.At the time of Urban’s speech Jerusalam was under the rule of Muslim, who also have a strong attachment with the land as it is the place where the holy prophet descended to heaven. Urban however believed that it belonged to the Christians and therefore ordered it to be reclaimed in the ‘name of god’. Pope Urban ll called for a Crusade at the Council of Clermont to claim back what he believed rightfully belonged to the Christians and unite the Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches. Through the cover of Alexins plea for help Urban strengthened relations with the Byzantine Empire and called on a Crusade that was to claim thousands of lives.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Marilyn Bell

Marilyn BellMarilyn Grace Bell Di Lascio is a retired long distance swimmer, born October 19, 1937, in Toronto, Ontario. She was the first person to swim across Lake Ontario and later swam the English Channel and Strait of Juan de Fuca.Personal lifeBell was born in Toronto, Ontario to parents Sydney and Grace Bell. The family moved to North Bay, Ontario, then Halifax, Nova Scotia before returning to Toronto in 1946.[1] After her swimming career, Marilyn married Joe Di Lascio and moved to New Jersey, United States. They raised four children, Lisa, Michael, Jodi, and Janet. Joe died in September 2007.Swimming careerBell first took up swimming lessons in 1946 at Oakwood Pool, joining the Dolphinette Club coached by Alex Duff.[2] In 1947, Bell entered her first long-distance race: a one-mile swim at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Lake Ontario.[3] It was at that first race that Bell first met her future coach Gus Ryder, who was coach of the Lakeshore Swimming Club. Bell soon jo ined the Lakeshore Club and started practicing at the indoor pool of Humberside Collegiate in Toronto.[4]1954 Lake Ontario swimOne September night, Bell started her swim across Lake Ontario from Queens Beach Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario to Toronto at virtually the same time as world famous United States long-distance swimmer, Florence Chadwick. The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto had offered Chadwick $10,000 to swim the lake as a publicity effort for the annual exhibition. Bell, who felt the offer snubbed Canadian swimmers, took on the challenge without pay with the encouragement of Alexandrine Gibb, a Toronto Daily Star reporter. After several hours, Chadwick was forced to give up with stomach pains and vomiting, while 16-year-old Bell completed the swim, the first person ever  to swim the thirty-two-mile (52 km) distance when she arrived in Toronto the next day.A third swimmer, Torontonian Winnie Roach, also attempted the swim at this time, but failed. Bell swam fo r 20 hours and 59 minutes under gruelling conditions before she finally reached a breakwater near the Boulevard Club, west of the CNE grounds. The planned route straight across the lake was 51.5 km (32 mi), but she actually had to swim much further because of strong winds and the lack of modern navigation equipment. Waves that day were almost 5 m high, (up to 15 ft), water temperature was 21  °C (65  °F) and lamprey eels were attacking her legs and arms.Bell kept up her strength with Pablum, corn syrup, and lemon juice with water, along with heroic encouragement from her boat crew and her coach, Gus Ryder. Radio stations broadcast hourly reports of her progress and rival newspapers published â€Å"extra† editions throughout the day. When she finally arrived at about 8:15 p.m., a crowd of 300,000 people gave her an emotional welcome at the Sunnyside waterfront. In an article, Bell later thanked the Toronto community for the support, especially Alexandrine Gibb, the Star re porter.[5] The CNE decided to give Bell the $10,000 prize, and she was later given numerous gifts, including a car, television, clothing and furniture.Other swimsIn 1955, she became the youngest person to swim the English Channel and in 1956, she swam the Strait of Juan de Fuca off the Pacific coast. She retired that year from swimming.Awards and recognitionIn 1954, Bell was named the Canadian Newsmaker of the Year by the Canadian Press, awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's athlete of the year and awarded the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as Canadian female athlete of the year. Bell was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1958. In 1993 she entered the Canadian Swimming Hall of Fame and was named one of Canada's top athletes of the century. In 2002, Bell (now Marilyn Bell Di Lascio) was presented with the Order of Ontario.The national Historic Sites and Monuments Board designated Bell's crossing of the lake a National Historic  Event in 2005, and a federal plaque was erected in 2008 near the site of her landfall.[6][7] Another plaque is mounted on the base of a statue of a lion along Lake Shore Boulevard by the Government of Ontario Building of the CNE. Parkland near the location where Bell arrived is now named Marilyn Bell Park. In 2009, the Lakeshore Swimming Club of Toronto held the first annual Marilyn Bell Swim Classic, a meet sanctioned by Swim Ontario.In 2010, a ferry boat to serve the Toronto Island Airport was named the Marilyn Bell 1. The name was chosen as the top name in a contest held by the Toronto Port Authority.[8] The story of Bell's historic swim was told in the 2001 made-for-TV film Heart: The Marilyn Bell Story with Caroline Dhavernas portraying Marilyn Bell.

Friday, November 8, 2019

IBM

IBM -1911 Charles R. Flint arranges the merger of the International Time Recording Company, Computing Scale Company, and the Tabulating Machine Company to form the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (C-T-R). The new company is based in New York City and has 1,300 employees. George Fairchild becomes the first chairman of the board of directors. C-T-R will be renamed International Business Machines Corporation in 1924.-1914 Thomas J. Watson, Sr., joins the Computing Tabulating Recording Co. (C-T-R) as general manager. The next year Watson is elected president of the company.-1924 The Computing- Tabulating- Recording Co. is renamed International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). The company had operated under the IBM name in Canada since 1917.-1928 IBM redesigns the punch card to hold 80 columns, almost double the previous capacity. The patented new design, featuring rectangular holes and called the "IBM card," becomes so popular that the name essentially becomes synonymous with punc hed cards.IBM BladeCenter HS21-1944 IBM presents its first large scale computer, the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (ASCC), to Harvard University. Also known as the Mark I, the ASCC is the first machine to execute long calculations automatically. More than 50 feet long, eight feet high, and weighing almost five tons, the ASCC uses electromechanical relays to perform addition, multiplication, and division.-1952 IBM signals its commitment to electronic computing as it introduces the IBM 701, the company's first production computer and a watershed in the computing industry. Designed primarily for scientific calculations, the 701 features the IBM-invented tape drive vacuum column, an innovation which paved the way for magnetic tape to become a popular storage medium.-1953 IBM announces the IBM 650 Magnetic Drum Calculator, an intermediate size electronic computer, to handle widely diversified accounting and scientific computations. Warmly received by universities and businesse s, nearly 2,000 of the 650...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Superior Bank Trust

Superior Bank Trust The thrift financial Institution Superior Bank Trust is one of the largest. It is located in Chicago and has many branches eighteen of which can be found in the Chicago area. It is owned by one of Chicago's wealthiest families the Pritzkers and Alvin Dworman a well-known real-estate investor from New York. With assets totaling $2.3 billion and deposits of $1.6 billion Superior Bank FSB got caught up in some problems with sub prime loans. This was their main focus. Sub prime lending is lending to people who are poor credit risks. They lend money or issue credit cards at high interest rates. Many companies have prospered using this method but most have gone under due to rising default rates and early prepayments by borrowers who can refinance at lower rates. Superior Bank Trust's failure was directly related to sub prime lending.Regulators were believed to have detected problems as early as January 1999.LoanThese regulators should have been the ones to step in and notice that things weren't going the way they should have been. Instead Superior's management is bearing the brunt of the blame in this situation. Ellen Seidman states "responsibility for the success or failure of any depository institution rests with its management, directors, and owners." This may be true but if management and financial intermediaries had been performing their tasks properly they would have noticed that there where parties involved in their credit system that they didn't know enough about to make accurate lending decisions on. They should have noticed that their clientele accumulated as a result of adverse selection. They weren't given an option. They were picking the best of the worst. Management and owners should have questioned the intentions of their customers. They should have been aware that their clients might have...

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Diabetes WA Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Diabetes WA - Research Paper Example The 360 degree marketing approaches are important. The DAGMER (Defining Advertising Goals for Measured Advertising Rules) approach tells the effective advertising must be measurable (Altstiel & Grow 2006). However, the marketing are the ongoing process and financial support is very important for these campaigns. Most of the campaigns must reach the target audiences. The basic target audiences are the people who are in the middle age, staying nearby the town and the diabetes WA centers. However, Diabetes can happen to anyone irrespective of their earning capacity and even many time juvenile diabetic patents are also seen. The major concept about the campaigns must be to create a concern about the diabetes within the minds of the diabetic patients. And for the future patients the fear of losing the happy moments with the family must be focused. It means the advertising campaigns must tell the viewers about the importance of him or her being fit and diabetes free. Media Mix: Media is th e most important factor in this case. The media is the platform which can help the campaigns to reach the mass. That is the reason the media mix is very vital. The media mix is basically the combination of the proper Medias which supports the advertising campaign efficiently (Surmanek, 1996). In this case the television and the radio are very important as they reach to the mass in a very efficient way.

Friday, November 1, 2019

Case Study on Cafe Espresso Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

On Cafe Espresso - Case Study Example Thus, from being the number one in the market, Caf Espresso has slipped to the number three position. Internally, the company suffers high staff turnover and low employee morale thus, hampering the ability of the workforce to convey excellent customer service. In this situation, two personalities have been instrumental in regaining the leadership which had been enjoyed by the specialty coffee retailer-the charismatic Chief Executive Officer Ben Thomson and the new global HR director Kam Patel. In solving the problem that the company faces, Ben Thomson has drawn the company's intended direction while Kam Patel aligned its workforce with the identified goals and objectives. This example illustrates how strategic human resource management works in a business organisation. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (2007) defines strategic human resource management as a "general approach to the strategic management of human resources in accordance to the intentions of the organisation on the future direction it wants to take" adding that "it is concerned with longer-term people issues and macro-concerns about structure, quality, culture, values, commitment, and matching resources to future need." What becomes apparent in these definitions is the function of the human resource department to align the company's workforce for the attainment of its goals. Human resource alignment calls for the integration of people with the results the company is trying to obtain (CIPD 2007). Doing this provides various benefits for a business organisation. In the case of Caf Espresso, this is manifested by the competitive advantage that it enjoys from the alignment.The importance of human resource in a business organization is emphasized by strategic human reso urce management. John Purcell who is known to have pioneered in this field, highlighted the importance of employees in his research which emphasized the huge role played by the company's workforce as "strategic partners." This research strongly supports the highly economist viewpoint of Grant (2002: 219) of "aligning employees with organizational goals." Schuler and Jackson (1987) gave a more precise description on how management should "align" their workforce to support the company crafted strategy. Their conclusion was: If management chooses a competitive strategy of differentiation through product innovation, this would call for high levels of creative, risk-orientated and cooperative behaviour. The company's HR practices would therefore need to emphasise "selecting highly skilled individuals, giving employees more discretion, using minimal controls, making greater investment in human resources, providing more resources for experimentation, allowing and even rewarding failure and appraising performance for its long run implications" - on the other hand if management wants to pursue cost leadership (the model) suggests designing jobs which are fairly repetitive, training workers as little as is practical, cutting staff numbers to the minimum and rewarding high output and predictable behaviour.