Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Tax and Gearing

W22Extra: Tax and Gearing: More Questions Multiple Choice 1) Which of the following statements is false? A) In general, the gain to investors from the tax deductibility of interest payments is referred to as the interest tax shield. B) The interest tax shield is the additional amount that a firm would have paid in taxes if it did not have leverage. C) Because Corporations pay taxes on their profits after interest payments are deducted, interest expenses reduce the amount of corporate tax firms must pay. D) As Modigliani and Miller made clear in their original work, capital structure matters in perfect capital markets.Thus, if capital structure does not matter, then it must stem from a market imperfection. As Modigliani and Miller made clear in their original work, capital structure does not matter in perfect capital markets. Thus, if capital structure matters, then it must stem from a market imperfection. ————————— Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€ Rosewood Industries has EBIT of $450 million, interest expense of $175 million, and a corporate tax rate of 35%. 2) Rosewood's net income is closest to: A) $450 million B) $180 million C) $290 million D) $95 million Net income = (EBIT – Interest expense)(1 – ?C) = (450 – 175)(1 – . 35) = $178. 75 3) The total of Rosewood's net income and interest payments is closest to: A) $270 million B) $355 million C) $290 million D) $450 million Net income + Interest = (EBIT – Interest expense)(1 – ? C) = (450 – 175)(1 – . 35) = $178. 75 + $175 = $353. 73 4) If Rosewood had no interest expense, its net income would be closest to: A) $405 million B) $160 million C) $450 million D) $290 million Net income = (EBIT – Interest expense)(1 – ? C) = (450 – 0)(1 – . 35) = $292. 50 5) The amount of Rosewood's interest tax shield is closest to: A) $115 million B) $290 millionC) $175 million D) $60 million Interest tax shield = Interest expense(? C) = 175(. 35) = $61. 25 ——————————————————————————— Fly by Night Aviation (FBNA) expects to have net profit available for shareholders next year of ? 24 million and Free Cash Flow of ? 27 million. FBNA's marginal corporate tax rate is 40%. 6) Establish FBNA's EBIT A) ? 43 million B) ? 40 Million C) ? 45 million D) ? 60 million EBIT = NI + Taxes + Interest expense FCF = NI + Interest expense => 27 = 24 + interest expense = 3 (EBIT – Interest Expense)(1 – 0. ) = NI (EBIT – 3)(0. 6) = 24 (EBIT – 3) = 24/0. 6 = 40 EBIT = 40 + 3 = $43 7) IF FBNA increases leverage so that its interest expense rises by ? 1 million, then the amount its profit for shareholders will change is closest to: A) -? 400,000 B) -? 600,000 C) ? 400,000 D) ? 600,000 (EBIT – Interest Expense – chg IE)(1 – 0. 4) = NI + chg NI (- chg IE)(0. 6) = chg NI -1m (. 6) = -600,000 Or, -$1m (1 – . 4) = -$600,000 8) IF FBNA increases leverage so that its interest expense rises by ? 1 million, then the amount its Free Cash flow will change is closest to: A) -? 600,000 B) -? 400,000C) ? 600,000 D) ? 400,000 FCF = NI + Interest expense chg FCF = chg NI + chg Interest expense = – 600,000 + 1m = +400,000 Or, $1m (0. 4) = $400,000 ————————————————————————— LCMS Industries has ? 70 million in debt outstanding. The firm will pay only interest on this debt (the debt is perpetual). LCMS' marginal tax rate is 35% and the firm pays a rate of 8% inte rest on its debt. 9) LCMS' annual interest tax shield is closest to: A) ? 2. 8 million B) ? 2. 0 million C) ? 3. 6 million D) ? 5. 6 million Annual Tax shield= annual debt interest ? C = ? 70M ? 0. 08 ? .35 = 1. 96M 10) Assuming that the risk is the same as the loan, the present value of LCMS' interest tax shield is closest to: A) ? 45. 5 million B) ? 20. 0 million C) ? 24. 5 million D) ? 35. 0 million PV of Tax shield = debt ? ?C = ? 70M ? .35 = 24. 5M 11) Assuming that the risk of the tax shield is only 6% even though the loan pays 8%, then the present value of LCMS' interest tax shield is closest to: A) ? 24. 5 million B) ? 18 million C) ? 33. 0 million D) ? $20. 0 million PV of Tax shield = debt ? ?C ? rD / rD2 = $70M ? .35 ? .08/. 06 = 32. 67

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

How far did conditions improve for Black Americans between 1945-1955? Essay

The decade following up to WW2 there was general hostility towards Black Americans, lynching’s and beatings were quite common in the Deep South. Due to the huge amount of volunteered/conscripted black Americans who joined to fight for ‘liberty and freedom’ in Europe, many also fought the war of liberty and freedom at home. When black soldiers returned majority were still met with the same segregation and racism that they had felt when they left. However you could see some improvements in political, social and economic conditions for them; largely achieved through a combination of federal measures, supreme court decisions, and black activism. But there were clear limits to this progress due to powerful forces such as white racist attitudes, congressional resistance and lack of executive commitment. Conditions Improved a) Political The way the black soldiers had fought had changed a number of people’s views, including President Harry S. Truman, whom was known for being racist, understood that there were social developments in place and the black population began to have a voice such as organisations like the NAACP. Immobilised Black American soldiers were given the chance to have a college education and they had took advantage of this, they had also been treated like heroes in Europe but were unequal in the USA- Truman saw this was injustice and though they shouldn’t be subject to racist attacks, which made them more motivated to take action. In connection to this, there was increased awareness of southern inequality due to more motor cars and televisions becoming more accessible, so campaigns were mobile and more recognised. His reaction to this was â€Å"the buck stops here† meaning he was determined to get equal human rights for all citizens. The extent to which his motives were questionable as it can be argued he was well aware the black vote was of growing importance for the Democratic Party, so he knew he needed to gain their support. However having the President on side was a great step to making black and white citizens equal, and was one of the key steps to success for the Civil Rights movement, the other two being a Supreme Court and congress with pro-civil rights majority in the US constitution. Truman took government action to help black people. In 1946, Truman established the President’s Committee on Civil Rights; they produced  a report â€Å"To Secure These Rights† which examined racial minorities in America, so that they could address these issues. Such problems included lynching (over 300 reported cases from 1882-1945), police brutality(barbaric beating, forced confessions when innocent), voting rights (in 1944 only 18% of black people in the South could vote), employment, education and healt h ( black people were paid less that whites even if educated, and medical schools refused to take black students and they had less doctors). The summary was that segregation was causing many problems, â€Å"separate but equal† did not exist as blacks did not receive equal treatment, and were seen as inferior to associate with white people. Truman also appointed William Hastie as the first black judge in relation to making opportunities fairer in employment and education. He also appointed Ralph Bunche as the American Ambassador of the United Nations; he mediated between the Israelis and Palestinians and won the Nobel peace prize for this in 1950. These government appointments impacted the psychology of the black and white citizens, they could all see that black people were beginning to get high positions of power and authority; this in turn would help secure more democratic black votes, as their fair opportunities were being shown to increase. He also recognised that black campaigners such as Philip Randolph were telling soldiers to not go to war due to how they were treated, and he used his power to desegregate armed forces, under an exec. Order 9981 which guaranteed â€Å"equality of treatment and opportunity for all†, this boosted the morale and confidence of soldiers which encouraged them to fight for America. The inauguration of Truman was also not segregated, which showed the immediate effect of his policies all around the world as he had publicity. social The NAACP- the National association for the advancement of coloured people were a popular protest group that fought segregation and wanted to enfranchise black people with rights , between 1939 and 42, their members had grown from 50,000 to 450,000 so by 45 they were well established.Groups like these used methods involving both direct and indirect action. The indirect action the NAACP took were supporting people in their court cases to get the Supreme Court to take notice of the political incorrectness for  black people. Such cases included the 1944 Smith v Alwright which concerned the voting rights of black people in Texas, they were allowed to vote in congressional elections but not primary elections- which were more important as it determined the winning candidate. The case was taken to the Supreme Court and the 15th amendment states that all citizens have the right to vote so the case was won and all white primary elections were outlawed throughout the whole of America. In 1946, the case of Morgan v Virginia was regarding the segregation of interstate bus services, she was fined for not giving up her seat for a white person and she argued her constitutional rights were violated. This was taken to the Supreme Court and her case was won, segregation on transport was ruled illegal. in1950, Sweatt v Painter was a case about a black student wanting to study law, but was refused admission in Texas, a new law school was built for black students only, but this was shown to be inferior to the white school so Sweatt was able to register for the Texas law school and so the case was a success. The Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954 showed how black children weren’t being provided with an adequate education, and that segregation had a negative effect on black children. It was recognised that southern states failed to provide an education and the racist education system didn’t reflect on the ideals on America, so the decision was reached due to a change in leadership of the Supreme Court, Earl Warren replaced the deceased judge and he was much more sympathetic so used his authority to persuade desegregation. This case was a major stepping stone for black people, however there was a lot of white backlash, southern racists were provoked, like the KKK and white citizens council. The case was re opened for Brown II in 1955 as desegregation was not happening fast enough especially in southern states so it was argued a timetable needed to be implemented. The Brown case also demonstrated how the new President Eisenhower (from 1953) was unwilling to help, and showed how de jure change had little de facto change in the Southern states especially. economic Much like when slavery was still legal, the primary jobs for African Americans in the south were in agriculture, where they would work for very low pay and as a result remain very poor. However war had forced the south to spend over $4.5 billion creating factories for war goods, blacks couldn’t  get jobs in them at first though due to racism and prejudice on the part of those hiring (a social issue). But this was resolved in 1941 when President Roosevelt, under the threat of ‘black’ activism issued an executive order creating the Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC). The FEPC forced industries not to discriminate on the grounds of ‘race, creed, colour or national origin’. This had made the economic situation for ‘blacks’ better but it wasn’t to last as many were fired from their war time jobs to be replaced with returning white servicemen. Still,the war period had vastly improved the economic situation for African Americans on the whole, this can be proved on statistics alone; the number of unemployed African Americans in 1940 was 937,000 but fell to 151,000 in 1945, showing a huge improvement. Simply due to the lower income made by ‘blacks’ in both the North and South meant they were forced into substandard housing (Ghettos) as they were unable to afford better. In the North ‘blacks’ were predominantly industrial workers and during war time there was a second wave of black migration from South to North (the first being ‘The Great Migration’). Again proved by statistics; in 1940 a quarter of African Americans lived in the North (primarily in industrial cities such as Philadelphia), but by 1950 it was nearly a third (a migration of about 500,000 during the war), this was driven by the ‘war boom’. It must still be kept in mind that although it jobs were better in the North the situation was still not ideal, ‘blacks’ would earn, on average, 50% less than their white colleagues and it was common for whites to object to the promotion of African Americans. Finally whites were still more likely to be employed over ‘blacks’ and example of this is in New York, where 6% of white men were unemployed compared to 10% of black men.

Discrimination and Child

How current and relevant legislation and policy affects work with children and young people. Children's individual needs Quality of care Choice of service Management ; staffing Complaints ; protections Plan to support child, working in partnership with social worker and adhere to policies. Individual needs are met. To maximise the chance of positive outcomes for children. All of the policies and procedures by which I work are defined by The Children's Act 1989 which legislates for England and Wales.All our Safeguarding measures, Health and Safety policies and Child protection procedures must follow the relevant egislations. As a children's residential home we have to follow The National Minimum Standards too and it is these standards that we are inspected through Ofsted. SCMP3-1. 2 Describe the impact of social care standards and codes of practice on work with children and young people. SCMP3-1. 3 The importance of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).Chil dren have the right to; Own Privacy, Dignity and Confidentiality. To be looked after and kept safe from harm. To be able to play and not to be used for cheap labour. To be with their birth family or extended family, in absence of, those who would look fter and care for their needs best. Good health care. An adequate standard of living and enough food and water. Disabled children have the right to special care and training. SCMP3-2. 1 The responsibilities of a: Corporate parent. To work with professionals following guidelines set i. e. o put the needs of the child first, seek the same outcomes for the child as you would if the child was your own and safeguard and promote the welfare of the child. Professional carer. To train those who will be in contact with children i. e. foster carers, to ensure the child is best placed/matched with a carer that can attend to their needs, to rovide the child with all services required, ‘e healthcare, dental etc. To ensure child has the best s tart in life and engage in ‘Every Child Matters' 5 outcomes. What is meant by a duty of care.To take reasonable precautions to safeguard a child in your care from harm or injury by making plans to minimize risk. Use ethics in making decisions with regards to other people's differing cultural or religious beliefs. Allow the child to risk assess themselves and take reasonable risks as part of normal growing up. Protect a child's right to dignity and independence. SCMP3-2. 3 The impact of professional relationships on children and young people. PROS Child receives holistic care, feels loved, wanted and safe. Children are never left unsupervised with non CRB checked adults.Risk assessment of equipment ensures safety of the child. Children's past is kept confidential. Increased self esteem and confidence in child. Everyone works together put the child at the centre of focus, child therefore does not miss out on education and healthcare. CONS A looked after child cannot receive the same bodily contact i. e. no cuddles if child is ill in bed. Child cannot sleep with you when not feeling well or had nightmares. Child not to have bath with you or see you undressed. The child knows they are in care which has a negative impact, they feel neglected.SCMP3-2. 4 Examples of poor practice and unprofessional conduct that may impact on outcomes for children and young people. Not remaining confidential with children's details/ previous life experiences. Not teaching the child independence. Not teaching child self-hygiene. Calling their parents or extended family names in front of them. Having nothing positive to say to SW or in meetings at school etc. Drinking heavily or taking drugs. Not turning up to parent's evenings and arranged meetings for the child. Not giving the child choices or allowing them to make their own decisions.SCMP3-2. 5 The actions to take where poor practice and unprofessional conduct are having a negative impact on outcomes for children and young peop le. Note concerns and date details of poor practice before reporting to Manager (unless complaint against Manager, report to their Manager). Use team meetings to openly discuss and any concerns or issues Whistle blow to head of Social Services, Head Teacher at school etc. , dependent on who the complaint is about. SCMP3-3. 1 The professional responsibility to maintain current and competent practice.Follow legislations and policies making sure they are clear, precise and up to date. Keep all children's records confidential and all life story work up to date. Update CPD and follow all training. Attend reviews i. e. LAC; PEP; IPP etc. Attend support groups. Ensure chil d nas regular denta other welfare issues. SCMP3-3. 2 I checks and is reterr ed toa specialist it required tor Engage with professional supervision in order to improve practice. See attached supervision SCMP3-3. 3 Seek, and learn from, feedback on own practice from colleagues and children and young people SCMP3-3. 4The im portance of understanding the limits of personal competence and when to seek advice. Everyone has a limit of personal competence; training courses when offered should be taken where possible to ensure that you are competent to do the job and updated in new legislations etc. If we do not understand our own limit, we may take on a task that we are not comfortable with and can cause further harm to the child we may be dealing with, i. e. looking after a child that has been diagnosed ADHD and permanently chastising incorrectly as you have no knowledge of the condition and how best to deal with the child.SCMP3-4. 1 Respect and value the professional competence and contribution of colleagues. I respect and value the professional competence and contribution of colleagues and Managers. All Residential Child Care workers have been trained to do the Job they do, putting the child's interests first and providing support for Young people. Residential Child Care workers have a great knowledge of what children's needs in care are and encourage/support carer's to follow their lead in providing holistic care. SCMP3-4. 2 Rights and expectations as a professional and how to assert them.As a professional I have a right to challenge anything I am told or asked to do, if I do not agree with what is being asked or said with regards to the care of a child. I expect my feelings to be respected and my own knowledge to be taken in to account when decisions are made with regards to the welfare of a child. I expect full support from my Supervising Manager to help me carry out my Job as a Residential Child Care Worker, using both professionalism and empathy. SCMP3-5. 1 How current equalities legislation affects work with children, young people and families.Child's individual needs are met and supported. Increased self-esteem and confidence. Additional needs are supported both physical and mental. Introduced to your family allows children to feel part of the family and loved. Examples of g ood practice in promoting equality and how they are effective. Equality and diversity should be a natural and embedded part of everyday work for those involved in health and social care work. With an increasingly diverse population it is vital that we should be continually looking at and developing our equality and diversity training.We should be able to recognise discrimination and identify risks of discrimination. Whether direct discrimination, indirect discrimination or harassment. Understand the potential consequences of discrimination and be able to identify and respond to the specific needs of diverse, children which arise from their personal, social or cultural background. We should be accountable for providing a service which demonstrates good equality and diversity practice to Support the empowerment of children so that they may be involved in their own care and health improvement.Good equality and diversity practice involves communicating with children in a way that is acc essible to them making reasonable adjustments in the ay we do our work and deliver our services to take account of the particular needs. Understanding the role that cultural and religious beliefs play in children's services Ensuring that everyone gets care which takes account of their individual needs treating everyone with dignity and respect at all times. SCMP3-6. 1 What is meant by diversity. The diversity is all about acceptance and respect.It means understanding that each individual is unique, recognizing our individual differences. These can be race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, eligious beliefs, political beliefs, etc. It is the exploration of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment. It is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to embrace and celebrate the rich dimensions of diversity of each individual. SCMP3-6. What is meant by anti-discriminatory practice and examp les of how it is applied in practice with children, young people and families. Ann-discriminatory practice is the main strategy in combating discrimination. It is action taken to prevent discrimination on the grounds of race, class, gender, disability etc. nd takes into account how we behave towards other individuals. All employees in a care setting should promote this practice in the workplace as it is key to combating prejudice, in doing so they are trying to eradicate discrimination and promote equality for service users, staff and children.Examples; children have the right to choose their own clothes, activities, food and religious beliefs. Their religious festivals should be celebrated and children treated SCMP3-6. 3 witn respect. The effects of discrimination and explain the potential results for children and young eople Children should not have your views and opinions forced upon them, they should be allowed to make up their own minds and make their own choices in life.If chi ldren are discriminated this can lead to poor self-esteem, the child feeling different and not fitting in at school and in society. Don't discriminate others in front of children or this is a habit they will pick up and use against others; bullying other children etc. Rarely the effect of discrimination on the child can be positive, producing a strong willed, confident adult who was able to stand up to bullies in society and fght for what they believed to be right.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Assess the importance of International arbitration in international Essay

Assess the importance of International arbitration in international business - Essay Example The decisions of these arbitration tribunals are always binding and final, and it is important to note that in international arbitration of disputes, the parties are allowed to modify the terms of the dispute resolution in line with their needs. The question that then rises is how international arbitration works in international businesses. In most international business agreements, there are dispute resolution clauses that state how all disputes within the agreement can be referred to for arbitration and includes such modalities such as the language of the arbitration and the governing law of contract. Other agreements pertaining to international arbitration may also have a mandatory requirement foe a pre-arbitration mediation and whether the international arbitration will be ad hoc or institutional, the mode of selection of the arbitrators, limitations and whether there is the right of appeal from the arbitration award. International arbitration as used in the solution of internati onal commercial disputes is often a viable method but has a few disadvantages in challenging and enforcement of the award owing to the great influence of local courts in the states. The conventions that govern international arbitrations such as the New York Convention amongst others do not help the situation, as they are mostly silent on challenging and enforcement of awards (Kronke 2010, p.255). This causes hurdles in enforcement of awards that parties may refuse due to arguments based on sovereignty and public policy. International Arbitration in International Businesses It is important to note that arbitration is always adjudicative, binding and consensual in nature (Mann and Roberts 2013, p.60). Adjudicative nature of arbitration infers that the arbitrator must not have a conflict of interest in the matter at hand and must not communicate to any party in the dispute independently. The arbitrator must also treat all the parties to the dispute fairly and equally as well as permit the parties to respond to each other’s case judicially and adhere to the agreement between the parties and the scope of their mandate. The arbitration must be binding in the sense that the courts are able to transform an arbitrator’s award into a valid judgment that is executionable unless an adjudicative principle has been breached, there is a public policy ground not to do so or there is a pending appeal. It should also be consensual in that only parties who have agreed to participate in the arbitration are bound by the arbitrator’s award and third parties cannot be affected, while the agreement to arbitrate must show the location, language and the governing law as well as the rules of arbitration. The arbitration agreement can be in a series of clauses in the commercial agreement between the parties concerned even before a dispute arises, or an agreement as to the scope, rules and other matters such as the presentation of documentary or oral evidence. Interna tional arbitration in international businesses is important as they help in the resolution of businesses across borders or businesses situated in multiple jurisdictions. The degree of risk that is posed on businesses operating internationally require that businesses adopt

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Implementation of Infrastructural design for information technology in Research Paper

Implementation of Infrastructural design for information technology in financial environment - Research Paper Example Keywords: servers, farm, co-location, co-lo, IT, information technology, location, maintenance, email, instant messaging, ticketing system Implementation of Infrastructural Design for IT in a Financial Environment I. INTRODUCTION i. Background of the problem The recent advancements in information and technology have resulted in widespread adoption of networked information systems thereby creating new threats to the integrity, and safety of the information infrastructure and transactions in a number of financial environments across the globe. Consequently many banks and other financial organizations are increasingly implementing secure infrastructural designs of information technology in their financial environments not only to secure their sensitive communications and transactions but also to improve the reliability and integrity of their systems. According to Harris (2001, p.39), an effective IT infrastructure design reduces the risks of potential financial losses due to network fau lts while at the same time reducing the expenses related to network management. A properly implemented infrastructural design for information technology in a financial environment often integrates a number of technological components to support business needs of the particular organization. IT infrastructure comprises a group of shared tangible IT resources that offer a foundation to enable present and potential business applications. These recourses include the operating systems, key data. Core data-processing applications network and telecommunication and shared its services. Information management is the heart component of government infrastructure; it is the intellectual capital of accountability governance. Best practices and standards leads in efficient, responsible and cost effective use of resources. IT comprises of a full spectrum of technology and services that back-up information management. Financial institutions are often demanding environments dealing with massive quan tities of sensitive information. In this regard, it is critically important to implement reliable and secure infrastructural designs for such environments to ensure their robust performance as well as provide secure access to information. This paper seeks to detail the specific server farm setup that will be utilized by the company, the design of the IT department, the type of software and hardware that would be best suited for the company, as well as the different possibilities for co-location sites that would be used for the servers themselves. ii. Researcher’s Work Setting and Role The researcher is a graduate student pursing masters of Science Degree in Management. As the lead researcher, my primary role will be to outline the specific research problem and work closely with the other members of the research team towards the achievement of the research goals. I will also be obligated to participate in the data collection processes as well as to provide a supervisory role t hroughout the research. iii. Statement of the problem For any information and communication system in any enterprise to run smoothly a

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Coke and Pepsi War Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Coke and Pepsi War - Article Example The analysis of the case study brings to light the problems both the companies have had with their concentrate producers, bottlers, and retailers while also highlighting the throat cut competition between Coke and Pepsi. The strategies deployed by the companies are the same: cost leadership and differentiation strategies. The strategic management model also reveals that the problems with the company were related to the supply chain and the diversification strategies into other non-cola drinks. The solution to the problems later discussed in detail is about stabilizing the growth and sales while at the same time re-branding its products to better appeal to the consumers. Coke and Pepsi are the two main competitors in the beverage industry globally. Both the companies have been at war since their inception. The situation is such that both companies, Coke and Pepsi, are at each other’s throats in order to gain most market share in the world especially the United States. Coke and Pepsi, each are trying to come up with innovative products and ideas in pursuit to increase the market share. The effectiveness and creativity of Pepsi and Coke’s strategic advantage will determine the ultimate winner with respect to sales, profits, market share and customer loyalty. The case study ‘Cola Wars Continue Coke and Pepsi in the Twenty-First Century’ present the scenario of both the companies internal and external strategies that have caused each company to battle on for such a long period. Over the years since the inception of both the companies, Pepsi and Coke have faced many issues and challenges that have led them to change their strategies. The main strategic issue for both the company has always lied in their quest for achieving the greater market share. Due to this point, the firms have constantly modified their bottling, pricing and branding strategies as new competition increased and gaining more market share became a life source for the Pepsi and Coke (Yoffie, 2004).

Friday, July 26, 2019

Fashion Function & Aesthetic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Fashion Function & Aesthetic - Essay Example The essay "Fashion Function & Aesthetic" talks about Innovative Materials and Digital Technologies for Fashion Applications. The idea of fashion originated from people seeking to define personality by their choice of clothes. This however changes as the advancement in technology since our way of life is directly impacted. The influence of technology in our lives, though manifest in various aspects, seems to be more distinct on fashion trends. With the arrival of digital technology came new ways of making clothes, new style of clothing and basically new inspiration for the fashion industry. An obvious observation is that fashion and technology have had a relationship dating back since times in history. Each technological evolution brings with it influence in the fashion industry and it has not been any different with the digital technology. A lot of digital influences are being experienced in the fashion industry right from inspiration, production, trend setting, down to the consumer experience. The fashion industry continues to experience transformation in fabrication, designing and promotion in ways beyond remarkable. Thanks to digital technology, sewable electronic designers are making a garment with incredible abilities and fashion promotion and branding have been all redefined through social media networks. Digital technology has been adopted by leading fashion houses in the world to promote brands and enhance the consumers' shopping experience. Certain websites have launched applications.

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Post-Tsunami Tourism in Thailand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Post-Tsunami Tourism in Thailand - Essay Example According to the research in the last decade, the tourism industry in Thailand has been growing and the UNWTO has observed that tourism will continue increasing in developing countries in future. Statistics show that Thailand is one amongst world’s 50 developing countries with tourism as the primary industry sourcing foreign exchange. Regarding tourist arrivals, Thailand is estimated to have 6.9 percent growth in tourist arrivals by the year 2020, having 37 million people visiting the country. It should be mentioned that this would be almost 10 percent of the entire Asia pacific tourism market. A major contributor to Thailand in terms of tourists is Malaysia which amounted up to approximately 12 percent in the year 2005. In 2004, a major break- in for the tourism industry of Thailand happened due to the Indian Ocean Tsunami which brought massive destruction at Thailand’s coast. This was caused by an earthquake in the region which recorded 9.0 in the Richter Scale. It is supposed to be the fourth largest earthquake in the history of the world. It has been documented that waves even up to a height of 13 meters were formed at the coasts of Phang Nga. More than 5300 people died and reports confirmed more than 250000 fatalities. This is considered to be the worst of all tsunamis regarding the destruction it caused. The natural disaster largely affected the tourism industry of the country. The damage was not only limited to the infrastructural loss, it had effects on the tourism arrivals and the safety concerns of the tourists. Additionally, the vulnerability of tourism as an economic and social system has been largely highlighted by the impacts of the disaster (Calgaro and Lloyd, 2008). The coastal communities which were dependent on tourism were largely affected. However, the connection between environmental changes and tourism with reference to its impacts on the community and on Thailand as a nation must be analyzed to understand this issue in depth . According to Cohen (2008), Thailand’s successful post-tsunami recovery is due to a group of factors, not only to the driving forces of the tourism industry. Yet, there are astonishingly very few studies on the effects of natural disasters on the tourism industry in spite of the reality that a large number of the world’s most prominent and thriving tourism areas are exposed to disastrous natural occurrences or societal problems. Thus, the objective of this essay is to critically analyze the impact of the tsunami on the tourism industry of Thailand. The essay identifies the connection between tourism and natural disasters and relates it to Thailand’s context. This is important as this connection would lead to insights about appropriate marketing strategies to minimize the negative impacts of natural disasters on the tourism industry. Tourism developments in Thailand after the tsunami are also being discussed in detail. Furthermore, the essay evaluates the cur rent tourism scenario in the country in the post-tsunami context and recommends suitable strategies to effectively restore Thailand’s popularity as a tourism destination. Natural Disasters and their Impacts on Tourism The Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004 demonstrates the hazards of natural catastrophes to the tourism industry and tourism areas. As stated by Murphy and Bayley (1989, as cited in Gossling and Hall, 2006, 286): â€Å"Tourism can be significantly exposed to natural disasters, because of its attachment to high-risk areas with exotic scenery. The lure of snow-capped peaks brings the hazard of avalanches. Tropical beaches attract tourists to the potential paths of hurricanes...† Gossling and Hall (2006) explained that the above passage simply illustrates the truth that natural disasters are no restriction to the operations of the tourism industry. In contrast, the threats of natural catas

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

What caused the Vietnam War (1964-1973) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

What caused the Vietnam War (1964-1973) - Essay Example Historians gauge the impact of the Vietnam conflict not only on casualty figure and geographic coverage but also on its length, intensity and global repercussions. For instance, the war in Vietnam played a great importance in the geopolitical sense since it became a flashpoint in the Cold War. Furthermore, the war took place in a turbulent period of human history and became intertwined with other social upheavals which almost brought down the American body politic. The aim of this paper is to analyze the roots and the underlying factors that led to the US intervention in the Vietnam conflict. In the process, it is hoped that this would shed light to the phenomenon which marked significant failures specifically in US international policies and the end-result of the nine-year conflict. Looking back at history, one will find that the US interest in Vietnam did not start with the administrations of John F. Kennedy and Dwight D. Eisenhower. It started with the American policy of containment in the aftermath of the Second World War against the spread of communism and the growing power of the USSR. Andrew Wiest (2002) explored this aspect in his book, The Vietnam War: In each case the scale of the threats precluded the use of massive force, so avoiding the buildup to a nuclear exchange. The US chose to adopt a policy of limited war, hoping to avoid a superpower showdown and in many ways the war in Vietnam became the main example of the US limited war policy.2 After the fall of imperial Japan, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the independence of Democratic Republic of Vietnam and drafted a constitution along with a form of government based on the American model, hoping for a continued American support. He sought the help of the United States in establishing a new Vietnam but he was ignored. The American supported France’s attempt at regaining its colonies in Indochina, hence the war between the French forces

Inventory Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Inventory Management - Essay Example Inventory items usually consist of the goods, raw materials and finished products. All of these items are seen as money or profit for the owner of any specific organization. Campbell (2007) states that keeping track of raw materials, works-in-process and finished products are obviously critical to a companys bottom line. The aims and objectives of the research regarding inventory management are to analyze various issues which are associated with the inventory management process in any specific organization. Another purpose is to talk about the importance and significance of these issues in the process of inventory management. The plan of the report is that those matters or issues, which influence the inventory management process of any company or organization, will be critically examined and studied in order to see their impact on the inventory control and management system and suitable solutions will be found in order to properly tackle any sort of issue that may appear in the organization regarding the process of inventory management. If we talk about the importance of inventory management system, we can say that inventory management is the root cause for the success of any company or organization. Zierden (2009) states that to be successful in today’s market, dealers need to have concrete inventory strategies and processes in place. If the company contains required amount of inventory items in the stock, the company never faces a demand-supply problem. Demand-supply issue always occur when the company gets out of stock and when the inventory stock level of the company is balanced, the company will never face the issue of less stock and high demand. Muller (2003) found that balanced inventories are very important for the companies because all companies, whether they are medium sized or a large sized organization, inventory management is the key to productivity and success. Piasecki (2003) found that

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Women With and Without Gestational Diabetes Dissertation

Women With and Without Gestational Diabetes - Dissertation Example From the discussion it is clear that  women with GDM can increase the unborn child’s risk of experiencing more complications after birth. Often times, these complications include: above the normal child’s birth weight, macrosomia resulting to shoulder dystocia, premature birth, and passing the high blood glucose to the fetus via placental pathways and increased risk of becoming obese.This essay highlights that  lack of exercise when combined with poor diet such as eating foods with high sugar content, foods rich in carbohydrates such as pasta, potatoes, and rice or eating foods that contain calories more than what the mother and the fetus needs can lead to the development of GDM. Over the basal metabolic needs or calorie intake of the mother, mothers who are nurturing only one fetus should limit their added calorie intake to only 300 kcal. Pregnant women should take just enough energy requirement from foods. To avoid developing GDM, pregnant women should limit their intake of carbohydrates. Aside from maintaining weight, pregnant women should avoid ketoacidosis or starvation ketosis. Since the intake of foods and nutrients is one of the main factors that can trigger the development of GDM, this study will discussed the proposed research method on how the researcher will use of cases complete food diary for 7 days and the net wisp program to effectively compare the nutrient intakes of women with and without gestational diabetes.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Exhibition Essay Example for Free

Exhibition Essay Introduction A good exhibition programme will sell itself. The money spent on marketing would be better spent on the exhibition themselves In the business environment, there is a lot of competition that every business faces in its day to day operations. This means that if a business cannot keep up with the competition or beat its competitors then there is a high likelihood of it collapsing, something that will highly cost the investors. Therefore, every business must ensure that it is able to meet its main objective which in many cases is to make and maximize profits through high sales. To achieve higher or increased sales, business investors can apply various strategies of winning customers and overcoming the stiff competition in the business environment. For a business to be able to accomplish higher or increase in sales and obtain more customers who will in turn result into higher profits for the business, the investors can apply marketing strategy as a form of making their products known to customers which is may be a bit costly t the business since it will have to incur various expenses. On the other hand, a business can opt for exhibition as a form of selling its products to its customers. Exhibition can simply be defined as a presentation and a display of various items that have been selected to attract customers and induce sales. Exhibition Programme as a Marketing tool An exhibition program is the strategy put in place by a business of presenting and displaying a selection of various products of a business for customers to purchase and to attract new customers. Having a good exhibition programme in a business will sell itself to customers and will help increase the sales of the business. This means that the money used by investors in areas such as marketing strategies can be spent on exhibition so that the business can achieve more sales and hence more profits for the business. Exhibitions also know as trade fairs, expos or even trade shows can help achieve various results for a business as will be discussed here. In many occasions, the exhibitions are in most cases organized by various interested parties so that various organizations in a certain specific industry or who have a specific interest can showcase and give a demonstration of the various latest products, study activities, and even services of competitors and also to have a look at the current trends in the business industry and the opportunities that may be available for the business to venture in. There are some exhibitions which are always open to the public while there are others which can only be attended by various company representatives who are members of that trade and also the members of the press for coverage of the exhibition (Siskind, 2005). Through the years exhibitions have been identified as one of the most effective and efficient tool that is powerful and effective for doing business. An exhibition involves the business investors being able to meet the customers face-to-face and hence create a great target opportunity for the business to achieve the various trade objectives that it has. Exhibitions are known to be one of the most cost effective for of reaching out to the customers since the business investor is able to reach the customers at one time and in one place that does not involve moving the location. Therefore, it is notable that exhibitions have various advantages for a business if a good exhibition programme is created and implemented by the business investor (TileagÄÆ', Cosmescu, 2012). Advantages of Exhibition Exhibition as a means of trade for a business has various advantages to any form of business if created and implemented in a good way as compared to marketing strategies. Discussed below are the advantages that a business will derive from a good exhibition programme implemented by an investor: Customer contact In exhibitions, the business investors have the opportunity of meeting the customers face-to-face in one time and in one place. This means that the trade shows or exhibition provides a very excellent and conducive environment for the business investors to initiate contacts with customers who are new to the business. This helps the business investor to be able to develop new trade leads for the products of the business since the investor is able to answer any questions that the new customers may have concerning the products that the business is offering (Ausstellungs- und Messe-Ausschuss der Deutschen Wirtschaft, 2010). The business has the first hand opportunity of giving detailed information to the new customers about their products that are under exhibition and in turn this will help in creating a new customer base for the business. In addition to the new customers whom the business investor has the opportunity to win over for the business and creating new customer base, the business investor is also able to renew its old contacts with the valued clients of the company or business firm. There are times when businesses lose their old clients due to various reasons. Through a good exhibition programme, the business investor is bale to renew the lost contacts with its previous customers and also to inform the old customers of the new products that the company may be offering in addition to the improvements that the business has made on the previous products that it was offering (Frain, 1999). Opportunity to create an Image for the Business Through exhibitions, the business investor is able to meet new and old customers some of who may not e familiar with the business. The contact that the business investor has with the customers offers an opportunity for the investor to create and improve the image of the business towards the customers. Customers who had a bad perception about the business will be able to have firsthand experience of knowing more about the business and the products of the investors and get clear understanding of how the business operates and what products the company is offering to its clients (Johnston, Beaton, 1998). This means that, not only will the company be able to win ore customers but it will be able to give firsthand information to the customers which will help in improving the image of the business. A good image for the business means that customers will want to associate with the business; hence those customers who visit the exhibition will also inform other people about the business. This will act as a way of advertising the business through word of mouth from those customers who had the firsthand experience with the business at the exhibition. Therefore, it is quite notable that exhibitions not only bring new business contacts but also helps to strengthen and maybe restore the image of the business which is important for every business to succeed. Product and service launch platforms Many businesses always face the challenge of launching their products and services to the market. Launching of a new product or service by a company can be very challenging to any business and can also be costly in terms of advertisements as a form of marketing for the new products and services. Many platforms that business investors can use to launch their new products or services are always costly and at times may not be effective in reaching out to as many customers as possible. To overcome this challenge that is involved in the launching of new products or services to the market by business investors, exhibitions offer a much better platform for the business investor to launch their products or services. Exhibitions in many cases involve live presentations and various demonstrations of the products or services of the company to the customers. This means that the products or the services are able to â€Å"speak† for themselves and influence the customers to make purchases or even obtain the services even if they were not prepared to do so in the first place. When customers are able to see for themselves the use of a product or the importance of a product at first hand, they tend to have the urge to try out the product or service so that they can find out if whatever they saw during the live presentations and demonstrations are actually the results that they can obtain from using the particular product or service which has been launched into the market. This means that the process of selling the new products or services is accelerated (Frain, 1999). When the customers are influenced to purchase the new products or services that have been launched at the exhibition trough live presentations and demonstrations, the sales of the products or services are likely to increase, and this will mean that new sales will be generated for the company at a quicker rate than through marketing. Launching of a new product or service through live presentations or demonstrations at the exhibitions means that the company will not incur a lot of costs that are always involved in the launching of new products or services (Johnston, Beaton, 1998). Marketing communications In the exhibitions or trade fairs, there is always a lot of focus that is always put on the company and the products r services that the company is offering. Many exhibitions involve the media and hence the attention of the media is always on the company and the products or services of the company. This means that the business investor has an opportunity of focusing his/her public relations efforts on raising the profile of the company and that of the products or services of the company. This will also help in improving the image of the company. Since the focus of the media attention is on the company and the products or the services that the company s offering, there is an opportunity for the company to advertise itself without incurring any extra cost on advertisement of the company’s products or services.   The exhibition offers a platform for improvement of the company’s public relations since the company comes into closer contact with the public than it could do through areas such as advertisements. This will also help in improving the image of the company and the image of the products of the company by building trust and good relations with the customers who have visited the exhibition. Therefore, exhibitions will not only help in developing great public relations, building company’s image but also will help in opening new markets for the company (Frain, 1999). A high return/expense ratio Every business investor has one aim in business which they strive to accomplish through every operation that the business undertakes. The main objective for any business investor in a business environment is to make and maximize profits. For the business to obtain profits it must incur costs that are involved in the running of the business. Costs in business may be in form of advertisements, production and any other operational costs for the company. Higher profits and maximization of profits can only be achieved by a business if the business ensures that the costs that it incurs are less and do not exceed their sales. To achieve this, a company must ensure that it employs strategies that will help in minimizing costs involved in its operation while at the same time maximizing its sales for higher profits. The returns must always be higher while the expenses must always be lower in any successful business. This means that a business must always be able to obtain high returns from its sales when compared to the expense that the business has incurred in its operations. Exhibitions help businesses in achieving this objective of higher returns compared to the expenses incurred. The expenses that a business will incur in its operations when conducting exhibitions is less when compared to other forms of marketing such as advertisements. Exhibitions also create an opportunity for higher sales for the business since the company is able to attract more customers through close customer contact, live presentations and demonstrations. Since exhibitions are conducted in one time and in one place, any costs involved such as transportation costs are minimised, customers are able to find the products of the company in one place without having to move from one place to another (Johnston, Beaton, 1998). This means that exhibitions have a higher return/expense ratio, something which every business always strive to achieve. The higher return/expense ratio is as a result of the following reasons: Many customers or attendees who come to the exhibitions always arrive with a particular agenda or a need which they seek to accomplish at the exhibition. This means that the customers who arrive at the exhibition will not cause the business to incur more expenses in attracting the customers except for what has already been incurred to prepare for the exhibition. In the exhibitions, the business investors do not require to make any sales calls to close the deals with the customers since most of the people who attend have their agenda already set. This means that the business will not incur any extra cost involved n making sales calls since the live presentations and the demonstrations of the company’s products or service are enough to lead the customers to purchase the products or services of the company. Compared to product or services sales calls which are quite costly, the exhibition leads do not require a lot of expense to accomplish or close a deal. Field sales require sales calls to be made by the company but in the exhibitions on the demonstrations and live presentations are enough. This means that exhibitions are much cheaper in helping the business to achieve its main objective of maximizing profits and minimizing expense hence higher returns/expense ratio which is good for the business. Exhibition provides an avenue for the exchange of information between the exhibition attendees and the companies that are displaying their products or services at the exhibition. At the exhibition, the business investor has the opportunity to pass information to the customers about the products or services that the company is offering since the investor comes into face-to-face contact with the new and old customers. These customers will in turn act as a tool of advertising the products and services of the company to those other potential customers who never went to the exhibition. The customers help in advertising the company’s products and services through word of mouth. This helps the company to reach more potential customers without incurring extra costs of advertisement. Therefore, exhibitions help the company to achieve higher return/expense ratio which will in turn mean the company will be able to maximize profits (Frain, 1999). Business-to-Business trading Exhibitions also play an important role in a business if a good exhibition programme is created and implemented by a business. Through exhibition, a company is able to meet with other business investors. This will enable the business to exchange business ideas and information which might be helpful to the running of the business. Exhibitions help the investor to identify and establish new joint ventures and projects by other business investors which may result in partnership hence helping to expand the business. This is because, at the exhibitions, the business investor may meet other business investors who share the same business ideas and beliefs which then could translate into new ventures for the business (Ellis, 2010). New Recruitment There are some many people who attend exhibitions some of who are potential business agents, distributors or even employees for the business. Through the opportunity of face-to-face interaction between the business investor and the exhibition attendees, the business investor has the opportunity of identifying and recruiting new business agents, distributors and even staffs for the business. The business investor does not incur any extra cost in this activity since they are able to meet the potential agents, distributors and even staffs face-to-face without having to locate them. This also helps in saving time in terms of searching for new agents, distributors or even employees (Ellis, 2010). Easy Market Research and Information Gathering When a business investor involves in exhibitions, they have the opportunity of meeting the customers face-to-face. The business investor through live presentations and demonstrations of the products or services of the company is able to obtain an immediate feedback from the new customers or the old customers on the various products or services that the company offers. This can be done through free samples and the live presentations and demonstrations. Since there is face-to-face contact, the customers are able to provide an immediate feedback about the product or the service (Morley, Lees, 2009). The company can use these feedbacks to improve on its products or services or simply to maintain the quality depending on the feedback they obtain. The company does not have to wait for too long to obtain customer feedback. The feedback obtained by the company at an exhibition can be used immediately by the company to help it achieve more results for its products or services. In addition, through the feedback the company is able to obtain at an exhibition, the company is able to understand the needs of the customers and in turn react immediately to those needs than the competitors in the same market (Huang, Lund, 2009). Focusing on the needs of the customers is crucial to a business and also helps the business to overcome competition and hence immediate feedback through the interaction at the exhibition, helps the business to keep its focus on the actual needs of the customers. The exhibitions also helps in understanding the strengths and weakness of the competitors since the research results and feedback obtained during the exhibition, can help the business in knowing what areas of business it can improve on to fight off competition. Exhibition helps the business to understand how competitors react to the needs of customers and also to learn the various changes that are taking place within the industry of the business. Research and immediate customer feedback obtained by the company during the exhibition helps the company to stay ahead of the competitors through product or services advancement and the use of new technology. The graph below illustrates the effectiveness of various channels of marketing in the exchange and gathering of information in any business environment: From the Figure 1 above, it can be noted that exhibitions and Personal sales share the same percentage in terms of exchange and gathering of information for the business when engaging customers and other potential business partners. This is due to the reason that, under exhibitions and personal sales, there is close contact with the customer hence the higher chances of getting information in an easy and quicker way. Convenience Marketing requires large sums of money to conduct in a business. This means that the business will not be able to achieve higher profits. On the other hand, in an exhibition, the business needs only to hire a stand where it will display its products and services. This is quite a convenience for the company since the company will not have to spend a lot of money while at the same time the impact of the exhibition will be greater than that experienced with marketing such as advertisement. For those business investors who are not sure of the amount of return on investment they will achieve when first attending an exhibition, this is a very convenient way o introduce products or services to the public at a cheaper cost (Solberg, 2013). Flexibility Every business seeks a way of undertaking its operations while at the same time having the opportunity to change whenever necessary and still achieve its main objective of higher profits. Exhibitions offer an opportunity to be flexible since the business investor has the ability and freedom to customize his/her exhibits for each exhibition that they have to attend. This means that the business investor has the opportunity to experiment on matters such as size and also has the opportunity to configure their exhibits to see and find out what works best for the schedule of exhibitions that the company has to attend in its quest to make profits and expand its markets. Cost effectiveness Exhibitions are quite cost effective to any business especially through the hiring of the exhibition stand. It is also cost effective since exhibitions provide extra options whereby, the business investor is able to stretch the budget for the exhibition to include many other new options that the business investor may not have been able to afford. These may include issues such as dramatic lighting, brochure racks, furniture and even extra large formatted graphics among others which can be added to create a greater impact for the business exhibition at no extra cost hence making exhibitions a lot cheaper than marketing strategies such as advertisement (Raluca, Cristina, 2008). The graph below helps to demonstrate the effectiveness of exhibition as a method of promoting the products or services of a company when compared to the other channels or strategies such as direct marketing, Print advertising, Public relations, and the internet: From the Figure 2 above, Series 1 represents the Benefits of Products and Services when the various strategies are applied by a business in selling of its products and services. The above Figure 2 demonstrates that a good exhibition programme is quite effective in helping the business to benefit from its products and services since it is able to realize more sales when compared to the other channels of product or service marketing. Series 2 in Figure 1 above represents the impact of the various channels on the building of public relationships with the customers and other potential customers or business partners. From the graph, it can be noted that exhibitions gives a higher percentage when it comes to issue of building public relationship with the customers and potential business partners. This is due to the reason that, under exhibition, the business investor is in close contact with the customers and the potential business partners hence a greater advantage in building public relationship that is stronger (Solberg, 2013). The internet is the poor performer in terms of benefits of the products and services of the company since some aspects such as customer contact is not available. Therefore, it can be said that exhibition, as a mode of product and services marketing has a greater impact in terms of achieving the main objective of every business of maximizing profits and also creating and maintaining great public relationship with customers and the potential investors. The other advantage that is derived from exhibitions is that the business investor has the opportunity to observe and evaluate the products of the competitors of the business. This will enable the business investor to know the strengths and weaknesses of the competitors in terms of the products that they are offering to the customers. Knowing the products or services that the competitors of the business are offering gives the business an added advantage since the investor is able to know what changes to make on their product or services so that they are superior to the products of the competitors (Mei-Chin, Sui-Ming, 2013). Having superior products or services to those of the competitors will mean that the business is capable of overcoming the competition in the market. Problems Associated with Exhibitions Even though exhibitions may be the best form of business promotion for products and services, there are various challenges or problems that business investors will be faced with in the process of participating in exhibitions or trade shows. Some of those problems are such as increase in costs of construction and exhibits, personnel travelling, boarding and lodging fees which add to the cost of conducting the exhibitions (Honess, 1997). In addition, the choice of which exhibitions to participate in, how much to be spent on every exhibition, and ways of building exhibits that will be attractive to customers are some of the other challenges that are faced by business investors who engage in business exhibitions to sell and promote their products and services. Ways of overcoming challenges involved in Exhibitions There are some considerations and issues that a business investor will need to put in mind so that they can engage in a successful exhibition. In addition, to achieve the above advantages for the business through exhibitions, business investors need to plan and create an exhibition programme that is good and capable of achieving the above advantages and bring high returns for the business (White, 2013). The following are some of the considerations and objectives that a business investor will need to set when engaging in exhibition as a form of promoting the products or services of the company to achieve maximum results: Overall purpose of participation Every business encounter such as involvement and participation in exhibitions requires that a business investor must have an objective they want to achieve through the exhibition. There must be a goal to be accomplished at the end of the exhibition and without setting out the objective or purpose of participation, then success in an exhibition will not be achieved ( Thomas, 1995). Creating actual Sales Business investors who participate in exhibitions must ensure that there are actual sales made during the exhibition. This should be the main objective of participating in an exhibition since more sales translates into more profits for the business. There is no business that wants to incur costs and realize no sales. Therefore, the exhibition must help to realize actual sales for the business for it to be considered successful and beneficial. Identifying potential customers For a successful exhibition, a business investor must have an objective of identifying and obtaining potential new customers for the business and improving on the relations with the older customers. This ensures the business of an added market and creating a new market for the products and services of the company. In addition, the business investor must be able to obtain sales leads for the business. This will enable the business to make sales without making sales calls which are costly. Gathering Competitive Intelligence For a successful exhibition, the business investor must ensure that they are able to obtain competitive intelligence that will give them an added advantage over the competitors. Every business investor who attends an exhibition must be able to information that is relevant for the business and which can help the business to better its performance and achieve higher profits (Havaldar, 2005). Target audience to be reached There are different types of people who attend the exhibitions. For success of the business in an exhibition and to be able o achieve maximum results from the exhibition, the business investor must be able the audience that they want to reach out to with their products and services. Identifying the suitable and targeted audience makes it easy for the business investor to sell their products and services to the targeted market since the products and services will have been made to suit that particular targeted audience. Therefore, based on the various specific objectives that a business investor has laid down for the business, he/she is able to make a decision on which exhibitions to attend that will bring maximum results for the business and at a cheaper cost (Thomas, 1995). Conclusion There are many forms of business promotion that an investor or companies can apply to promote their products or service and achieve results. Businesses have a main aim and objective of maximizing profits at the lowest costs possible. Some of the methods of product or service promotion are costly and the results achieved may not be impressive. Therefore, compared to the other forms of business product or service promotion, exhibition comes out as one of the most effective tool of marketing products or services of a company. Exhibitions provide a cheaper avenue of promoting a business while at the same time availing so many opportunities to the business which are useful in helping the business to achieve maximum profits. Therefore, exhibition can be said to be one of the most effective form of product or services promotion for any business due to the various advantages that the business can achieve at lower costs. References Ausstellungs- und Messe-Ausschuss der Deutschen Wirtschaft. (2010). Exhibition Market   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Latin America 2011/2012: Trade Shows in Latin America: New Opportunities for   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   International Exhibitors. Stuttgart: local global GmbH. Ellis, N. (2010). Business-to-business marketing: Relationships, networks and strategies. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Frain, J. (1999). Introduction to marketing. London: International Thomson Business. Havaldar, K. K. (2005). Industrial marketing: Text and cases. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill. Honess, S. (1997). Marketing for construction firms. London: Thomas Telford. Huang, B., Lund, D. W. (2009). Influence of the Yiwu Fair on the development of business travel and the local economy. Global Business Organizational Excellence, 28(6),   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   53-63. Johnston, S., Beaton, H. (1998). Foundations of international marketing. London:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   International Thomson Business. Mei-Chin, C., Sui-Ming, C. (2013). Effective Marketing Strategies to Attract Business   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Visitors at Trade Shows. International Journal Of Business Management, 8(24),   Ã‚   64-72. doi:10.5539/ijbm.v8n24p64 Morley, J., Lees, S. (2009). The brighter marketing bible: For small businesses. England?:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lean Marketing Press. Raluca, C., Cristina, D. (2008). Measuring The Efficiency Of The Prospecting Activity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Annals Of The University Of Oradea, Economic Science Series, 17(4), 796-801. Siskind, B. (2005). Powerful exhibit marketing: The complete guide to successful trade   Ã‚   shows, conferences and consumer shows. Mississauga, Ont: J. Wiley Sons Canada. Solberg, S. K. (2013). Exhibit marketing and trade show intelligence: Successful boothmanship and booth design. Berlin: Springer. Thomas, M. J. (1995). Gower handbook of marketing. Aldershot, Hampshire, England:    Gower. TileagÄÆ', C., Cosmescu, I. (2012). Realities And Perspectives Of Business Tourism On A   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Global Scale. Annals Of The University Of Oradea,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Economic Science Series, 21(1),   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   432-438. White, D. (2013). Get set for your first exhibition. Fmcg, 19(2), 49.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Examining Crime And Gender Crimes Committed Criminology Essay

Examining Crime And Gender Crimes Committed Criminology Essay Criminology has treated womens role in crime with a large measure of indifference. The intellectual tradition from which criminology derives its conception of these sexes maintains esteem for mens autonomy, intelligence and force of character while disdaining women for their weaknesses of compliance and passivity. Women who conform as pure, obedient daughters, wives and mothers benefit men and society (Feinman, 1994: 16). Those women who dont, that is are non-conforming, may simply be one who questions established beliefs or practices, or one who engages in activities associated with men, or one who commits a crime. These women are doubly damned and doubly deviant (Bottoms, 1996: 1). They are seen as mad not bad (Lloyd, 1995: 36). These behaviors frequently lead to interpretations of being mentally abnormal and unstable. Those doing the defining, by the very act, are never defined as other, but are the norm. As men are the norm, women are deviant. Women are defined in reference to me n (Lloyd, 1995: xvii). In the words of Young (1990), sexual difference is one of the ways in which normal is marked out from deviant (Young, 1990: ix). So why do these differences exist within the criminal justice system and society as a whole? In order to understand why offending and punishment differs between genders it is important to acknowledge and analyses past perceptions, theories and perspectives from predominant sociologists and criminologists of that time towards women in society. Up until the turn of the century, women were primarily perceived as sexual objects and expected to remain within male dominated ideologies such as homemaker, carer and nurturer taking second place after men (Oakley, 1985: 56). Women who strayed from the norm were severely punished, void of any opportunities to explain their actions. Perhaps interventions from Elizabeth Fry in the early nineteenth century campaigning for women to be housed in separate prisons from men and offered rehabilitation could be marked as the starting point for intense studies being conducted into relationships between women and crime. The conception at that time was that women must be protected from, rather than held responsible for their criminal actions. Unfortunately, such intervention only caused coaxing rather than coercion, that is, women became segregated even more as individual members of their community (Bardsley, 1987: 37). Later in the late nineteenth century, Lombroso and Ferrero (1895) wrote a book called, The Female Offender. Their theories were based on atavism. Atavism refers to the belief that all individuals displaying anti-social behaviour were biological throwbacks (Smart, 1978: 32). The born female criminal was perceived to have the criminal qualities of the male plus the worst characteristics of women. According to Lombroso and Ferrero (1895), these included deceitfulness, cunning and spite among others and were not apparent among males. This appeared to indicate that criminal women were genetically more male than female, therefore biologically abnormal. Criminality in men was a common feature of their natural characteristics, whereby women, their biologically-determined nature was antithetical to crime. Female social deviants or criminals who did not act according to pre-defined standards were diagnosed as pathological and requiring treatment, they were to be cured or removed (Lombroso and Ferrero, 1895: 43). Other predominant theorists such as Thomas (1907) and later, Pollack (1961), believed that criminality was a pathology and socially induced rather than biologically inherited. As Thomas (1967) says, the girl as a child does not know she has any particular value until she learns it from others (Thomas, 1967: 68). Pollack (1961) believed, it is the learned behaviour from a very young age that leads girls into a masked character of female criminality, that is, how it was and still is concealed through under-reporting and low detection rates of female offenders. He further states, in our male-dominated culture, women have always been considered strange, secretive and sometimes dangerous (Pollack, 1961: 149). A greater leniency towards women by police and the justice system needs to be addressed especially if a true equality of genders is to be achieved in such a complicated world . Although it may be true that society has changed since the days of Lombroso and Ferrero, past theories appear to remain within much of todays criminal justice system. Women have so many choices of which they didnt before. It would appear naive to assume that women and crime may be explained by any one theory. Any crime for that matter, whether male or female, may not be explained by any one theory. It is an established and non-arguable fact that males and females differ biologically and sociological influences, such as gender-specific role-playing appears to continue within most families. Its a matter of proportion not difference. According to Edwards (1984), the enemy is within every woman, but is not her reproductive biology, rather it is the habit regarding it into which she has been led by centuries of male domination (Edwards, 1984: 91). Many argue, the main culprit for aggression as seen in many men is testosterone. This hormone appears responsible for much of the male crime, even in todays society of increased knowledge on the subject. In contrast, extensive research over the past twenty-five years done on the testosterone/aggression link focusing on prenatal testosterone predisposing boys to be rougher than girls, concluded it was very difficult to show any connection between testosterone and aggressive behaviour (Lloyd, 1995: 26). Cross-cultural studies of ninety-five societies revealed fourty -seven percent of them were free of rape while at least thirty-three societies were free of war and interpersonal violence was extremely rare (Meidzian, 1992: 74). Based on these studies, it may be evident to suggest that sociological factors and environmental influences appear to have greater credibility in explaining criminal behaviour, whether male or female. As most women commit crimes of a lesser violent nature such as shop-lifting, leniency is given to them from law enforcement officers and judges. It is true that many women use their femininity to their advantage which makes it very difficult to argue equal rights for both sexes (Lloyd, 1995: 56). This unequal position of women in society due to social oppression and economic dependency on men and the state, needs to be addressed. Offences by women remain sexualised and pathologised. In most ways, crimes women commit are considered to be final outward manifestations of an inner medical imbalance or social instability. Their punishment appears to be aimed principally at treatment and resocialisation (Edwards, 1984: 216). The victimisation of women in medicine seems to be for her own good or in her best interests. Changing social and economic conditions, environmental influences, cultural traditions and physiological factors must be taken into account when dealing with crime. It has only been over the last thirty to fourty years that women have empowered themselves and fought for equality within all areas of society. After so many centuries of oppression and inequality, these changes can not be expected to happen over night. It is essential that society be well informed in the quest for justice. Creating a framework that is truly equitable requires a proper understanding of life beyond the courtroom door. The world is infused with gender bias and no single explanation exists for human behaviour or passivity or aggression. A complex interplay of cultural and biological factors makes people as individuals. Behaviour may be changed. All have the potential for aggression and compliance. The view that women are other, inferior and unstable because of their hormones and emotions makes it all too eas y to see them, by their very nature, as unstable, irrational, neurotic and MAD. Bardsley, B. (1987) Flowers in Hell: an investigation into women and crime, Pandora Press, London. Bottoms, A. (1996) Sexism and the Female Offender, Gower Publishing, Sydney. Carrington, K. (1993) Offending Girls, Allen and Unwin, Sydney. Edwards, S. (1984) Women on Trial, Manchester University Press, New Hampshire. Feinman, C. (1994) Women ion the Criminal Justice System, Praeger Publishers, Westport. Lloyd, A. (1995) Doubly Deviant, Doubly Damned, Penguin, Sydney. Lombroso, C. and Ferrero, W. (1895) The Female Offender, Fisher Unwin, London. Miedzian, M. (1992) Boys will be boys: Breaking the Link Between Masculinity and Violence, Virago Press, London. Oakley, A. (1985) Gender and Society, Adlershot Gower, London. Pollak, O. (1961( The Criminality of Women, A.S. Barnes, New York. Smart, C. (1978) Women, Crime and Criminology, Routledge London. Thomas, W. (1967) The Unadjusted Girl, Harper and Row, New York. Young, A. (1990) Femininity in Dessent, Routledge, London.

Research Onion Explanation of the Concept

Research Onion Explanation of the Concept Introduction The research onion was developed by Saunders et al. (2007). It illustrates the stages that must be covered when developing a research strategy.When viewed from the outside, each layer of the onion describes a more detailed stage of the research process (Saunders et al., 2007). The research onion provides an effective progression through which a research methodology can be designed. Its usefulness lies in its adaptability for almost any type of research methodology and can be used in a variety of contexts (Bryman, 2012). This essay will examine and describe the different stages of the research onion, and explain the concepts at each stage. 1.1: Understanding the Research Process The research onion was developed by Saunders  et al. (2007) in order to describe the stages through which the researcher must pass when formulating an effective methodology. First, the research philosophy requires definition. This creates the starting point for the appropriate research approach, which is adopted in the second step. In the third step, the research strategy is adopted, and the fourth layer identifies the time horizon. The fifth step represents the stage at which the data collection methodology is identified. The benefits of the research onion are thus that it creates a series of stages under which the different methods of data collection can be understood, and illustrates the steps by which a methodological study can be described. Figure 1: The Research Onion (Source: Institut Numerique, 2012, n.p.). 1.2: Research Philosophy A research philosophy refers to the set of beliefs concerning the nature of the reality being investigated (Bryman, 2012). It is the underlying definition of the nature of knowledge. The assumptions created by a research philosophy provide the justification for how the research will be undertaken (Flick, 2011). Research philosophies can differ on the goals of research and on the best way that might be used to achieve these goals (Goddard Melville, 2004). These are not necessarily at odds with each other, but the choice of research philosophy is defined by the type of knowledge being investigated in the research project (May, 2011). Therefore, understanding the research philosophy being used can help explain the assumptions inherent in the research process and how this fits the methodology being used. Two main ontological frameworks can inform the research process: positivism and constructionism (Monette et al. 2005). These frameworks might be described differently (such as empiricism and interpretivism) but the underlying assumptions are broadly similar (Bryman, 2012). Positivism assumes that reality exists independently of the thing being studied. In practice this means that the meaning of phenomena is consistent between subjects (Newman, 1998). Conversely, constructionism suggests that the inherent meaning of social phenomena is created by each observer or group (ÃÆ'–stlundet al. , 2011). In this philosophy, one can never presume that what is observed is interpreted in the same way between participants and the key approach is to examine differences and nuances in the respondentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ understanding. Despite the inherent differences between these two practices, it is not necessarily the case that they form an inherent belief by the researcher that is then applied to all research contexts. One philosophy is not inherently better than the other, although researchers may favour one over the other (Podsakoffet al., 2012). The philosophy simply provides the justification for the research methodology. The methodology should be informed by the nature of the phenomena being observed. 1.3: Research Approaches Two types of approaches are outlined here: the deductive and the inductive approach. 1.3.1: Deductive Approach The deductive approach develops the hypothesis or hypotheses upon a pre-existing theory and then formulates the research approach to test it (Silverman, 2013). This approach is best suited to contexts where the research project is concerned with examining whether the observed phenomena fit with expectation based upon previous research (Wiles et al., 2011). The deductive approach thus might be considered particularly suited to the positivist approach, which permits the formulation of hypotheses and the statistical testing of expected results to an accepted level of probability (Snieder Larner, 2009). However, a deductive approach may also be used with qualitative research techniques, though in such cases the expectations formed by pre-existing research would be formulated differently than through hypothesis testing (Saunders et al., 2007). The deductive approach is characterised as the development from general to particular: the general theory and knowledge base is first established and the specific knowledge gained from the research process is then tested against it (Kothari, 2004). 1.3.2: Inductive Approach The inductive approach is characterised as a move from the specific to the general (Bryman Bell, 2011). In this approach, the observations are the starting point for the researcher, and patterns are looked for in the data (Beiske, 2007). In this approach, there is no framework that initially informs the data collection and the research focus can thus be formed after the data has been collected (Flick, 2011). Although this may be seen as the point at which new theories are generated, it is also true that as the data is analysed that it may be found to fit into an existing theory(Bryman Bell, 2011). This method is more commonly used in qualitative research, where the absence of a theory informing the research process may be of benefit by reducing the potential for researcher bias in the data collection stage (Bryman Bell, 2011). Interviews are carried out concerning specific phenomena and then the data may be examined for patterns between respondents (Flick, 2011). However, this approach may also be used effectively within positivist methodologies, where the data is analysed first and significant patterns are used to inform the generation of results. 1.3.3: The Quantitative Approach As the name suggests, this approach is concerned with quantitative data (Flick, 2011). It holds a number of accepted statistical standards for the validity of the approach, such as the number of respondents that are required to establish a statistically significant result (Goddard Melville, 2004). Although this research approach is informed by a positivist philosophy, it can be used to investigate a wide range of social phenomena, including feelings and subjective viewpoints. The quantitative approach can be most effectively used for situations where there are a large number of respondents available, where the data can be effectively measured using quantitative techniques, and where statistical methods of analysis can be used (May, 2011). 1.3.4: The Qualitative Approach The qualitative approach is drawn from the constructivist paradigm (Bryman Allen, 2011). This approach requires the researcher to avoid imposing their own perception of the meaning of social phenomena upon the respondent (Banister et al., 2011). The aim is to investigate how the respondent interprets their own reality (Bryman Allen, 2011). This presents the challenge of creating a methodology that is framed by the respondent rather than by the researcher. An effective means by which to do this is through interviews, or texts, where the response to a question can be open (Feilzer, 2010). Furthermore, the researcher can develop the questions throughout the process in order to ensure that the respondent further expands upon the information provided. Qualitative research is usually used for examining the meaning of social phenomena, rather than seeking a causative relationship between established variables (Feilzer, 2010). 1.4: Research Strategy The research strategy is how the researcher intends to carry out the work (Saunders et al., 2007). The strategy can include a number of different approaches, such as experimental research, action research, case study research, interviews, surveys, or a systematic literature review. Experimental research refers to the strategy of creating a research process that examines the results of an experiment against the expected results (Saunders et al., 2007). It can be used in all areas of research, and usually involves the consideration of a relatively limited number of factors (Saunders et al., 2007). The relationship between the factors are examined, and judged against the expectation of the research outcomes. Action research is characterised as a practical approach to a specific research problem within a community of practice (Bryman, 2012). It involves examining practice to establish that it corresponds to the best approach. It tends to involve reflective practice, which is a systematic process by which the professional practice and experience of the practitioners can be assessed. This form of research is common in professions such as teaching or nursing, where the practitioner can assess ways in which they can improve their professional approach and understanding (Wiles et al., 2011). Case study research is the assessment of a single unit in order to establish its key features and draw generalisations (Bryman, 2012). It can offer an insight into the specific nature of any example, and can establish the importance of culture and context in differences between cases (Silverman, 2013). This form of research is effective in financial research, such as comparing the experiences of two companies, or comparing the effect of investment in difference contexts. Grounded theory is a qualitative methodology that draws on an inductive approach whereby patterns are derived from the data as a precondition for the study (May, 2011). For example, interview data may be transcribed, coded and then grouped accordingly to the common factors exhibited between respondents. This means that the results of the research are derived fundamentally from the research that has been completed, rather than where the data is examined to establish whether it fits with pre-existing frameworks (Flick, 2011). Its use is common in the social sciences (Bryman, 2012). Surveys tend to be used in quantitative research projects, and involve sampling a representative proportion of the population (Bryman Bell, 2011). The surveys produce quantitative data that can be analysed empirically. Surveys are most commonly used to examine causative variables between different types of data. Ethnography involves the close observation of people, examining their cultural interaction and their meaning (Bryman, 2012). In this research process, the observer conducts the research from the perspective of the people being observed, and aims to understand the differences of meaning and importance or behaviours from their perspective. An archival research strategy is one where the research is conducted from existing materials (Flick, 2011). The form of research may involve a systematic literature review, where patterns of existing research are examined and summed up in order to establish the sum of knowledge on a particular study, or to examine the application of existing research to specific problems. Archival research may also refer to historical research, where a body of source material is mined in order to establish results. 1.5: Choices The choices outlined in the research onion include the mono method, the mixed method, and the multi-method (Saunders et al., 2007). As the names of these approaches suggest, the mono-method involves using one research approach for the study. The mixed-methods required the use of two or more methods of research, and usually refer to the use of both a qualitative and a quantitative methodology. In the multi-method, a wider selection of methods is used (Bryman, 2012). The main difference between the mixed and the multi-method is that the mixed-method involves a combined methodology that creates a single dataset (Flick, 2011). The multi-method approach is where the research is divided into separate segments, with each producing a specific dataset; each is then analysed using techniques derived from quantitative or qualitative methodologies (Feilzer, 2010). 1.6: Time Horizons The Time Horizon is the time framework within which the project is intended for completion (Saunders et al., 2007). Two types of time horizons are specified within the research onion: the cross sectional and the longitudinal (Bryman, 2012). The cross sectional time horizon is one already established, whereby the data must be collected. This is dubbed the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"snapshotà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ time collection, where the data is collected at a certain point (Flick, 2011). This is used when the investigation is concerned with the study of a particular phenomenon at a specific time. A longitudinal time horizon for data collection refers to the collection of data repeatedly over an extended period, and is used where an important factor for the research is examining change over time (Goddard Melville, 2004). This has the benefit of being used to study change and development. Furthermore, it allows the establishment of some control over the variables being studied. The time horizon selected is not dependent on a specific research approach or methodology (Saunders et al., 2007). 1.7: Data Collection and Analysis Data collection and analysis is dependent on the methodological approach used (Bryman, 2012). The process used at this stage of the research contributes significantly to the studyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s overall reliability and validity (Saunders et al., 2007). Regardless of the approach used in the project, the type of data collected can be separated into two types: primary and secondary. 1.7.1: The Primary Data Primary data is that which is derived from first-hand sources. This can be historical first-hand sources, or the data derived from the respondents in survey or interview data (Bryman, 2012). However, it is not necessarily data that has been produced by the research being undertaken. For example, data derived from statistical collections such as the census can constitute primary data. Likewise, data that is derived from other researchers may also be used as primary data, or it may be represented by a text being analysed (Flick, 2011). The primary data is therefore best understood as the data that is being analysed as itself, rather than through the prism of anotherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s analysis. 1.7.2: Secondary Data Secondary data is that which is derived from the work or opinions of other researchers (Newman, 1998). For example, the conclusions of a research article can constitute secondary data because it is information that has already been processed by another. Likewise, analyses conducted on statistical surveys can constitute secondary data (Kothari, 2004). However, there is an extent to which the data is defined by its use, rather than its inherent nature (Flick, 2011). Newspapers may prove both a primary and secondary source for data, depending on whether the reporter was actually present. For a study of social attitudes in the Eighteenth Century, or for a study of the causes of fear of crime in present day UK, newspapers may constitute primary data. Therefore, the most effective distinction of the two types of data is perhaps established by the use to which it is put in a study, rather than to an inherent characteristic of the data itself. 1.8: Research Design The research design is the description of how the research process will be completed. It is a framework which includes the considerations that led to the appropriate methodology being adopted, the way in which the respondents were selected, and how the data will be analysed (Flick, 2011). There are a number of different characteristic research designs, namely the descriptive, explanatory, and the exploratory. The descriptive research design relates to reflecting the experiences of respondents. It is thus related closely to ethnographic studies, but a quantitative framework is also an appropriate framework; for example, the demographic characteristics of a population subgroup can be reported (Bryman, 2012). An explanatory research design is focused on how to effectively explain the characteristics of a population or a social phenomenon (Saunders et al., 2007). This may be seen as effective where using a quantitative framework, where the influence of one variable on another can be established (Kothari, 2004). The exploratory study is an exploration of an issue that takes place before enough is known to conduct a formulaic research project. It is usually used in order to inform further research in the subject area (Neuman, 2003). 1.9: Samples A sample is a representative segment of a larger population (Bryman, 2012). In quantitative research, the sample size and how it is selected can be used to establish the reliability of the results of the study. In qualitative research, the sample characteristics are also important, but much smaller samples tend to be used. 1.9.1 Sample Size The sample size represents the number of respondents selected from the overall population that are used in the research (Newman, 1998). In quantitative research, the size of the sample is essential in determining the reliability of the results of a study. Sample sizes of much less than 30 will tend to produce results where individual respondents may skew the results. In such cases, the larger the sample size the more reliable will be the results (Flick, 2011). In qualitative research, the size of the sample is less important, and the concept of representativeness is not as strong a guideline for the validity of the research. 1.9.2: Sampling Techniques Sampling techniques are the ways in which an appropriate sample size is selected for the wider study (Bryman, 2012). There are a number of accepted techniques that can be used. A random sample represents individuals within a larger population who are chosen at random. However, this can result in random distribution, which can mean significant skewing resulting from the random nature of sample selection (Neuman, 2003). For example, a random sample may result in more males than females being represented in a sample, or an unequal distribution across ages. A stratified sample may then be used to ensure that the representatives of the population in the sample reflect the significant characteristics of the wider population, such as making sure that the demographic characteristics of age and gender are reflected in the sample (Newman, 1998). A convenience sample is where the sample is taken from an existing framework, such as an educational institution, given that the ways in which respondents may be recruited is relatively straightforward. This may be appropriate if a study is concerned with studentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ views, and it proved convenient to sample just one educational institution; it may be considered unlikely that significant variation in studentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ characteristics will occur between institutions or that those characteristics will have a significant effect on the results of a study. Conclusions In this study, the different stages of the research onion were described. Given the research onion comprises different stages of many research projects and can be effectively adapted to different models, this report has necessarily been summative and restricted in depth. However, the stages defined by Saunders et al. (2007) have been expounded upon, and the usefulness of the staged development of the onion demonstrated. The most effective model of its effectiveness, however, lies in its use. References Banister, P., Bunn, G., Burman, E., Daniels, J. (2011). Qualitative Methods In Psychology: A Research Guide. London: McGraw-Hill International. Beiske, B. (2007). Research Methods: Uses and limitations of questionnaires, interviews and case studies, Munich: GRIN Verlag. Bryman, A. (2012). Social research methods (5th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bryman, A., Allen, T. (2011). Education Research Methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bryman, A., Bell, E. (2011). Business Research Methods (3rd ed.) Oxford: Oxford University Press. Feilzer, M. Y. (2010). Doing mixed methods research pragmatically: Implications for the rediscovery of pragmatism as a research paradigm. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 4(1), pp.6-16. Flick, U. (2011). Introducing research methodology: A beginners guide to doing a research project. London: Sage. Goddard, W. Melville, S. (2004). Research Methodology: An Introduction, (2nd ed.) Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Gulati, P. M. (2009). Research Management: Fundamental and Applied Research, New Delhi: Global India Productions. Institut Numerique, (2012). Research Methodology, http://www.institut-numerique.org/chapter-3-research-methodology-4ffbd6e5e3391 [retrieved 3rd October, 2014]. Kothari, C. R. (2004). Research methodology: methods and techniques. New Delhi: New Age International. May, T. (2011). Social research: Issues, methods and research. London: McGraw-Hill International. Monette, D.R., Sullivan, T. J., DeJong, C. R. (2005). 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