New Balance Athletic Shoes Case

Operations Management and Management Science Case Study Capacity Planning New Balance Athletic Shoes Summary James Davis is the president and general manager of New Balance Athletic Shoes. The Boston, Massachusetts based company began producing corrective shoes and arch supports in 1906. New Balance garnered a reputation for quality specialty footwear when in the 1950's it began producing running shoes for men. It is the beginning of 1978 and Mr. Davis has a number of important decisions to make regarding the future of his growing company. In recent years the demand for running shoes has experienced explosive growth.The increasing popularity of the sport of running requires James Davis to carefully evaluate the accuracy of the company's sales forecast. Mr. Davis knows that precise forecasting is the key to providing good-quality service by meeting customer demand. Another effect of increasing demand on New Balance is the necessity for expansion. Mr. Davis must evaluate a number of op tions for expanding production capacity in order to meet increased demand for his company's products. This report will attempt to offer James Davis sound advice in regards to the evaluation of sales forecasts and expansion options. We will also present Mr.Davis with an alternate sales forecast and an evaluation of New Balance's sales representative network. Analysis: Upon reviewing New Balance's 1978-1981 domestic sales forecast, it is decided that James Davis may have reason to be apprehensive. Davis needs to be sure that the forecasted sales increases, which range from 117% to 286% of 1977's sales, are truly warranted. Although Davis knows that demand for running shoes is skyrocketing, he should also know that that does not guarantee sales. The maturing preferences of the shoe consumer have been evident in the ever changing ratings of Runner's World magazine's top ten shoes.Upon reviewing the lists of top ten shoes we realized that product development is not only a key to New Bala nce's success, but is also a key to success for a majority of its competitors. While only 2 of the top 10 running shoes of 1975 were introduced within a year of being rated, the following two years of ratings were filled with a majority of newly developed products. The 1976 ratings listed 7 of 10 running shoes which had been introduced within a year of being rated, and the 1977 ratings listed 6 of 10 running shoes which had been introduced within a year of being rated as well as 1 of the 10 that had been substantially redesigned.The achievement of new products in Runner's World magazine's rankings proves that product development is going to be one of the biggest keys to New Balance's future success. While New Balance has a reputation for producing quality footwear, we must urge Mr. Davis to insure that his company remains on the leading edge of running shoe development. In the past, New Balance has been able to distinguish itself by offering its shoes in varying widths. While making varying widths available has set the company apart from its competition in the past, we predict that it will eventually become an industry standard.Much of the recent success of New Balance was due to the rave reviews of the newly developed 320. New Balance product designers, working in unison with a world-class distance runner, found that a built up heel wedge and midsole greatly improved the comfort of the shoe. The design team also reduced the sole thickness of the 320, which in turn reduced the shoe weight and thus the runner's level of fatigue associated with their footwear. These are the innovations that New Balance must continue to excel in if it wishes to meet its forecasted sales.Development of new shoe designs and the use of new materials will allow New Balance to produce the lighter and more flexible shoes the running public desires. Another product development related recommendation we would like to make to New Balance is in regards to its competition. New Balance can n o longer be content following industry leaders such as Adidas and Nike. Although the two large shoe manufacturers produce nearly 70% of the product available, smaller companies such as New Balance, Brooks, and Etonic have been able to make enormous headway into the market.Adidas and Nike, being larger more top heavy corporations, will naturally have longer time periods between research and development and product release. We suggest that New Balance take advantage of its smaller size by releasing the types of new products previously detailed at a faster pace than their larger competitors. It is in this area that we feel New Balance's demand forecast is flawed. The forecast's short term reliance on current products in the company's shoe line is an error that may cause New Balance sales. As evidenced by the average two year appearance in Runner's World ratings, the life span of a running shoe is short.We do not believe that New Balance can rely on the 320 to carry sales until their ne w trainer is available (;1yr. ) to gain market share. New Balance needs to rapidly release newly developed, state of the art running shoes prior to both industry leaders to put the company in a position to capture additional market share. In addition to believing that New Balance's product mix has been forecasted incorrectly, we also contend that it has been somewhat overestimated. The following alternate demand forecast estimates overall market demand, as well as demand estimates for specific consumer categories.Please take note of the assumptions that were made in the creation of the forecast. Next, we look at New Balance's sales representative network and its relationship to the company's production facility location. The most important aspects to note concerning New Balance's distribution, is the over representation in the northeast, and the under representation in the West. While New Balance has been able to maintain a strong market share in the northeast where a majority of it s sales representatives are located, the company's market share is low in the west where the largest portion of the running shoe market is located.Due to this under representation, the western sales region represents a great deal of untapped potential for the company. Although having its production facility located in the northeast has helped New Balance build up its market share in that particular region, the company should consider the advantage of having a more westward located facility to help strengthen its presence in the region. Finally, we are going to address New Balance's various options for capacity expansion.In addition to running a second shift, alternate sites for new facilities have been located in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the state of Texas, and the country of Ireland. The following table details the financial aspects associated with each expansion option. Beginning with the option of starting a second shift, you can see that Mr. Davis' belief that this option is not viable holds true. On the one hand, a second shift is not the best financial decision for New Balance because of both higher expenses (Labor Cost), and lower projected earnings due to lower capacity (1500).On the other hand, a second shift is not the best option from a human relations perspective. Mr. Davis has made mention of various concerns regarding company employees such as finding good stitchers and supervisors, keeping morale high, and preventing unionization. Mr. Davis has also located an available production facility in Ireland. This site does have the advantage of having a lower labor cost, a lower facility cost, lower equipment costs, and savings from both a tax holiday and available grants. While the Ireland location does have certain benefits, there are a number of critical drawbacks.The negative aspects of the Ireland facility are a slightly lower capacity potential, and very costly international freight costs. Both of these factors greatly reduce Irelands estimated a fter tax earnings, and are the reasons we are recommending Ireland as the second worst choice for New Balance. The next site to be considered is the Lawrence facility. This location has qualities that should appeal to New Balance. The Lawrence site is the largest of the company's options, has local government willing to offer relocation assistance, and is close to the Everett St. ocation and its network of material suppliers. In addition to these qualities; it has been found that there are a number of local experienced shoe workers in need of work. Although these factors make Lawrence attractive to the company, they are offset by the site's shortcomings. Lawrence has a higher labor costs, moderate rental costs, a short lease term, and a high state tax liability which makes the site the second best choice for New Balance. Texas remains as the last site evaluated, and is the recommended site for New Balance.Although there are some negative aspects in regards to Texas, such as higher m aterials and overhead costs as well as higher rental costs, they are outweighed by the sites positive points. While moderate labor costs, the absence of state taxes on corporate income and the availability of skilled workers are all good reasons to recommend Texas, it is its westward location which is the key to Texas' potential. As mentioned earlier, New Balances lack of presence in the west is costing the company potential market share in an area highly populated with runners.Having a centrally located production facility will no doubt improve its Texas and west coast market shares. Conclusion: From the above analysis, we draw the following conclusions: 1. New Balance's sales forecast is overestimated and their forecasted product mix is in error. The company should use the alternate forecast provided. Additionally, New Balance should rely less on its current shoe models by working towards more rapid product development. 2. In order to develop an accurate demand forecast, particula r attention should be paid to the expected growth of both serious and women runners. . There is an effect on regional market share based on the location of the production facility. If New Balance would like to increase market share in regions other than its own it should seriously consider a more westward production facility. 4. After taking both financial and non-financial aspects into consideration, the opening of a Texas facility is recommended. Another benefit of having an additional production facility located in Texas will be the company's ability to fulfill the previously mentioned lack of western regional market share.

Some Like It Hot – Station Sequence

In the previous sequence, Joe imitated a feminine voice to get a job with Jerry in a group of female musicians. But an ellipsis deals with their disguise, obscured by a continuity shot. Thus it is a way two new feminine characters who appear on the platform. This sequence also marks the appearance of Sugar/Marilyn and the confrontation of the single men with ‘a completely different sex'. 1. Tracking in with a background of nervous jazz : a close shot shows the back of the two musicians, from waist to heels.We recognize them thanks to their instruments : on the left, with the bow legs which hardly hold on the high heels belong to the player of double bass, Jerry. On the right, Joe walks more straight ahead, but the muscles of his calves are not less bulging. The extras who overtake them are all men, what even more points up their femininity. 2. From then now, the tracking out shows us the â€Å"result† of the disguise in the face.Joe, made up tastefully, makes a likely an d elegant woman, his white fur collar contrasting with his dark clothes; Jerry, with his more extravagant leopardskin collar enhanced by a rustle and by a double feather on his cloche hat, mixes in his clothes hairs, feathers and petals. His lipstick extends widely beyond his upper lip, we guess he is worry thanks to a pout. In voice-over, an announcement of the station tells that the train which Joe and Jerry get ready to take is the â€Å"Florida Limited†, that goes to Miami.The musicians thus get the job in the girls' orchestra, but will they go through the test of the disguise? 3. 4. Close shots on Joe, then on Jerry, each of them seems to take a detached expression in a weak-willed manner. They allow to see closer how each acts like a woman : Joe, simpering, glancing aside, is in the register of seduction. Jerry, in perpetual adjustment, oscillates between the girl (when he opens wide eyes) and the lady 5. 6. 7. Follow-up of the tracking in in the back.First lurch of Jer ry, who twists his ankle because of his high heels. It is not the first time he grumbles since Joe, pragmatic (their aim is to get in the train to escape the gangsters) is irritated by his lamentations. Tony Curtis, with his pale and powdered complexion, his half-closed eyelids as if he was already bored to be disguised as a woman, lets to Jack Lemmon a surprising and excessive palette of face expressions. (6). Bent forwards, Jerry keeps repeating the sex change, unable to be used to the conventions which govern the feminine clothing. How can they walk on these things? † Joe's very coarse and anatomical answer (â€Å"Must be the way their weight is distributed†) directly anticipates the appearance of Sugar, differently â€Å"distributed† indeed. After there is a reverse shot on the line of musicians who gets on the train (7) supplies a set of specimens who adds to Jerry's panic (â€Å"It's no use. We'll never get away with it†. Not always come to know ever y details of his character, he turns his glance to an ideal model. 8. 9.Catching, off screen, the eyes of both actors playing a female role, Sugar also appears, â€Å"cut in two† at the belt-level. The music theme completely changes for a slower but warmer jazz (the muted trumpet replaces the saxophone). As Jerry, she is wearing a feather on her hat, and her ukulele, she is holding like a feminine accessory, seems like a miniature bass. These are the first two common points, still discreet, of a relation in mirror between Daphne and Sugar who will go on throughout the film.When she passes by near Joe and Jerry, the glances focus on the bottom of her body in so fixing a way like in a cartoon (the glance of the lustful wolf of Tex Avery) 10. a. Front/behind : contrary to Joe and Jerry, Sugar is filmed at first by face at the top, then by back, at the bottom. In point 2, the suspense focused the expectation of the spectator on the transformation (what will Curtis and Lemmon look like in woman? ); here, the suspense is in a way erotic : once Marilyn is identified by face, the question concerns her clothes, how her figure is emphasized.We also notice that Marilyn's acting is as exuberant as that of her two partners : fluttering her lashes, moving her lips, rolling gait, she overplays femininity almost as much as Lemmon and Curtis 10. b. The echo of point 9 with point 1 is interrupted by the vapour blast which, from the train, surprises Sugar. The goal is to aim Marilyn's bottom. In point 6, Jerry complained about draughts under his dress, alluding to the anatomical difference between man and woman but also to the fact that the disguise displays him : it is an exposure.More than the draught, the white vapour blast materializes the desire which has just sprung from this first meeting : Sugar is literally â€Å"whistled† by the train. He also puts Sugar in experimental feminine subject : how does she react? How does she move? How does she go on walking a fter this hitch? 11. † it's like jello on springs! †. As a boy who took a toy into pieces to see how it works, Jerry questions the anatomical difference, wonders about feminine mechanics and already sees in Sugar a model to be imitated, whereas Joe, totally blown away, is brought down by love at first sight.The left and the right of the shot are separated by an invisible border between drama and comic. 12. When the newsboy arrives, the headlines of the newspaper (the gangsters are looking for the witnesses of the massacre) definitely position the disguise. Contrary to what Joe promises, Jerry and him are not going to stop this masquerade. If they want to live, they have to reborn in women, come across the shot and blend in the reverse shot, join the line of blond women with hat and instrument. 13. It is a success. Both of them are credible.Nevertheless Jerry, who is not completely transformed yet, has difficulties in speaking more high-pitched. â€Å"You two from the Po liakoff Agency? † â€Å"Yes, we're the new girls. † â€Å"Brand new†. This first pun of a long series done by Jerry betrays his jubilation to be between two sexes. 14. 15. 16. 17. This series of shots and reverse shots sets up, between the two men, a kind of â€Å"every man for himself† : Jerry surprises Josephine by renaming Daphne, Josephine invents a story about the Sheboygan Conservatory of Music (This city really exists in Wisconsin).Their first conversation with â€Å"Sweet† Sue introduces a crossing of border from a sex to the other one, but also a time travel. Aboard this train, the transvestites travel with twenty-year-old girls, in an atmosphere of summer camp bossed around by an iron lady. 18. First feminine misadventure of Jerry (Bienstock pinches his bottom). But both are recognised as â€Å"real ladies† : this remark of the only man of the troop sounds like a birth certificate.

School Workload and Sleep Deprivation in Adolescent Tardiness Research Paper - 3

School Workload and Sleep Deprivation in Adolescent Tardiness - Research Paper Example this study are the dependency at participants’ honesty, inability to directly manipulate the participants’ daily workload and sleep time, inability to manipulate â€Å"time of school† as sub-variable of school workload, and the inconclusiveness on the effects of increasing school workload to adolescent tardiness. Further larger-scale researches on school workload and sleep deprivation in committing tardiness is being aimed by this study. No experimental research so far was conducted on the effects of school workload and sleep deprivation in tardiness. However, two experimental literatures, plus three supporting non-experimental studies, will be used by this study to serve as guides in formulating the design of this study to be conducted for the first time. The experimental study Sustaining Female Helicopter Pilot Performance with Dexedrine during Sleep Deprivation (Caldwell, Caldwell & Crowley, 1997) investigated the effects of a stimulant drug dextroamphetamine on the flight stimulator performance of sleep-deprived female aviators. The sample participants were exposed to 40-hour sleep deprivation, but the experimental group received the drug while the control received a placebo. The independent variable is the drug administration while the dependent variables are the performance, level of alertness and mood of the participants. They found out that the experimental group is able to sustain performance, alertness and mood than the control group. This study provides a good background information on the effects of sleep deprivation that the drug is hypothesized to eliminate: poor performance, lower level of alertness and lower mood. This study provides a hypothesis that sleep deprivation affects student’s performance, which includ es tendencies of being tardy. Another experimental study, The impact of Cross-Training and Workload on Team Functioning: A Replication and Extension of Initial Findings (Cannon-Bowers et al, 1998). Other than cross-training, they

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PDA-Professional Development Plan - Assignment Example In my work experience, I have noted that I am poor in engaging employees mainly because I prefer doing things for myself and therefore, I fail to adequately delegate work to employees. According to Chalofsky (1998), poor engagement of employees will demoralize them, as they will feel they do not play a critical role in the organization and many of them will easily opt out of the organization if they get another opportunity elsewhere. In order to be an effective human resource manager, I will need to work on this weakness by fast mastering to trust others and then ensure that I take up a supervisory role after delegating work. The resources that I will use include guidebooks and video tutorials on achieving employee engagement and proper delegation of work. I can easily achieve this goal within a period of three months and practice at home by ensuring I delegate house chores and keep everyone engaged in managing the household. Zull (2002) would argue that I am individualistic since I am not able to transfer my skills and knowledge to others. However, for me to be a good leader I must ensure that I can training others and empower them with skills and knowledge for them to become better employees. With continued globalization, every major organization is shaping up to be a multicultural organization and therefore, future leaders must have the ability to manage a workforce that is made up of employees from diverse cultures. In order to acquire knowledge in managing employees from different cultures I will first need to understand different cultures and I can easily do this by reading books concerning other cultures. Additionally, I will have to interact with many people from different cultures in order to understand perfectly how to manage a diverse workforce. Therefore, I can only be able to achieve this goal after the

Strategic Management Analysis - Starbucks in US Essay

Strategic Management Analysis - Starbucks in US - Essay Example ..............................................................................14 Figure 3: Number of stores in United States......................................................................15 Figure 4: Value of Gift Cards.............................................................................................15 List of Tables Table 1: Coffee Industry Analysis......................................................................................9 Table 2: Opportunities & Threats.......................................................................................12 Table 3: Strengths and Weaknesses....................................................................................16 1. Introduction Everyday millions of Americans walk into Starbucks coffee shops and live the unique experience offered by it. Despite the fact that US coffee industry is saturated with many giant organizations such as Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds and Peet’s, the experience that Starbucks offers is exclusive and acts as its niche. No other restaurant or brand offers a coffee house full of technological interventions, luxury and comfort, aroma of freshly roasted and grinded coffee beans. Starbucks is not just a coffee; with its extensive chain of stores it has become part of American life style. This research paper is intended to identify strengths and weaknesses of Starbucks and also the opportunities and threats faced by it. In the light of these identifications, strategic fit analysis would help in understanding the strategies adopted by Starbucks and helps it in exploiting these opportunities, mitigating threats and weaknesses and further enhancing its strengths. 2. Task A 2.1 PESTLE Analysis 2.1.1 Political Analysis Starbucks initiated its business from United States but has extended it exponentially into other regions as well, however the United States remains its major market. Current political issues faced by it in US surround its strategic alliances, agreements wit h vendors, taxes and government policies. Starbucks has been importing its raw material mainly coffee beans from other parts of the world. The quality of the coffee beans serves as a critical factor for Starbuck’s success and an advantage over other competitors. Government tariffs and political relations between the US and other countries have a direct impact on the whole beverage industry and in extension on Starbuck’s business performance. A thorough analysis of various indicators below, exhibit and inquire the performance of Starbucks as a business entity. 2.1.2 Economic Analysis Few economic factors having the tendency of affecting Starbuck’s survival and development in United States; these factors are consumer ability to purchase, tariffs, exchange rates, and industry environment. Like stated earlier, Starbucks has strategic alliances with a substantial pool of suppliers but most of them are from other countries. The always fluctuating exchange rates result in higher costs passed on to the consumer or reflected in the form of lower profit margins. Furthermore, overall economic scenario

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Gender, Race, and Philosophy - Research Paper Example The main traditional, philosophical discourse had been that women were lesser human beings than men. But after feminist philosophers had demonstrated that women too had the capacity to do virtually anything men could do during the second half of the 20th century, predominantly male societies have over the history gradually given women more options in individual and social life (Solomon, & Higgins, 2013). It is then arguable that de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex has had tremendous impacts on womens rights and gender roles by allowing women more authority over their reproductive, educational, career and suffrage rights among others. Apart from de Beauvoir, Schick and Vaugh (2008) said, Mahatma Gandhi was one of the most prominent 20th century figures in India who is credited for acknowledging women’s efforts as imperative to every society. Gandhi had a soft spot for women. He perceived them as complementing men’s contribution in the growth of society. Gandhi castigated stereotyping women as weak and lesser by refusing child marriage and obsession for dowry as well as seclusion (purdah). He, however, believed that proper gender roles demanded that a woman meets the interests of her husband, family and society, in that

Government Ban of Cyberporn on the Internet Essay - 1

Government Ban of Cyberporn on the Internet - Essay Example The Cyber porn Industry has over the years grown very fast posing a great threat to the social and moral values of various communities in countries all over the world.This menace has spread so wild to the extent that ,it has has become almost uncontrollable and is also destroying many. This is due to some factors which have given the needed attention to be able to stop this problem as quickly as possible. One of such problem is the how people are easily influenced to engage in or use pornographic materials either by their friends or deceitful adverts they might seen on the internet. Pornography in general is very addictive and even experts have been able to proof that overcoming pornographic addiction is more difficult than overcoming the addiction of drugs. One other factor is the way cyber porn is easy to access these days due to wide spread of Internet facilities in our society. This therefore makes it very easy for people to get access to it as often as they want making it very difficult for them to resist since it is very influential especially amongst the teens who are naturally very adventurous age group. This problem of cyber porn, have had a very devastating effect on our society no matter the age group in question. Lets take the effects it has on non-adults for instance, these children or non-adults are filled when a lot of lustful pleasures when they watch these pornographic pictures on the internet. They then begin to have very evil desires as a result because these things infuse nothing but evil motives into them. This in a long run as result of them, not been able to control themselves, end up practicing the very things they see on the internet in the wrong time of their lives and with the wrong person. This affects their moral life hence reducing the moral standards of our societies, which is very bad.

Interpersonal skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

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Leadership journal 2- change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leadership journal 2- change - Essay Example Likewise, the response to evaluating the change in the work setting would necessitate including a change theory and detailing how the use of the theory did or would have helped the implementation of the change. The Change Transition in the Work Setting One is currently working as a registered nurse with a Nursing and Rehabilitation Health Care Facility. The change that currently occurred in this work setting is transitioning from manual or paper-based documentation to computer-based documentation system. Due to the fast paced-technological developments that ensued in the current century, the impetus for change to transcend from paper-based documentation to computer-based documentation through the electronic medical record (EMR) was deemed inevitable. Previous Paper-Based Documentation System The system that had been used to document crucial information, assessment, and interventions provided to patients were traditionally recorded through charting. This means that a patient’s chart is used to record all pertinent information since the patient’s entry in the health care setting for confinement. Several health care practitioners and professionals use the patients’ charts to document their observation, recommended intervention, and diverse health-related information to record the patients’ progress throughout the confined period. Several variables or factors paved the way for the paper based documentation system to exhibit inefficiencies in the health care setting. For one, the volume of patients that have significantly increased through time could not appropriately contain all the information through a patient’s chart. In addition, the number of diagnostic or laboratory tests, and recommended interventions by different health care professionals make recording tedious and complex. As such, there were evident disadvantages found to be related to paper-based documentation; including it being considered a â€Å"poor repository of p atient information†¦ also the tasks associated with such record keeping consume up to 38 percent of the physician's time associated with an outpatient visit† (Tang, LaRosa, & Gorden, 1999, par. 5). Likewise, it is prone to wear and tear; have greater tendencies for encountering difficulties in updating and keeping in file through time; missing information or record; as well as ineligble handwriting could significantly affect and influence the quality and accuracy of patient care that would be provided on a timely manner. Proposed Electronic or Computer-Based Documentation The change that is currently being implemented in using a computer-based patient record (CPR) or documentation system. According to previous studies, the objective or goal of the CPR is â€Å"supporting patient care and improving the quality of care as well as enhancing the productivity of the health care personnel while reducing the costs of health care delivery† (Rodriguez, Borges, Rodriguez, An garita, & Munoz, n.d., p. 1). The CPR therefore addresses all the weaknesses of the paper-based documentation system, particularly limiting or preventing errors in transcribing ineligible handwriting; preventing records being lost; and doing away with filing the patients’ records in repositories which could be destroyed or ineffectively maintained. The Manner by Which the Change was Received Several health car

The Influence of Chinese Culture on Buddhism Essay Example for Free

The Influence of Chinese Culture on Buddhism Essay Buddhism was originally developed in India and brought to China over the silk road, and later to some extent through southeast Asia around the first century A.D.. This was during a time when the then reigning Han dynasty was in a state of chaos and Confucianism was being discredited by some intellectuals. The Chinese people therefore came to identify Confucianism with the failing dynasty, and sought a new ideology to take place of stale Confucian thinking. The exact date of the coming of Buddhism to China is unknown, but by 64 A. D. Buddhist monks had introduced written scripture into China. At first Buddhism was not popular in China. Interest took several centuries to grow because of Buddhisms incongruities with Chinese thought, as well as translation problems (Sanskrit to Chinese). Because Buddhism first entered through Chinas trading routes with Central Asia, it was seen as the religion of foreign merchants. Consequently, Large scale translation of Buddhist texts did not truly get under way until the 6th to 8th centuries A.D. This resulted in the wider distribution of Buddhism being delayed several centuries. Buddhism was difficult for the Chinese to accept because it was mysterious and hard to understand. Not straight-forward like Confucian teachings, more like the ambiguity of Taoism (Jin 1), also. it was foreign. Moreover, Buddhism did not focus on problems of state as Confucianism did, and because the study of Confucianism was required material for the exams of public office, practical males preferred its study to that of Buddhism. Moreover, the Buddhist stress on personal fulfillment (even the Buddha left his family to search for revelation (Jin 1)) seemed counterintuitive to the Chinese values of family and ancestor worship. As the religion became more widespread the Chinese people began to adapt distinctly Chinese forms of Buddhism. There were three major types of Chinese Buddhism. The first was Pure Land Buddhism and it was started by Hui Yuan; this type of Buddhism focused on devotion to the Amitabha Buddha  in the belief that after death they would be born again in Western Paradise (Pure Land). In this religion worship of the Bodhisattva Guan-Yin was also very important (Jin). Chan or Zen Buddhism was founded by Hui-neng. It was hostile toward all scripture and dogma. The Zen Buddhists meditated on illogical riddles in order to gain enlightenment (Jin). Chih-I founded Tien Tai Buddhism whose primary emphasis was placed on the recitation and study of the Lotus Sutra (Jin). To thrive in China, Buddhism had to be transformed into a system that could exist within the Chinese way of life. Thus,  obscure Indian sutras that advocated filial piety became core texts in China. Buddhism was made compatible with ancestor worship and participation in Chinas hierarchical system. Works were written arguing that the salvation of an individual was a benefit to that individuals society and family, and monks thus contributed to the greater good. (Wikipedia, Buddhism in China) Popular Chinese Buddhism therefore, was fairly removed from the ideals that came from India. The basic ideas of karmic retribution, samsara, and nirvana came through intact, but in order to make Buddhism more palatable to the Chinese, it had to be adapted to their preexisting beliefs such as those previously mentioned. The portrayal of the netherworld in popular Chinese Buddhism highlights these changes in several ways. The Chinese not only translated Buddhist texts, but also began to directly associate the Buddhist ideas of the netherworld with those conceptions already popular in China. To begin, the (pre-Buddhist) Chinese believed in the [Taoist] concept of a world of the dead usually thought to be located beneath Mt. Tai in Shantung (Gjertson #1, 118). However, according to Professor Gjertson, the idea of hell as a location for punishment was due to the influence of Buddhism, and was not see in literature until the 6th century, where it is seen in Taoist scriptures. Also in popular Chinese Buddhist works the hells take on the anatomy of the then current bureaucratic and physical structures of China. Or, as Gjertson in his article entitled Popular Buddhism and Karmic Retribution describes, The nether world, at least superficially, was  conceived as a construct physically and bureaucratically similar to the world of the living (Gjertson 134). Often, someones death was likened to a live person being called to serve an office. For example in the story of Tuan Tzu-ching in which one of two inseparable friends, Liang, dies suddenly and when he arrives in the ghost realm he discovers that the position of Chief Clerk (a very prestigious position) has become available. Liang immediately suggests his (living) friend Tuan for the position. King Yama, the king of the dead, then looked at Tuans record and discovered that Tuan was not scheduled to die until he was ninety-seven, and he was then just thirty-two so he allowed Liang to visit his friend and invite him to take this office in the netherworld. Tuan agrees, and three days later he dies in order to take up his new position as Chief Clerk in the netherworld. This story shows a person literally dying in order to gain a bureaucratic appointment. Mentioned in Tale Number 19, Sui Jen-chien, is a description of the physical similarities between the netherworld and the world of the living. A ghost explains to a man that he serves as administrator of Lin-hu. The man, inquires of the whereabouts of the area and the name of its king and is told, The state of Lin-hu comprises everything northwest of the Yellow River The capital is northwest of Lou-fan, in the desert. The King used to be King Wu-ling of the Chao, but he now controls this country. Everything is under the administration of Mt. Tai and every month the highest ministers are sent there to attend court (Gjertson #3, 196). Directly referenced here are specific locations in the netherworld which seem to correspond to the living world. The ghost says, the King used to be King Wu-ling of the Chao, but he now controls this country, this must mean that King Wu-ling controls the corollary land, metaphorically under that of the living country to which it seems they refer. The idea of karma, that a person would be judged by their actions, whether they be morally right or wrong is and idea obviously intrinsic to the Buddhist faith; the belief [t]hat the acts were judged, and the appropriate retribution assigned, in a nether-world court administered by an extensive staff of officials and their assistants is, however, a feature uniquely Chinese (Gjertson #1, 143). In a tale taken from Tang Lins Ming-pao chi for example, a man if brought before a judge of the underworld and accused of cooking six eggs as well as killing two ducks and two oxen, for this, the judge decides, he should be punished. The man protests, crying out loudly, This office is being grossly unjust! (Gjertson #2, 301) The man explains that they have not heard his good deeds, and since the judicial system is indeed a fair one, they are heard, but still his evil deeds outweigh his good, and he is sentenced. This clearly exemplifies the idea of a Chinese judicial system governing the popular Chinese Buddhist workings of karma. In conclusion, the Buddhist religion has proved that it can accommodate in many ways, the Chinese people. Upon its arrival in China it satisfied a need of the people for a new religion under which to unite at the tragic fall of an empire. During this turbulent period in China, two major developments took place in Buddhism. One group consisting mostly of the sophisticated gentry dwelled on the philosophical and mystical aspects of Buddhism, while the other group dominated by rural farmers followed Buddhism in their own superstitious and simple ways imparting to it in the process a peculiar Chinese character. Buddhism stretched even more to allow for translation using Taoist terminology because the Chinese language did not possess a conceptual apparatus adequate for the abstract thought of Buddhism. The use of these familiar Taoist concepts contributed significantly to the spread of Buddhism in China. Buddhist teaching were changed in many ways to accommodate traditional Chinese sensibilities, but the religion changed China as well, leaving in its wake years of rich culture and traditional Buddhist writings that no longer exist in their original Indian form. Works Cited (#1) Gjertson, Donald. Popular Buddhism and Karmic Retribution. Also Sui Jen-chien, Kung Ko, and Chang Fa-i. From Miraculous Retribution: A Study and Translation of Tang Lins Ming-pao chi, Berkeley: University of California Berkeley, Berkeley Buddhist Study Series Volume 8, 1989. (#2) Gjertson, Donald. The Early Chinese Buddhist Miracle Tale: A Preliminary Survey, in The Journal of the American Oriental Society 101.3, 1981. Jin, Shunde. Buddhism In China. (handout for Chinese 231 Traditional Chinese Culture, Ohio State University, 1998). http://www.cohums.ohio-state.edu/deall/jin.3/c231/handouts/h10.htm Wikipedia. Buddhism in China. Local Interpretation of Indian Texts. Updated: 3/31/2004. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_in_China#Relation_to_Confucianism _and_Daoism

Reviewing The Airasia Online Booking System Information Technology Essay

Reviewing The Airasia Online Booking System Information Technology Essay Help management to maintain their information for business use The management team can maintain their customer information for any emergency cases such as flight cancellation or delay due to the weather problem. They can also use the customer information to track on their preferences and travel pattern to keep them updated to a better plan that suits them. Besides that, it gives management the real-time information about the availability of seat on flight so that it will be all sold by not overbooking. The system is able to protect the customers privacy such as their personal information. Enables customer have a better journey planning The system provides customer a more flexible access mode as they can now make purchases by phone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), and internet. So, customer can make the reservation in an easier and faster way. They can book their airline ticket not matter when and where they are as long as there are internet asses even if they are at the overseas. They can now easily check for their ticket status by website or mobile phone. The system also reduces the customer effort in rescheduling their trip as it could reduce the searching effort they usually need to take. It can show all the possible itineraries available for the pair of origin to destination cities. Increase the company sales or revenue Company can maximise the income as the system help to increase the customer awareness about the various special offers and discount available. It also increases by minimising the number of empty seats available on the flight and maximising the flight capacity utilisation. It can offer a lower price ticket on their website as they could skip the intermediaries such as agency. Besides that, AirAsia who have a competitive advantage than its competitor such as Malaysia Airline System (MAS) or Firefly as the company give a cheaper price for the airline ticket to its customer. Therefore, this system help the company to create a new sales channel that enables them to save the commission need to pay to the agency and at the same time, it increases their profit margin. The users for the system above are: Travel Agency They selling travel related products and services to customers on behalf of suppliers such as flight ticket, accommodation packages and so on. Through using airline system, they will check various flight dates and times, arrange accommodation and then travel agent booking or group booking. Besides that, they will try their best to fit the tourist requirement such as providing meals on air. For travel agent booking, they must join Airasia as an authorized sales agent by having a valid license, also known as the SkyAgent . Businessman This is a person who involved in the management of a company. Most of the time they travel overseas in order to meet their client. Their major concern is about the transportation cost for flight and they would prefer to pick a business seat which has premium flat bed because it provides maximum comfort and spacious. In addition, they will feel more refresh after long distance travelling. Through [emailprotected],They also can carter airline service for the purpose of meeting, convention and for leisure with Boeing 737-300 or Airbus 320. Student and traveller They are people who always purchase individually through online booking, group booking or mobile booking. Besides that, they also like to purchase low cost fare flight ticket because most of them are from average family. Therefore they will try to get cheap ticket by keep searching it or wait for the promotion period. In order to get cheap flight ticket, they would choose economy seat which have hot seat and standard seat. For those who want to get the plane first, they are recommended to get hot seat rather than standard seat. Therefore, each user have different buying pattern such as group booking, individual booking and mobile booking. The differences from group booking and individual booking are the guest will need to pay a non-refundable service fee and deposit per guest. Secondly, the full guest list with identification card number and passport number must be extended to AirAsia one week before departure. For using mobile phone, you can book flight ticket, gets details on flight schedules and check in from anywhere. Question 2 (a) Function: Email as the communication tool Base on the AirAsia airline system, the system have provide emailing function to their customer. E-mail is a system of creating, sending and storing textual data in digital form over a network. It can send and receive messages electronically over a computer network, as between personal computers. In this 21st century, e-mail has become the most preferred tool for communication. AirAsia uses this function to advertise their promotion and services to their customer. If customer registers as a member of AirAsia, they can get some best perks from the AirAsia. Be a AirAsia member, they can receive their newsletters which make them have the first information about their latest low fares and other fantastic offers. AirAsia advertises this promotion and services to their members through the emailing .Through the email advertising allows AirAsia to grab their customer attention and interest immediately. Customer of AirAsia can get the lasted news as fast as possible by the email. Email is by far the fastest form of written communication. Customer can first to know more detail with the lasted news or promotion of AirAsia. Email can distribute information quickly to many people for the time it takes to email one person. No other service matches the e-mail in terms of speed. By the way, emailing is a fast and now the most popular business communication with customers, enabling us to reach an unlimited number of recipients at low cost. AirAsia using this function to delivered instantly, anywhere across the globe. It is because email is leverage. AirAsia are able to send out email messages to literally millions of clients. Recipients are able to receive the message and respond instantly by the email. The messages that send from AirAsia at a cost that is close to zero. They are able to mail a simple message to a few thousand individuals without any payment. Besides that, AirAsia using this emailing function in their customer service department. AirAsia have provide the 24 hour online service to their customer, especially is customer service department. When customers have some question or problem related with the AirAsia flight or their booking, it is able for them to ask by using the emailing function. Customer Service of  AirAsia also have provide some simple question and answer which is divide into 5 main category. It is easy for customer to search and find out their answer. If customer cant find what they want, they can contact the customer service of AirAsia through the email instantly. Through the emailing function of AirAsia provided, customer are able to update their information .Trough the function of emailing, it is possible to send automated e-mails using special programs. Hence, AirAsia able to send automated e-mails to their customer or member monthly or when have some special promotion. Email advertising that send by AirAsia can keeping their customer up to date with their promotion. Customer can refreshes their information and also able to know more detail and promotion that provide by AirAsia through the email. By the way, it is also easy for customer to do reference when customer needs to check back or reply their mail. There is a provision in the mailing system to attach the previous mails as references. This function can refresh the recipients knowledge, it also able for customer to reference back the important information. For the example like date for flight, their booking receipt number and some of the important data. Question 2 (b) Improvement on email function For my opinion, AirAsia need to make some improvement for their emailing function. Although emailing has brought a lot of advantages to their customer, however it also includes some disadvantages. AirAsia have to make some improvement for this function to make their service much better. Email is emotional responses. Some emails cause upset or anger. A reply in the heat of the moment cant be retracted. Through the emailing, people easy misunderstanding with the message. Hence, AirAsia can provide a video call system to their customer. Through the video call function, people easy to get the message or information. Cases of misunderstanding of customer will be decrease. With this video call function, customer service department of AirAsia are easy to get the message from their customer. They can easy get the message about the problem that customer facing, and reply their customer instantly. In the other hand, AirAsia can provide this video call function without any payment to their customer. Free video calling are able to attract more people to use this function. This function enables them to talk face -to-face with live video for free. Besides that, AirAsia also can create a system for car rental to customers. Some of the customer of AirAsia may need a vehicle as their transport, especially is visitor. Some of the visitor will rent a car as their transport. Hence, it was functionable if AirAsia have provided this car rental system for their customers. The client can book the car rental service from AirAsia. It was possible booking the flight ticket with car rental in AirAsia. It is very easy to booking a car rental through online. Customer just need to state about the pick-up and drop-off location, pick-up and drop-off date and car type. It was simple and easy to customer to book a car rental. With this function, visitor is able to save a lot of time and money to find the transport or vehicles. All of this suggestion can make AirAsia airline system better and complete. Question 2 (a) Function: Hotel booking, provide destination guide and book for tour activity. AirAsia has cooperated with many hotels around Asia Country allow traveler to made hotel booking on the AirAsia website. There are many users of this system such as individual traveler, corporate booking, travel agent booking or government booking. This system makes traveler more convenience because they can straightaway to book for the hotel accommodation after they book a flight in the same systems. Besides that, this system also provides users to make a comparison either in price, hotel rating or facility provided with other hotel booking website. AirAsia also provide traveler to search for better saving hotel accommodation as AirAsia having AirAsiaGo promotion such as mystery hotel and is lowest price guarantee. Mystery hotel is means that traveler pay 3-star rates hotel for accommodate at 5-star hotel but with terms and condition that is the hotel name will not be revealed but hints will be provided, such as the location, facilities found at the Mystery Hotel. Lowest price guarantee is to guarantee to customers that booking hotels with airasiago.com is definitely cheaper price compared to elsewhere online. AirAsia can achieved this by refund the price difference to those customers that able to find lower hotel rates on any other website as compared to the booking made at airasiago.com (same time period and same hotel booking) and is subject to terms conditions. Customers just need to send email to [emailprotected] to claim for the price different. To book a hotel accommodation with AirAsia, customers can visit the AirAsia.com home page (http://www.airasia.com/my/en/home.html) in 6 easy steps as shown below. Step 1 Search Browse for the hotel accommodation by select your vacation city or region. Then, fill in the check-in and check-out date, select number of rooms that you want to book, select number of guest (adult or children) and stated the currency for the payment purpose. After you have key in all this information, now you can click the search and there will be process your requirement. Step 2 Select Now, the systems will be shown out the all hotels that meet the customers requirement. Customers can sort this hotel name view in either price or star rating. So, customers are required to click on the book now at the hotel slide that they choose. Then, customers also required to choose the Room type Features. Step 3 Options After that, customers also can add any additional activities to their itinerary such as airport transfer, our package and so on. Then, customers need to confirm their itinerary and simply click continue to the next process. Step 4 Travelers Detail Customers are required to fill in the contact information. Step 5 Payment Customers can choose for the payment method either credit card or debit card and make the payment. Step 6 Confirmation Once the payment is processed, the hotel accommodation itinerary will be shown and send to your email address Besides that, AirAsia also has cooperated with travel agent to allow travel agent to publish their tour package on AirAsia website. This system has beneficial for those individual that had book flight and hotel accommodation on the AirAsia website to browse for the tour package available and book for their prefer tour package. So, traveler no needs to find other travel agency to book for the travel package. Hence, this will reduce cost such as communication to travel agency and time to confirm the booking as this system can instant confirm on website. Next, AirAsia also got provide destination guide to users for vacation purpose. This is beneficial to those who going to plan for vacation but no idea for the vacation place, then they can search for this systems on AirAsia website. This system will show all the interesting and famous place for vacation around the Asia Country. For example, is Ocean Park and Hong Kong Disneyland at Hong Kong, gold coast at Australia and so on. This systems is easy to use, traveler just need to click on destination guide under the travel info, then just click the destination place that their wan t to know more. User also can choose for detailed information on dining, sightseeing, culture, art theater, nature eco, shopping of the country. This will help travelers that plan for vacation to decide and choose their prefer vacation place. AirAsia also provides a system that allows users to search for the event calendar so that they can plan to go to the event activity. This system also quite easy for the user as it just clicks on the event calendar under the travel info. This system is beneficial to those travelers who want to go for some of the special event activity such as Macau Food Festival, Halloween Hong Kong Treats, Hong Kong Sinfonietta Accompanies Hong Kong Ballet in The Nutcracker, Christmas in the Tropics, Walkerhill Show Legend of Flower and so on because travelers can check for the time this activity happen on AirAsia website. Question 2 (b) Add new cruises booking One of the services or functions that can be add to the current AirAsia website systems to provide cruises booking for users. Future users of this system might include individual, couple, family or group booking, corporate booking, travel agent booking or government booking. Couple may like to have a honeymoon cruise trip or having a memorable cruise wedding. Besides that, cruises is also one of the choice for family, friends or company trip as there have a lot of activities ranging from snorkelling and biking to sauna and spa treatments. This service would increase sales to AirAsia because this cruise package is in very high demand. So, AirAsia should implement this service into the current system website so that users can book for the cruise package. The way of booking this cruise package system is almost same as the hotel booking systems. Besides that, this system also can provide some theme for user to select such as family cruises, luxury cruises, holiday cruise, week end cruise and so on. User can book this theme cruise by click on the Cruise them promotion. If user is more likely to choose the destination and time by themselves, they can search by following steps. First, user need to search for their prefer cruise destination and the duration time for the cruise. Then, user is required to fill in the departure month and date. Anyway, the systems would ask users how flexible are they for the departure date such as expand their search to include days before and after their preferred departure date because it is unlike flights, cruises dont depart every day from every port. Next, user also need to select their prefer cruise line and cruise ship. Lastly, user required to select the cruise departure port and stated the currency for the payment purpose. Now, user can click search. Second, the systems will process all the information and shown out all the available cruise. User can sort this cruise view in either price or ship rating. Now, user need to choose their prefer cruise and click on the select button at the cruise slide that they choose. Third, user can search for the availability of the entertainment or activity on the cruise ship such as Bars, Clubs Lounges, Casino Gambling, Spa, Sports Fitness, Shops, Leisure, Enrichment, Kids Families and so on. This can help user to planning for this activity on the cruise. User also can view the cruise Itinerary at here such as time of arrive or departure at which place. Besides that, user also can look for the availability and the price for the dinning. After the user has know all about the cruise information and confirm for this cruise package then they can click continue for further process. Now, user need to select the number of passengers (Adults or children). User also required to choose their dinning preferences either personal choice dining or second dining. Then, user need to select the table size either medium , small or large. Lastly, user must enter their contact information. Then, user need to specify what type of stateroom category that wants to book such as Suite, Balcony Stateroom, Oceanview Stateroom and Interior Stateroom. Fifth, user need to key in all detailed information. User are required to check the billing information and the contact information. Now, user needs to pay for this cruise package either in debit or credit card. This system can generate more sales for the AirAsia and get more users to use the AirAsia website to plan and book for vacation. Question 2 (a) Functions: Payment methods, 1-Click Card and multi currency pricing system From the system that we have chosen, I would like to discuss about the payment function that are available for AirAsia booking system. Every traveller who purchases their ticket from the website or mobile phone is requiring making the payment prior their purchase. After they have entered their guest information and the additional service that they needed, they are require to choose which payment option and method they would like to use. The payment options are VISA, Master Card or American Express and they can use credit card or debit card, e-gift voucher and direct debit to pay it. Let look at them one by one to see how to use this method to make payment. For the credit or debit card payment, it is the same as the normal way of payment that we use to pay for things that we purchase online. The travellers are required to choose the type of card that they would like to use to make their payment. Then enter their card details on the screen and billing address. They must ensure that the information is the same with the credit or debit card information. Before click on the word Pay to make the payment, they must double check whether the final amount and guest name are correct. After that, be patient to wait for around 45 second for the system to process the transaction. When it is successful, their travel itinerary will automatically appear for them to print and it is also email to them. Direct Debit is another method where the travellers can choose to make their payment. First, they must click on the Direct Debit tab and choose their preferred Bank for payment. There are Maybank, Public Bank. CIMB Clicks, AmOnline and BankRakyat. After selecting the bank that they would like to use, there will be pop-up windows on their preferred bank. They are required to login to their bank account in order to process the payment. To perform the transaction, they must select the account and confirm the payment details by clicking Next. Verify the account by key in their Identification Code (IC) or Passport Number and click Confirm to precede the transaction. Before log out from the page, they must print their payment details for future reference. Once all this is done, the travel itinerary will be display. Traveller can also pay using the E-Gift Voucher (EGV). They can get the EGV by purchasing it online or get it as a gift from AirAsia. They can use it by key in the E-Gift Voucher Number and password. If they have more than one voucher, click on + to add the next voucher by key in the number and password. When there are any remaining balances after deduction from the voucher, they need to pay it using credit or debit card. So they must click on the Credit / Debit Card tab to proceed. Then they must do the same process as the credit or debit card payment explained in the second paragraph. After all the payment, the travel itinerary will appear for print. In additional, there are this new features added to bring convenience to travellers who always purchase flight ticket using the credit or debit card. This is called 1-Click Card. It will change the way they can complete their payment as previous. Now, they do not need to fumble and rush to key in their card details. Before they are able to use this 1-Click Card, they must add their favourite cards into the list on their account. How can they do so? They must login their account in AirAsia.com and go the My Profile. Then move the mouse to My 1-Click Card and select Add/Delete details. They are required to add on their card details for all the mandatory fields and save it. However, they can only add a maximum of 3 cards in this feature. So whenever they need to book any ticket online no matter through web or mobile, they can just click on the card they want to use for purchase without key in the details. Besides that, AirAsa has currently cooperated with The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) to provide a multi-currency pricing system to it online system. These systems enable the travellers can immediately get the actual price that they are paying according to their country currency. This could enhance the company online sales by eliminate the uncertainty of exchange rates fluctuation. For now, the currencies available for online sales are US dollar, Singapore dollar, Hong Kong dollar, pound, and Australian dollar. Question 2 (b) Improvement on the payment system There are many customer complaints that they face problems when they are making payment for their flight ticket. When they have finish entering all their card details and click Pay, some of them may even get a page stated that our site is experiencing high traffic, please try again later after they key in the payment details especially during promotion period, facing an error or connection problem. Some may also face problem when they tends to make payments for two different routes flight. For example, there are these customers who plan to help his friends to purchase the flight ticket using his account. For the current system, he can only make the booking by finish the first booking before book for the second flight. But there are these chances where he has successfully paid for the first ticket and when he purchase for the second ticket, he now face an error that state that the payment was unsuccessful. Therefore, as an improvement, I would like suggest to AirAsia that they should upgrading its payment system that enables the customer to book two different route tickets with just one payment with his credit or debit card. How to do so? First, AirAsia should meet with the bank officer that that they have relation on the system and those IT management team to discuss on how to apply this function to the current booking system. After all the discussion, they must design the system to apply. They can put an extra box in the booking section where they can tick on whether they are purchasing more than one ticket. If they tick it, they will be shown with two columns for them to enter the destination and date they are going. After entering it, they will be shown with two fare prices for the different route tickets and they are required to choose. Then they have to enter two type of information. One is for the first trip guest information then another for the second trip as they may be different guest. After all the booking details, they come to the page where they need to make the payments. Now the system must be able to sum up the total price for both of the ticket purchase and the additional charges on other services. Then the customers choose on the payment method that they wanted to use and click Pay. So they are now able to make two ticket purchases with just one time of payment. For the bank site, they must enable the customer to make their payment online although it might be a huge sum. Their customer service centre can also call the customer and confirm on their purchases. With this planning and designing, they must test on this system to see which one is more workable or not on the current system before implementing. It must also be user friendly for the customers to use. So with this new function, the customers can now book ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok and ticket from Melbourne to Taipei with one payment with their credit or debit card. It is now easier and time saving for the customer as they can save their time to purchase it two times. It is also reduce the chances for them to get the error problem. Question 2(a) Functions: Skybus, Skyvan, advertising, Help and Info Airasia creates airline system to provide useful and convenient for the users. Through the website, we know that Airasia provides a variety of services including skybus, skyvan and advertising. Skybus is a transport that offer low cost price in addition to quality service. Besides that, point to point shuttle service is provided from KL Sentral or One Utama to low cost carrier terminal and vice versa. There are 40 seater air conditioned coaches and also provides adequate space. The time taken from One Utama or KL Sentral to LCC-T is estimated at 1 hour 15 minutes and the ticket charged for KL Sentral is RM9 and One Utama is RM15. Skyvan provides door-to-door van service that will get you to the city such as LCCT, Genting Highlands, Port Dickson, Cameron Highlands, Melaka and so on. It is available from 9am to 9pm.But if u gets a ride between 6 am to 9am and 9pm to 11 pm, you will be surcharged rm20 per van. You will also be charge extra 30 percentage of total cost if it is in the middle of the night. At the same times, the prices are charged in different way which depends on sharing or charter. Advertising is also available on airline system. We learnt that there are few companies that have collaborated with skybus such as Airasia, Maxis and Digi. There are three types of advertisement for allowing companies to advertise including bus painting advertisement, on board advertisement and websites advertisement. The airline system also added few tabs at website including schedule, photo gallery, newsroom and help and info. As we know skybus schedule, it operates daily throughout the year, including public holidays. During peak-season, bus ran at a 15 minutes interval and 30 minutes interval off peak. Therefore, it is convenience for us to get ride straight away and no time is wasted. One of the tabs of Airasia is photo gallery at airline system. We could have a look at various type of Lcct opening, new buses1, new buses 2, skyvan and award. Besides that we could at least figure out the image of the skybus and skyvan from the front view and back view. The photos also prove the awards they have received. In order to let many users know about the latest event, Airasia will updated the advertisement on the home page. For example, they provide bus services to Sepang circuit from 8 April to 10 April 2011.The airline system also provide the detail of skybus schedule and price ticket. Furthermore, airline system also provides newsroom. It has posted lots of articles about skybus from newspaper such as news trait times, star metro and the edge Malaysia. It can enhance people knowledge and increase the reliability of Malaysia. Moreover, Help and Info is provided by Airasia. For enquires and customer services, user can contact them by reaching+6(016)-2176950 from 9 am to 10p.m.Another choice is sending a letter or email to them. In addition, it also provides FAQ and term and condition. In order to improve the service, t hey also created online feedback on online system so that people will give more opinion and Airasia appreciates the compliment from the users by posting them on the wall to share it with everyone. From the above information, users can compare among the airline services (Airasia, Mas airline and firefly )which are more convenient for them. For example, they may find out that Malaysia airline do not provide low cost transport such as skybus. For people who are of average family, they are not willing to spend on expensive transportation fee. Due t o economic crisis, most of people try to do research for the cost and make a budget for themselves. To determine whether is it worth or not, they may want information about flight ticket and transport fee charged by airline and also include the time taken from airport to their destination Most of the users using the airline system are travel agency, businessman, traveler and employees. They interact directly with the system. Travel agency helps their customer to book their flight ticket or prepurchases the ticket and then offers attractive package to their customer. Whereas, businessman is a person who is a workaholic and need to fly around the worlds in order to meet their client. As for traveler, they would like to travel overseas when they are free. Therefore, they are end users who interact with system directly. Besides that, employee manages the system by replying generic question or providing further information to their customers. In order to purchase tickets, first and foremost, you must select your departing and arriving cities. Select number of guest (adult or children) and stated the currency for the payment purpose. After you have key in all this information, now you can click the search and there will be process your requirement. Next, you will need to select flight schedule which will be displayed with fare and travel time. The following steps are user must key in their contact detail and personal detail. After that, you will be asked whether pre-purchase ticket or not. If you choose to pre-purchase, you will need to choose your destination (One Utama/ KL Sentral). Finally, you made the payment by using credit card or debit card. Airasia also provide information about bus service to Melbourne: foreign country Skybus information center of Melbourne airport provides a combined Metcard-Skybus ticket that is avail

Statistical Reasoning in Everyday Life :: essays research papers

Statistical Reasoning in Everyday Life This chapter taught me the importance of understanding statistical data and how to evaluate it with common sense. Almost everyday we are subjected to statistical data in newspapers and on TV. My usual reaction was to accept those statistics as being valid. Which I think is a fair assessment for most people. However, reading this chapter opens my eyes to the fact that statistical data can be very misleading. It shows how data can be skewed to support a certain group’s agenda. Although most statistical data presented may not seem to affect us personally in our daily lives, it can however have an impact. For example, statistics can influence the way people vote on certain issues. In evaluating statistical data one thing to consider is the measure that is used. By understanding the different statistical measurement tools and how they differ from one another, it is possible to judge whether a statistical graph can be accepted at face value. A good example is using the mean to depict averages. This was demonstrated by using the mean as a measure of determining the distribution of incomes. The mean income depicted was, $70,000 per year. At face value, it looks as though the sample population enjoys a rather high income. However, upon seeing individual salaries, it becomes obvious that only a few salaries are responsible for the high average income as depicted by the mean. The majority of the salaries were well under the $70,000 average. Therefore, the mean distributed income of $70,000 was at best misleading. By also looking at the median and mode measures of the income distributions, one has a clearer picture of the actual income distributions. Because this data contained extreme values, a standard deviation curve would have given better representation of salary distribution and would have highlighted the salaries at the high level and how they skewed the mean value. Another important concept outlined in this chapter is the correlation coefficient. The importance of this is being able to understand to what extent two things actually relate to each other. By having this awareness, we are better able to understand and function in the world we live in. I learned some key factors in making the determination whether statistical data is reliable: Consider the population sample and if it is representative of the inferences that the data is claiming.

How are tension and suspense created in The Signalman and The Red Essay

How are tension and suspense created in The Signalman and The Red Room? My aim is to analyse the way which tension suspense is built up in two Victorian stories – ‘The Red Room’ (by H.G Wells) and ‘The Signalman’ (by Charles Dickens). These two successful authors were both well known for using suspense and tension in their stories. Wells has written many classical books, which include â€Å"The Time Machine† and â€Å"War of the Worlds†. Dickens has written other illustrious books, such as â€Å"Christmas Carol†, â€Å"Great Expectations†, and â€Å"Oliver Twist†. Also in my analysis I will be briefly mentioning â€Å"The Clubfooted Grocer† (by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), â€Å"The Monkey’s Paw† (by W. Jacobs) and â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† by (Edgar Allan Poe). All of these celebrated stories, like most Victorian stories, are short and their genre is gothic horror. Short gothic horror stories were the main form of entertainment in this time period, as there was a lack of electricity then. These stories are strongly related to Victorian beliefs, which were mainly superstition. The reason for this is that the Victorians were slightly uneducated, and didn’t know better. Ghosts, witches, supernaturalism and black magic were the main focus of these short stories. ‘The Signalman’ provides a fine example into how Victorian railways differ from those ones today. Victorian railways were extremely dangerous, and a signalman’s job was exceptionally strenuous and demanding. The story is basically about a hard-working signalman, who claims to have seen a spectre, warning him about future events. ‘The Red Room’ is more directly related to superstition. It is about a relatively young and fearless man entering a ‘haunted’ room, which apparently contains... ...the ending of ‘The Signalman’ is too abrupt, although tension was still created by the tragedy of the signalman. However, the main difference is that in ‘The Red Room’, the reader can actually decide what happens, but in ‘The Signalman’ he cannot. However despite all this, I still believe that these short stories still provide the reader with a thrilling encounter of suspense and tension. I believe that to make a story mysterious and full of suspense you need to create mystery because mystery in the present creates suspense in the future. You must not reveal everything to the reader and leave them to figure it out for themselves. It should keep the reader guessing right till the end of the story. Again, I believe that both these stories achieve this remarkably well and cover all of these points to make the stories full of mystery, suspense and tension.

My life in time :: essays research papers

Today I am an old women. My life is nearly over I am 95 life was hard as a youngster in my days but in the end I always made it out of the hard times. I have gone through a lot in my life I have seen my parents pass and my friends but I will never forgot the times we spent together because it always made us stronger. When I was a little girl my momma would always tell me. Love never fails and that is true no matter the drama or the hardships as long as you have love it never will fail. In my long life I have learned all of that. I had a strong family and we always made it out of our hard times at the age of 4 my father walked out on our family. I always had hate for my father for leaving my 3 siblings and I with a single mother. My mom always made it through the hard times she was a strong women. This shaped my life I never was able to trust or to give my heart out until I met my best friend Nadine. We shared a lot of memories together and we were the best of friends she was the one I would cry to and tell all my feelings to. She would always listen to me and I wouldn’t be judged because she had a love that never failed. As I recall I remember one time Nadine running to me in the middle of the night crying her eyes out he parents were murdered. I cried all night with her and washed her tears away I was afraid with her and didn’t know what to do I scared. My mom took her in as her child so not only was Nadine my best friend but she was also my sister. My mother met a man name sam he was the best man my mom could have ever found. He took me in as his own child and I loved him dearly. He was the father that I always wanted. We had many happy days together but in the mid- 1800's all this would change and my life would have another bump and dramatically changed my life forever. Chase 2 There was a thousand of us who were going to make the long journey from Missouri to Oregon.

Effect of Media Violence on Children Essay

1. Executive Summary Purpose of the Study: To identify the most desired groups of customers and the need states that can best serve and then redesigns its marketing practices to target them. Particularly when reacting to competitive moves over time. Considering the increasingly competitive retail environment described in the competitor moves, these methods are adequate. Major findings: This study helped us to establish that merchandizing has potential to increase periodic sale more than 30%. The aspect of a consumer is buying behavior we found that merchandizing is fully capable change the impulsive buying decision of the customer and it influence to increase the awareness related to the product. Further, we set up that merchandizing is helpful tool to expand the customer portfolio. Conclusions: The study concluded that merchandizing is a device to enhance the accessibility, Small to the Left, and Large to the Right, At Eye and Hand Level. Merchandizing is perceived as marketing channel along the other very strong channels like television, and other Medias. Merchandising is helping merchants to finally understand and influence consumer behavior by blending science-based insights about price, promotion and assortment with the artful judgments of experienced merchants that will always be necessary. Recommendations: Generally, there are three ways to present product. You can: * Shelve it on a table, platform, riser, fixture or wall shelf. * Hang it on a wall bracket, peg hook, hangar, and panel or floor fixture. * Combine shelving and hanging in a multiple presentation. * To be effective, cross-presented merchandise must relate in a logical way, such as: Coordinating items that would be used together, such as pasta, sauces pasta cookware and pasta cookbooks * Items that are colour coordinated * A range of products that offer customers choice within a particular category such as cappuccino or espresso coffee-makers and plain or patterned dinnerware that can be mixed and matched * Products that offer themed ideas such as baby gifts, stocking stuffers or a fondue story. Cross-merchandising pays off best when located in prime real estate areas such as: * Strike zones – along aisles and on end-caps * Focal points -near service areas such as cash desks or fitting rooms 2 Problem Definition: 3.1 Background of the Problem: The era of product-centric retail management is giving way to one in which market leaders apply a more strategic, more targeted, more localized approach to communicating a value proposition to their customers. Top-performing retailers, realizing they cannot be everything to everybody, are now taking a more consumer-centric approach to merchandising, creating competitive advantages and differentiating themselves in the highly competitive retail industry. Consumer-Centric Merchandising is a way of planning and executing pricing, promotion, assortment and other plans, driven by a deep understanding of customers, consumer demand, and the competitive marketplace vying for attention and wallet share. Consumer-Centric Merchandising is enabled by advanced science that taps into rich data sources and extracts insights that were never before available to support merchandising decision-makers. It enables better decisions in such critical areas as everyday pricing; promotion planning; merchandising support, timing and depth of markdowns; and assortment. It supports tailoring of merchandising to match demand variations across geographies and customer segments and it enables better forecasting. For the leading retailers now putting it into practice, Consumer-Centric Merchandising is also breaking down the walls between marketing and merchandising, creating synergies that drive exceptional, positive impact on price image and customer loyalty, sales volume, and the bottom line. Big-box retailers don’t gamble. They rely on systems that play to the strengths of efficient supplier and distribution networks. They deliver bulk-rate items to a generic customer base, which forces you and other competing retailers to gamble on pricing and promotions to try and keep pace. These levers can’t be left to chance. Merchandising, Promotions, Regular Pricing, Markdowns, Product Assortment, and Placement are important motivators of the shopping experience that can differentiate your store from your competitors in the minds of the consumer. To improve the odds, you need a suite of consumer demand applications as the Agha’s super store supply network to take the gamble out of your merchandising strategies. Refers to a detailed understanding of a retailer’s customers – in terms of who they are, what they do in that retailer’s store, and what they do outside the store. It includes an understanding of what they buy and why. Insights are based on market basket analysis of T-Log data, loyalty card data to analyze identified transactions over time, panel data, and other sources. It permits segmentation of customers based on lifestyle, shopping behavior, and value. 3.2 Statement of the Problem To understand the impact of merchandising on following: Periodic Sales: – To evaluate whether periodic sale increase or no tangible effect after lunching a merchandising campaign. To analyze changes in impulsive buying behavior of consumer, this is finally a factor to change the periodic sales. Consumer’s response: – To assess that how will consumers respond to merchandising. To understand will merchandising support retailer to more accurately predict the outcome of its own pricing and promotion actions, and to learn when to anticipate a competitive response. 3 Approach to the problem 4.3 The Design–Methods and Procedures: Research Design: A framework or blueprint for conducting the marketing research project. It specifies the details of the procedures necessary for obtaining the information needed to structure and/or solve marketing research problem. Research design has two major categories. I. Exploratory Research Design. II. Conclusive Research Design. Exploratory Research Design: One type of research design, which has as its primary objective the provision of insights into and comprehension of the problem situation confronting the researcher. Conclusive Research Design: Research designed to assist the decision maker in determining, evaluating and selecting best course of action to take in a given situation. It has further two categories which are as follows. a) Casual Research. b) Descriptive Research. Casual Research: A type of conclusive research where the major objective is to obtain evidence regarding cause and effect (casual) relationship. Descriptive Research: One type of conclusive research that has as its major objective the description of something, usually market characteristics or functions. Descriptive researches are further divided into two classes. a. Longitudinal Design b. Cross Sectional Design Longitudinal Design: One type of research design involving a fixed sample of population elements that is measured repeatedly on the same variable. The sample remains same over time, thus providing a series of pictures which, when viewed together portray an illustration of the situation and changes that are taking place over time. Cross Sectional Design: A type of research design involving the collection of information from any given sample of population elements only once. It is further divided in two groups. * Single Cross Sectional Design * Multiple Cross Sectional Design Single Cross Sectional Design: A cross sectional design in which one sample of respondents is drawn from the target population and information is obtained from this sample once. Multiple Cross Sectional Design: A research design in which there are two or more samples of respondents, and information from each sample is obtained only once. We have applied the descriptive research design to conduct the study to estimate the impact of consumer centric merchandising on consumer response, impulsive buying decision and periodic sales. Sampling: There are two major groups of sampling methods 1. Probability Sampling 2. Non- Probability Sampling Probability Sampling: A sampling procedure in which each element of population has a fixed probabilistic claim of being selected for the sample. The Probability Sampling is further divided into four classes. I. Simple Random Sampling (SRS) II. Systematic Simple Random Sampling III. Cluster Sampling IV. Stratified Sampling Simple Random Sampling (SRS): A probability sampling technique in which each element in the population has known and equal probability of selection. Every element is selected independently of every other element and sample is drawn by random procedure from a sampling frame. Systematic Simple Random Sampling: A probability sampling technique in which the sample is chosen by selecting a random starting point and than picking every ith element in succession from the sampling frame. Cluster Sampling: First, the target population is divided into mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive subpopulations called clusters. Then, a random sample of clusters is selected based on probability sampling technique such as simple random sampling. For each selected cluster, either all the elements are included in the sample or a sample of elements is drawn probabilistically. A common factor of cluster sampling is area sampling, in which the clusters consist of geographic areas. Stratified Sampling: A probability sampling technique that uses a two-step process to partition the population into subpopulations, or strata. Elements are selected from each stratum by random procedure. The variables used to partition the population into strata are referred to as stratification variable. The criteria for the selection of these variables consist of homogeneity, heterogeneity and relatedness. Non- Probability Sampling: Sampling techniques that do not use chance selection procedures. Rather, they rely on the personal judgment of the researcher. The Non-Probability Sampling is further divided into four categories. a) Convenience Sampling b) Judgmental Sampling c) Quota Sampling d) Snowball Sampling Convenience Sampling: A non-probability sampling technique that attempts to obtain a sample of convenient elements. The selection of sampling units is left primarily to the researcher. Judgmental Sampling: A form of convenience sampling in which the population elements are purposely selected based on the judgment of the researcher. Quota Sampling: A non-probability sampling technique that is a two-stage restricted judgmental sampling. The first stage consists of developing control categories or quotas of population of elements. In the second stage, sample elements are selected based on the convenience of judgment. Snowball Sampling: A non-probability sampling technique in which an initial group of respondents is selected randomly, Subsequent respondents are selected based on the referrals or information provided by the initial respondents. This process may be carried out in waves by obtaining referrals from referrals. Sampling Method Applied: To conduct the study the non-probability sampling technique was applied. In non-probability sampling further quota sampling method has been employed. The reason for selection of quota sampling was depress and odd target population (retail outlets) in Karachi. Sample Size: Total sample of 26 respondents was selected for this study. Thirteen respondents (retail outlets) were selected from each district of Karachi. Data Collection: The data was collected through a questionnaire of about three pages & a screener of one page the retail outlets those were dealing in FMCG products (who at least had good exposure of merchandising with in last six month). The data was collected by researcher his own-self through face to face interviews. Data Analysis: The open ended questions were transformed in to quantitative form through coding techniques. Then collected data was entered in SPSS and analyzed through statistical and inferential tools of SPSS. The data have been presented in tables, and graphs format. With the help of these tables and graphs we have drawn a conclusion followed by a final recommendation in the shape of formal report.

Communication Style Case Study Essay

Communication style is the method used to deliver our messages to others. Its outcome is affected by the style chosen by the individual to relay our message. The different styles are passive, assertive, aggressive, passive-aggressive. Throughout my experience in healthcare, I have either witness or taken part in different situations that used different styles of communication. There are three specific personal scenarios that come to mind when I think about the different styles of communication. First Personal Scenario During a nursing school hospital rotation I was assigned to follow a registered nurse and witness communication between the nurse and client. The nurse entered the clients room and without a courteous greeting such as good morning or a simple hello stated, â€Å"Mrs. Jones here is your medication.† The client responded, â€Å"I do not want it. All you do all day is give me too much medication.† The nurse replied with a firm tone of voice and eye rolling, â€Å"You have to take it. How do you expect to get better if you do not take your medicine?† Both the nurse and client used aggressive communication. The nurse could prevent the conflict with the client had she initiated an assertive style of communication. To improve the communication the nurse should respond assertively with a moderate voice pitch, a relaxed body stance, acknowledge the clients feelings, and encourage the client to address her concerns (Arnold & Boggs, 2011). Also the nurse should explain why the client is being given the medication to help the client understand the reason. According to Hansten and Jackson (2009), to make communication clear we must explain why we need to take such actions. In this scenario the outcome using an aggressive style will lead to failure to achieve a client focused therapeutic relationship. Instead the client feels that they  cannot trust the nurse and respond aggressively. Trust is an essential component to a therapeutic relationship (Arnold & Boggs, 2011). Had the nurse approached the client with a simple greeting followed by the name of medication and the reason for taking it, perhaps the client would have been more willing to be compliant with the recommended care. Second Personal Sce nario Recently I witness a situation where a nursing assistant was sitting at the nursing station and the nurse was walking by holding medications and a water cup in her hand. The nurse asked the nursing assistant, â€Å"The call light is on in room five and I need to give another client his medications. Would you please see what the client needs.† The nursing assistant crosses her arms and replies, â€Å"I am tired of these lazy nurses. I always have to do everything.† The nurse rolled her eyes and replied, â€Å"Just do your job and do what I asked.† In this situation the nursing assistant responded aggressively. The nurse first used the assertive style then replied using the aggressive style. Instead the nurse should have been consistent with an assertive response. For example she could of replied without rolling her eyes, using a medium voice pitch, abstain from insults, and acknowledge the other persons feelings (Hansten & Jackson, 2009). The other person is more likely to listen if they are not feeling insulted and preventing the conflict from escalating (Hansten & Jackson, 2009). Also, conflict should be addressed and not ignored to resolve it (Arford, 2005). In this situation the poor communication caused a lack of trust and took the focus away from the clients care. This in turn can cause retaliation among peers and jeopardize quality client care. Both conflicting parties are forgetting that their goal is to provide quality client focus care and collaboration is essential to deliver it. Collaboration helps accomplish better outcomes than one person alone (Arford, 2005). Third Personal Scenario I had a personal situation where the doctor ordered for a twenty-four hour urine collection. The procedure involves collecting the urine immediately after the client voids and transferring it to a special container kept on ice, to preserve the urine. I informed my nursing assistant, â€Å"I started a twenty-four hour urine collection in room 5. Can you please make sure to  check frequently for urine in the bedside commode and place it in the collection container.† The nursing assistance replied, â€Å"Ok. I will.† The next time I went into the clients room I noticed the ice where the container is kept had melted. I then replaced the ice and told my nursing assistant, â€Å"I noticed the ice had melted in room five. Please check on the ice levels hourly.† She replied, â€Å"Ok. I will.† It seemed as if every time I checked on the ice levels they had melted. I found myself frustrated and ended replacing the ice myself to get the job done correctly. I reali ze now that my communication with my assistant was non-assertive. My assistant was passive in her response. I failed to assess my assistant’s level of understanding of the procedure and instead I lost trust and became frustrated. Communication should be clear, complete and explain why we need a task done a certain way (Hansten & Jackson, 2009). If I would of taken the extra time to explain the reason why we keep specimens on ice perhaps my assistant would of taken the time to do the task. In return I would have been able to attend to others duties had I been able to trust my assistant. Instead my message was incomplete and my reaction demonstrated a lack of trust toward my assistant. References Arford, P. H. (2005, March/April). Nurse-physician communication: An organizational accountability. Nursing Economics, 23(2), 72-77. Retrieved on March 16, 2014, from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/docview/2369346accountid=458 Arnold, E., & Boggs, K. U. (2011). Interpersonal relationships: Professional communication skills for nurses (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier/Saunders. Hansten, R. I., & Jackson, M. (2009). Clinical delegation skills: A handbook for professional practice (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.