Results of Child Abuse Survey :: Primary Research on Child Abuse

The primary method was conducted using a series of distributed questionnaires to shaverren for my research. The reasons why I used questionnaires are because I think I leave behind obtain appropriate and honest responses which relates to their personal experiences. The data collected was then categorized by data into gender, term from age 8 to10, age 11 to 13, age 14 to16, age 17 to 19 and type of abuse. The surveys were equally distributed, a total of 13 surveys were handed taboo to children between 8-18 years of age that have been victims of child abuse/ neglect. The questionnaire consisted of 22 questions divided into five parts multiple choice, background, open, rank order and attitude questions. The answers to most questions were suggested for consistency, and they could be ticked in boxes in a multiple choice format. This survey looked at two different groups of children, males and females. The aim of this research is to find out if child abuse has an effect on the intellec tual and emotional development of the child and if it has effect on their adulthood. Primary Research FindingsThe respondents were asked 22 questions in the questionnaires. In the questionnaire I asked their age group, gender, who their abuser was, if the child was abused physically, sexually, emotionally, or psychologically and if they were mistreated because their parent or parents were abused as a child. I also asked if the child was ever arrested or aerated for a criminal act and if answered yes then what was the reason why they arrested or charged. I surveyed The information gotten from the respondents is most out of 13 children 40 percent of them are between the ages of 8 to10 and 29 percent were between the ages of 11to13 and 31 percent abused between the ages of 14 to 16. I have found out that out of 13 children 6 of them are females that are victims of child abuse and the remaining children are males. Most of the children were abused by a step-parent or a parent. atomic n umber 53 of the important information that I have found out is that majority of the children were physically or emotionally abused as a child at times and very often. Most of the children reported that they were either being mistreated by a parent(s) who were abused as a child or the abuser have problems with drugs or alcohol.

Free Essay on Homers Odyssey: Hospitality :: Homer Odyssey Essays

Hospitality in Homers Odyssey Hospitality Greek philoxenia literally love of strangers. Homer might have had much(prenominal) a definition in mind when he introduced the theme of hospitality to his epic poem the Odyssey. A multitude of reasons for the prominent position this theme plays, some(prenominal) in the Odyssey and perhaps in Homers own society, are hinted at in the introductory books, oftentimes referred to as the Telemachy. Just two of these, videlicet the hunger for news and the belief in divinity, are illustrated by the words and actions of the hosts Telemakhos and genus Nestor. The first words the reader hears from young Telemakhos are those of greeting to an unknown visitor. set the stranger in an elaborate throne to one side, providing finely worked implements, and acquiring generous portions of food and drink, Telemakhos displays the very soul of hospitality. Why? The poet states in Book 1, path 167 he wished privacy to ask for news/about his father, gone f or years. The island of Ithaka and indeed the whole of Greece were composed of isolated pockets of civilization. Travel on the unpredictable sea and oer the mainlands mountainous terrain was no easy feat therefore news of the world by any means, even at the mouth of strangers, was welcomed and well-rewarded with hospitality. Nestors case is somewhat more entertaining. Arriving amidst a sacrificial feast to the god Posidon, Telemakhos and Athena-as-Mentor are greeted by a crowd of celebrants and invited by one son of Nestor to recline in comfort close to the lord himself, honored further by being given the opportunity to make libations to the sea god from a precious golden cup. Did Nestor believe these two were emissaries of or one even the great earth shaker himself? Probably not, but one dirty dog never be too certain in a society in which Gods are purported to walk among men. Greek culture of the time relied heavily on divination and searched constantly for omens as seen in the repeated motif of bird signs. The auspicious arrival of the pair likely suggested something of importance to the aged lord. As it happens, Poseidon was off the beaten track(predicate) off among the sunburnt races being regaled by smoke of thighbones burning at the moment and Nestor had to make due with a disguised, grey-eyed goddess of wisdom and war (Book 1, lines 36 and 39). Perhaps such cases of visiting deities were not as common in Homers Ionian Asia-Monor however, there are numerous tales of prominent dignitaries, often viewed with god-like awe, traveling incognito.

French Revolution Essay -- essays research papers

The French Revolution lasted from 1789 to 1799. Althoughthere were several factors that made the French Revolutionpossible, such as population growth, the expansion of themiddle classes, and the tog up of an informed public, therewere three immediate causes of the Revolution. One was thediminished authority of the royal government. Another wasthe revolt by the nobility, who sensed a weakeningmonarchy. The troika cause was the crop failure.The government of France was in a financial crisis. Thecountry was deeply in debt from the financing of the wars ofLouis XIV. To deal with the nations economic problems,Louis sixteen called for a meeting of the the three estatess General in1789.The Estates General was made up of representatives fromeach of the three social classes, or Estates. The First Estateconsisted of the clergy, the Second Estate consisted of thenobility, and the Third Estate consisted of the commoners.The Third Estate, which made up 98 percent of thepopulation of France, w as underrepresented. Since theEstates General had to vote separately and by order, theThird Estate would near always be outvoted by the FirstEstate and the Second Estate who would get to vote first.Because of this, the Third Estate wanted its traditionalnumber of representatives to be doubled so that it matchedthe other two orders put together. When Louis XVI refusedtheir demand, the Third Estate, led by Abbe EmmanuelSieyes, changed its name to the Nation...

Disappointment in Kate Chopins Story of an Hour Essay -- Story Hour e

Disappointment in The layer of an moment The Story of an Hour is a short story in which Kate Chopin, the author, presents an often unheard of view of marriage. Published in the late eighteen hundreds, the oppressive nature of marriage in The Story of an Hour may well be a reflection of, though not exclusive to, that era. Mrs. Louise mallard, Chopins main character, experiences the exhilaration of freedom rather than the forlornness of loneliness after she learns of her husbands death. Later, when Mrs. Mallard learns that her husband, Brently, still lives, she know that all hope of freedom is gone. The crushing disappointment kills Mrs. Mallard. Though Chopin relates Mrs. Mallards story, she does not do so in first person. Chopin reveals the story through a narrators voice. The narrator is not simply an observer, however. The narrator knows, for example, that Mrs. Mallard, for the most part, did not love her husband (paragraph 15). It is obvious that the na rrator knows much than can be physically observed. Chopin, however, never tells the reader what Mrs. Mallard is feeling. Instead, the reader must look into Mrs. Mallards actions and words in order to understand what Mrs. Mallard feels. Mrs. Mallard is held back in her marriage. The lines of her face bespoke repression (paragraph 8). When Mrs. Mallard learns of her husbands death, she knows that there will be no powerful will bending her (paragraph 14). There will be no husband who believes he has the right to impose a private will upon a fellow creature (paragraph 14). Mrs. Mallard acknowledges that her husband loved her.... ... life. When Brently walks in the door, though, Mrs. Mallard knows that she will defend to spend the rest of her life as no more than his wife, just as she had been. She knows that she will never be free. This is overly much for Mrs. Mallard to handle. Life had been grim before, with her looking forward to the years ahead with a shudd er (paragraph 19). Now that Mrs. Mallard has tasted what life might have been like without her husband, the idea of resuming her former life is unbearably grim. When Mrs. Mallard sees that her husband still lives, she dies, killed by the disappointment of losing everything she so recently thought she had gained. Work Cited Chopin, Kate. The Story of an Hour. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter, et al. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Lexington Heath, 1994. 644-46.

Hope in Oedipus at Colonus Essay -- Oedipus at Colonus Essays

Hope in Oedipus at Colonus The Greek tragedy Oedipus at Colonus was written by the renowned Greek playwright Sophocles at around 404 B.C.. In the play, considered to be one of the best Greek dramas ever written, Sophocles uses the now broken down and obsolescent Oedipus as a statement of hope for man. As Oedipus was royalty and honor before his exile from his kingdom of Thebes he is brought down to a poor, blind hoary man who wonders, Who will receive the wandering Oedipus today? (Sophocles 283) most of the time of his manners that is now as low as a peasants. Although condition ruler of Thebes has been blinded and desecrated to the point where he is a beggar, he will not give up on his life and on the life of his two daughters Antigone and Ismene, and his two sons Eteocles and Polynieces who were supposed to help their sorrowful father same true sons and true men but instead they tend the hearth like girls.(304). Yet Oedipus still gives praise to those who have helped him, hi s daughters Antigone and Ismene, although he has no sight, is poor, and his life is of no meaning to him, he recognizes honor and loyalty when he sees it Antigone from the time she left over(p) her childhood behind and came into full strength, has volunteered for grief, wandering with me, leading the old misery, hungryHard labor, but you endured it all, never a second though for home, a comme il faut life, so long as your father had some care and comfort. And you, child, in the early days, all unknown to Thebes you left the city, brought your father the oracles, and prophecy said to interrupt his life. You were my faithful guard, you took that part when I was an exile from the land (304). It would be hard to think of any suffering more overwhel... ...Hall, Inc. Englewood cliffs, New Jersey. 1968. Roche, Paul. The Oedipus Plays of Sophocles. The New English library Limited, London. New York and Scarborough, Ontario. 1958. Sophocles. The Three Theban Plays Antigone, Oedipus Th e King, Oedipus At Colonus. Penguin Books. New York, New York. 1982, 1984. Sophocles A collection of critical essays edited by Thomas Woodward Oedipus at Colonus. Whitman, Cedric H. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 1966. sketch I. Oedipus decency i. To daughters ii. To sons II. Appearance i. Characteristics ii. Clothing iii. Blinded iv. Confident III. Sufferings i. Murder of father/wed mother ii. Betrayed by sons iii. Exiled iv. Blinded/beggar IV. Divinity i. Prays to gods who are to punish him ii. Chooses direct of death V. Effect i. On Theseus ii. On man

Hope in Oedipus at Colonus Essay -- Oedipus at Colonus Essays

Hope in Oedipus at Colonus The Greek tragedy Oedipus at Colonus was written by the renowned Greek playwright Sophocles at about 404 B.C.. In the play, considered to be one of the best Greek dramas ever written, Sophocles uses the now broken down and old Oedipus as a statement of hope for man. As Oedipus was royalty and honor before his exile from his kingdom of Thebes he is brought down to a poor, blind old man who wonders, Who will receive the wandering Oedipus like a shot? (Sophocles 283) most of the time of his life that is now as low as a peasants. Although former ruler of Thebes has been blinded and desecrated to the point where he is a beggar, he will not give up on his life and on the life of his two daughters Antigone and Ismene, and his two sons Eteocles and Polynieces who were supposed to help their unhappy father like true sons and true men but instead they tend the hearth like girls.(304). Yet Oedipus still gives praise to those who have helped him, his daughters An tigone and Ismene, although he has no sight, is poor, and his life is of no meaning to him, he recognizes honor and loyalty when he sees it Antigone from the time she left her childhood behind and came into full strength, has volunteered for grief, wandering with me, hint the old misery, hungryHard labor, but you endured it all, never a second though for home, a decent life, so long as your father had most care and comfort. And you, child, in the early days, all unknown to Thebes you left the city, brought your father the oracles, and prophecy said to touch his life. You were my faithful guard, you took that part when I was an exile from the soil (304). It would be hard to think of any suffering more overwhel... ...Hall, Inc. Englewood cliffs, radical Jersey. 1968. Roche, Paul. The Oedipus Plays of Sophocles. The New English Library Limited, London. New York and Scarborough, Ontario. 1958. Sophocles. The Three Theban Plays Antigone, Oedipus The King, Oedipus At Colonus. Pen guin Books. New York, New York. 1982, 1984. Sophocles A collection of critical essays edited by Thomas Woodward Oedipus at Colonus. Whitman, Cedric H. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 1966. Outline I. Oedipus decency i. To daughters ii. To sons II. Appearance i. Characteristics ii. Clothing iii. Blinded iv. Confident III. Sufferings i. slaughter of father/wed mother ii. Betrayed by sons iii. Exiled iv. Blinded/beggar IV. Divinity i. Prays to gods who are to punish him ii. Chooses place of death V. Effect i. On Theseus ii. On man

Bottled Water vs Tap Water Essay

Water is vital to human life. human being can live for several weeks on irrigate alone. However, they cannot survive for more than a fewer days without it. In fact, a humans body primarily consists of 55% to 78% weewee (Geri Walton. ) Therefore, we need peeing. Life cannot exist without water. While about people prefer insobriety bottled water, others prefer crapulence tilt water. In fact, controversy has been placed on the quality and safety of drinking bottled water versus drinking hip-hop water. The bottled water industry has increased howling(a)ly.They offer several brands of water including mineral water, spring water, purified water and to a fault well water. Water also comes in m any different flavors. If you wish, you whitethorn also select carbonated water. In order to label these, each brand has to meet certain qualifications. They must be collected and strictly treated. The Food Standards Agency monitors bottled water. They adhere to rigorous guidelines as to wh at can and cannot be put on the label. Many believe that bottled water is untold healthier than tap water. It is free of bacteria.It is free from filthy chemicals. In fact, the levels of lead in bottled water are much lower than those in tap water. Bottled water is free from contamination and safer for drinking. It prevents harmful substances and organisms from entering into the body. Bottled water has to pass through a purification process. Many companies like to include the word pure in their advertising of campaigns and trademarks. They realize that many people find it secure in health benefits over other products. This guarantees high-quality drinking water.Bottled water provides compelling vitamins and minerals to the human body. satisfactory amounts of minerals are important for managing a healthy human system. There are numerous health benefits for drinking bottled water. In some countries, such as Europe, humanity believe that bottled waters have medicinal properties. It contains zero fat, calories and sugar. According to the International Bottled Water Association, one of the main health benefits of bottled water is that it can replace slight healthy beverages, such as soda, sweet tea, hot chocolate and sugary flavored coffees. (Ipatenco, Sara)In todays society, bottled water may be found any and everywhere, from offices to homes and restaurants across the country. It is rejuvenating, healthy and convenient to carry around. It is great for those on the go. An accessible bottle in your bag will immediately quench your thirst. Having bottled water may result in more fluid intake. Sufficient utilization of water is important for preventing dehydration and for keeping our bodies functioning properly.Although there are several benefits of drinking bottled water, more and more people are questioning if it is actually better than tap water. In fact, many believe that bottled water is not safer or purer than tap water. Many believe that tap water tastes j ust as good as bottled water. During a blind taste test in New York City, the greater part of the people actually preferred the taste of tap water over bottled water. Tap water is not hazardous or harmful. In fact, it is well-regulated and inspected hundreds of time per month by the Environmental Protection Agency.These agencies make certain tap water is free of harmful toxins and other bacteria. With tap water, you are more credibly to know what is in it. Tap water is tested cautiously. Every year, several tests are taken to ensure that tap water is as safe as it can possibly be. With strict standards, they are tested for micro-organisms and other chemicals and metals. It is also tested for water pathogens that could possibly cause intestinal problems. Tap water is still of fluoride and chloronation. The enamel-protecting fluoride reduces tooth decay and enhances oral health.It is a major ingredient in toothpastes, while chlorination kills bacteria. Tap water is much cheaper tha n bottled water. It is free Bottled water is extremely expensive compared to tap water. Bottled water companies make tens of billions of dollars per year. In todays society, people are paying so much for bottled water when they could actually get tap water practically free. In fact, bottled water costs 500 times more than tap water (MacKenzie, Ashley. ) By drinking tap water, you save a tremendous amount of money.Drinking tap water is better on our environment. Water bottles are thrown into landfills. It takes more than 700 years for shaping to decompose. Reducing the amount of plastic water bottles in landfills can save energy drastically. Drinking water from a glass or using a refillable steel bottle also saves resources. By drinking tap water, you save the planet. Tap water has some bacteria that are actually beneficial to your health. The human immune system mechanically strengthens its defenses against any possible harmful bacteria that it is exposed to.Our immune system is fa miliar with small amounts of bacteria and is equipped to prevent illnesses. For a fact, our bodies need water. Humans lose water every day through breathing, perspiration, urine and bowel movements. In order for our bodies to function properly, it is essential that we replenish it with water. Basically, bottled water and tap water come from the same sources lakes, springs and aquifers. They each have many benefits. One must decide as to which is best. What type of water will you drink bottled water or tap water? Make the healthy choice.

Holy War Inc Book Review

In pecker Bergens divine War, Inc, the reader is ushered finished a head-spinning trip around the globe that serves to high sluttish the far-reaching effects of Al Qaeda, a terrorist makeup that Bergen likens to a Multi-national holding company. While Bergen makes reference to similarities between the guidance of a Multi-national Corporation and that of al-Qaeda, it is seemingly not the primary focus of the support nor does it serve as a particularly suitable metaphor, especi exclusivelyy in light of the events that have transpired since the book was released.Despite the title of the book, Bergen does a fine job setting a backdrop to the organization and illustrating how it operates in an increasingly technologically intertwined creation system, as well as outlining accompanimentors contri more(prenominal)overed by the West. It seems there are few people on the planet who are as qualified as Peter Bergen to tackle as complex a task as explaining al-Qaeda to the masses. It i s a feat he has clearly accomplished though, evidenced by the fact that the book became a New York Times best seller, was named wiz of the best non-fiction books of 2001 by The Washington Post, and has been translated into eighteen different languages.Bergen has traveled extensively through Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi-Arabian Arabia to report on salt away Laden and Al-Qaeda. In 1997 Bergen brought the Western world bin Ladens get-go television interview as a producer for CNN. It was in this interview that Western audiences low gear heard bin Ladens declaration of war against the United States (1). Due to his extensive travel and research, Bergen displays an understanding and empathy, if not flat out admiration and sympathy for the Muslim struggle.He spends virtually no effort in further vilifying the terrorists, but concentrates or else on explaining the storey and want behind the attacks with vocabulary that is, at times, nearly poetic. This ranges from the descri ption of the hopelessly brave warriors whosuffered so much for their faith during the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, to the moving screw of watching Muslim men at prayer. He reflects on how the act of collective worship woven into the fabric of daily life is something we have just about entirely lost in the West (2).My personal favorite however, is his description of Pakistan during Ramadan where the mornings were chilly, but by midday the sun had warmed the velvet breezes that blew the turning leaves dark the trees (3). Apart from the eloquence employed in his writing, it is still most surprising the great lengths Bergen went through to assemble a case of innocence for Khaled al-Fawwaz, the man who had first arranged CNNs meeting with bin Laden and who was incidentally arrested by British authorities while Bergen was in Lon founder.Khaled is still being held in Britain chip extradition to the U. S. for his involvement in the bombings of the two U. S. embassies in East Africa despite Bergens construct of innocence (4). Bergen does not excuse the terrorist acts performed by al-Qaeda and the Taliban, but surely works to explain to the Western world the factors and policies that have contributed to their justification for violence. He is critical of the U. S. Government from the outset of the book where he examines U. S. ulpability for placing extremists in power and for providing an inventory of weapons still employed by Afghan extremists today. During the brutal Afghan war, the U. S. provided political and financial support as well as stinger missiles (via the Pakistani government) to the Hizb fellowship headed by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, an Islamic extremist who consistently placed the long-term goal of Islamic revolution over resistance to the Soviets(5). Bergen identifies Ahmed Shah Massoud, a moderate Islamic global as having been a better choice of leaders, but as they say, hindsight is 20/20.More importantly, Bergen seeks to establish the ignorance on which the United States policies have been formed. An Army Supervisor told Bergen that in his eight years in the Middle East that he had heard daily of how U. S. insurance policy was dead wrong. Though these are not Bergens own words, it seems this is the overriding message he seeks to convey. He makes it abundantly clear that the Muslim world has not made war on our culture, but rather on our politics, particularly pertaining to the melodic line of Saudi Arabia.He explains the fundamental difference between U. S. and Islamic thought the concept of the ability to separate the sacred and secular. In a land where the separation of church and state is held as a value, it is difficult to conceive a system where politics and religion are one in the same. As difficult as it is for us to imagine policy being dictated by religion, it is equally as difficult for them to perceive an occupation as anything less than an attack directly on Islam itself.In fact, our policies are rarely groun ded on moral principal, much less religion, unless there are first grounded in national interest. In the eyes of al-Qaeda, U. S. occupation of Saudi Arabia, a most holy place in the Islamic faith, is akin to sending jehad to the Vatican (6). Every military move the West has made in light of the Saudi occupation only furthers the belief that the U. S. seeks to dominate the Muslim world. This includes military exertion in Somalia and other predominantly Muslim countries in Africa, to the support of Israel, to the ongoing occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq.A little more(prenominal) than a year after this book was released, the U. S. and Saudi Arabia agreed that it was in both nations best interest for U. S. forces to leave the area. It does not seem, however, that this is having the effect on bin Laden that Bergen and U. S. policy makers had hoped for. According to the BBCs Arab personal matters analyst Magdi Abdelhadi, bin Laden will not be satisfied until all Muslim societies are liberated from foreign troops and what they see as ungodly secular rulers (7).Bergen further discourages American occupation by making note of Afghan history, marked by numerous foreign invasions that have consistently, and savagely been averted by Afghan warriors to the demise of their attackers. Bergen states that the British came to realize that to occupy Afghanistan was to invite disaster (8), a sentiment echoed last year by Saudi Prince Turki Al-Faisal in his assessment of the Obama Administrations goal to extract U. S. troops from Afghanistan. He states, Nobody, throughout history, has ever succeeded in conquering Afghanistan.Go back to Alexandrian times and more recently to Soviet times. Afghanistan has always been the deathbed of invading armies. (9). Support is given to these ideas rather than to the title, which I imagine was cooked up by Bergens publisher as a means to sell books to its target market, the capitalist West. There is no doubt that bin Laden and his family have been extraordinarily successful in their business ventures, funneling a great amount of the resulting wealth into terrorist organizations.To say, however, that al-Qaeda acts as a multi-national holding company is a stretch, at best. Bergen himself defines the structure of a holding company as controlling partial or complete interests in other companies(10). Even this limited definition does not seem to apply to al-Qaedas methods, but when the definition is extended out further, it seems to become even less applicable. A holding company provides a means of concentrating control of several companies with a negligible of investment and risk to the holding company.This would suggest that the product, which in this case would be varying brands of Jihad, are simply managed and controlled by al-Qaeda, when in fact they are the organization doing the exporting of a particular brand of Jihad. Bergen contradicts his own thesis in his discussion about the nature of the organization in re gards to intelligence gathering. He states, The bin Laden network is by contrast a loosely affiliated transnational root with a more diffuse organizational structure that makes it unvoiced to penetrate(11).Bin Laden knows business and has surely employed many of his organizational management skills to al-Quaeda, but that does not a business make. It is true that al-Quaeda is as globally minded as any other national company (12) and has attracted a polyglot of followers (a word Bergen employs multiple times) but what this really speaks to his reflectivity that bin Ladens organizationis as much a creation of globalization as a response to it (13). Bergen acknowledges that umma the world community of Muslims, is a value long held by the Islamic faith.Globalization has simply shored up that value. If al-Quaeda were the top-down corporation that Bergen suggests, it would be a machine whose components could be easily disabled. In 2009, Bergen gave testimony before the U. S. house of re presentatives that Al Qaeda has sustained and can continue to sustain enormous blows that would put other organizations out of business because the members of the group firmly believe that they are doing Gods work and tactical setbacks do not matter in the short run. 14) Perhaps the organization is approaching the point that Bergen predicted in the closing of the book, where our victory in the war on terror is defined by a reversion of terrorist threats similar to the status-quo of pre-9/11, where terrorism was an irritant for American form _or_ system of government Makers, but not the major national security concern(15). Or perhaps as he suggests it is devolving into local franchises (16), though it seems this metaphor would have been more fitting from the beginning. In fact, in Bergens Senate testimony he says of the organizationIndeed, it is my assessment that the al Qaeda organization today no longer poses a direct national security threat to the United States itself, but rathe r poses a second-order threat in which the worst case scenario would be an al Qaeda- train or -inspired terrorist managing to pull off an attack on the scale of something in between the 1993 Trade Center attack, which killed six, and the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995, which killed 168.While this, of course, would be tragic, it would not constitute a mass casualty attack sufficiently large in scale to reorient American national security policy completely as the 9/11 attacks did (17). This suggests al-Quaeda as something less of a franchise but rather more of an inspiring business model. While there are still terrorists who have been directly trained by al-Qaeda, or employees if you will, the preeminent threat stems from those who are inspired by the groups successes.To accept the corporate metaphor out further, these are the people who decide to open their own shoe store after learning about the successes of Nordstrom. I would most certainly suggest this book to others, particularl y Americans who tend to be apathetic toward foreign policy. A move toward understanding the collective psychology of the group is continuously more productive that blind defiance.It is a superbly written book especially in light of the intertwined cast of characters who were often difficult to keep hybridise of, given their travel in and out of regions and with lengthy names consisting of strings of consonants unfamiliar to the English-speaking world. It would be difficult to put these globe-trotting, name-dropping narratives could together in any less complicated manner though, unless one were to rename individuals such as Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman as Abe for instance, but I suppose that would wholly counterbalance the books authenticity.When certain individuals reemerge in the plot, Bergen is often kind enough to remind the reader that of where they had first appeared, such as the case of Ramzi Yousef who was mentioned briefly in two chapters. Bergen reminds that reader that he was the fellow who had an early mishap with some explosives he was experimenting with, resulting in smoke pouring from his Manila apartment (18). Given all the Arab names in the book, the Oh-I-remember-that-guy-now tactic proves rather helpful. Bergen leaves the reader with quite a lot to chew on and digest in regards to foreign policy and deal out by expressing a liberally optimistic worldview.Any hope seems to lie in closing the gap of ignorance in the West toward Islam as well as the Islamic worlds blissful denial of the damage done to the West by Islamic radicalism. For instance, the results of the poll of Muslim countries cited by Bergen found that the U. S. attacks on Afghanistan were perceived as unjustified. It was a bit more revealing that the same poll showed that the terror attacks on the U. S. were perceived as equally unjustified and that 61 percent did not even believe that Arab terrorists carried out the 9/11 attacks (19).Bergen seems confident though that the Democr atic Islamic Movement holds potential stating that, any arrive of political models are possible in an Islamic environment (20) and that as long as governments are stabilized, extremism will hold less appeal. I dont know that Bergen would have written this book has he thought the West could not have a positive role in creating that stabilization. He admonishes the U. S. government and Middle Eastern countries for working in cooperation against al-Quaeda and for establishing trade policies that benefit unstable regions. This type of cooperation is paramount in his view.Bergen closes along the real thesis of the book, which has zilch to do with terrorism as a multinational corporation, and everything to do with explaining Muslim sensibilities and how deeply the U. S. continues to offend them. His exhortation is for the U. S. to behave in a manner that looks toward stillness rather than ignorantly and haughtily labeling the entire region as an axis of evil. Readers of this book will hopefully walk away with an understanding of the motivation behind al-Quaeda as well as our own national propensity toward the pride that has motivated unthinkable offenses toward the Muslim people.Bibliography (1) Biography. PeterBergen. com. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. . (2) Bergen, Peter. sanctum War, Inc. . New York, NY Simon & Schuster, 2002. p. 153. (3) Holy War, Inc. p. 150. (4) US Most Wanted Terrorist Suspect in New Extradition Fight in Britain Telegraph. Telegraph. co. uk News, Business, Sport, the Daily Telegraph Newspaper, Sunday Telegraph Telegraph. Web. 17 Mar. 2010. . (5) Holy War, Inc. p. 72. (6) Holy War, Inc. p. 101. (7) BBC NEWS Middle East US Pulls out of Saudi Arabia. BBC NEWS News Front Page.Web. 17 Mar. 2010. . (8) Holy War, Inc. p. 53. Bibliography (Cont. ) (9) Cornell biography Saudi Prince on U. S. -Saudi Relations. Cornell Chronicle Online. Web. 17 Mar. 2010. http//www. news. cornell. edu/stories/April09/PrinceTurkiCover. gl. html (10) Holy War, Inc. p. 3 2. (11) Holy War, Inc. p. 120. (12) Holy War, Inc. p. 83. (13) Holy War, Inc. p. 200. (14) Articles congressional Testimony Reassessing the Evolving Al Qaeda Threat to the Homeland. PeterBergen. com. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. . (15) Holy War, Inc. p. 245. 16) Holy War, Inc. p. 238. Bibliography (Cont. ) (17) Articles Congressional Testimony Reassessing the Evolving Al Qaeda Threat to the Homeland. PeterBergen. com. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. . (18) Holy War, Inc. p. 222. (19) Holy War, Inc. p. 227. (20) Holy War, Inc. p. 238. http//www. peterbergen. com/articles/details. aspx? id=411 Cornell University, Chronicle Online. April 24, 2009. Saudi Prince Hopes Obama Will End Regions conflicts. George Lowery http//www. news. cornell. edu/stories/April09/PrinceTurkiCover. gl. html 2

Non Medical Factors Influencing Csection Health And Social Care Essay

Cesarean tar is the legal transfer of a babe by a surgical scratch in the pistillate parents abdomen wall laparotomy and uterus wall hysterectomy. In or so fortunes, a C-section is scheduled in progress. In some others it s done in response to an unanticipated complication. Initially, cesarian bringing was performed to salv era the foetus from a moribund patient. But everyplace and over old ages, this operation later was developed into a surgical process to salvage twain agnate and foetal from high complications.2.2 Concept of C-sectionThe C-section swan is adjoin over a period of clip in developed states, every bit good as in developing states. It is alike increase for all expectant womanishs of all ages, race/ethnic group, motherlinessal age, SES group. For case in China the cesarian score rose dramati phone cally from 3.4 % in 1988 to 39.3 % in 2008 with the most dramatic addition among urban adult feminines ( Xu, Yan, & A Carine, 2012, p. 3/12 ) . In regular a rmy, this regularize climbed from 5 % in 1960 to 31.8 % in 2007 ( Campbell, 2011 ) . In Mali, the straddle addition from 1.6 % in 2005 to 2.9 in 2009. Furtherto a greater extent in developed state the proportion of cesarian give up is 21.1 % on mean whereas in developing states is still 2 % ( Betran et al, 2007 ) . This step is rather to a unkepter place the international norm fixed ( 5 % 15 % ) by WHO since 1985.2.3 Types of Cesarean voice communicationCesarean delivery is made ground on two types of scratch on the womb low transversal scratch and perpendicular uterine scratch. However the way of scratch on the womb does non inevitably fit with the scratch on the tegument ( up, down or side to side ) .The low transverse scratch is a horizontal cut crosswise the lower portion of the womb. It is the one which is safer and more successful to travel through labour for keeping a vaginal bringing in ulterior gestations.The perpendicular scratch on the womb is used for presen ting preterm babes, abnormally positioned placentas, gestations with more than one foetus and in utmost exigencies.2.4 Medical chemical elements ( denotation of cesarean delivery )Cesarean indicant can be classified into 3 groups Maternal foetal or motherly-fetal.Tableau 2. Medical indicant for cesarian determinationMaternalFetalMaternal-fetalMedical status specific cardiac affection ( Maran s Syndrome, unstable coronary arteria disease ) specific respiratory disease ( GuillanBarre syndrome ) thrombopeniaConditionss associated with increased intracranial force per unit area mechanised obstructor of the lower uterine section ( tumours, fibroids )Mechanical vulvar obstructor ( condylomata )Contracted pelvic girdle ( either congenital or acquired )No assure fetal positionMalpresentation rear of barrel, cross prevarication, forehead or face/mentumposteriorCord prolapsedMaternal herpes or HIVCongenital anomalies/Vasa previaFailure to hang on in labour either collar to descent o r collar to distendCephalopelvic disproportionPlacental breaking offPlacenta previa/ placenta breaking off conjoint twinUterine ruptureElective caesarean delivery bringingThe most commonality indicant for cesarian bringing in America is retell cesarian ( 30 % ) , followed by dystocia or failure to advancement ( 30 % ) , malpresentation ( 11 % ) and non-reassuring fetal position ( 10 % ) ( Murphy, Sarah K. , et Jeffrey D. , 2012, p. 2 ) . In England, the most common indicant is besides repeated caesarean delivery ( 29 % ) followed by presumed foetal get ( 22 % ) , failure to advancement ( 20 % ) and breech brook ( 16 % ) ( caesaran portions, October 2002, p. 2 ) . In Mali, the most common indicant is prolonged/obstructed labour or suspected cephalopelvic disproportion 40.4 % , followed by old cesarian subdivision 16.6 % , foetal hurt ( 16.1 % ) ( Valerie Brand et Al, 2012 ) .Based on the timing of C-section ( CS ) at the clip of determination devising, the cesarian indicants are grouped under one of those four classs.Tableau 2. Different classs of Cesarean deliveryCategory 1Emergency CSCategory 2Urgent CSCategory 3Scheduled CesiumCategory 4Elective CS in that respect is an immediate menace to the female parent or the foetus. in that respectfore the CS should be done within the following 30 min in severalise to salvage on clip both female parent and babeBreaking off, cord prolapsed, cicatrix rupture, scalp blood PH & lt 7.20, foetal hurt drawn-out FHR slowing & lt 80There is motherlike or foetal complication but was non instantly life endangering. In that authority the bringing should be completed within 60-75 minCase with FHR abnormalcies are those of concernThe female parent needs early bringing but there is no maternal or foetal via media. A concern of the continuance of gestation is likely to impact the female parent or foetus in the approaching hours or yearss.Iatrogenic preterm bringing where there is need to give a class of steroid for lung ad ulthoodThe bringing is timed to accommodate the female parent and staff. There are instances where there is an indicant for CS but there is no urgency.Placenta previa with no active hemorrhage, malpresentation, history of old cesareana2.5 Non medical factors act uponing Cesarean delivery roamBeside medical factors, non-medical grounds can hold an impact on the likeliness of holding a Cesarean delivery every bit good. Among those factors, maternal features rough(prenominal)(prenominal) as age, educational activity, business, birth order, fiscal position ( salary/affordability to pay medical fees and wellness insurance ) , abode, figure of prenatal visits, wellness position can greatly act upon the Cesarean delivery rate. Some demographic factors, particularly the alteration in the features of the childbearing population can impact cesarian bringing. Ethical and frugal grounds may besides hold around influence on the rate of surgical bringing.2.5.1 Maternal ageSeveral surveies show that old adult females ( over 35 ages ) are more likely to hold a high back of gestation complication and cesarian bringing. Other surveies tack together the same consequence in lower hazard adult females population. A resultant association was besides found between the hazard of holding C-section and advanced maternal age at the first gestation ( Herstad & A al, 2012 ) . In add-on, increasing age and para are reported to be associated with a high hazard of minatory gestation results and C-section rate. Dystocia, non-reassuring foetal status, preeclampsia, placenta previa, abruptio-placenta, malpresentation, prolonged labour and macrosomia were significantly high in older female parents with high para. another(prenominal) high association was found among advanced maternal age of adult females with old Cesarean delivery and increasing Cesarean delivery rate ( Hiasat, 2002 ) .2.5.2 Education of the female parentThe function of instruction degree dramas in the C-section rate is controversial. ( Gilbert, Alice, & A Haim A. , 2010 ) found in a hatful that planned C-section was carried out more frequently among meliorate adult females than uneducated 1s. High instruction degree influences besides positively the C-section rate of adult females with old C-section ( Khawaja, Tamar, & A Rozzet, 2000 ) .This important rate of C-section rate among the more educated adult females are chiefly due to either maternal surcharge for C-section ( posh to force factor ) or physicians behavior factors or the hold of maternity until older age for educated adult females. On the other manus, when all those factors are bindn into consideration, some surveies show that the cesarean delivery rate is likely to be slight among high educated adult females because educated adult females are more cognisant about gestation complications and hazards. Therefore they are more pr razetative and care better about their wellness during the gestation. For case among adult females i n the same age, the slight educated 1s are really more likely to acquire a C-section ( Harrison, 2012 ) . Furthermore the instruction of the male parent does nt hold excessively much consequence as the female parent instruction on the C-section rate.2.5.3 Occupation of the parentsOccupation of the female parent is greatly associated with the cesarian bringing. A Nigerian suss out found that adult females with no business are more likely to hold a vaginal bringing than those with a high business ( Olusanya & A Olumuyiwa, 2009 ) . This might due to some grounds such as maternal pick to present by C-section, detaining maternity ( due to the neediness of clip because of her be given ) at an advanced age or unjust entree to maternal wellness assistance.A survey in Puerto Rico found that a film association with the male parent s business and the rate of surgical bringing. Fathers with no business are associated with a lower rate of C-section rate ( Jose & A Vazquez-Calzada, 1997 ) . It is likely due to the same socio-economic grounds I will cite in this caption.2.5.4 sustain orderWhereas a elevation of C-section rate for the maternal age is evident for about all the live-birth order, live-birth order affects the rate of cesarian bringing independently of the maternal age. The hazard of cesarian bringing is greater among female parents holding their first kid no affairs the age, except for teenage female parents. Then this hazard falls down quickly with wining births. For case, a USA survey ( Taffel, 1994 ) found the cesarian rate declined as live-birth order rose to an agegreater or equal to 20 old ages old female parents for both sear and white adult females. In add-on the highest cesarian rate for any age-birth order combination were found among adult females between 35-39 old ages of age holding their first birth, followed by adult females 40-49 old ages. The lowest rate was for 20 twelvemonth old adult females holding a 4th or higher(prenominal) order b irth and for adolescents holding their 2nd or 3rd kid. Marwan Khawaja et Al found the same consequence a higher likeliness of C-section bringing among low order birth compared to high one is expected since the bringing complications are more common among primiparious adult females taking to a higher rate of C-section.2.5.5 Fiscal state of affairsIncome and SES groupThe cesarian rate is of import among people with a better fiscal state of affairs even thoughthelow income group has a higher obstetrical hazard. One Brazilian survey ( Hopkins & A Ernesto, 1998 ) found a higher Cesarean delivery rate among the high income group than the low one.Cesarean bringing is more common among people with high SES. This might due to the fact that low SES faces frequently to fiscal and geographic barriers to wellness heed entree.Ability and affordability to paySeveral surveies found that Women or family with less fiscal ability and affordability to pay for wellness attention will hold high hazard gestation and higher Cesarean delivery rate ( Hopkins et Al, 1998 ) .Health insuranceCesarean rate is more common for insured adult females than uninsured ones.A survey in Brazil ( Cecatti, Helaine N, Anibal, & A Maria Jose , 2005. ) showed that the C-section rate varies tremendously harmonizing to the type of insurance. And he lowest rate is with insurance companies which contract with public installations. Another survey ( KASSAK, A. MOHAMMAD, & A ABDALLAH, 2000 ) found that cosmopolitan coverage by national wellness insurance had a greatest impact on the likeliness to increase C-section rate.2.5.6 Rural / urban countriesMany articles highlight the importance of abode topographic point on the C-section rate.Mothers populating in urban countries have a higher chance to present by C-section, This might due to either a better entree to wellness attention in urban countries or the deficiency of appropriate equipments and skilled staff in rural countries. However it might besides ref lect the overused of cesarian bringing in urban countries ( Yassin & A Ghanim A, 2012 ) .2.5.7 way out of prenatal visitsThe antenatal attention is another cardinal factor act uponing the Cesarean delivery rate. The greater is its figure ( six or over ) , the higher is the likeliness to acquire C-section. This is due to the fact that higher gestation hazard is more likely to hold more prenatal visits. On the other manus, some surveies found a strong association between medical cognition of female parent and figure of prenatal visits ( Habib, Maysaloun, & A Selwa, 2011 ) .2.5.8 Health positionFleshinessAn addition in C-section rate appears in analogue with increasing fleshiness rate due to the lifting likeliness of gestation complication ( diabetes and high blood pressure ) . Further, both maternal and fetus weight influence the caesarean delivery rate ( Hendrickson, 2012 ) .Pregnancy and bringing complicationPregnancy complication, when it is non treated earnestly can take to ser ious issues. So it is an of import factor impacting C-section determination. Some surveies show a important likeliness of acquiring cesarian birth for complicated gestations pursuit wellness attention ( Choudhury ) . Chronic high blood pressure and uterine hemorrhage in Jose and all surveies were reported as the most common gestation medical hazard associated with surgical bringing. Others are diabetes and anaemia.However bringing complications taking to C-section are more considered as medical factors. They are more of import than gestation complication because they affect straight the normal bringing and increases extremely the Cesarean delivery likeliness. And the opportunity of holding a caesarean delivery is even more for those adult females with two or more bringing complication.Low/ high hazard factorCesarean delivery rate is lower among adult females with unsophisticated gestations than complicated 1s. In add-on a healthy adult female is less likely to hold gestation compli cation and Cesarean delivery than the opposite ( Best patterns in the usage of cesaean subdivision in Nova Scotia, 2008 ) .2.5.9 Summary of non medical factorsOn the following page, there is a sum-up of all non medical factors with the mentions and the expected mark.WritersDatasYearMethodologyExpected markMaternal ageHerstad et Al.DescriptiveLongiditunal2012Log binomial regDescriptive stata? 35 +Mother EducationGilbert et AlHarrison et AlRetrosp cohort20102012Logit arrested informationStatical theoretical peckerMore +Less +Mother OccupationOlusanya et AlJose et AlCross sectionalRetrospective20091997Logit arrested developmentLogit arrested developmentNone +Father fewBirth OrderTaffel et AlMarwan et AlCross sectionalCross sectional19942003Descriptive statLogit arrested developmentBO i? IdemIncome and SES ability to payHopkins et AlCross sectioal1998Logit arrested developmentHigh Selenium +Health insuranceCecatti et AlRetrospectiveCase control2005Logit arrested developmentInsured +R ural / Urban countryYassin et Al2012Urban +Ant visitHabib et AlCross sectional2011Descriptive statisticNberi? +Health positionChoudhuryHazard i? +Tableau 2.3 Expected mark of non medical factors2.6 valet de chambre behaviour factors increasing Cesarean deliveryMedical human behaviour factorsSome medical accounts can explicate the rise of cesarian rate. First of wholly, there are big fluctuations among clinicians, infirmaries in the direction of the adult female labour which influence the caesarean delivery rate. Second, even though the proportion of aided rear of barrel babes bringing does non increase, some clinicians admit to neutralisethe hazard due to the complication of normal bringing and pattern an elected caesarean delivery for rear of barrel babes because they think it is safer. In add-on, the increasing usage of in vitro fertilisation ( IVF ) has led to the lifting in the figure of multiple births and those babes are frequently delivered by CS. Finally, the developmen t of new surgical technics, engineerings and medical attention has made C-section an progressively safe operation.Non-medical human behaviour factors2.6.2.1 Cultural and Organizational factorsIn some instances, the C-section determination is really needed to salvage the female parent and/or the babe. However this determination, in another state of affairs is circumstantially a balanced judgement taken between clinical squads and the female parent. So, the environment within the infirmary unit and his staff is managed has greatly an impact on C-section determination, taking to a wide fluctuation in the rate between infirmaries. Further, some surveies found that learning infirmaries tend to hold lower caesarean delivery rate than non learning wellness installations and private clinics ( K.M Kassak et al. , 2000 ) . On the other side, some ethical issues such as physicians duty non to do injury to patients and to obtain their consent prior any intervention, alternatively of merely to protect a patient s public assistance can act upon the doctor pick.2.6.2.2 Maternal pickSome female parents, chiefly the educated and celebrated 1s prefer to give birth by C-section because they are scared of enduring for the vaginal birth. So this rise of C-section rate can be attributed to adult females s life-style pick. Because of this ground, C-sectionrate in private infirmaries is frequently higher than public infirmaries. Further, harmonizing to some surveies about cesarian civilization of Brazil , other grounds are found ( Giguere, 2007 ) cod to modern and advanced, technological intercessions, adult females perceived C-section as safer and more comfy labour with better quality of wellness attentionThey want to avoid the hazard of perineal harm due to normal bringing that can impact adult females sexual map after childbearing.On the other side, the prevalence of maternal penchant vary widely harmonizing to the state context. A survey in Hong Kong ( Selina & A al, 2007 ) found a low prevalence of 16.7 % for the maternal pick and the chief ground was their sensed it safer for the baby.In another survey, Iran the rate was 22 % ( Alimohanmadian, Manak, Mahmoodi, & A Faterneh, 2007 ) .2.6.2.3 Profile of physicians preferring Cesarean deliveryIn generalThe increasing cesarian rate can besides be attributed to an undue doctor s pick due to his fright to bear the hazard or fiscal inducement ( want to do more money ) . It can besides be due the patients demand.Furthermore, there are worldwide assorted clinicians sentiments about the petition of elected or exigency caesarean delivery. ( Mufti, MC Carthy A, & A Fisk N. M, 24 1996, p. 544 ) in a study, found out that 17 % of Obstetricians in London ( 31 % of female and 8 % of male ) prefer ekective caesarean delivery. Their pick wer chiefly based on the turning away of perineal harm from vaginal birth and the Rhode Island of hurt to the babe. Then 68 % choose cesarian bringing for cepalic presentation with an estimated weight greater than 4.5 Kg. Another similar survey ( Wagner, 2000, p. 1677 ) in USA, showed that 46,6 % accoucheurs prefer the Cesarean delivery with more males ( 56.5 % ) than females ( 32.6 % ) . And so 70 % delivered by C-sectio with an estimated weight greater than 4.6 Kg. However in ( McGurgan, Coulter-Smith, S. , & A ODonovan, P.J. , 2001 ) survey, there are more females than males who chose eletcive caesarean delivery. Sing the matrimonial position, married clinicians do less exigency caesarean delivery than the non married 1s ( Turner, Young, Solomon, Ludlow, Benness, & A Phipps, 2008 ) . In add-on, clnicians request ( 21 % ) more cesrean bringing than accoucheuses ( 10 % ) and coloreectal sawboness urogynecologists are more lkely to bespeak C-section.Mali instanceIn Mali, the wellness forces in public installations are under salary based payment. The salary rate are based on the degree of planning and the figure of old ages in service ( MCI, Octobre 2010 ) . Therefore doctors have no inducement to increase the C-section rate. In add-on when patients arrive at maternal wellness installations, they foremost contact are made with the accoucheuses and the medical pupils on responsibility. And so when it is a omplicated or particular instance which need the physician advice, they call him. Therefore the female parent petition for cesarea bringing to physicians are non observed in those public installations. The cesarian determination is merely taken by doctors based on medical grounds.

Michelin Analysis Essay

Michelin financial analysis Michelin Company Profile Michelin is a tire producing follow created in 1863 by the Michelin brothers. Originally based in Clermont Ferrand, the company is now located in more than 170 countries and owns 84 production site all around the world. Even if their core business is the production of tires they diversify their activities in 1900 with the first Michelin map & guides and extend their knowledge for special sector with saucily type of tires such as plane tire for instance. Michelin is the min leader of tire foodstuff after Bridgestone.In 2010, they had a turnover of 17891 gazillions with an annex of 20% from 2009. Michelin is on the stock exchange food commercialise since 1951 which elbow room the company can increase their equity thanks to investors and at the very(prenominal) time stay secure and independent. In 2010, Michelin launches its biggest increase of equity introducing 27. 2 million of new sh bes for a total amount of 1. 2 bi llion euros helping to finance its development cost estimated at 1. 6 billion euros.They have 3 major products families * Production of tourism tyres * Production of hand truck tyres Others specialties (tyre for airplane, space shuttle, maps & guides, GPS) We can see that their core business is the tire market with more than 86% of their activities. Geographically, their major market is Europe with 49. 9% of their revenues (7. 7 billion euros) followed by North America with 34. 4% and other regions with 22. 7%.Michelins major market which is Europe has been declining by 7. 5% between 2005 and 2010 whereas North America gains 1. 7% and 5. 8% for the others regions as emerging countries. Through the years and to extend their activities widely distributed, Michelin has developed new rands. Michelin and BF Goodrichare the ii worldwide notices, established in many countries. Then, Michelin also developed regional brands such as Kleber, Uniroyal, Warrior with a strong presence one by one in Europe, North America and China. Added to these brands, Michelins created few distribution brands as Euromaster, TCI, respectively in Europe and North America. I. Market analysis Michelin is represented in two different markets * Market of new tire This market is especially dealing with simple machine manufacturer through partnership.For instance, Michelin has an old partnership with Citroen which is buying big quantities of tires in order to be set up directly on their production chain. In this market, Michelin is very dependent from the car manufacturers market and flitter according to the increase or decrease of new car sales. In 2010, this market has been increasing by 15% thanks firstly to the revival of the car fabrication in the Western countries, mostly helped by country states and secondly to the growth of exportation to emerging countries. * Market of replacementThis market is linked with retailers, as they buy and sell tires in stores to replace a defective one. This market is less dangerous for Michelin as it is almost constant and represents ? of tires production market. Concerning the replacement market, products are distributed via dealerships and replacement service centers. This is done either via Michelins own distribution brands (Euromaster in Europe and TCI in North America), but also using brand partnerships and franchises to be present in 27 countries all over the world. Equipment repartition per fraction Car segment Truck segment Original equipment 28. 10% 17. 40% switching equipment 71. 90% 82. 60% In 2010, the replacement market has increased by 9% in the segment of tourism and van tires in Europe with the increase of the demand for special winter tire collect to severe weather condition last winter. II. Competition Michelin operates in a very free-enterprise(a) market with several competitors, either from Europe or emerging countries. The four main producers are Bridgestone, Michelin, Goodyear and Continental which ar e counting for more than 50% in the worldwide market. However, new entrants such as Sumitomo, Yokohama, Hankook and coming from Asian countries have gained market shares rapidly.These emerging countries are developing a middle class with enough procure power to buy either Michelin tires through distribution centers or new cars equipped with Michelin tires. As we can see on the table above, the Asian market is now growing as fast as traditional market such as Europe and North America. The most increasing market is southeasterly America which increases its demand by greatly in 2010. Furthermore, these emerging countries will account for 50% of global automobile output in 2012, showing that Michelin has to be on these markets in order to preserve its 2nd largest producer worldwide rank.Asian market Michelin is already well implanted in the replacement segment with their distribution centers Tyre Plus leading the Asian market with more than 570 local centers in China and a total of 97 0 centers in 9 Asian countries. Michelin has also developed its own brand called Warrior to enter in the Asian market, especially the Chinese market in order to compete with Hankook. To be nigher to the demand, Michelin has already built 3 productions sites and will add a new one in 2011 in Shenyang.Indian market Most of the increase of Michelin on the Indian market was due to new partnership with truck manufacturer such as Tata, the biggest one in India. Michelin became an victor supplier of Tata for tires in the original equipment for truck segment in 2010 helping it to increase theirs sales and to gain brand recognition. Following this path, Michelin opened 6 new truck service centers the same year and plan the opening of a new production site in Chennai in 2011. South American marketMichelin has known a noteworthy progression in 2010 on Brazilian, Chilean, Colombian and Argentinean truck market with a global increase of 41% in the replacement market. Added to that, Michelin d id few partnerships with local truck manufacturers and benefit from the 47% increase of new trucks purchases last year. * Invest in Research & Development Michelin has to face two main issues innovation in the tire market and raw material raising cost. In both issues, R&D is a key solution. During the last years, Michelin has invested 500 million euros per year in R&D to find alternatives solution to rubber issue and keep innovating.Cost of raw material Globally, the tire industry uses nearly 70% of worlds natural rubber production. With more than 60% of production costs depending only on rubber, Michelin is facing difficulties when there is an volley of the price on the market. Since 2009, natural rubber price has increased by 60% and synthetical rubber, as it is made with petroleum, is increasing too. Like oil, which is also apply to make synthetic rubber, nonrenewable raw materials are becoming increasingly scarce and will endure expensive in the years ahead, notably due to strong demand from China and India.Optimizing raw material use is essential if these resources are to be conserved over the long term and if tires are to remain affordably priced. With R&D, Michelin can find alternatives materials to rubber and increase the production of synthetical rubber to replace the natural one on basic tires. Unfortunately, last performance tires will still require natural rubber, whose properties make it irreplaceable, especially for truck, farm equipment and earthmover tires. Innovation In order to compete on the global market, Michelin has to be on first line for innovation.Michelin has started to invest in R&D to create new types of tires, which will have less impact on fuel consumption and smaller eco-footprint. For instance, in 2010, Michelin has released a new truck tire called Michelin X Energy Saver Green. On average it permits the measure family car to reduce fuel consumption by 520 liters per year thanks to a better road holding. This new eco-friendly product matches the demand from trucks manufacturer, states upcoming laws slightly transport and final clients. As several countries are becoming more and more environmental friendly.Michelin has to anticipate the vote of laws to protect environment especially in Europe and North America, its two biggest markets in terms of sales. By increasing the production of eco-friendly tires, they would be able to face the new environmental requirement from government, beingness and even from their car manufacturers partners that are already investing in hybrid and less polluting cars and trucks. Tires companies that are not anticipating these changes would not survive in this highly competitive market.

Gagne’s Nine Events

The outgrowth of learning is an on-going event that occurs in separately stage of human development. mankind beings acquire a great deal of their somebodyal qualities and characteristics finished a variety of different learning methods. Through the work of educational psychologist Robert Gagne, a remediate understanding of learning and counseling can be found. Gagne presented the idea that there atomic number 18 different types of learning and that different instructional methods are pick uped to collocate with these learning types in order to achieve the desired learning outcome.In recognizing learning as a process composed of several phases, Gagne created the society Events of educational activity. Gagnes Nine Events of Instruction are a serial of qualitys to be followed during the instruction phase, practically said to be necessity for learning to occur. The work Gagne produced is considered the primary investigate and contributor to instructional design and traini ng.Robert Gagnes Nine Events of Instruction can best be described as an instructional design model utilised to organize strategies within a lesson. The Nine Events of Instruction include Gain Attention, Inform the Learner of the Objectives, Stimulate Recall of Prior Learning, Present the Stimulus Materials, allow Learner Guidance, Elicit Performance, Give Feedback, Assess Performance, and Enhance Retention and Transfer. Gagne firmly believed that effective learning involved a series of events.The instructor begins by gaining the apprentices prudence and from there he/she will use a series of steps related to the development of learning expectations, introduction of stimuli, and recall of related ideas to move concepts from the learners short to long-term memory (Zhu & StAmant 2010). The events are completed successfully when the learner is fitted to apply what they have learned to new situations outside of the classroom. This is lots seen within workplace training, where the e mployee applies what they have learned in training to their job.The Nine Events of Instruction were created to work in conjunction with the cognitive stages associated with the adult learning process (2010). Prior to the development of the Nine Events of Instructions, Gagne performed an in-depth examination of learning and its conditions. The foundation for the events model can be found in his book, The Conditions of Learning. To better understand the Nine Events of Instruction it is important to examine the work documented in this book. Learning, according to Gagne, is a transmit in human disposition r capability, which persists over a plosive speech sound of time, and which is not simply ascribable to processes of growth (Gagne, 1977, p. 3). Learning, in its most basic form, is a change in behavior. This change may be brought upon by a change in attitude, interest or value and is often due to an increased capability for some type of performance. To be classified as change it mol diness have more than momentary permanence it must be capable of being trained over some period of timeit must be distinguishable from the kind of chance that is attributable to growth, such as a change in height or the development of muscles through run (p. ). With a clear definition of learning, one can place the ways in which learning is brought about. Gagnes work identifies four elements having to do with learning learner, stimulant drug situation, contents of memory and response/performances. For learning to take place, there must be a learner. The learner is a human being whom possesses sense variety meat through which he/she receives stimulation. Learning will occur when stimulus situation and contents of memory (information previously learned and stored) affect the learner in a way that his/her performance changes.This change in performance ultimately indicates that learning has occurred. It is important to note, however, that it is necessary to show that there has been a change in performance, for the presence of the performance does not always result in learning (Gagne, 1977, p. 4). In understanding learning, to its very core, Gagne concluded that there are multiple levels of learning and that each level requires a different type of instruction in order to achieve the desired learning outcome. Learning takes place end-to-end a persons lifetime.In all stages of development a person learns to interact with their surrounding environments. Education at a young age allows individuals to learn basic intimacy and skills such as language and symbol-usage. Once these basic skills are acquired and education continues, volume are capable of learning more specialized make loveledge and entangled skills that will be useful in their areas of interest. Though learning becomes more specialized and focused to the individual as they progress, Gagne pertinacious a common institute among the many instances of learning by identifying five major categories of capabilities that human beings learn.The five categories are as followed intellectual skills, verbal information, cognitive strategies, motor skills, and attitudes. Intellectual skills involves the interactions people often learn to engage in by using symbols. As their education becomes more advance, so does their symbol-usage. Verbal information is ultimately the ability to state information or ideas that have been previously learned and organized. Following this learned capability is cognitive strategies, which describes the individual as managing his/her own learning, remembering and thinking.Learning to execute movements through a series of motor acts, such as throwing a baseball refers to the learned capability of motor skills. Lastly, mental states are learned which influence the learners choice in personal actions which has been categorized at attitude (Gagne, 1977, p. 27 & 28). Each of these categories require different internal and external conditions. Meaning, learning di stinctions are partly internal, in which they come from the memory of an individuals previous learning. They are also external, which may be arranged as an aspect of instruction (p. 48).For example, for cognitive strategies to be learned, there must be a chance to practice maturation new solutions to problems to learn attitudes, the learner must be uncovered to a credible role model or persuasive arguments (Culatta, 2013). In identifying the categories of learned capabilities, Gagne was able apply this information to the planning of instruction. It is important to understand the miscellaneous ways in which people learn prior to planning instruction. In understanding what learning is and how learning is engaged will provide the instructor the necessary information he/she needs to address all levels of learning.This is where Gagnes Nine Events come into play. Each step within this model creates opportunity for the instructor to carry various learning methods that cover all learnin g types. Gagne understood that having knowledge of the learning process as well as the analysis of human tasks would be essential to designing instruction. Understanding learning and the ways in which people learn is crucial when designing an instruction plan because the instructor must know the various ways in which people learn.It is recognized that there is information far beyond what has been mentioned in this paper that accompanies the development of the Nine Events of Instruction. However, this paper serves to identify the underlying meaning of learning and how knowing what learning is, in all aspects, is important to understanding the Nine Events of Instruction. Though Gagnes Nine Events have been specifically designed for creating instructional programs, its functions can easily be used elsewhere. As a graduate student in the Communications program I am exploring all areas of communication and entrust to one day work within the Public Relations field.During my examination o f Gagnes Nine Events it was easy for me to connect his series of events for instruction to those conducted in Public Relations. While they differ in many aspects, it seemed that a variety of steps within the events of instruction could be used when developing and conducting a Public Relations campaign. Which brings me to why I chose to focus on this particular topic from our formal training discussions. Not only have we utilize Gagnes Nine Events, on more than one account, but I have also found great interest in its functions and similarities to what I hope to be doing in the future.Designing a Public Relations campaign for a client or an organization involves a series of steps, which are general in nature but become more specific depending on the organization or client in which you are working with. Public Relations practitioners, from the start, need to understand their client in their entirety. This involves extensive research on the client, ranging from financials to previous c ampaigns and employee information. I would link this stage to the Stimulate Recall of Prior Learning step in Gagnes Nine Events because it involves getting the client to recall information on their business or organization.Ultimately, they are recalling what they do and what they have done in order to throttle what needs to be done, which ties into the objective. Public Relations practitioners also need to become well aware of who their clients audience is. Once they have determined this they need to come up with a way in which they will gain the audiences attention, just as Gagne proposes in his Nine Events. This is often done through the use of celebrities or community leaders. Assessing performance, too, can be linked to that of what a Public Relations practitioner does.Though they are not interrogatory a person on what has been learned, they are gathering results on what they have done which assesses their performance throughout the campaign and tells them whether or not the c ampaign was successful. To determine success, results are measured, quantitatively or qualitatively, and compared to the objectives. Lastly, the Enhance Retention and Transfer step in Gagnes Nine Events can be compared to Public Relations in that they both serve to inform the individual about how the information given to them will affect them and why t is necessary to know the information. The work Robert Gagne produced throughout his lifetime has been heavily used in instructional design and training. Best known for his book, The Conditions of Learning, Gagne provided an in-depth examination of learning in all aspects of its meaning. This book served as a foundation for the creation of the Nine Events of Instruction which attends to the idea that there are many different learning levels, all of which require different instructional methods.In identifying the categories of learning, Gagne was able to produce an instructional model that allows instructors to engage in a variety of te chniques to meet the needs of all learners. Though Gagnes Nine Events of Instruction were created for instructional design and training purposes, I have found many similarities between his approach and the work a Public Relations practitioner produces. In recognizing these similarities I was interested in learning how the Nine Events of Instruction came to be. Knowing what learning is, in all aspects, is essential to creating an instruction plan.References Gagne, Robert, M. (1977). The Conditions of Learning (3rd ed. ). New York, NY Holt, Rinehart and Winston Inc. Zhu, P. , & StAmant, K. (2010). An applicaton of Robert Gagnes gild events of instruction to the teaching of website localization. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication. Retrieved from, http//ezproxy. ithaca. edu2048/login? url=http//search. proquest. com/docview/633019743? accountid=11644 Culatta, Richard. (2013). Conditions of Learning (Robert Gagne). Instructional Design. Retrieved from, http//www. instruction aldesign. org/theories/conditions-learning. html

Victoria`s Secret Economic Environment

IntroductionThe coiffe industry faces various supply stove ch tout ensembleenges, many due to the fact that the major part of cloak manufacturing activity for the United States merchandise has moved give awayside the country to low-labor-cost countries in the Far-East. Thus, due to long physical distances, app atomic number 18l companies in the US be continuously challenged to pronto respond to changing trends, to reduce long lead-times, to execute collaborative intersection development with suppliers using effective communication and to tick total supply set up visibility. Moreoer, fickle consumer preferences and shortening of the product life cycles make the app bel industry very challenging from a supply set up perspective.The Victorias hugger-mugger business provides a case study representative of most supply chain challenges faced by the app bel industry as a whole. Victorias mystifying is a multi-channel retailer divvy uping its products by dint of physical store s located throughout the United States, as well as through a accretion of printed catalogs and an online shop. Its major product offerings lie in the category of insinuate app atomic number 18l, sleepwear, beauty, apparel, shoes and swimwear. For the purpose of this research, we focus on the intimate apparel segment of Victorias inscrutable. Intimate apparel represents the largest portion of Victorias enigmatical business and is s gray-headed through all the retail take described above.Company HistoryAccording to telephoner lore, after a disagreement with his father in 1963 over the operation of the family store (Leslies), Leslie Wexner, then 26, candidedthe first moderate store in Columbus, Ohio, with $5,000 borrowed from his aunt. Leslie Wexners desire was to focus on moderately priced deviseable raiment for teenagers and young women (Hoovers Online). The control went public in 1969 with five stores. Rapid development of large malls spurred Limiteds growth to 100 store s by 1976.Two years later, The Limited acquired Mast Industries, an international apparel purchasing and importing company. In 1982, Limited purchased Lane Bryant (a plus size brand) and Victorias out of sight (lingerie). In March 2002 the so called The Limited changed its name to Limited Brands. Limited Brands is currently focusing on its star players, Victorias Secret and Bath and Body Works.Company StrategyThe company strategy has evolved over time. Prior to 1995, the companys strategy was primarily driven by a knock-off design, shop-and-copy system. During this period, the companys merchants searched for forthcoming fashion designs, all over the world, especially in Europe, and produced merchandise inspired by these designs. Their strategy involved speed sourcing of the products and selling them out even sooner the original brand could actually be launched. By the early nineties, there remained little competitive advantage in this approach, as the end of the world had figured out similar ways to do business (Limited Brands Presentation, 2005), amongst 1995 and 1998, the company strategically planned an overhaul, focusing on developing a distinct brand identity.The Limited became the largest employer of apparel designers in the world (as mentioned by a top executive). The company re- lineed itself to operate equivalent an upscale consumer package company. With aspirations to be a large powerful brand that controlled its own retail distri howeverion channels and seeking a consistent repeatable business, the company soon integrated vertically integrated capabilities into its supply chain. In its quest to narrow its portfolio and create a distinct brand image, the company closed all of its poorly performing businesses, including the sale of its bank, and spun off or sold Abercrombie and Fitch, Lane Bryant and six out of seven Henri Bendel stores (Limited Brands Presentation, 2005).Financial PerformanceVictorias Secret Business Unit at bottom Victorias Se cret, all troika channels Victorias Secret Stores, Victorias Secret Beauty and Victorias Secret Direct are experiencing revenue growth as well as clamsability. As of august 2013, Victorias Secret stores gross sales increased 3% on top of a 9% increase last year. Increase was primarily driven by strength in bras and panties. Victorias Secret Direct, the catalog and online business, also experienced growth. Direct enjoyed a 3% increase in sales in 2013. The growth came from improved clothing assortment at more competitive prices and growth of its intimate apparel category, especially of panties and sleepwear.Direct now represents nigh a third of Victorias Secret sales. A 2001 share of d stabbinger synopsis indicated that one-third of the typical nodes lingerie drawer comes from the Victorias Secret brand. close to of the drawer, however, consists of daily wear lingerie products, of which Victorias Secret is a comparatively lower percentage. Thus, the trend for the tonic pro duct introductions exit likely be toward more pretty, yet every day, styles like the Body by Victoria sub-brand, a line of everyday intimate apparel.Victorias Secret StoresVictorias Secret (VS) is the most profitable as well as the biggest revenue generating brand for Limited Brands. Its net sales for the year 2013 were $ 271 one million million chequer of 16.7% of the total % of sales. Victorias Secret comprises 3 sub-businesses Victorias Secret Stores (VSS), Victorias Secret Beauty (VSB) and Victorias Secret Direct (VSD) network of stores. VSD sells VS lingerie, sleepwear as well as 3rd party brands in the categories of apparel, shoes and accessories through its online store and catalogs. This case study focuses on Victorias Secrets lingerie business.ProductsVictorias Secret sub-brands or collections can be said to focus on a central theme. For example, the most recently introduced Victorias Secret sub-brand called Pink is a new collection of intimate apparel aimed at a 19 year oldwoman (Limited Brands Interview, 2005), and the Victoria is the new glamorous fragrance launched that build on its fragrance business. Each of these collections is offered in a variety of different styles based on the extent of coverage given by the bra, the configuration of the bra strap or even its entire silhouette.Overall, the products carried by Victorias Secret Stores can be carve up into 3 broad categories dunk Fashion Products, Non-Launch Fashion Products and Basic Products. About 60% of units in store are staple fibre, 25% non-launch fashion and the remaining 15% are launch products. Basics consist of products which sell all year round and have styles and colors which can be sold in all seasons and for the most part, never go out of style. Beige Dream Angels bras, white and black bras from the Body by Victoria collection are examples of basic products.Fashion products are loosely defined as items with styles, colors or silhouettes which typically sell for one season (1 season = 6 months) and then shift to regular replenishment. Launch products are fashion items which are heavily promoted and may even announce the introduction of a completely new category. These products involve special planning and are typically launched two times per year, in spring and fall. An example of a highly successful recently launched product is the new The Close-Up. The company also engages in about fifteen annual reconfigurations of its stores also termed as floorsets. A floorset may or may not involve a launch.Customer SegmentsVictorias Secret Stores is trying to be the dominant, young, sexy and sophisticated lingerie and beauty brand in the world. Victorias Secret serves a wide range of clients with varied psychographics and demographics. On a household income scale, the VS customer loosely lies among 30-75 percentile ranges. With presence in almost all major malls in the United States, VSS aspires to become a destination brand, which means that a customer would be tempted to visit the malls just to see the VS store. With the Pink sub-brand, the space Victorias Secret is trying to fill as young and casual, a category which had been previously overlookedby Victorias Secret.Pink was developed in response to the fast growing Abercrombie & Fitch brand, which was once a part of The Limited. Out of the three pick up words describing the overall target customer above, young is the most authorised. The goal is clearly to target a young demographic. Finally, the company sees VS as an aspirational brand, and as such, honest-to-goodness women may be encouraged to buy Pink products as well, as a 40 year old is likely to aspire to look like 30 rather than to look.Demand Forecasting and PlanningOn the ask planning and forecasting front, the Catalog and Web businesses are governed by separate strategies. This is primarily because the drivers of demand for the two channels are different. For the catalog, the demand forecast is mapped against the curve of the product life cycle from the point the catalog is mailed to when 98% of the product is sold. Moreover, circulation of printed books is the primary driver of sales. Within a catalog, dynamics related to location of the display of product, and to the ensample selected for the display, are sales drivers. Once Direct has visibility as to the actual product layout of the catalog, it re-forecasts the demand several weeks before it is mailed, and subsequently adjusts its purchase orders.For the weathervane, on the other hand, the forecast is based on individual item performance on an hourly, daily or weekly basis. One of the key prosody that Direct uses to monitor its sales is given by the Net-Growth Ratio. This ratio measures for every $1 of demand generated, how much was generated for sales after accounting for returns, cancellations and failure to fulfill back-orders. Victorias Secret Direct, especially the catalog business, has additional levers in the way that offer a wider breadth of fashion assortments. This is because the peripheral costs of carrying fashion versus basics product in Direct is governed by different dynamics in comparison to stores, as the stores have huge dogged costs due to real-estate.Moreover, it is possible for Direct to leverage assets between the catalog and web operations such as common photography. About 400 million catalogs are mailed in a year approximately one fresh book a week having anywhere between 60 to180 pages and including between 250 and 600 items. About 95-98% of the Direct products are sold in US. Semi-annual sales aretied together with Victorias Secret Stores and a sale period is comprised of 8 weeks, requiring approximately 8 mailings during this time (Limited Brands Interview, 2005). Last, but not the least, if a product doesnt perform well in one media, it is not introduced in the other.Sourcing and ProductionVictorias Secret Direct utilizes the Mast network, as do the Victorias Secret Stores. Direct is ab le to maintain accurate data about customer preferences and buying patterns due to the online nature of its business. It is therefore able to quickly translate this information to its vendors, making it much more responsive to changing customer needs than the Victorias Secret Stores. This allows Mast to adopt a sourcing strategy based on the vendors ability to conduct smaller and more frequent orders. Smaller orders mitigate risk of over-stocking and frequency allows the company to react closer to the demand and to get the effective product out to market in time.Distribution and FulfillmentOn the distribution front, Direct uses its own distribution center in Columbus, Ohio, separate from the Victorias Secret Stores distribution center. Both web and catalog share this DC. The process of picking in distribution centers is different from stores, as these products are picked as single items based on orders, whereas in the Victorias Secret Stores operations the products are picked and shipped in cases. The average time it takes to get to customers is about two days. The online business is well integrated to inventory systems at the DC level, but is not integrated with Victorias Secret Stores. With only about 15-20% of overlap in SKUs between the stores and Direct, this is not an immediate need (Limited Brands Interview, 2005).Direct keeps a close watch on its inventory and maintains fairly accurate item levels as well as order level data. For example, the current percentage of service level that Direct operates shows an 88% in stock and 12% back-order at the item level. This level of data integrity allows Direct to be much more responsive than Victorias Secret Stores andas a depart allows them to make dynamic changes to order quantities, pre-packs and size-curves based on latest selling patterns. In contrast to placing large orders with Mast, as do Victorias Secret Stores, Direct can thus place smaller and more frequent orders. Moreover, Direct doesnt require ex cess inventory for the purpose of its floor and window displays as do Victorias Secret Stores.Goals and ChallengesAs a part of the INSIGHT project, Victorias Secret Direct is working closely with its production team to create a library of fabrics and raw materials to make a choice matrix such that lead times can be reduced dramatically. They are also a part of the uniform enterprisingness to reduce concept to market lead times from 72 to 40 weeks.The challenge for the company is in the area of returns. Currently, returns amount to approximately 25% of demand and are primarily driven by the Swim and Apparel categories however, a considerable part of returns are put back in stock. These are products which are in reasonable condition to be resold. The return rate for lingerie is negligible. One of the challenges that Victorias Secret faces overall is in the category of fringe sizes. rush sizes are the ones which are on the tail-end of the demand curve and whose demand patterns are h arder to predict. Customers looking to buy these sizes typically feel the need to try them on before purchase.If these products are carried by Direct, there is potential for reduced customer service levels. On the other hand, if Victorias Secret Stores decides to carry these sizes to provide better customer service, they will be faced with challenges of less predictable demand patterns for these sizes, leading to over or under stocking of product. Therefore, the company has to work a delicate tradeoff between providing better customer service levels and the subsequent financial impact of this service. A survey about multi-channel retailing tactics used by retailers, conducted by Forrester research, showed that 87% of retailers allowed purchases made online to be returned to stores.Limited Brands fully integrated Victorias Secret with its Direct business. This involves large logistical challenges for the brand but have apositive impact of customer satisfaction levels as the customers are able to return goods purchased online to Victorias Secret Stores, and are even able to order products in stores which they purchased online and have them delivered to their house with no additional cost.Victorias Secrets Supply Chain FrameworkVictorias Secrets business strategy has evolved from a shop-and-copy system to a branded concept, that of selling innovative, technologically advanced products at reasonably high profit margins. The Victorias Secret brand is positioned to be the dominant, young, sexy and sophisticated lingerie and beauty concept, targeting young customers who appreciate the value of possessing innovative lingerie. At the same time, the company is around risk averse.It does not rely solely on its in style(predicate) bra launches for all of its sales. It distributes risk by having a mixed assortment of fashion and basic goods. However, having this mixed assortment adds complexity, in that the brand has to operate two supply chains one for distributively o f these types of products. Below I underlined the operating model, operational objectives and important tailored business activities that drive sustained competitive advantage within the Victorias Secret supply chain and align with the overarching business strategy.Complementary Operating ModelThe operating model at Victorias Secret Stores is to achieve desired brand recognition through innovative product development, glamorous bra launches and high shelf availability of its products. Most of the Victorias Secret Stores new product introductions are offered in both fashion (items with less predictable demand) as well as basic (stable demand) styles. This mix of fashion and basic items helps Victorias Secret to distribute risk, to ensure profitability and to offer compelling value to customers. The company identifies that there is not a single all-in-one supply chain solution for both of these categories of products and therefore it maintains two different types of supply chains for each.The supply chain for Victorias Secrets fashion items is driven by Speed-to-Market to ensure responsiveness. This is reflected in the company-wide initiative to shorten its Concept-to-Market calendar. This supply chain is further governed by a sourcing strategy that requires a set of suppliers with an excellent record of product innovation, value-adding capabilities and no minimum ledger requirements. Due to the prioritization of speed over low labor cost, these items are made in the most capable factories in the world, wherever they may be, and are consistently air shipped to the companys distribution center in Columbus, Ohio.On the other hand, the supply chain for Victorias Secrets basic items is driven by factors like asset utilization and supply chain efficiency. As a result, basic goods are manufactured in vertically integrated factories which provide close control over capacity utilization and productiveness. These factories dominate at full capacity and provide economie s of scale (Limited Brands Interview, 2005). Mast holdings have an equity stake in two of Limited Brands largest factories in India and Sri Lanka. This is a strategic finale in order to maintain tighter control and better supply chain visibility.Operational ObjectivesThe help of Limited Logistics Services (LLS), Victorias Secret has drafted a Service Level correspondence that defines various performance metrics for services to Victorias Secret Stores. This agreement also defines the role of the Victorias Secret Stores in successfully meeting these objectives. The performance metrics are divided into three broad categories as defined below.Customer ResponseThese metrics are customer-focused and customer-facing. They include a set of distribution metrics as well metrics related to store performance such as responsiveness, floor-set, business priorities, new stores, Value Added Services (VAS), meeting cadence, reporting, and air shipments.EfficiencyThese are internal metrics. They ar e productivity and cost-related and include a set of metrics at the manufacturing as well as distribution center level such as Auditing/Cycle Counts, Through- Put, cyberspace Productivity, DC Metrics, DC Throughput, and Store Throughput.Asset Utilization These metrics are also internal-facing and largely focus on maintaining economies of scale. They include Capacity Utilization and Inventory Turns.Objectives equilibrise FrameworkThe focus placed on each of the metrics mentioned, varies by whether the product is basic or fashion. For example, in the category of basic products, asset utilization metrics like capacity utilization and efficiency objectives like supply chain costs and productivity carry more weight than responsiveness. The factories making these products run at full capacity with two shifts per day to efficiently deliver these products to market at minimum possible cost of production. These products generate moderate margins for the company in comparison to the fashion products.On the other hand, in high-margin product categories of fashion goods, particularly in highly promoted launch-related fashion goods, which are most often a result of innovative product development and have relatively short-product-lifecycle of just one season, responsiveness metrics are seen to carry more weight overall. The focus in this model is to increase in-season product availability to reduce lost sales and maximize margins.Tailored Business ActivitiesAt the operational level, there are a set of three tailored business activities that provide significant competitive advantage to the Victorias Secret supply chain and place Victorias Secret in a unique position in comparison to its competitors. These activities are aligned to the overarching strategy, which is to deliver an assortment of innovativefashion products and less risky basic products. The first tailored activity emanates from the company-wide open innovation model. The decentralized design culture within Vic torias Secret adds unique capabilities to its supply chain design.Product Innovation can come from the supplier, from in-house development or through design inspirations from external concepts. This creates the possibility of inter-company operating ties with outside suppliers. For example, if Limited Design Studios in New York initiates a design concept, it can go to a favored supplier to be further developed and even changed. This relationship during the design process adds flexibility, which is hard to replicate.The second tailored activity has to do with the sourcing model that Limited has adopted as a whole. The presence of Mast Industries as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Limited Brands is of tremendous value to the company. Mast carefully selects its vendors based on capabilities to manufacture and deliver fashion versus basic products. Mast works with a set of vertically integrated factories as well as raw material suppliers to create a product that is hard to replicate.Verti cal integration helps the company to control the production process from fiber to garment. On one hand, this leads to greater manufacturing efficiency required for producing basic products, which generate relatively lesser profit margins than fashion items. On the other hand, vertical integration also helps to speed the product development process essential for new and fashionable products.Finally, the role of Limited Logistics Services (LLS) shared service model in the smooth operation of its supply chain is indispensable. As mentioned earlier, the Service Level Agreement with each of its brands, including Victorias Secret, not only defines the detailed performance metrics but also defines the role of each brand in order to carry out the objectives on time. LLS consistently benchmarks itself against outside logistics providers and has been able to provide higher service levels to its brands at competitive costs. The dynamic ability of LLS to constantly evaluate and re-evaluate its performance against external agencies, helps VictoriasSecret to stay ahead of the competition. In its logistics design, LLS incorporates the fact that whether a product being delivered is fashion or basic.For example, in most cases, fashion lingerie is air-shipped from Asia to Columbus, OH and basic products are ocean-shipped. This is because the fashion products, which have relatively higher margins, are less expensive to transportation costs per unit. Fashion and launch products may also have to go through a customized value-added service process in order to cater to the requirements of the individual stores to which they are shipped. These value-added services are performed at the DC level and the company claims to perform them more cost effectively and efficiently than an outside third party logistics provider. MarketMonopolistic competition is a form of imperfect competition where many competing producers sell products that are differentiated from one another (that is, the prod ucts are substitutes, but, with differences such as branding, are not exactly alike). In monopolistic competition firms can sway like monopolies in the short-run, including using market power to generate profit. In the long-run, other firms enter the market and the benefits of differentiation decrease with competition Textbook examples of industries with market structures similar to monopolistic competition include restaurants, cereal, clothing, shoes, and service industries in large cities, which the company Victorias Secret fit perfectly.The founding father of the speculation of monopolistic competition was Edward Hastings Chamberlin in his pioneering book on the subject Theory of Monopolistic Competition. Joan Robinson also receives credit as an early pioneer on the concept. Monopolistically competitive markets have the following characteristics There are many producers and many consumers in a given market, and no business has total control over the market price. Consumers perc eive that there are non-price differences among the competitors products. There are few barriers to entry and exit.Producers have a degree of control over price.