The dust bowl Essay Example For Students

The dust bowl Essay Dust Bowl, common name applied to a large area in the southern part of the Great Plains region of the United States, that got much dust storms in the1930s. The area included parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. In its original state, the region was covered with hardy grasses that held the fine-grained soil in place in spite of the long recurrent droughts and occasional torrential rains characteristic of the area. A large number of homesteaders settled in the region in the 30 years before World War I, planting wheat and row crops and raising cattle. Both of these land uses left the soil exposed to the danger of erosion by the winds that constantly sweep over the gently rolling land. We will write a custom essay on The dust bowl specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Beginning in the early 1930s, the region suffered a period of severe droughts, and the soil began to blow away. The organic matter, clay, and silt in the soil were carried great distances by the winds, in some cases darkening the sky as far as the Atlantic coast, and sand and heavier materials drifted against houses, fences, and barns. In many places 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4 in) of topsoil were blown away. Many thousands of families, their farms ruined, migrated westward; about a third of the remaining families had to accept government relief. Beginning in 1935 intensive efforts were made by both federal and state governments to develop adequate programs for soil conservation and for rehabilitation of The dust bowl Essay. The measures taken have included seeding large areas in grass; 3-year rotation of wheat and sorghum and of lying fallow; the introduction of contour plowing, terracing, and strip planting; and, in areas of greater rainfall, the planting of long shelter belts of trees to break the force of the wind. . The Dust Bowl Essay Example For Students The Dust Bowl Essay The Dust Bowl Essay was the darkest moment in the twentieth-century life of the southern plains, (pg. 4) as described by Donald Worster in his book The Dust Bowl. It was a time of drought, famine, and poverty that existed in the 1930s. Its cause, as Worster presents in a very thorough manner, was a chain of events that was perpetuated by the basic capitalistic societys need for expansion and consumption. Considered by some as one of the worst ecological catastrophes in the history of man, Worster argues that the Dust Bowl was created not by natures work, but by an American culture that was working exactly the way it was planned. We will write a custom essay on The Dust Bowl specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now In essence, the Dust Bowl was the effect of a society, which deliberately set out to take all it could from the earth while giving next to nothing back. The Dust Bowl existed, in its full quintessence, concurrently with the Great Depression during the 1930s. Worster sets out in an attempt to show that these two cataclysms existed simultaneously not by coincidence, but by the same culture, which brought them about from similar events. Both events revealed fundamental weaknesses in the traditional culture of America, the one in ecological terms, the other in economic. (pg. 5) Worster proposes that in American society, as in all others, there are certain accepted ways of using the land. He sums up the capital ethos of ecology into three simply stated maxims: nature must be seen as capital, man has a right/obligation to use this capital for constant self-advancement, and the social order should permit and encourage this continual increase of personal wealth (pg. 6) It is through these basic beliefs that Worster claims the plainsmen ignored all environmental limits, much like the brokers and investors on Wall Street ignored a top-heavy economy. Worster explains that our business-oriented society began to transform farming into a mass-producing industrial machine, becoming another excess of free enterprise that not even Roosevelts New Deal could remedy. The dirty thirties, as many called it, was a time when the earth ran amok in southern plains for the better part of a decade. This great American tragedy, which was more devastating environmentally as well as economically than anything in Americas past or present, painstakingly tested the spirit of the southern plainsmen. The proud folks of the south refused at first to accept government help, optimistically believing that better days were ahead. Some moved out of the plains, running from not only drought but from the new machine-controlled agriculture. As John Steinbeck wrote in the bestseller The Grapes of Wrath, it was not nature that broke the people-they could handle the drought. It was business farming, seeking a better return on land investments and buying tractors to pursue it, that had broken these people, smashing their identity as natural beings wedded to the land.(pg. 58) The machines, one-crop specialization, non-resident farming, and soil abuse were tangible threats to the American agriculture, but it was the capitalistic economic values behind these land exploitations that drove the plainsmen from their land and created the Dust Bowl. Eventually, after years of drought and dust storms, the plains people had to accept some form of aid or fall to the lowest ranks of poverty in the land, and possibly perish. The government set up agency after agency to try and give federal aid to the plains farmers. Groups such as the Farm Credit Administration, the Works Progress Administration, the Land Utilization Project, and the Agricultural Adjustment program, among others, were formed to give the plainsmen some sort of relief from the hardships of the Dust Bowl. In Cimarron county, Oklahoma 306 households were drawing government relief in June 1934: 60 of them were paid entirely in commodities, the rest mostly in cash (pg. 131). Roosevelt and the government continually contrived ways to give the plains aid, and when the Supreme Court ruled that a certain agency was unconstitutional, Roosevelt simply created another one in its place. In the end, Worster argues, the government agencies did not improve the lot of the large number of poor, marginal farmers, and in fact, none of the federal activities altered much of the factory-like culture of the plains. .u7bfc25d4e7bd9172f07919622b975327 , .u7bfc25d4e7bd9172f07919622b975327 .postImageUrl , .u7bfc25d4e7bd9172f07919622b975327 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u7bfc25d4e7bd9172f07919622b975327 , .u7bfc25d4e7bd9172f07919622b975327:hover , .u7bfc25d4e7bd9172f07919622b975327:visited , .u7bfc25d4e7bd9172f07919622b975327:active { border:0!important; } .u7bfc25d4e7bd9172f07919622b975327 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u7bfc25d4e7bd9172f07919622b975327 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u7bfc25d4e7bd9172f07919622b975327:active , .u7bfc25d4e7bd9172f07919622b975327:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u7bfc25d4e7bd9172f07919622b975327 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u7bfc25d4e7bd9172f07919622b975327 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u7bfc25d4e7bd9172f07919622b975327 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u7bfc25d4e7bd9172f07919622b975327 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u7bfc25d4e7bd9172f07919622b975327:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u7bfc25d4e7bd9172f07919622b975327 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u7bfc25d4e7bd9172f07919622b975327 .u7bfc25d4e7bd9172f07919622b975327-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u7bfc25d4e7bd9172f07919622b975327:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Peer Pressure Essay .

101 Syllabus and Introduction Professor Ramos Blog

101 Syllabus and Introduction Introductions Welcome to English 101, Freshmen Composition We will be using the blog to post comments and final drafts of essays in order to help us learn from each other. One of the best ways to improve your writing is to study the writing of others. This blog will allow us to share and see others’ writings. I will also be posting updates and assignments to make sure we are all on the same page. The syllabus will be posted under Syllabus. The resources page with have links and videos to help you with citations, WordPress, and more. Textbook The textbook for this class is â€Å"They Say, I Say†Ã‚  with readings, 4th edition. Make sure to order the textbook that has the readings included! The cover should be bluish, not black. Also, we will be reading Sandra Cisneros’  Woman Hollering Creek and other Stories.  Available on Amazon for $10 new, and 1 cent used. You will need this one by week 5. Introductions Ice breaker. In groups of 2 or 3 answer these questions. Name Major Like to read or write? 1 2 Interesting facts We will introduce one another. You have six minutes to answer the questions.

Afganistan war Veteran Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Afganistan war Veteran - Essay Example I researched literature on the country’s culture and people, and this served to help me to avoid the common pitfall that most of my colleagues fell into of incorrectly stereotyping the country’s people. When we finally landed in the country, I discovered that most of the material I had read on the country had essentially been written during a period when peace prevailed and since then, a number of things had changed with the advent of war. The Afghani people were initially apprehensive and prejudiced about us and our mission. Years of living under the severely repressive Taliban regime had caused them to grow apprehensive of strangers. However, when we started winning against the dreaded Taliban insurgents, the people became quite welcoming towards us and would often greet us in the streets cheerfully and hail us as their hero’s (Kerry, 2010). In Afghanistan, the majority of the soldiers happen to serve in various support functions that include accounting, logistics or even laundry. For these officers, the war frontline is essentially the camp’s front gate. A typical day for me generally involved getting a briefing in the morning as to the current situation and what was expected to occur during the day. We would then embark on a patrol of the local town and its environs. It was not uncommon for newly deployed troops that were assigned to engage with the local leaders to quickly grow comfortable with these leaders in a case of assumed similarity. These troops would incorrectly assume that these leaders happened to share similar characteristics with themselves and it was thus important that the recruits be accompanied with experienced veterans (Kenny, 1994). These veterans would help the recruits engage with these leaders and locals in a professional manner as the recruits gradually adapted to the country’s cu stoms and culture. After the patrol, we would then report back

Taxonomy on existing techniques of reducing false alarms in Annotated Bibliography

Taxonomy on existing techniques of reducing false alarms in sensor-based healthcare monitoring systems - Annotated Bibliography Example According to Qassim, Patel and Modzhin (2014), fuzzy logic risk analysis is implemented to reduce false alarm instances and maintain sufficient level of security against serious attacks in intrusion and detection systems. The primary purpose of an intrusion and detection system is to identify attackers trying to infiltrate a network and expose vulnerable resources. By using a Fuzzy Logic-Risk Analysis (FLRA) model, the Qassim et al. (2014) aimed to reduce instances of false positives. By calculating the significance and severity of each suspected attack, the system establishes whether an activity can be classified as attempted attack or normal behavior miss judged by the detection system. The model comprises four layers: integrated interface, knowledge manager, autonomic manager, and resource manager. The topmost layer represents the integration point of the system administrator and the intrusion detection system. At this level, strategies and policies are defined and implemented. Th e section responsible for false positive reduction is the Intrusion Detection Manager. This second layer referred as the Fuzzy Logic-Risk Analysis Intrusion Detection Manager is responsible comprises of four modules: monitor module, analyzer, planner module and control module. All the modules act systematically to detect any attempts of intrusion, eliminate false positives and perform necessary changes to the protected element. Fuzzy Logic-Risk Analysis model works in two mechanisms: identifying the risk and assessing the risk. Once the risk has been identified it is assessed using weighted averages and consequently categorized. Threats are categorized based on their ability to cause harm to asset elements. Once the risk has been identified, residual and exposed risks are analyzed using Fuzzy logic from which different countermeasures are applied to mitigate it. FLRA model works by taking the

Review of Aphrodite And The Gods of Love Exhibit at the MFA in Boston Essay

Review of Aphrodite And The Gods of Love Exhibit at the MFA in Boston - Essay Example These inspirations were drawn from religious entities, which had been, the inspiration that presented multiple meanings within the societal setting. The Aphrodite as presented by the sculptor Praxiteles is no exception and through the visit at the Boston Museum, the life-size sculpture stands tall depicting the image of the relived story of this famous goddess. The visit had been to articulate the impacts of variable works and heir contribution to the modern visual studies. The sculpture has had significance in depicting the life of the ancient Greek society and their relation to the supernatural. Inspiration behind the sculpture Ancient Greek artifacts and art pieces had been developed based on the belief that they had been in connection with the supernatural. These beliefs led to the creation of numerous pieces, mostly based on the gods who they had given responsibility to represent variable nature compositions. The sculpture’s position at the MFA was significant because it drew the class closer to the ancient mythology that relied on the value of the piece. Though not fully composed, the structural composition of this art form suggested that it had been pieced to withstand the generations to depict Aphrodite as immortal. Aphrodite had been the god who held meaning and inspiration to the emotional composition of the society and had been referred to as Venus. The nude figure of the form suggests the powerful implication that the piece presented to the society, with the seduction entity involved (Smee). This idolization had been relayed to be self-explanatory with the piece strategically placed, to fit within the context as one that contributed to the entity that women in the royalty of Greek mythology generated. The museum has centered the piece with other exhibition of women who made an impact within the Greek mythology like the piece on Degas and the Nude. Setting at MFA The arrangement of the pieces in the MFA is placed to complement the period and g enerate the knowledge required in the pieces that presented similar meanings. The curators and art directors presented the displayed in a careful organization to complement Aphrodite’s piece to regulate on any flaw that may be witnessed in telling the story. The vases and the mirrors connecting to the piece had been stationed to lead the viewers’ eyes to the presented sculpture. The piece is witnessed as incomplete with parts of her limbs, and head chopped off. However, it can be articulated as a masterly piece due to the viewer’s ability to recognize its symbolic identity instantly. The museum has a presentation to enlighten inspiring artists to create the environment and organize a brief explanation of the pieces to present a brief on what each had been built to hold. Accompanying the artifacts are tags that present the pieces to the viewers with most pieces containing their name, artist and identity of the work. This is vital to limit confusion and help in ex plaining the works to the viewers who need a brief description of the composition that they visit the MFA to conduct their research. Aphrodite Sculpture The ancient Greek society travelled to the mountains to present their adoration of Aphrodite in the sculpted forms in the subsequent time. Today, Aphrodite stands tall in the MF museum and critics can access the beauty of her image through the sculpture. The sculpture helps the modern society explain the mythology through

Case Study Simulation Cotton On Limited Marketing Essay

Case Study Simulation Cotton On Limited Marketing Essay The purpose of the report is to establish three strategies which will address issues within Cotton-On Ltd causing their current financial troubles. The three chosen strategies are: research consumer buying habits, introduce online sales and expand sales into the European Union countries. These strategies will be explored and discussed to explain how they help improve the situation at Cotton-On Ltd. The first strategy research consumer buying habits shows how we look through the range of methods used for researching consumer buying habits in order to make a recommendation which is most suitable related to Cotton-On Ltd. Gathered data can be used to make decisions regarding various concerns with Cotton-On Ltd, such as product range, pricing or available sales channels. The methods used for researching consumer buying habits helps support other strategies because it allows Cotton-On Ltd to understand potential customers in new market settings. The second strategy introduce online sales refers to Cotton-On Ltd using the internet as a tool to strengthen the company because it is increasingly beneficial for them. Through extensive research Cotton-On Ltd should introduce online sales because of their position within the market otherwise they will be disadvantaged compared to competitors. Also the potential of the online sales channel is an opportunity for them to expand online and take advantage of the internet as a marketing tool. However there is a range of different ways Cotton-On Ltd can choose to approach selling their products online and this will be further discussed within the report. The third strategy expand sales into European Union countries explores this topic in context of online sales. The UK is a leading European country in relation to online sales however there are bigger markets to be explored, since some of these markets are expected to grow in the next few years. The topics which will be discussed is the European market related to Cotton-On Ltd, the aspect of the language barrier, the pricing / currency and any other points will be taken into consideration. All three strategies are explained to show the advantages for Cotton-On Ltd and highlight the main issues. We show how the strategies are linked together and where possible, suggest methods for implementation and overcoming issues. Those strategies are a starting point for the company to overcome their problems. Research Consumer Buying Habits Methodology Consumer buying habit is a complex matter and there are many factors that influence buying decision of the customer. When it comes to researching consumer behaviour for a business it is the greatest mystery of any business to solve (Matt Alderton, no date). There are many ways we could find out about consumer buying habits, but before doing anything else we need to investigate Cotton-On Ltd, its System or any previous study on the matter. One of the following techniques would be chosen to suit Cotton-On Ltd namely, interview, questionnaire, survey and consumer panel, but the best would be to organize customer focus group to help Cotton-On Ltd identify and find consumer specific needs. Customer focus group will produce good customer data in their own words, which would help create more effective marketing campaign and will expose problems within Cotton-On Ltd (Matt Alderton, no date). To get the best out of customer focus group it is important to stay focused on Cotton-On Ltd objectives that would have to be why the business is losing sale and how to save money? Predetermined questions and Moderator who be able to speak comfortably, easy to approach. Recruit up to twelve participants; the selection will be according to our question and will avoid random customer. Record the focus group either with a tape recorder or a video camera, but will have to ask participants permission. Evaluate feedback by reviewing the session to improve the quality (Matt Alderton, no date). As well as organising focus group Cotton-On Ltd should have a Consumer Panel to test our product as Consumer Panels are useful for fast short survey (DJS Research Ltd, no date). Discussion There are a few problems with Cotton-On Ltd system needs updating, improving and even would be scrapped once the new recommendation and system is implemented, but global issues have to be taken into account too, due to economic climate of UK, which is either flat or negative growth for the last six months family budgets are tight only spending where it matters most. The first issue has been noticed in Cotton-On Ltd case is that until last year it represented 20 per cent of UK customers, which is equivalent of 30 per cent of the UK sales revenue. That means Cotton-On Ltd prices are higher and something needs to be done in order to increment the sales revenue, whilst retaining the same sales revenue at least for now. In the light of the focus group Cotton-On Ltd will have to move accordingly whether to keep the same price for the moment, but offering something in addition to what customer buys or anything, otherwise desired. As Cotton-On Ltd have 20 stores across the UK and the only other mean of sale we have is through mail order, the Office for National Statistics retail sales figure for January 2012 out today 17-February 2012, non-store retailing which is mainly internet sales, grew by 13.3% in January (Chloe Rigby, 2012). So the shift continues from high street sales to online and mail order Cotton-On Ltd needs to recognize this and move accordingly. As a retailer the key for Cotton-On Ltd is to combine the flexibility that online and mail order delivers, with the customer service of the physical shopping. By bringing those together Cotton-On Ltd services and offers become more compelling to it is customers and this will lead to increased revenue, and will improve Cotton-On Ltd brand value (Chloe Rigby, 2012). As it shows in meeting of Cotton-On Ltd directors that the business does not know sales of their products by colour, size and Cotton-On Ltd should know which product is selling well and which one is not. So once we produce the final report on consumer buying habit we would be able to know these answers to some extent. Cotton-On Ltd would be able to decide accordingly to whether it is best to have online system that can filter separately each online sold product to our database then it will be easier for Cotton-On Ltd to see the products selling more, less, or none. In this way, we would be able to collate the data easily without losing them and produce in our factories according to these good and rich customers data. For finding out more about customer buying habits Cotton-On Ltd should have a good information system that allows collating data from online sales and also customers should be able to track their order. In this way we can expose our customers buying habits that how often they buy, their desired colour, for example it is very likely giving the system we have in Cotton-On Ltd that there are lots of certain products colour and sizes that never or very little been sold, so we need to cut producing those product in order to reduce waste and will result saving money. Introduce Online Sales Justification Cotton-On Ltd provides their customers with a few traditional ways of buying their products, they also have presence on the Internet via their website and advertising but they do not use it as distribution channel. Research shows that in the current market, where many traditional retailers have already introduced Internet sales, this step becomes a strategic necessity (Bernstein et al., 2008). Therefore Cotton-On Ltd is currently left in a disadvantaged position. In addition, even in this time of economic difficulties, when the traditional retail sector is shrinking, the number of online buyers and online sales are increasing (Datamonitor, 2011a). According to Datamonitor (2011a) in 2010 the online retail sector in the United Kingdom reached revenue of over  £24.1 billion ($38 billion) and sales in apparel (including accessories and footwear) reached  £3.5 billion ($5.5 billion). The entire market is expected to grow to over  £41.9 billion ($66 billion) by the end of 2015, 11.6% growth. This shows the potential of the online sales channel. It is relatively easy to enter into Internet retail, especially for an established company with set up distance sales, as the costs are low and there are little additional regulations (Datamonitor, 2011a; Great Britain. Office of Fair Trading, 2006). Implementation and Issues Cotton-On Ltd may not have staff with sufficient skills to build and maintain an online store integrated with their website; however this is not the only way of implementing this strategy. Using an existing online service, which allows retailers to sell through their website, may prove more feasible as the first step in providing online sales. Even though this is not an ideal solution (Bernstein et al., 2008) it also addresses other issuers mentioned later in this section. The current website can be updated to direct interested customers to the service where they can make a purchase, while the staff will only be faced with learning whatever interface the service is providing. There are a few other concerns related to online sales and gaining new customers through this channel. Research suggests that the reason for the strong standing of the online market is the convenience of lower prices and price comparison tools (Datamonitor, 2011a; Bernstein et al., 2008). Therefore price competition may be stronger than in the traditional market. At the same time, use of online sales helps to reduce transaction costs and some of those savings can be passed to customers (Bernstein et al., 2008) at least partially addressing the pricing issues. It is likely that this strategy will reduce sales through other channels, but this redirection is desirable due to the aforementioned reduced costs (Bernstein et al., 2008). The effects should be monitored and further decisions should be made accordingly. For example, telephone sales may no longer require as many staff members, but they may be trained for support in online sales and customer service via email. Trust is the main issue when attracting new buyers in the online setting. Customers are concerned about the security of online transactions, which means they are more likely to select known and trusted retailers (Datamonitor, 2011a; Premazzi et al., 2010). A study conducted by Premazzi, Castaldo, Grosso and Hofacker (2010) find that customers are more willing to provide their information only for certain compensation (prizes, vouchers etc.). And therefore, if this method is used, the type of compensation should suit the targeted audiences. It also concludes that well designed, user friendly and error free websites may increase customer trust. Another way of targeting new customers may be by using an already known and trusted service, for example Amazon. They are one of the biggest online retailers (Datamonitor, 2011a) and they offer ways for retailers to sell products on their website with relatively low cost (Amazon, no date). Products made available through Amazon website will be exposed to millions of shoppers that use their services, and Cotton-On Ltd could use Amazons position in the market as a declaration of the safety of the transaction to the customers (Amazon, no date). Additionally, successful transactions will increase Cotton-On Ltd brands exposure and increase trust for it. Legal considerations Selling over the Internet is considered the same as selling over the phone in light of distance selling regulations (Great Britain. Office of Fair Trading, 2006). Therefore we can expect that Cotton-On Ltd is already adhering to those regulations. However the Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002 introduces additional rules regarding advertising and sales using electronic channels. Because Cotton-On Ltd is already advertising on the Internet, hopefully with respect to those regulations, only extensions to sales specific regulations are required. Those rules affect: Information provided on the website used for sales. Technical means provided to customers (for example for identifying and correcting errors). Method of acknowledging orders (i.e. receipt supplied by electronic means). (Great Britain. Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, 2002). Introducing an online distribution channel should not cause high additional costs related to legal matters. Additional Benefits Besides reduced costs and the chance of attracting new customers, use of the electronic sales channel also automates data collection and saves time required for order processing. If the changes are monitored and correct decisions are made to maximise benefits, Cotton-On Ltd will not only attract additional revenue but also lower its operation costs. Expand Sales to European Union Justification We propose the expansion of sales to other European Union countries only applies to the sales over the Internet. Costs of online expansion are relatively low, compared to a more physical solution (Premazzi, 2010) and high cost projects will probably not be possible due to the current situation at Cotton-On Ltd. The United Kingdom represents 23.5% of the European online retail sector (Datamonitor, 2011a). The other big markets are France, Germany, Italy and Spain with respectively 21.5%, 14.9%, 7.2% and 5.5% share of the market (Datamonitor, 2011a). It is also worth noting that both France and Germany have larger predicted growth over the next few years than the United Kingdom market. The French market is expected to exceed  £57.8 billion ($90.8 billion) 21% growth, and the German market is expected to exceed  £27.8 ($24.2 billion) 12.5% growth. Apparel (including footwear and accessories) accounts for 14.1% in both the German and French markets (Datamonitor, 2011b; c). This means that there is a large potential market outside of the United Kingdom. Implementation and Issues The technical and trust issues were already covered in the section on introduction of online sales, and the information provided also applies to this strategy. Pricing issues will be revisited in the context of foreign markets, due to issues arising from currency differences. The Single Market The European Union market is easy to access. European Union member states standardise their law to operate in a single market programme. The aim of this programme is to make doing business with other European Union counties as similar as possible to doing business in the companys country of origin. Measures, that European Union countries have introduced to achieve this, include: Reduction of paperwork accounting for the purposes of VAT is the same as for sales/purchases in the United Kingdom. Unified standards complying with United Kingdom technical and safety standards ensures meeting standards in other European Union countries. Free movement of people it is easy to employ European Union citizens in United Kingdom companies. Free movement of goods goods produced in the European Union or imported into a member state with duty paid, are considered to be in free circulation, further customs duty is not payable. Common currency 17 out of 27 member states have introduced the Euro as their currency, which reduces currency considerations for businesses. (Business Link, no date c; d; f) Languages Even though English is the language used internationally in business, it is still beneficial to have knowledge of countrys language and culture while doing business there (Business Link, no date a). A Eurobarometer pool found that almost half of the European Union citizens only speak one language (European Commission, 2012). Cotton-On Ltd needs to translate their website and products descriptions to the languages of targeted countries to not miss out on potential customers from those markets. They should also consider providing customer service in selected languages; it is possible they already have staff with language skills and if not, the free movement of people within the EEA makes it easier for businesses to find employees with the right skills (Business Link, no date b; d). Pricing Customers in other countries expect prices in their local currency. Therefore a company entering a foreign market should consider pricing and issues related to currency exchange (Business Link, no date h). Additional research into the market is required to make decisions on pricing; prices appropriate in the United Kingdom may not be appropriate in the new market (Business Link, no date e). Other Issues Cotton-On Ltd should also research competition in the new markets; consider marketing, delivery methods, payment methods and related costs (Business Link, no date e). Implementation suggestions The solution proposed for introducing online sales, where Cotton-On Ltd would use a known online retailer is also applicable here. If they choose an online retailer that already operates in their target markets, like Amazon (Amazon, no date), it may reduce some costs and solve some technical issues. Because each countrys market and culture is different, and some European countries still operate with their own currency, it is probably not feasible to expand to the entire European Union at once. Cotton-On Ltd should perform more detailed research into potential target markets and decide which to enter. Conclusion In our report, we established the three strategies: Research consumer buying habits, introduction of online sales and expansion of sales to European Union, which we think will address some of the problems arising at Cotton-On Limited. The main problem of the company is its financial situation and we are finding ways on how the three strategies and the process that can help to cope with this problem. We also talk about the possibilities on how the company can increase their sales through the strategies. In our research we also found out that the Cotton-On Ltd cannot only increase sales, but can also gain new prospected customers if Cotton-On Ltd follows the right procedure in implementing the strategies. In the Consumer Buying Habits, we were able to explain the methods that can be used to help the company with the targeting of their consumers. With the production of their products, the company will be able to target consumers who will be interested in the products. Interviews, questionnaire, survey and consumer panel are the method that can be used to get the target market for Cotton-On Limited. The Introduction of Online Sales is about using the Internet as a tool in selling their products. This strategy can also strengthen Cotton-On Limited, because it shows in the research that the number of online sales in the UK is increasing and will continue in same scale. We raised the implementation and the legal issues that the Cotton-On Ltd should take into consideration. We find out benefits as well that the company can get like reducing of cost however; they can still increase their profits. They can also attract new customers and gather customer information. There is a major issue in gaining customer trust. Most customers do not trust online sales so we recommend Cotton-On Limited to use known online retailers such as Amazon to target new customers and increase trust for the brand. In the Expansion of Sales to European Union, it is more likely the introduction of online sales because the company need to use the Internet for this strategy. Cotton-On Limited can use their internet setting so they can easily expand their business to the European Union countries. There are issues in this strategy such as the currency because most European Union countries use different currency so customers expect the prices to be in their local currency. With this issue, Cotton-On Limited should consider the pricing and issues related to the countrys currency exchange. We also talked about the language issue because different country speaks different language. It is discussed that it will really not be a big problem as English is the language used internationally in business however; customers expect their native language to be used so in selling the products, Cotton-On Limited needs to use the native language of the country where they are running their business. The company should also consider that they will enter a new market so they will also have new competitors in the business. The goal of these three strategies is to increase the revenue of Cotton-On Limited. The three strategies mentioned can help in increasing the funds of the company. If the company will be able to increase their funding because of the three strategies, they will have more budgets to make further improvements to increase the money coming in to the company. The company can also do stock control. This is a very useful improvement to increase their revenue. Stock control is very important because if they cannot do it effectively, it can lead to loss of sales or it can damage the reputation of the business. They have to make sure that they have enough stock all the time at the right time. They have to make sure that they have products to offer to their customers to gain business reputation so that they can have loyal customers and gain new ones. The company should make sure that they make careful planning with their stock control because having effective stock control can lead to making the business larger. The company will also need more tailored information system across their departments so they can get support on gathering data that can make the operation smooth and can reduce related costs.

Societys Restraint To Social Reform :: essays research papers

Society's Restraint to Social Reform Of the many chatted words in the social reform vocabulary of Canadians today, the term workfare seems to stimulate much debate and emotion. Along with the notions of self-sufficiency, employability enhancement, and work disincentives, it is the concept of workfare that causes the most tension between it's government and business supporters and it's anti-poverty and social justice critics. In actuality, workfare is a contraction of the concept of "working for welfare" which basically refers to the requirement that recipients perform unpaid work as a condition of receiving social assistance. Recent debates on the subject of welfare are far from unique. They are all simply contemporary attempts to decide if we live in a just society or not. This debate has been a major concern throughout history. Similarly, the provision of financial assistance to the able-bodied working-age poor has always been controversial. On one side are those who articulate the feelings and views of the poor, namely, the Permissive Position, who see them as victims of our society and deserving of community support. The problems of the poor range from personal (abandonment or death of the family income earner) to the social (racial prejudice in the job market) and economic (collapse in the market demand for their often limited skills due to an economic recession or shift in technology). The Permissive View reveals that all participants in society are deserving of the unconditional legal right to social security without any relation to the individual's behaviour. It is believed that any society which can afford to supply the basic needs of life to every individual of that society but does not, can be accused of imposing life-long deprivation or death to those needy individuals. The reason for the needy individual being in that situation, whether they are willing to work, or their actions while receiving support have almost no weight in their ability to acquire this welfare support. This view is presently not withheld in society, for if it was, the stereotype of the 'Typical Welfare Recipient' would be unheard of. On the other side, the Individualists believe that generous aid to the poor is a poisoned chalice that encourages the poor to pursue a life of poverty opposing their own long-term interests as well of those of society in general. Here, high values are placed on personal choice. Each participant in society is a responsible individual who is able to make his own decisions in order to manipulate the progression of his own life. In conjunction with this opinion, if you are given the freedom to make these decisions, then surely you must