Managing Tensions Inherent Of Business - 6389 Words

Managing Tensions Inherent in Business (For-profit) and Social (Non-profit) Entrepreneurial Activities Introduction Over the past several decades, entrepreneurship has attracted considerable attention of scholars from various disciplines. However, the majority of studies conducted on this emerging field have placed special emphasis on business entrepreneurship in which profit-oriented logic is dominant (e.g., Erikson, 2001; Dejardin, 2011; Campbell Mitchell, 2012). On the other hand, social entrepreneurship, which focuses on fulfilling unmet socio-economic needs rather than individual profit seeking, has started to gain importance in recent years (e.g., Mair Martà ­, 2006; Schorr, 2006; Nicholls, 2006; Dacin, Dacin, Tracey; 2011). Surprisingly, the vast majority of research conducted on these two research streams has addressed business- and social entrepreneurship separately. This separation has led to a lack of studies on the contexts in which some entrepreneurs, who engage in both for-profit and non-profit entrepreneurial activities at the same time. Since these two entrepreneurial activitie s have their own characteristics and logics, I propose that they result in tensions and conflicts that the particular entrepreneur should try to manage. Following this proposition, this study takes a step toward filling the aforementioned void. Reviewing the extant literature on both business- and social entrepreneurship has led me to develop my research question as follows: HowShow MoreRelatedTeams : Teams Characteristics And Diversity1175 Words   |  5 PagesMcGee, Jacqueline Rasheed and Brandon J. Smith In the business world today, teams have become essential for the effective and efficient execution of business functions. While the type of teams varies across industries, each team serves a specific function within the organization. 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The Vampire Diaries The Fury Chapter Nine Free Essays

string(82) " as it flicked its eyes toward the window and then back to Margaret’s face\." â€Å"Well, at least I didn’t get taken over,† Bonnie said. â€Å"But I’m sick of this psychic stuff anyway; I’m tired of the whole thing. That was the last time, absolutely the last. We will write a custom essay sample on The Vampire Diaries: The Fury Chapter Nine or any similar topic only for you Order Now † â€Å"All right,† said Elena, turning away from the mirror, â€Å"let’s talk about something else. Did you find anything out today?† â€Å"I talked with Alaric, and he’s having another get-together next week,† Bonnie replied. â€Å"He asked Caroline and Vickie and me if we wanted to be hypnotized to help us deal with what’s been happening. But I’m sure he isn’t the Other Power, Elena. He’s too nice.† Elena nodded. She’d had second thoughts about her suspicions of Alaric herself. Not because he was nice, but because she had spent four days in his attic asleep. Would the Other Power really have let her stay there unharmed? Of course, Damon had said he’d influenced Alaric to forget that she was up there, but would the Other Power have succumbed to Damon’s influence? Shouldn’t it be far too strong? Unless its Powers had temporarily burned out, she thought suddenly. The way Stefan’s were burning out now. Or unless it had only been pretending to be influenced. â€Å"Well, we won’t cross him off the list just yet,† she said. â€Å"We’ve got to be careful. What about Mrs. Flowers? Did you find out anything about her?† â€Å"No luck,† said Meredith. â€Å"We went to the boardinghouse this morning, but she didn’t answer the door. Stefan said he’d try to track her down in the afternoon.† â€Å"If somebody would only invite me in there, I could watch her, too,† Elena said. â€Å"I feel like I’m the only one not doing anything. I think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She paused a moment, considering, and then said, â€Å"I think I’ll go by home-by Aunt Judith’s, I mean. Maybe I’ll find Robert hanging around in the bushes or something.† â€Å"We’ll go with you,† Meredith said. â€Å"No, it’s better for me to do it alone. Really, it is. I can be very inconspicuous these days.† â€Å"Then take your own advice and be careful. It’s still snowing hard.† Elena nodded and dropped over the windowsill. As she approached her house, she saw that a car was just pulling out of the driveway. She melted into the shadows and watched. The headlights illuminated an eerie winter sight: the neighbors’ black locust tree, like a bare-branched silhouette, with a white owl sitting in it. As the car roared past, Elena recognized it. Robert’s blue Oldsmobile. Now, that was interesting. She had an urge to follow him, but a stronger urge to check the house, make sure everything was all right. She circled it stealthily, examining windows. The yellow chintz curtains at the kitchen window were looped back, revealing a bright section of kitchen inside. Aunt Judith was closing the dishwasher. Had Robert come to dinner? Elena wondered. The yellow chintz curtains at the kitchen window were looped back, revealing a bright section of kitchen inside. Aunt Judith was closing the dishwasher. Had Robert come to dinner? Elena wondered. Elena wished she could see more than just her aunt’s profile in the flickering light of the TV. It gave her a strange feeling to look at this room, knowing that she could only look and not go in. How long had it been since she realized what a nice room it was? The old mahogany whatnot, crowded with china and glassware, the Tiffany lamp on the table next to Aunt Judith, the needlepoint pillows on the couch, all seemed precious to her now. Standing outside, feeling the feathery caress of the snow on the back of her neck, she wished she could go in just for a moment, just for a little while. Aunt Judith’s head was tilting back, her eyes shutting. Elena leaned her forehead against the window, then slowly turned away. She climbed the quince tree outside her own bedroom, but to her disappointment the curtains were shut tight. The maple tree outside Margaret’s room was fragile and harder to climb, but once she got up she had a good view; these curtains were wide open. Margaret was asleep with the bedcovers drawn up to her chin, her mouth open, her pale hair spread out like a fan on the pillow. Hello, baby, Elena thought and swallowed back tears. It was such a sweetly innocent scene: the nightlight, the little girl in bed, the stuffed animals on the shelves keeping watch over her. And here came a little white kitten padding through the open door to complete the picture, Elena thought. Snowball jumped onto Margaret’s bed. The kitten yawned, showing a tiny pink tongue, and stretched, displaying miniature claws. Then it walked daintily over to stand on Margaret’s chest. Something tingled at the roots of Elena’s hair. She didn’t know if it was some new hunter’s sense or sheer intuition, but suddenly she was afraid. There was danger in that room. Margaret was in danger. The kitten was still standing there, tail swishing back and forth. And all at once Elena realized what it looked like. The dogs. It looked the way Chelsea had looked at Doug Carson before she lunged at him. Oh, God, the town had quarantined the dogs, but nobody had thought about the cats. Elena’s mind was working at top speed, but it wasn’t helping her. It was only flashing pictures of what a cat could do with curved claws and needle-sharp teeth. And Margaret just lay there breathing softly, oblivious to any danger. The fur on Snowball’s back was rising, her tail swelling like a bottle brush. Her ears flattened and she opened her mouth in a silent hiss. Her eyes were fixed on Margaret’s face just the way Chelsea’s had been on Doug Carson’s. Margaret’s face just the way Chelsea’s had been on Doug Carson’s. But the snow, settling like a blanket around her, seemed to deaden the words into nothingness. A low, discordant wail was started in Snowball’s throat as it flicked its eyes toward the window and then back to Margaret’s face. You read "The Vampire Diaries: The Fury Chapter Nine" in category "Essay examples" â€Å"Margaret, wake up!† Elena shouted. Then, just as the kitten pulled back a curved paw, she threw herself at the window. She never knew, later, how she managed to hang on. There was no room to kneel on the sill, but her fingernails sank into the soft old wood of the casing, and the toe of one boot jammed into a foothold below. She banged against the window with her body weight, shouting. â€Å"Get away from her! Wake up, Margaret!† Margaret’s eyes flew open and she sat up, throwing Snowball backward. The kitten’s claws caught in the eyelet bedspread as it scrambled to right itself. Elena shouted again. â€Å"Margaret, get off the bed! Open the window, quick!† Margaret’s four-year-old face was full of sleepy surprise, but no fear. She got up and stumbled toward the window while Elena gritted her teeth. â€Å"That’s it. Good girl†¦ now say, ‘Come in.’ Quick, say it!† â€Å"Come in,† Margaret said obediently, blinking and stepping back. The kitten sprang out as Elena fell in. She made a grab for it, but it was too fast. Once outside it glided across the maple branches with taunting ease and leaped down into the snow, disappearing. A small hand was tugging at Elena’s sweater. â€Å"You came back!† Margaret said, hugging Elena’s hips. â€Å"I missed you.† â€Å"Oh, Margaret, I missed you-† Elena began, and then froze. Aunt Judith’s voice sounded from the top of the stairs. â€Å"Margaret, are you awake? What’s going on in there?† Elena had only an instant to make her decision. â€Å"Don’t tell her I’m here,† she whispered, dropping to her knees. â€Å"It’s a secret; do you understand? Say you let the kitty out, but don’t tell her I’m here.† There wasn’t time for any more; Elena dived under the bed and prayed. From under the dust ruffle, she watched Aunt Judith’s stocking feet come into the room. She pressed her face into the floorboards, not breathing. â€Å"Margaret! What are you doing up? Come on, let’s get you back in bed,† Aunt Judith’s voice said, and then the bed creaked with Margaret’s weight and Elena heard the noises of Aunt Judith’s fussing with the covers. â€Å"Your hands are freezing. What on earth is the window doing open?† â€Å"And now there’s snow all over the floor. I can’t believe this†¦ Don’t you open it up again, do you hear me?† A little more bustling and the stocking feet went out again. The door shut. Elena squirmed out. â€Å"Good girl,† she whispered as Margaret sat up. â€Å"I’m proud of you. Now tomorrow you tell Aunt Judith that you have to give your kitty away. Tell her it scared you. I know you don’t want to†-she put up a hand to stop the wail that was gathering on Margaret’s lips-â€Å"but you have to. Because I’m telling you that kitty will hurt you if you keep it. You don’t want to get hurt, do you?† â€Å"No,† said Margaret, her blue eyes filling. â€Å"But-â€Å" â€Å"And you don’t want the kitty to hurt Aunt Judith, either, do you? You tell Aunt Judith you can’t have a kitten or a puppy or even a bird until-well, for a while. Don’t tell her that I said so; that’s still our secret. Tell her you’re scared because of what happened with the dogs at church.† It was better, Elena reasoned grimly, to give the little girl nightmares than to have a nightmare play out in this bedroom. Margaret’s mouth drooped sadly. â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"I’m sorry, sweetie.† Elena sat down and hugged her. â€Å"But that’s the way it has to be.† â€Å"You’re cold,† Margaret said. Then she looked up into Elena’s face. â€Å"Are you an angel?† â€Å"Uh†¦ not exactly.† Just the opposite, Elena thought ironically. â€Å"Aunt Judith said you went to be with Mommy and Daddy. Did you see them yet?† â€Å"I-it’s sort of hard to explain, Margaret. I haven’t seen them yet, no. And I’m not an angel, but I’m going to be like your guardian angel anyway, all right? I’ll watch over you, even when you can’t see me. Okay?† â€Å"Okay.† Margaret played with her fingers. â€Å"Does that mean you can’t live here anymore?† Elena looked around the pink-and-white bedroom, at the stuffed animals on the shelves and the little writing desk and the rocking horse that had once been hers in the corner. â€Å"That’s what it means,† she said softly. â€Å"When they said you went to be with Mommy and Daddy, I said I wanted to go, too.† Elena blinked hard. â€Å"Oh, baby. It’s not time for you to go, so you can’t. And Aunt Judith loves you very much, and she’d be lonely without you.† Margaret nodded, her eyelids drooping. But as Elena eased her down and pulled the bedspread over her, Margaret asked one more question. â€Å"But don’t you love me?† Oh, stupid, stupid, Elena thought, forging through the banked snow to the other side of Maple Street. She’d missed her chance to ask Margaret whether Robert had been at dinner. It was too late now. Robert. Her eyes narrowed suddenly. At the church, Robert had been outside and then the dogs had gone mad. And tonight Margaret’s kitten had gone feral-just a little while after Robert’s car had pulled out of the driveway. Robert has a lot to answer for, she thought. But melancholy was pulling at her, tugging her thoughts away. Her mind kept returning to the bright house she’d just left, going over the things she’d never see again. All her clothes and knickknacks and jewelry-what would Aunt Judith do with them? I don’t own anything anymore, she thought. I’m a pauper. Elena? With relief, Elena recognized the mental voice and the distinctive shadow at the end of the street. She hurried toward Stefan, who took his hands out of his jacket pockets and held hers to warm them. â€Å"Meredith told me where you’d gone.† â€Å"I went home,† Elena said. That was all she could say, but as she leaned against him for comfort, she knew that he understood. â€Å"Let’s find someplace we can sit down,† he said, and stopped in frustration. All the places they used to go were either too dangerous or closed to Elena. The police still had Stefan’s car. Eventually they just went to the high school where they could sit under the overhang of a roof and watch the snow sift down. Elena told him what had happened in Margaret’s room. â€Å"I’m going to have Meredith and Bonnie spread it around town that cats can attack, too. People should know that. And I think somebody ought to be watching Robert,† she concluded. â€Å"We’ll tail him,† Stefan said, and she couldn’t help smiling. â€Å"It’s funny how much more American you’ve gotten,† she said. â€Å"I hadn’t thought about it in a long time, but when you first came you were a lot more foreign. Now nobody would know you hadn’t lived here all your life.† â€Å"We adapt quickly. We have to,† Stefan said. â€Å"There are always new countries, new decades, new situations. You’ll adapt, too.† â€Å"You’ll learn, in time. If there is anything†¦ good†¦ about what we are, it’s time. We have plenty of it, as much as we want. Forever.† † ‘Joyous companions forever.’ Isn’t that what Katherine said to you and Damon?† Elena murmured. She could feel Stefan’s stiffening, his withdrawal. â€Å"She was talking about all three of us,† he said. â€Å"I wasn’t.† â€Å"Oh, Stefan, please don’t, not now. I wasn’t even thinking about Damon, only about forever. It scares me. Everything about this scares me, and sometimes I think I just want to go to sleep and never wake up again†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In the shelter of his arms she felt safer, and she found her new senses were just as amazing close up as they were at a distance. She could hear each separate pulse of Stefan’s heart, and the rush of blood through his veins. And she could smell his own distinctive scent mingled with the scent of his jacket, and the snow, and the wool of his clothes. â€Å"Please trust me,† she whispered. â€Å"I know you’re angry with Damon, but try to give him a chance. I think there’s more to him than there seems to be. And I want his help in finding the Other Power, and that’s all I want from him.† At that moment it was completely true. Elena wanted nothing to do with the hunter’s life tonight; the darkness held no appeal for her. She wished she could be at home sitting in front of a fire. But it was sweet just to be held like this, even if she and Stefan had to sit in the snow to do it. Stefan’s breath was warm as he kissed the back of her neck, and she sensed no further withdrawal in Stefan’s body. No hunger, either, or at least not the kind she was used to sensing when they were close like this. Now that she was a hunter like he, the need was different, a need for togetherness rather than for sustenance. It didn’t matter. They had lost something, but they had gained something, too. She understood Stefan in a way she never had before. And her understanding brought them closer, until their minds were touching, almost meshing with each other’s. It wasn’t the noisy chatter of mental voices; it was a deep and wordless communion. As if their spirits were united. â€Å"I love you,† Stefan said against her neck, and she held on tighter. She understood now why he’d been afraid to say it for so long. When the thought of tomorrow scared you sick, it was hard to make a commitment. Because you didn’t want to drag someone else down with you. Particularly someone you loved. â€Å"I love you, too,† she made herself say and sat back, her peaceful mood broken. â€Å"And will you try to give Damon a chance, for my sake? Try to work with him?† â€Å"I’ll work with him, but I won’t trust him. I can’t. I know him too well.† â€Å"I followed Mrs. Flowers today.† Stefan’s lip quirked. â€Å"All afternoon and evening. And you know what she did?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Three loads of wash-in an ancient machine that looked like it was going to explode any minute. No clothes dryer, just a wringer. It’s all down in the basement. Then she went outside and filled about two dozen bird feeders. Then back to the basement to wipe off jars of preserves. She spends most of her time down there. She talks to herself.† â€Å"Just like a dotty old lady,† said Elena. â€Å"All right; maybe Meredith’s wrong and that’s all she is.† She noticed his change of expression at Meredith’s name and added, â€Å"What?† â€Å"Well, Meredith may have some explaining to do herself. I didn’t ask her about it; I thought maybe it was better coming from you. But she went to talk to Alaric Saltzman after school today. And she didn’t want anyone to know where she was going.† Disquiet uncoiled in Elena’s middle. â€Å"So what?† â€Å"So she lied about it afterward-or at least she evaded the issue. I tried to probe her mind, but my Powers are just about burnt out. And she’s strong-willed.† â€Å"And you had no right! Stefan, listen to me. Meredith would never do anything to hurt us or betray us. Whatever she’s keeping from us-â€Å" â€Å"So you do admit that she’s hiding something.† â€Å"Yes,† Elena said reluctantly. â€Å"But it’s nothing that will hurt us, I’m sure. Meredith has been my friend since the first grade†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Without knowing it, Elena let the sentence slip away from her. She was thinking of another friend, one who’d been close to her since kindergarten. Caroline. Who last week had tried to destroy Stefan and humiliate Elena in front of the entire town. And what was it Caroline’s diary had said about Meredith? Meredith doesn’t do anything; she just watches. It’s as if she can’t act, she can only react to things. Besides, I’ve heard my parents talking about her family-no wonder she never mentions them. Elena’s eyes left the snowy landscape to seek Stefan’s waiting face. â€Å"It doesn’t matter,† she said quietly. â€Å"I know Meredith, and I trust her. I’ll trust her to the end.† â€Å"I hope she’s worthy of it, Elena,† he said. â€Å"I really do.† How to cite The Vampire Diaries: The Fury Chapter Nine, Essay examples

Examining the Economical and Ethical Debates free essay sample

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Aloud Quinoa has been heavily analyzed and critiqued ever since it was published in London in 1789. Disputes over Quinoas Narrative include debates over his actual birthplace, the consistency of his factual information, his sanity, and even whether Quinoa was the legitimate author of the book. All of these issues can be used to disprove Quinoas story as being true (or not entirely true), thus diminishing the usefulness and effectiveness of his book as a backbone of the abolition movement.Slavery had become an extremely lucrative business for slave-owners and such, and essentially brought many countries to power through its successful business due to the free labor as well as through the slave trade. However, Aloud Quinoa strongly opposed the institution of slavery by proclaiming that slavery was immoral, unjust, unethical, and that Africans must not be oppressed because they should be seen as equals to Europeans. We will write a custom essay sample on Examining the Economical and Ethical Debates or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He also refuted the notion that slavery could be justified economically, as he modeled an economic theory justifying an economic and immemorial boost that would develop with the abolition of slavery. Consequently, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Aloud Quinoa was seen as a monumental threat to the pro-slavery movement, causing those opposing the anti-slavery movement to initiate false condemnations in order to protect their profits and economic gains. Quinoas narrative provided a first-hand documentation of a real slaves life long struggle and quest to abolish slavery. He recounts the misery of the middle passage by saying, with the loathsomeness of the stench, and crying together, I became so sick that Owe wished for the last friend, death, to relieve me (68). He exposes the horrors, inhumanity, and immortality that slavery and the slave trade instigated from a rare perspective. His experience as a slave even went so far as to cause him to wish to die, rather than continue living as a slave. Due to his background as an ex-slave, the trauma and despicable experiences that he conveys in his book are able to connect with readers on a far more emotional and personal level than other pamphlets of the time.Quinoa illustrates his views by giving examples of his constant oppression as he dinettes many slaves being tortured: I was often a witness to cruelties of every kind, which were exercised on my unhappy fellow slaves(107). Slaves were not seen as equals and were commonly beaten and abused, as Equation continues saying l have seen a negro beaten till some of his bones were broken, for even letting a pot boil over Driving the poor creatures to despair, and making them seek refuge in death(1 09). Quinoa lived through these horrible brutalities, and makes an imperative emphasis In his book to prove that slavery was extremely inhumane and unacceptable through his own experiences as well as witnessing the experiences of others. In essence, Quinoas story of frustration and oppression is a small example of the frustration, persecution, and repulsions that hundreds of thousands of slaves had been dealing with for hundreds of years while vying for a chance of freedom.He says that he hopes that his book will serve as a lesson of morality and religion, which will help people become better and wiser (p. 255) upon reading it. Additionally, Quinoa was convinced that ending slavery and the slave trade would actually result in economic and commercial rookeries for both Britain and Africa. He says, When you make men slaves you deprive them of half their virtue.. . You stupefy them with stripes, and think it necessary to keep them in a state of ignorance; and yet you assert that they are incapable of learning(11 3).Quinoa points out that the reason that Europeans viewed Africans as unequal and unable to sustain any kind of structured civilization, culture, and economy stemmed from the fact that African slaves were never given a chance to be educated, enlightened, or even think for themselves. Their potential was essentially smothered by the oppression, racism, and brutality that came with slavery and the slave trade. Not only were the African peoples being ;sated, but so was the African land as a continent with potential for prosperity and commercial growth.He says, l doubt it not, if a system of commerce was established in Africa, the demand for manufacturers would most rapidly augment, as the native inhabitants will insensibly adopt to the British fashions, manners, customers, He proposed that if given an equal and fair chance, the African people and entry of Africa as a whole would open up an entirely new and prosperous market to trade and commerce with Britain. He asserts that a market in Africa would be just as successful as the newly developed market in Britain and that Africa is full of hidden treasures. .. Laundry, enterprise, mining. TTS lays open to an endless field of commerce to the British manufacturers and merchant adventurer. .. The abolition of slavery would do a universal good(213). Quinoa recognized that his economic proposal of a potentially successful arrest and culture in Africa in a free world was totally and diametrically opposite of what some interested people assert,(213) as many people opposed his moral and economic stance. The institution of slavery was incredibly profitable and lucrative to a large number of merchants, slave owners, plantation owners, farmers, and investors.Slavery provided free labor which meant that no wages needed to be paid to the slaves, resulting in monumental profit margins for those who used slaves to produce goods, such as sugar, cotton, or tea to be sold and traded in the market. The use of laves had become a necessary evil for survival for many plantation owners and farmers who depended on slaves to bring about profits to their business in order to provide for their families and to ultimately survive. The abolition of slavery from this perspective would cause a destruction of a structured economy and commerce in Britain which was rooted and upheld by slavery. If slaves were taken away from this production process, it was feared that the economy would crash and that chaos would ensue. Those who were in power and relied on slaves needed a counterargument against Equations abolition event, so they resorted to finding and pinpointing any possible flaw in his book in order to support their anti-abolition stance in the face of adversity and pressure.It was a money-driven and selfish attempt to protect the stability and profits that slavery provided to those who owned slaves (or those who benefited from the use of them). Therefore, I feel that the arguments and criticisms against the book should be discredited for the most part, thus making the book a legitimate source and a useful anti-slavery tool. Additionally, even if the arguments against the legitimacy and truthfulness of he book w ere rightfully justified I still would agree with Quinoas theories and visions of abolition.Though slavery was prosperous and beneficial to some, it was absolutely immoral and unethical and the abolition of slavery would allow for prosperity to an enormously larger amount of people due to the emergence of a new market in a country that was twice as large as Europe. Africans would obviously benefit economically, socially, morally, and ethically and the Europeans would be still be subject to increased commercial interests and economical gains as well.

Success factors in business

The more companies develop and become successful the complex their operations and virtual organizations become. The interconnectedness of these organizations promotes success in a company; in contrast, it may result in delays and discontent hence lack of successes in the hierarchical components that work together to achieve a common objective.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Success factors in business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Success factors are the inputs to the control system that contribute explicitly or ultimately to the company’s triumph. In the present multicultural society and consumer-focused approach to business, it would be required to make the matrix form effective. These factors comprise of the leader, the team, the nature of the project being undertaken, the organization involved, and the external surrounding, including the administrative and socioeconomic conditions influencing their activities. It is necessary to determine what the administration deems as ‘successes’ before embarking on any objective-setting (Daughtrey, 2001 pp. 27). A leader takes part in instinctively influencing the success of a group and works closely with the workforce. There will be alterations in an organization when a leader is brave and skillful enough to grasp dealing opportunities, which can advance the functioning of the group. With appropriate knowledge, all the factors of performance will be easily administered. A manager who integrates all the multicultural outlooks and ideologies of workers and customers will effectively bring prosperity to the organization. The workers are thus able to find pleasure in performing duties that they do not want (Adair, 2009, pp. 56). In order to increase efficiency and monetary success, leaders must adopt these characteristics in order to create individuals and recognize profits. Martin Luther king is one of these leaders who receive d praise for his leadership qualities, and the population felt that they contributed to the success. Mahatma Gandhi is another example of a leader whose actions spoke louder than words. The leader must ensure that the dexterity and competencies of each worker are recognized to guarantee appropriate distribution of errands. This promotes reciprocated approval and esteem of the group dynamics involved in the supervision process. It is necessary to employ proficient talents with assorted specialties to achieve different viewpoints. This secures the effectiveness of employees even if the head is not nearby.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The employees must be allowed to have a complete understanding of the operations of the business (Jackson Madsen, 2005). This creates confidence among the staff and the leaders and upholds the input of the workforce in channeling decisions. St rategies to ensure continued success of the organization, for example, documenting measures, are necessary; hence endorsement or discharge of any employee does not shape the implementation of the group’s activities. List of References Adair, J 2007, develop your leadership skills, Philadelphia, Kogan Page Publishers, pp. 56-57. Daughtrey, T 2001, fundamental concepts for the software quality engineer, Wisconsin, American society for quality, pp. 27. Jackson, B, Madsen, S 2005, High performance teams, April, 2005, viewed on http://works.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1085context=susan_madsen This essay on Success factors in business was written and submitted by user Johanna J. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

5 Faulty Not Only . . . But Also Sentences

5 Faulty Not Only . . . But Also Sentences 5 Faulty Not Only . . . But Also Sentences 5 Faulty Not Only . . . But Also Sentences By Mark Nichol Often, when a sentence expresses a point and a counterpoint with the phrases â€Å"not only† and â€Å"but also,† writers have difficulty constructing the sentence in the correct syntactical order. Each of the following sentences demonstrates various erroneous ways the â€Å"not only . . . but also† construction can be misused; discussions, followed by revisions, explain how to repair the damage. 1. Moving to the cloud had not only improved security but had also reduced the risks they faced prior to implementation. Had can be shared by both the â€Å"not only† phrase and the â€Å"but also† phrase: â€Å"Moving to the cloud had not only improved security but also reduced the risks they faced prior to implementation.† (If had is to be used twice, it should follow â€Å"not only† and, when repeated, should follow â€Å"but also†: â€Å"Moving to the cloud not only had improved security but also had reduced the risks they faced prior to implementation.†) 2. They were all spending Monday night in New Hampshire- not only to get a jump on the impending storm but also on their competitors. This sentence is incomplete; because â€Å"not only† precedes â€Å"to get a jump,† that phrase needs to be repeated after â€Å"but also.† Or, more simply, place the noun phrase before â€Å"not only† so it can be shared with â€Å"but also†: â€Å"They were all spending Monday night in New Hampshire- to get a jump not only on the impending storm but also on their competitors.† 3. The Broncos had not only lost the game, but they also lost their starting quarterback. Because lost refers to both the game and the starting quarterback, that verb should precede both â€Å"not only† and â€Å"but also,† which obviates the need for the pronoun they: â€Å"The Broncos had lost not only the game but also their starting quarterback.† 4. The bill authorizes private entities to not only monitor their own networks for cybersecurity threats but also to share threat information with other private entities and the federal government. The infinitive to precedes â€Å"not only,† so it applies to â€Å"but also† as well and does not need to be repeated after that phrase: â€Å"The bill authorizes private entities to not only monitor their own networks for cybersecurity threats but also share threat information with other private entities and the federal government.† 5. The Rockets had not only reshaped their own fortune but, as it turned out, that of the entire NBA. Because reshaped refers to both the team’s fortune and that of the entire league, it must precede both the point phrase and the counterpoint phrase: â€Å"The Rockets had reshaped not only their own fortune but also, as it turned out, that of the entire NBA.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to use "on" and when to use "in"Probable vs. PossibleIs "Number" Singular or Plural?

How to Conjugate French Regular -IR Verbs

How to Conjugate French Regular '-IR' Verbs There are five main kinds of verbs in French: regular -er, -ir, -re, stem-changing, and irregular. Once youve learned the rules of conjugation for each of the first three kinds of verbs, you should have no problem conjugating regular verbs in each of those categories. Regular -ir verbs are the second-largest category of French verbs. Indeed, these verbs are often referred to as second conjugation verbs. The verb form that ends in -ir is called the infinitive, and -ir is the infinitive ending. (In English, by contrast, the infinitive is the verb preceded by the word to.) The French verb with the infinitive ending removed is called the stem or radical.   Conjugating Regular French -ir  Verbs To conjugate regular  -ir  French verbs, its best to run through an example, step by step. Conjugate the French word  choisir  (to choose), for example, by following these steps: Remove the infinitive ending (-ir)  to find the stem (also called the radical).Note that the stem- the verb without  the  -ir ending- is  chois.Add the appropriate simple conjugation ending/s shown in the table in the next section. Note that the conjugation table below does not include  the  compound tenses, which consist of  a form of the auxiliary verb  and  the past participle.  Choisir  normally requires the auxiliary verb  avoir  (to have) in  compound tenses and moods. For  example,  Jai  choisi  would  transelate  as I have chosen. But, if you were to extend the sentence, you would delete the  present perfect, as in:   Jai  choisi  deux  là ©gumes verts. I picked (chose) two green vegetables.   Example Conjugations To conjugate an -ir verb in the present tense, remove the infinitive ending and then add the appropriate endings. For example, here are the present tense conjugations for the regular -ir verbs  choisir,  finir  (to finish), and  rà ©ussir  (to succeed): Pronoun Ending choisir chois- finir fin- russir russ- Je -is choisis finis russis Tu -is choisis finis russis Il -it choisit finit russit Nous -issons choisissons finissons russissons Vous -issez choisissez finissez russissez Ils -issent choisissent finissent russissent Some Common French Regular -ir Verbs French regular -ir verbs, the second largest group of French verbs, share a  conjugation pattern. Here are just a few of the most common regular - ir verbs: Abolir  Ã‚  to abolishAgir  Ã‚  to actAvertir  Ã‚   to warnBà ¢tir  Ã‚  to buildChoisir  Ã‚  to chooseà ©tablir  Ã‚  to establishà ©tourdir  Ã‚  to stun, deafen, make dizzyFinir  Ã‚  to finishGrossir  Ã‚  to gain weight, get fatGuà ©rir  Ã‚  to cure, heal, recoverMaigrir  Ã‚  to lose weight, get thinNourrir  Ã‚  to feed, nourishObà ©ir   to obeyPunir  Ã‚  to punishRà ©flà ©chir  Ã‚  to reflect, thinkRemplir  Ã‚  to fillRà ©ussir  Ã‚  to succeedRougir  Ã‚  to blush, turn redVieillir  Ã‚  Ã‚  to grow old Exceptions: Irregular -ir Verbs Most of the French -ir verbs are regular verbs, which conform to the previously discussed rules for conjugation. Its important to keep in mind that there are a number of  irregular -ir verbs  in French. These verbs can be tricky, but there is some good news: Only about 50 irregular -ir verbs exist in French, and they have only 16 conjugations. To simplify things further, most of those fall into just three groups. The first group of irregular  -ir  verbs is essentially conjugated like the verb  partir  (to leave).  This  group includes such verbs as: Consentir   to consentDà ©partir  Ã‚  to accordDormir   to sleep  Endormir  Ã‚  to put/send to sleep The second group consists of verbs that end in  s of these verbs include: Couvrir  Ã‚  to cover  Cueillir  Ã‚  to pick  Ã‚  Dà ©couvrir   to discoverEntrouvrir  Ã‚  to half-open In the third group, verbs such as  tenir  (to hold) and  venir  (to come) and their derivatives follow a shared conjugation pattern in the present tense. Note, however, a major difference in the compound tenses:  Venir  and most of its derivatives use  Ãƒ ªtre  as their  auxiliary verb, while  tenir  and its derivatives use  avoir. Wild Cards The remaining irregular  -ir  verbs dont follow a pattern.  You just have to memorize the conjugations for each of the following verbs separately. Luckily, they are among the most frequently used French verbs, so memorizing their conjugations is completely worth the trouble. They include: Acquà ©rir   to  acquire  Ã‚  Asseoir   to sitAvoir  Ã‚  to haveConquà ©rir   to  conquerCourir  Ã‚  to run

Review of Literature Summaries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Review of Literature Summaries - Essay Example Davies, Howells, & Jenkins (2003) note that this was strategically planned so that it could coincide with the dates of set for the routine visits which are usually established for the schedule for seeing the infant screening. Thus, this plan ensured the elimination of inconveniences and interruption of the participants schedules. From the finding of the research presented in this article, there is an indication of the reduction of the risk of health disruptions caused by PPD from early detection and intervention. On the other hand, those cases which are undetected and consequently not receiving intervention around one year postpartum indicate a heightened risk of incidences of PPD as well as the associated complications (Davies, Howells, & Jenkins, 2003). From the data collected in the first three months, there was an indication that 20% of the participants suffered from postpartum depression. Interestingly, the data collected during the rest of the months through to twelve months indicated that the percentage of PPD incidences experienced a decline. This article supports the proposed change through a number of ways highlighted in the following subsequent statements. First, the article shows the fact that there is a possibility of developing PPD at any time especially during the first prenatal year (Davies, Howells, & Jenkins, 2003). Second, the article shows that using an appropriate validated screening tool, such as the EPDS used in this research, enhances the detection of PPD (Davies, Howells, & Jenkins, 2003). As a result, there can be early intervention to help those who are affected. Early identification of maternal depression as a strategy in the prevention of child abuse is an article which elaborates on the adverse effects of PPD to an individual’s social morbidity as psychological wellbeing (Scott, 1992). This article is relevant to this research

Professional Staff Training in the Academic Library Essay

Professional Staff Training in the Academic Library - Essay Example As such is its scope, the basic questions this study intends to address are: For this study, the researcher will be relying heavily on books, academic journals, and electronic sources. The possible bibliographic tools that the researcher will need in the conduct of the literature research are the title, the author, the date of publication, the place of publication and abstract or summary of the book or article if there is one. At the same time, the researcher believes that the footnotes or endnotes or in-text citation used in the books or articles will be a lot of help in the search for topics pertinent to the study. In terms of the date of publication, the researcher thinks that it will survey works for the thirty or forty years for the purpose looking at theories that are considered a landmark in the field of our concern which was predominantly developed within this period. Although the researcher knows that coverage spans for a few decades whereas there are many contemporary developments the area, still the researcher thinks that understanding the landmark theories is pivotal in the understanding of the current trends in our field of studies. The possible constraints that the researcher may encounter in the literature search are first how will he be able to delimit the number of his references in the midst of numerous sources and references that he may find relevant to the study. This is an important concern since it is of equal gravity with research being conducted with very few available sources. And lastly, the concern with sources that seems to be weaving from one file to another without clearly delineating the boundaries. The article of Locke (1978) speaks of the fundamental error of scholars and managers alike in assigning goal setting as the fundamental mover for employees in participating in the fulfillment of the objective of the organization.

Policing Practices and Operations Essay Example for Free

Policing Practices and Operations Essay Law enforcement officers have many duties. Law enforcement officers are sworn to serve and protect society as well as to fight crime. They also maintain order within their jurisdiction, as well as providing other services that the community will benefit from. Most of the time, police officers are considered to be crime fighters, in which this image has been brought to citizen’s attention by the media. The styles of policing should match the community in which they serve, so there is no conflict between the community and the law enforcement officer. The future policing structure does have a huge impact socially, economically, and politically within the community and the police departments general needs so that they can provide the proper policing that is needed. Life threatening situations take place in different circumstances, which includes the law enforcement agencies. Dangers Law enforcement officers face being wounded or murdered as they are on the line of duty in the United States, every year. The greatest threat a police officer will ever face is bodily harm and death. When a law enforcement officer is called to a scene and responds to a disturbance call, the law enforcement officer is confronted with the possibilities of violent actions from an armed suspect. Although, bodily harm as well as death upon a law enforcement officer are not the only dangers in policing. Family issues and stress related illnesses also can be contributing factors to the danger of a law enforcement officer and policing. Law enforcement officer’s jobs can surely take a toll on their lives as well as their well-being. If the pressures of their type of work are handled and coped with property, it could end up becoming life threatening. Today’s law enforcement officers are faced with many dangers within their everyday duties, like rival threats of getting shot. Examples are: vehicle pursuits, traffic control, and foot pursuit, stress, making an arrest, and sun exposure/duty equipment and biohazard exposure. These dangers are exposed to law enforcement officers on a daily basis. This is why it is important for law enforcement officers to wear their bulletproof vests as well as their belts that contain pepper spray, radio, handgun, baton, and handcuffs. All of this specified equipment usually will weigh up to about twenty pounds, which adds stress to the law enforcement officers hips, feet, knees, and back areas. Stress to the law enforcement officers body by getting in and out of their patrol vehicle up to about fifty times within one day, as they have to wear all of their equipment. Law enforcement officers are exposed to the extreme temperatures for many hours at a time. They may have to be in extreme heat c onditions, such as one hundred degree heat, while conducting traffic control at a scene of an accident. They also sometimes have to provide crime scene security when the weather may be in freezing conditions. Law enforcement officers are at the mercy of all weather conditions. Also, a lot of the times law enforcement officers are called to a scene and they are not properly prepared for it because of the weather conditions and they do not have the time to stop somewhere to get what they need to prepare themselves. They may have to stand out in extremely hot or freezing weather without the proper protection they may need or hydration they so desperately have to have. Law enforcement officer’s physical dangers have to be dealt with as well as trying to always be ready for the worst. As this can add so much mental and physical stress upon the law enforcement officer. They have to be aware of their surroundings and environment all the time. Law enforcement officers have to be alert as well as being prepared for all situations that may occur. The officer will rarely have time to get prepared for an emergency call. They have to sometimes rely on the training the received to be able to make important, split second decisions that are based on different circumstances. The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks gained the attention from all the departments within law enforcement. Within the federal policing agencies, they took precautionary measures to make sure that the people of  the United States were safe. Even though, the local and state agencies have managed to keep the people’s fears under control within the United States and communities as well. All of the agencies in the United States have to work fearlessly on preventing and reducing the citizen’s fears caused by terrorism. When terrorism is looked into, law enforcement agencies and Homeland security across the world are very imperative that the agencies try to work together in solving the crimes by using shared information and by having departmental as sistance. All in all, terrorism is always a danger for law enforcement officers. Statistics As reports were published by the National Police Officer Memorial Funds said that in 2010, officer’s fatalities treacherously rose. There was a two year drop of law enforcement mortalities in 2010 that rose to 160. This was intensified by about forty percent compared by looking at the year before. The data gathered by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund indicated that for the thirteenth consecutive year, the number one cause of law enforcement officers deaths were contributed by traffic fatalities, within thirty nine states. Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia were also involved in law enforcement officer’s related deaths in 2010. Within the third consecutive year in a row, Texas, Florida, and California were ranked on top of the five states that involved the most of law enforcement fatalities. The Federal law enforcement Officers had a total of eleven law enforcement officers that were lost, including the Federal agents that lost their lives in the line of duty during 2010, along with United States Customs, two United States Border Patrol agents, and three Border Protection officers. According with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (2011) website, it stated that fifty-six law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty. Thirty two law enforcement officers that were among the fifty-six, were employed within city police departments. Thirteen of them were employed for law enforcement agencies within cities of a population consisting of 250,000 or more people that reside there. In Puerto Rico and twenty two other states, there was also line of duty deaths as well. There were fifteen law enforcement officers who lost their lives in ambush situations as well. There were fourteen law enforcement officers that lost their lives in felonious attacks while involved in arrest situations. There were eight law enforcement officers that were killed when they were investigating suspicious persons/circumstances. There were seven law enforcement officers that were killed while working on traffic stops/pursuits. Six law enforcement officers were killed while answering to disturbance calls. There were three law enforcement officers that were killed while they were involved in tactical situations, like high risk entry, barricaded offender, hostage situations, etc. There were two law enforcement officers that were killed upon conducting investigations while searching, interviewing, and looking at surveillance. And one law enforcement officer was killed as they were maintaining custody of a prisoner or while transporting a prisoner. With future policing, I feel that it is important to have close communication with the homeland security. I personally feel that the more communication there is, the more we will progress and bring better policing skills. It is equally as important to have communication with all law enforcement agencies to help in improving all policing operations that are dealt with. In future policing, the importance of keeping law enforcement agencies relationships maintained will build better and stronger agencies. With the relationship within law enforcement agencies and homeland security are not as accurate as seemed. It is understood that all agencies serve different purposes, as they are all in charge of different types of areas within society to serve and protect. I believe that joining forces with other agencies would be beneficial. It would be beneficial because by all working together, there could be issues that could be addressed a lot better. Along with lack of communication among law enforcement agencies and homeland security, we would be able to better handle the various criminal issues better. I feel that this can also improve community policing and law enforcement relationships. With the new technology equipment that police officers receive, they can work on their policing styles, such as being reactive or proactive. Once these issues are changed, there will be better communication with other law enforcement agencies, as they would be able to serve and protect in much more positive ways. This will decrease crime rates as well as increasing practices that  are reactive. As crime rates decrease, and proactive and reactive practices are being practiced, then the start of confidence will show within all law enforcement agencies. Although, there are many differences in the power as well as the authority, responsibilities and roles, and the difference in jurisdiction at the local, state, and federal levels within law enforcement officers. It is clearly apparent that all of the dangers within them remain equally the same. References American bar association. (2011). Standards on urban police functions. Retrieved from http://www.americanbar.org/publications/criminal_justice_section_archive/crimjust_standards_urbanpolice.html Federal bureau of investigations. (2011). Officers feloniously killed. Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/leoka/leoka-2010/officers-feloniously-killed Crime in America.NET. (2011). Law enforcement fatalities dramatically increase in 2010. Retrieved from http://crimeinamerica.net/2011/01/04/law-enforcement-fatalities-dramatically-increase-in-2010/

Crocs Value Chain Essay -- Business, Manufacturing, Footwear

Crocs Value Chain Crocs entered the shoe market with a new style of brightly colored footwear. Crocs designed and manufactured footwear for all age groups. Utilizing an innovative value chain supported the phenomenal growth of the company. This paper will discuss the company’s leadership, flexible supply chain and product diversification and how these aspects contribute to the overall value chain of the company. The Beginning Crocs began in 2002 by introducing a revolutionary boat shoe. The shoes became successful very quickly and the company founders decided to work with an old friend, Ronald Snyder, who had experience in manufacturing, purchasing companies, and merging the purchased companies (Crocs: Revolutionizing, 2007). One of Snyder’s initial decisions was to buyout the Canadian shoe manufacturer, Finproject NA. Completing this purchase allowed Crocs to control the proprietary material for the shoes. By owning the raw material to manufacture the shoes, Crocs controlled the initial step of the value chain. Once Crocs owned the formula for the shoe resin, the company used this to select contract manufacturers for making the shoes. Crocs were now manufacturing shoes in the original Canada plant as well as a Chinese manufacturing facility. Once the facility in China was established Crocs entered the foreign market. After entering the markets in Asia and China Crocs extended capacity with new contract manufacturers in Florida, Mexico, and Italy (Crocs: Revolutionizing, 2007). The addition of these sites provided a global supply chain which lowered costs and ensured value to consumers (Marks, 2008). A new supply vision The creative supply chain used by Crocs meant the manufacturers of the footwear had to... ...ears, the Crocs model has not proven as effective. Crocs has changed the strategy to accommodation the lower product volumes (Gonzales, 2009). Crocs should evaluate their organizational processes. Some of the processes once utilized by Crocs are no longer as effective. Management must work towards better demand forecasting, collaborating with value chain members, and how to best evaluate performance (Robbins and Coulter, 2009). By integrating all three of these items Crocs will adjust the value chain to support continued success. Finally, Crocs must have enough forward thought to sustain market changes and utilize feedforward control to prevent future problems. The leadership, flexible supply chain and diversification discussed here can still be employed for long term success as long as Crocs is willing to continuously evaluate the current value chain.

Academic Writing Skills Guide Essay

Introduction Preface to the first edition (2002) We have written this guide for you to help you on the way to becoming proficient in your chosen field of economics or business administration. As you advance in your studies, you will demonstrate your proficiency through the essays, papers, case reports, and other texts that you write. Your writing is thus a marker of your relative expertise in your discipline. Yet, it is also a means in itself. Writing helps you organize your own ideas, discover the strengths and weaknesses in your thinking, and internalize the knowledge you construct. We hope this guide will help you on your way. But like all guides, it does not contain everything. As Voltaire said, â€Å" the best way to be boring is to leave nothing out† This guide acts as a starter – it is up to you to . go deeper. Just as you will find with your writing assignments, we too have gone through the writing process in the construction of this guide. We constructed a plan, consulted numerous sources and people, wrote the text, revised it, and edited it, all the time trying to keep it clear and simple. See more:  The 3 Types of Satire Essay In putting together this guide, we have aimed to follow Ernest Hemingway who said, â€Å" My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way. †We hope we have succeeded. Henri Mennens, MSc Robert Wilkinson, MSc Second edition (2010) The second edition of this guide to academic writing is a thorough revision of the first edition (2002). Apart from changes to chapter 2, we have significantly changed chapters 3 and 5. In addition, we have completely rewritten chapter 4 on citing and referencing in line with the current (2010) citation and reference norms of the American Psychological Association. Major changes also entail the introduction of many more examples. In addition, the format requirements for submitting papers has changed. 2 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Introduction We have not included information on grammar and punctuation, since we expect students at the School of Business and Economics to have a good command of these aspects on entry. However, we are aware that many users of this guide will wish to seek reassurance in this respect. We recommend users to consult a good grammar book or one of the many good writing sites on the Internet. Robert Wilkinson, MSc Jeannette Hommes, MA NOTE: the Guide is not presented in the format that you have to present your papers (see section 5). However, where extracts of student essays are given, these are in the required format. Acknowledgements We gratefully acknowledge the many people and sources we have consulted during the construction of this guide. In particular, we would like to express thanks to Henri Mennens for his work on the first edition, and Keith Campbell of the Language Centre who adapted the first edition of this guide in 2006. We also thank the Academic Writing tutors of the Language Centre for their inputs and the many students who have made use of the first edition. Furthermore, we are indebted to Mike Hannay and Lachlan Mackenzie, whose book Effective writing in English: A resource guide (both the 1996 and 2002 editions) has been a major source of information for chapters 2 and 3. We acknowledge the American Psychological Association whose â€Å" Publication manual† (American Psychological Association, 6th ed. , 2010) has been an excellent support in the construction of chapter 4 in this guide. Finally, we are grateful to the Director of the School of Business and Economics for supporting the production of this second edition. 3 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Introduction 1. Introduction Academic writing covers the wide range of specific writing tasks that you are required to write during the course of your academic studies: papers, reports, literature reviews, projects, case studies, dissertations, theses, research papers, and articles. Some of these text types are quite rare outside the academic environment (papers, literature reviews, dissertations, theses); others (reports, projects, etc.) may well be aiming at a much broader public. However, what they all have in common is a similar type of reader: a person educated in the specialist field (here economics or business studies), and usually acting as a professional in that field. These target readers represent the professional community of which you aim to become a member. To be accepted as member requires you to meet the norms and standards that the professional community expects. Thus with regard to writing, you are expected to adhere to the norms expected by the (international) academic community. Compare this to a relay race in athletics. In the relay race, you run with three other runners. If you are one of the two middle runners, you have to collect the baton smoothly from the previous runner and pass it on to the next runner. In the relay race your team runs against other teams (your local community). All of you have to run according to the set of rules agreed by the sports governing body (the professional community). If you do not, your team may be disqualified. The rules set the framework for a potentially great race, and within the rules there is vast scope for individual flair and talent. So with academic writing: you have to write according to the ‘ rules’ but to write well demands your own indi, vidual talent and enterprise. Just as a highly skilled athlete knows how to use the rules to his advantage, so an expert writer uses the norms and standards of professional academic writing to persuade readers of the power of his argument. We should not extend this athletics analogy too far: sports have clear sets of rules that everyone can read and study; academic writing does not. What a professional academic field has is a set of overt norms, such as a style guide. This guide is based on the editorial style requirements described in the sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2010). Alongside these is a set of covert norms that are just as powerful. Examples of the covert norms will be the nature of argumentation that is considered acceptable in the field. Covert norms are hidden and therefore take a long time to acquire. Most novice writers acquire them through extensive reading in the field, and by paying active attention to the way other writers use 4 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Introduction language. This process of acquisition demands close observation of how expert writers use words and expressions differently in different types of text, e. g. literature reviews or case studies in a single field (e. g. marketing). Academic papers (and most other forms of academic writing) are typically expository or argumentative. An expository or informative paper describes or explains a particular set of phenomena, and provides an account of why these phenomena are found in one or more specific situations or contexts. The goal of the expository paper is also to acquaint the reader with a body of knowledge. An argumentative or persuasive paper must choose a side, make a case for it, consider and refute alternative arguments, and prove to the undecided reader that the opinion it presents is the best one. You must be aware of other sides and be fair to them; dismissing them completely will weaken your own argument. It is always best to take a side that you believe in, preferably with the most supporting evidence. To develop a good academic paper you should go through a number of stages, called the writing process. The following seven stages can be distinguished: The writing process 1. Thinking stage 2. Research stage 3. Outline stage 4. Drafting stage 5. Revising stage 6. Editing stage 7. Final version stage } } Planning process Transfer in a first draft output Revising & editing Final output Figure 1. Stages of the writing process 1. Thinking stage In this stage you determine your topic area (which may of course already be given), brainstorm about ideas on the topic, select, reject and focus those ideas, before arriving at your final choice. 5 Guide to Academic Writing Skills. Introduction 2. Research stage Here you search for and study background literature and other materials, analyse the results, draw your own conclusions and interpretations, etc. 3. Outline stage In this stage you draft an outline of the paper you intend to write, setting out your main aim or purpose in the paper (the purpose statement or thesis statement), sketch how you will develop the points that follow from the purpose, and indicate how you will conclude the paper. 4. Drafting stage Here you put down on screen successively improved versions of your paper. 5. Revising stage In this stage you scan your work on a macro level for logical coherence, checking whether you need to add or delete information, whether sections need rephrasing for clarification. 6. Editing stage Here you edit your text on a micro level, checking the grammar, spelling, punctuation, in-text citations, references and the layout. 7. Final version stage In this stage you set out the final paper neatly and clearly. Writing a paper is recursive: you do not start at the beginning, and work through straight to the end, and that is that. At all times you will be ‘ backtracking’ ‘ or looping’so that as you are , writing your first draft, you may discover you need to add more information and have to return to the research stage. During the revising stage, you may discover that your original plan was too broad, and so decide to cut out a whole section. You may produce several revised versions of the paper before your final version. Do not forget to allow yourself plenty of time between writing your first draft and your final version. Figure 2 illustrates the three groups of actions in writing a paper, the planning process, the transfer, and revision and editing. The figure emphasizes the recursive nature of writing a paper in that each action not only feeds into the next but feeds back into the previous actions, entailing revision of those actions. 6 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Introduction â€Å" You may start with a plan, conduct some research (reading, library and/or Internet search), analyse and then synthesize the information you have acquired, construct a question or a statement that you will examine, draft an outline, write a rough draft of the introduction, start writing the body, then stop. You go back, conduct some more research, adjust your outline, rewrite the body, write a bit more, adjust the introduction, perhaps adjust the statement of your purpose, then stop again. You conduct more research, rewrite the body again, draft a conclusion, go back to the introduction, adjust the purpose, rewrite the introduction, then stop. You let the paper ‘ simmer’for a while, then reread it, adjusting here and there for content accuracy, perhaps search or check for a contrary argument, throw out less relevant parts of the paper, check the logical development of your ideas and arguments, and wrap up the conclusion. Then you check again for spelling (using the spellchecker, but also reading carefully word by word), check for grammar (using the grammar checkers wisely), check all punctuation, check the layout, check the citations and the references. You check too for sentence length (eliminate very long, rambling sentences), check paragraph structure (particularly if the topic of the paragraph changes in the paragraph – check the subjects of the main verbs), check the logical links between paragraphs and sections. And so on. † Figure 2: The writing process and its recursive nature (Bruer, 1993). This guide is organized as follows. Chapter 2 focuses on the planning process, describing the planning activities and the construction of an outline. Chapter 3 elaborates on the structuring of the paper, through a detailed discussion of the three parts of a paper, introduction, body, and conclusion. Moreover, structuring a paper effectively requires that you write wellconstructed paragraphs: this chapter also provides brief guidelines on paragraph organization. Chapter 4 explains the importance of citing sources and giving references, and provides guidelines how to put them in the paper in a correct way. Chapter 5 concentrates on finalizing the paper. This chapter discusses the format requirements, text revision and the evaluation of the paper. To conclude, this guide helps you to master the process of academic writing, which you can apply to the specific writing assignments during the course of your academic studies. It specifies the elements necessary to a successful academic paper. But keep in mind two things. First, each assignment will be different and require a different organization. Second, writing is a skill; 7 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Introduction  you only get better at a skill through regular practice. Regular practice leads to routine and expertise. The application of the principles of this guide can be of use until your last writing examination: the final thesis. However, this guide just contains a brief summary of the different topics discussed. For more information you should consult literature, especially the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2010, 6th ed. , in the University Library), and the Internet. Besides, keep in mind that the writing process is not just simply following a set of rules. Try to develop your own style, expertise and talent, in order to distinguish yourself. Good luck with your writing career! 8 Guide to Academic Writing Skills The planning process 2. The planning process In order to get a good start to writing your paper, it is important that you go successfully through the planning process. This chapter describes the different activities of the planning process. Then, section 2. 2 discusses the most important stage of the planning process: the construction of an outline. 2. 1. The planning activities. During the planning process, according to Hannay and Mackenzie (2002), you are concerned with six major activities: 1 Generating ideas for the content. Ideas for content can come from several sources: from your own knowledge, from discussions with other people, and from various media sources (written texts, audio-visual media and electronic media). Brainstorming techniques help you to generate ideas in the first two categories. 2 Selecting and classifying points. Here you are concerned with ordering your ideas. Analyse them to determine the extent to which they are connected with each other. Ideas and concepts that are highly connected are likely to form key points in your texts. Those which are less closely connected may form essential supporting topics, or may need to be abandoned. Some may require more development. Always be prepared to get rid of ideas that prove not to be relevant to your argument. 3 Establishing your perspective. In this activity you need to decide what angle you are going to take with your material. Are you taking a historical perspective, or only discussing the present situation? Are you taking an objective position, or are you bringing in your own personal standpoint? Are you taking a general viewpoint, or only a specific case? Are you looking at the matter from your home country’ perspective? Are you discussing a general issue or only a nas tional situation? 9 Guide to Academic Writing Skills The planning process 4 Determining your intention. Now you need to consider what you want to do with the text. Do you want to present both sides of an argument equally, or do you want to present only one side? Do you need to give examples, or will your argumentation be sufficient on its own? Do you want to persuade the reader of your opinion, or are you only wishing to describe the matter? Do you want just to present a problem, or do you want to offer solutions as well? What you are going to do with your text must become very clear to the reader in the thesis statement: this statement directs the readers to the purpose of the text. 5 Formulating a draft title, structuring the introduction and conclusion. Here you should set down a working title and devise a draft structure for the introduction and the conclusion. At this stage your drafting should only be provisional: you should write the actual version only after you have written the body of the  paper. This is because you do need to know what your introduction is indeed introducing, and you need to know what your conclusion is concluding. A useful rule of thumb is: Plan your introduction, then your conclusion, and then your body, but write your body, then your conclusion and then your introduction. 6 Drafting paragraph themes. At this stage, go back to the ideas (themes) you have selected and classified. Now you have to decide which will be suitable for your text. Each theme usually is the basis for a single paragraph. Each theme too will require sufficient development; so do not try to include too many. As a rough guide, you probably cannot treat adequately more than about 4 themes in a 1000-word paper (roughly 3 pages), while a 2500-word paper (roughly 6 pages) will seem overwhelming if it includes more than 9 or 10 themes. Once you have selected your themes, list the points that you need to make to support the theme in the paragraph. 2. 2. The planning outline The goal of the planning outline is to help you organize your ideas, and present them in a logical order. It serves to identify the relationships between the ideas: it allows you to see how related ideas can be grouped together, and which ideas you can cut out, and which ideas need more support. A good outline helps you to maintain the direction in your paper, and prevents you from getting distracted into irrelevant information. 10 Guide to Academic Writing Skills The planning process Figure 3 lists six steps that may be considered in the development of a planning outline. 1 Decide the purpose of your paper and the audience you are writing for. 2. Develop a statement in which you define the goal or purpose of your paper (commonly called thesis statement). This clarifies what you are going to present or argue in the paper. At this stage you may not have a definitive version of this statement. 3 List all the important points you want to handle in the paper. These points have to be split in three main parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. The points in the introduction include the items that lead to the purpose or thesis statement (so-called background information), and a statement of the purpose or goal that should now be defined precisely. When you are planning your paper, you will group all your ideas around one central theme. This theme forms the core of your purpose or thesis statement or research question. The points in the body have to be logically organized so that they follow from your purpose and lead towards the conclusion. In a larger paper (for example a Master’ thesis), you usually develop a set of subquestions, covering the s points that lead to an answer to the research question. By answering step by step the different subquestions in the body, you can draw a structured and well-founded conclusion at the end. The points in the conclusion include the summary of the facts that lead to an answer to the statement or question you started with and the answer itself. 4 Categorize the points in the body under general headings so that you can identify which points need more development (e. g. you have to do more reading) and which points are not useful or relevant (delete these). Choose precise, concrete words for the headings: avoid vague terms. Relate the headings to the purpose of your paper. If your paper is describing a situation, you are more likely to choose noun structures for headings (for example: Failure of Bretton Woods). If your paper is oriented to action, you may choose verbal structures; typically -ing forms in English (for example: Reforming the auditor’ duties). s 5 Work out how one idea follows logically from the previous one. Note down how you will make the transitions from point to point. This is a key step, but one that is often underrated. Failure to think out the transitions in the planning stage can cost you more time in the revising stage. 6 Finally, look back at the whole outline, and check that you are satisfied that it all hangs together logically and conceptually. Now you are ready to start writing. Figure 3. Six steps in the planning process. Outlines are generative. They are most useful if you modify them as you write in line with new thoughts or information. Some of you may find that a simple, less detailed written outline is sufficient – you may be very competent in holding the full structure in your mind – but you may add more detailed points to the outline as you progress. Most of you, however, find that a relatively detailed outline on paper is an effective reminder of what the goal of your paper is and of what you have selected from the literature, and an efficient guide to how far you have come. 11 Guide to Academic Writing Skills The planning process An outline as a simple list of points (see Figure 4, box a) may not help you organize and structure your paper. A more organized outline (see Figure 4, box b) will help you see how the different parts hang together and may facilitate the writing. Many American writing textbooks and websites provide detailed guidance on writing outlines. Under the American convention, outlines are structured using the following symbols (Roman numerals, capital letters, Arabic numerals). This is only a convention used in the writing process: it is not part of APA style, and under no circumstances should it be used in the final paper (see for example Purdue University’ Online Writing Lab: http://owl. english. purdue. edu/owl/resource/544/03/). Box c (Figs ure 4) illustrates the framework using the American conventions. a Unhelpful outline Topic: The Struggle for the Mobile Phone Market 1. Description of the European mobile phone market. 2. Major players: Nokia, Ericsson, Siemens. 3. Focus of youth market. b Structured outline 4. Future trends in the market European Commission case on choline chloride cartel 1. Introduction 1. 1. Background to case: choline chloride cartel 1. 2. Aim of paper (thesis): European Commission took the right decision to fine the firms, because they had formed a cartel, but the fines are not sufficient to discourage cartel forming in the future. Key economic issues 2. 1. Market description 2. 1. 1. Producers 2. 1. 2. Consumers 2. 2. Agreements 2. 2. 1. Price fixing 2. 2. 2. Market sharing Economic impact on competition 3. 1. Fixed prices raised income for producers 3. 2. Market sharing reduced competition 3. 3. Economic impact of cartel (Perloff) 3. 3. 1. Oligopoly 3. 3. 2. Welfare analysis European Commission decision 4. 1. That the market is an oligopoly 4. 2. That the market is not competitive 4. 3. Punishment for firms 4. 3. 1. Fines 4. 3. 2. Leniency ruling Conclusions 5. 1. Summary 5. 2. Price setting agreements have a big impact on the market 5. 3. Fines based on gravity and duration of infringement 5. 4. Leniency: fines not high enough to discourage cartel formation in future. 2. 3. 4. 5. 12 Guide to Academic Writing Skills c Classic formal outline (American style) I. II. First item Second item A. sub-item B. sub-item 1. sub-sub-item 2. sub-sub-item Third item. The planning process III. Figure 4. Examples of outlines. 13 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Structuring 3. Structuring On the basis of the outline, described in the previous chapter, it is now possible to continue with the structure of your paper. You started the structuring process already in steps three and four of the construction of an outline, described in section 2. 2. The structuring process continues by implementing these steps in the paper, starting with the introduction. Section 3. 1 discusses the structuring process of the introduction, section 3. 2. covers the middle part (or body), and section 3. 3. the discussion and conclusion. Structuring a paper effectively also requires that you write well-constructed paragraphs. This is discussed briefly in section 3. 4. 3. 1. The introduction The introduction has three functions, all of which must be present. First, it sets the context by introducing the topic of your paper. This is called the background information. This information leads to the second function: it specifies the purpose of the paper. Finally, the introduction contains a short outline of how you are going to handle the aspects of your topic in the rest of the paper. Any introduction in which one of these functions is missing is necessarily incomplete. The length of the introduction varies from one paragraph to several pages, depending on the total length of the paper. Three other factors influence the length. First, how familiar are your readers with the context? If, for example, you are writing about small and medium-sized businesses in Nepal, you may have to explain much more of the Nepalese background for readers who are less familiar with that country, since the readers may wish to compare Nepalese SMEs with those in other developing countries. Second, what the type of paper (or genre) are you writing? If, for example, you are writing a review of the academic literature on internet auction markets, your introduction might be quite short, since you will include the information from your review in the middle of your paper. Similarly, if you are examining a competition case from, say, the European Commission or the US Department of Justice, then you may not need much background information, for you can refer almost straightaway to the case. On the other hand, in a paper in which you argue a point of view (e.g. the abolition of export subsidies), then you may need to present adequate background information before introducing your pur- 14 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Structuring pose. Third, what economics or business discipline are you addressing? The length of introductions may differ between econometrics, labour economics, marketing, strategic management, and so on. It is wise to check by reading relevant previous papers in the target discipline and the target genre, as well as taking the readers’ familiarity into account. Nevertheless, as a useful rule of thumb, it is valuable to think of your introduction as being about one-eighth of the length of the text you are writing. Thus, the introduction to a 1000word paper would be about 125 words; the introduction to a 10,000-word dissertation would contain about 1250 words, and may well appear as a short chapter in its own right. So treat the one-eighth concept as a guideline, not as a straightjacket. Writing the introduction depends heavily on personal preference. Some writers like to know exactly how they will begin before they start to elaborate the text they are aiming to write; other writers prefer to know what they have written first, and then write the introduction to fit it, so that it leads to the purpose statement. Yet, a good rule of thumb is to write a draft introduction that leads to your purpose statement, then write the whole text, right to the conclusion, progressively editing as you go along. Only then do you return to your introduction and adjust or rewrite it so that it does indeed fit your paper neatly and satisfyingly. 3. 1. 1. The background information The introduction prepares the readers for what follows. Thus, the introduction has an orientation function. Thus, it should therefore present enough background information so that the readers will recognize that the middle of your paper follows logically and coherently from the introduction – you need to pay attention to what the reader can be expected to know already and what will be new. Your introduction is more effective when it progresses from the known to the unknown (Figure 5). 15 Guide to Academic Writing Skills. Structuring Prediction markets and their applicability for organizational decision making 1. Introduction Whether firms are successful or not depends to a great extent on their decisions about new products. Therefore, top management has large Background information (known less known) incentives to have as accurate information as possible on future demand and success of new products. Usual methods of gathering this information include customer surveys and expert opinions. Often, however, these approaches are very inaccurate and misleading. In order to avoid problems linked to the two methods mentioned above, firms came to think about whether or not to make use of prediction markets as information gathering tools (Ho & Chen, 2007). New information (topic) Prediction markets, also known as information markets or future events (Wolfers & Zitzewitz, 2004), are markets in which price is used as an indicator of the probability that a certain event will occur in the future (Manski, 2006). Market participants buy and sell contracts of the particular event they think will be likely to take place and they receive money when they betted correctly (Wolfers & Zitzewitz, 2004). This Purpose of paper paper investigates the question whether or not firms should engage in prediction markets to make informed decisions. Outline Firstly, it explains some general aspects of prediction markets. Secondly, it describes examples of this forecasting tool, focusing for illustration on the Iowa Electronic Market and finally it compares benefits and disadvantages of implementing prediction markets in businesses. Figure 5. Example of an introduction from a first-year business paper. 16 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Structuring 3. 1. 2. The purpose statement The purpose statement is a vital component in academic papers. It marks the high point of the introduction. This statement is a clear expression of the purpose that your paper is expected to assert, explain, support, or defend (Fulwiler & Hayakawa, 2000). It summarizes the main idea of a paper and makes that idea explicit to the readers. The statement answers the questions the critical reader has: â€Å" what? Why does this paper exist? What’ it all about? † So s In the literature on academic writing, you will meet the term ‘ thesis statement’ This term cov.ers the statement that the writer is going to argue in his or her paper. Strictly speaking, it is relevant to argumentative papers where you are advancing a claim (the thesis), and then in the paper you present the arguments (evidence) that demonstrates whether the claim holds. An example of an argumentative paper is a position paper in which you set out a particular theoretical position (opinion) based on arguments (evidence). Many papers that you write will not be essentially argumentative papers. You may often simply be explaining a phenomenon or showing and analysing data. Sometimes, you may simply be answering an exploratory question. However, all papers do require a statement or question that neatly summarizes what you are going to do in your paper (see Table 1). Table 1. Types of papers and associated purpose statements*. Type of paper Argumentative paper Purpose as: expressed Explanation You argue a proposition (claim). You present the arguments (evidence) for and against the claim, and decide whether the claim is supported or not. You start with a question about a phenomenon, and devise one or more hypotheses that you will test in your research. Your experimental paper reports the results. Example Government action to restrict the bonuses paid to investment bankers is unwise because it is harmful to the economy as a whole. Are poor people more generous than rich people? Poor people will give a larger percentage of a monetary gift to poor people than rich people will. Thesis statement Experimental per pa- Research question; hypothesis 17 Guide to Academic Writing Skills Structuring Exploratory analysis data Research question You conduct a survey or a series of interviews, for example, but do not have an explicit hypothesis before you start. You have a research question, but do not know in advance what the answers may be. How much do students know about financing small and medium-sized businesses? Or: This paper explores the knowledge students have about the financing of †¦ This paper reviews recent experimental research into the principal-agent relationship. This paper examines whether the economic grounds for approving the merger were sound. OR: Were the economic grounds for approving the merger sound? The European Commission was justified in fining the lift manufacturers as their cartel had distorted competition and reduced consumer welfare.

Market Segmentation Notes

Definition of ‘Market Segmentation' A marketing term  referring to  the aggregating of prospective buyers into groups (segments) that have common needs and will respond similarly to a marketing action. Market segmentation enables companies to target different categories of consumers who perceive the full value of certain products and services differently from one another. Generally three criteria  can be used to identify  different market segments: 1) Homogeneity (common needs within segment) 2) Distinction (unique from other groups) 3) Reaction (similar response to market) Investopedia explains ‘Market Segmentation'For example, an athletic footwear company might have market segments for basketball players and long-distance runners. As distinct groups, basketball players and long-distance runners will respond to very different advertisements. Market segmentation is a marketing strategy that involves dividing a broad target market into subsets of consumers who have common needs and applications for the relevant goods and services. Depending on the specific characteristics of the product, these subsets may be divided by criteria such as age and gender, or other distinctions, like location or income.Marketing campaigns can then be designed and implemented to target these specific customer segments. Why Segment? One of the main reasons for using market segmentation is to help companies to better understand the needs of a specific customer base. Mass marketing assumes that all customers are the same and will respond to the same advertising. By looking at ways in which potential customer groups are different from each other, the marketing message can be better targeted to the needs and wants of those people.Often, dividing consumers by clearly defined criteria will help the company identify other applications for their products that may not have been obvious before. These revelations often help the company target a larger audience in that same dem ographic classification, improving market share among a specific base. Segmenting the market can also serve to identify smaller groups of people who make up their own, previously unknown subsets, further improving the overall efficiency of the company's marketing efforts.Segmentation Strategies According to experts, in order to be a good market segment, a group should meet five criteria: 1. It should be possible to identify and measure it, 2. it should be big enough to be worth the effort, 3. it should be easy to reach it, 4. it should not change quickly, 5. and it should be responsive. Market segmentation strategies that meet these criteria can cover wide range of consumer characteristics. Subsets may be defined by basic demographics like age, race, or gender, for example.Other qualities, like educational background or income can also be used, as can location. Some of the potentially most powerful variables by which to segment a market are behavioral ones, including social class, l ifestyle, and interests. In most scenarios, there will be at least a few established customers who fall into more than one category, but marketing strategists normally allow for this phenomenon. In fact, the overlap in criteria among consumers often leads to additional segmentation and requires adjusted marketing strategies.A marketing plan that targets people who fall into several groups — like women over 30 who earn a high income, for example — may be more successful than one that focuses on just one limited characteristic. Other Benefits Along with playing a role in the development of new marketing approaches, market segmentation can also help a company identify ways to enhance customer loyalty with existing clients. As part of the process of identifying specific groups within the larger client base, the company will often run surveys which encourage customers to suggest ways of improving the company's products or services.This may lead to changes in packaging or ot her similar cosmetic changes that do not necessarily impact the core product, but sometimes making a few simple changes in the appearance sends a clear message to consumers that recognizing their needs is as important to the company as making sales. This demonstration of good might go a long way to strengthen the ties between the consumer and the producer. Market segmentation is not only beneficial to the manufacturer or retailer, but can also have benefits to a consumer as well.People in a particular market segment may get special deals on products as the company focuses on that group, or find that those products are available more widely. When a company responds to consumer feedback, it can mean that those people get changes in composition or packaging that better meet the user's needs. Disadvantages of Market Segmentation One of the biggest disadvantages of this marketing technique is the expense. A great deal of research often needs to be done to correctly identify those subsets that are most important for a company, and this takes time and money.Once the key subsets are identified, different marketing messages usually need to be developed for each. In addition, changing the appearance of a product based on which segment it is being sold to adds to the production costs. If the market isn't segmented effectively, then all this money will be wasted. When the market segments that are identified are too narrow, it may be difficult for a company to be profitable. Niche marketing can work for some industries, but if the tastes of that subset change or a stronger competitor enters the field, a company that has focused too much on the one segment can lose its customer base quickly.Targeting smaller segments also means that potential consumers outside of those groups may be ignored and their business lost. The Concept of Market Segmentation Market segmentation is the division of a market into different groups of customers with distinctly similar needs and product/s ervice requirements. Or to put it another way, market segmentation is the division of a mass market into identifiable and distinct groups or segments, each of which have common characteristics and needs and display similar responses to marketing actions.Market segmentation was first defined as ‘a condition of growth when core markets have already been developed on a generalised basis to the point where additional promotional expenditures are yielding diminishing returns’ (Smith, 1956). There is now widespread agreement that they form an important foundation for successful marketing strategies and activities (Wind, 1978; Hooley and Saunders, 1993). The purpose of market segmentation is to leverage scarce resources; in other words, to ensure that the elements of the marketing mix, price, distribution, products and promotion, are designed to meet particular needs of different customer groups.Since companies have finite resources it is not possible to produce all possible p roducts for all the people, all of the time. The best that can be aimed for is to provide selected offerings for selected groups of people, most of the time. This process allows organizations to focus on specific customers’ needs, in the most efficient and effective way. As Beane and Ennis (1987) eloquently commented, ‘a company with limited resources needs to pick only the best opportunities to pursue’. The market segmentation concept is related to product differentiation.If you aim at different market segments, you might adapt different variations of your offering to satisfy those segments, and equally if you adapt different versions of your offering, this may appeal to different market segments. Since there is less competition, your approach is less likely to be copied and so either approach will do. An example in the area of fashion retailing might be if you adapt your clothing range so that your skirts are more colourful, use lighter fabrics, and a very shor t hemline, for instance, this styling is more likely to appeal more to younger women.If alternatively, you decide to target older women, then you might need to change the styling of your skirts to suit them by using darker, heavier fabrics, with a longer hemline. This is exactly what Marks and Spencer (M&S) did to attract a younger female shopper into their M&S stores and compete more directly with Next and Debenhams for share of this market. The company launched a range of female clothing called Per Una, and three years on the fashion range has been a huge success reportedly generating annual sales of nearly ? 230 m—more than 10 per cent of the total womenswear sales at M&S.If you start by adapting new product variants, you are using a product differentiation approach. If you start with the customer’s needs, you are using a market segmentation approach. This is illustrated more clearly in Figure 6. 2 using offering rather than product to indicate that the same concept may apply to a service. A relational marketing perspective would replace the marketing mix—the 4Ps —either with the 7Ps (see Chapter 15) or with a discussion of the need to design, develop, and deliver the customer experience (see Chapter 17).The concept of market segmentation was first proposed as an alternative market development technique in imperfectly competitive markets, that is, in markets where there are relatively few competitors selling an identical product. Where there are lots of competitors selling identical products, market segmentation and product differentiation produce similar results as competitors imitate your strategic approach more quickly and product differentiation approaches meet market segment needs more closely. With an increasing proliferation of tastes in modern society, consumers have increased disposable incomes.As a result, marketers have sought to design product and service offerings around consumer demand (market segmentation) more tha n around their own production needs (product differentiation) and they use market research to inform this process (see Market Insight 6. 1 and Chapter 4). Segmentation criteria for consumer markets Segmenting criteria for goods and services markets Kotler and Armstrong define market segmentation as â€Å"dividing a market into distinct groups of buyers who have distinct needs, characteristics, or behaviour and who might require separate products or marketing mixes† (Armstrong and Kotler, 2005: 54).