Thursday, October 31, 2019

Sun Microsystems Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sun Microsystems - Coursework Example The company was then selling its own servers developed by its own processors. Till 2001, the business was doing pretty well. However, during the economic downturn of 2001 when companies were looking for ways to cut on their costs, companies like Google shifted to cheap servers provided by other vendors. To adapt itself, Sun started to develop servers on third party platforms. From thereon they started losing on their revenues as many companies had already developed their own servers. In the year 2010, the company was taken over by Oracle. In the ‘Transformational model’, input and output consist of two types of components. The system input and outputs generally fall under the categories of labour, power, energy, information, decisions and money. In case of Sun Microsystems, the important planning inputs have been information, decisions, knowledge, skill set of the employees and the capital. Other influential factors which are significant in instigating the production process are competition, social facilities, technological and architectural infrastructures. The desirable outputs have been servers, workstations, data centres and software solutions for enterprises. However, in the process, Sun Microsystems was incurring higher cost which has been assumed as the less desirable output of the process. US hardware and software industry is huge with big players like Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, HP and Apple. The political environment of US is encouraging for the innovations, which is the biggest source of competitive advantage in this industry. One major disadvantage which these companies have to face higher labour cost. As a consequence, these companies outsource a large number of activities to other countries, worldwide. With the passing of recession, the hardware and software industry in US is still in its recovery phase. Although the US economy is recovering at a faster pace, it would need some time to reach the peak stage. With technological

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Public bank management Essay Example for Free

Public bank management Essay 1.Introductions The model of the Five Competitive Forces was developed by Michael E. Porter that becomes an important tool for analysing an organizations industry structure instrategic processes. This model is applicable to the banking industry. Public Bank do compete with the other financial institution in Malaysia, however they also must cooperate with one another in many respects. There is an underlying problem which is the banks in Malaysia are so similar that there is essentially nothing one of them can do that the others cannot easily duplicate 2. Five Forces Analysis a. Threats of new entrants Malaysia has not put a barrier to entry for any financial institution manly banks in Malaysia, thus making it easy for any financial institution to penetrate into the industry. b. Bargaining power of suppliers a bank has three suppliers of its product, money: 1. Its depositors has no bargaining power whatever in reality. If they make time deposits the bank will set the price or interest rate it will pay. 2. The credit market the credit market as a source of supply of the raw material, money, is open to all at all time if they are qualified participants. The source of supply can be argued to be infinite. 3. The central bank The Central bank is effectively the resource of last resort. Apparently, at least for the moment, it will continue to supply liquidity to the banking system in virtually unlimited quantities at very reasonable cost. c. Bargaining power of buyers In the banking industry, customer have has very limited bargaining power. However the customers may option in changing to other banks that they think is offering a better offer than Public Bank. c. Threat of substitute product For the most part there is no real threat of substitute products in the banking industry. However there probably will be continues evolution of  products from paper to electronic in coming years. This is an area of potential competition for whomever banks that choose to use it in their services. d. Rivalry among competitors Generally all banks offer somewhat the same products and services to their customers, thus there is not much differentiation between Public Banks and the other competitors. This is making the competition much higher. Public Bank is actually ranked as the top banks earners in Malaysia in 2009 alongside with Maybank, Bumiputra Commerce, RHB Capital and Hong Leong Bank. 3. Table 1: Method used to identify opportunity and threat for Public Bank using external environment factors and industrial environment factors.(Factors under industry environment are derived from Porters Five Forces). 4. Opportunities 1. Economic growth Malaysia had definitely have been more economically stable and improving, thus financial institution such as Public Bank are needed to aid the overall development of the country. 2. Government policy Encouraging borrowings, loans, investment and consumption demand. 3. Awards and accolades Through recognition, Public Bank can project a positive image to their customers 4. Market share Public Bank has the highest market share for the private sector unit trust business, thus having a larger customer base. 5.  Low switching cost Nowadays it is easy for any customer to switch to other banks with just a click away, making the switching cost to be faster and cheaper, making it easy for the customers to switch to Public Bank. 5. Threats 1. Substitute product/service are available There is a potential competition to whomever banks that choose to upgrade their product and services to cater to their customers need. Maybank for example provide a customer friendly interface through their website www.maybank2u.com, and it became the most visited website in Malaysia. 2.Substitute performance Maybank, Bumiputra Commerce, RHB Capital and Hong Leong Bank are Public Bank competitors and each is recognized for their performance. This will make the competition even higher. 3. Customer switching cost Other than being an opportunity, switching cost can also be a threat for Public Bank as the customers can also easily switch to other financial institution. 4. Government legal barriers There are no barriers that the government put for any legal financial institution to enter in the industry, making any new entrants penetrate into the market share easily. 5. Exit barriers High exit barriers in the industry are making the competition between Public Bank and the other competitors are even higher. 6. Conclusion Porter Five Forces Model are used to identify how the forces affect the attractiveness and profitability of Public Bank, and through this forces, the factors that influence these forces are used in the table 1, to identify Public Bank opportunities and threats. By identifying Public Banks industry environment, the company can improve and sustain their product and services for their customer, ultimately improving their performance.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Case Study of Business Strategy Of Marks And Spencer

Case Study of Business Strategy Of Marks And Spencer Marks and Spencer is one of the biggest traders having inheritance of more than one hundred and twenty years. It has more than 895 stores in more than 40 regions all over the world. Its head office is in U.K, in the city of Westminster. Michael Marks from Slonim, Russia and Thomas Spencer a cashier from Yorkshire are the pioneers of this U.Ks biggest retailers. At Leeds (Kirkgate market) in 1884, Michael Marks started his own business by opening a penny bazaar stall. Then to develop his business he opened a shop at Manchester with the partnership of Thomas Spencer. H:st college assingmentsMS assingq no 51201445_MarksSpencerSheffieldHistory.jpg After the death of both the pioneers of the company Michael Marks Simon became the chairman of company while William Chapman took the helm until 1960. During the Era of Michael Simon Company touch the highest point .The business was floated as a public limited company after 10 years. In 1998 it was the first company of U.K who earned the profit of one billion pounds after tax deduction. Marks and Spencer prohibited smoke first time in store that later on became a legal offence to smoke at public places. Marks and Spencer mainly deals in Clothing, Home Ware, Food, Technology, Beauty, Financial Services, Energy and Hospitality. PLAN A: The Customers are becoming more conscious about natural and environmental issues, so for this Marks and Spencer launched plan A, which consists of 180 commitments to overcome the challenges. Many problems are related with Climate Change, Waste Reduction, Ethical Trading, Sustainable Raw Material and Health. To tackle these changes Marks and Spencer is doing much effort. C:UsersFaisalDesktopimagesCAXD7DW8.jpg In March 2010 Marks and Spencer expanded plan A introduced 80 more commitments and added them up with the existing ones. In these commitments their primary focus is on climate changes, waste, natural resources, fair partner, health and well being. These five main pillars are described below: C:UsersFaisalPicturesimagesCAV6T6WW.jpg CLIMATE CHANGE: Due to an increase in greenhouse gases produced by the human activities the earth is getting warmer day by day causing many damaging consequences. In 2006/07 Marks and Spencer cut their carbon emissions to 8% by reducing the usage of energy. Marks n Spencer also committed that up to 2015, they will improve their energy efficiency by 35%. C:UsersFaisalDesktopimagesCA3FRFRV.jpg WASTE: Every year the U.K has to throw away 400 tonnes of waste that comes from construction, industry, households and discarded packaging. The waste that is not recycled ends up in landfill sites which take many years to decompose. Marks and Spencer claimed that in the year of 2009/10 they have achieved the recycling level to 88% while reducing the amount of waste to 16%.They have reduced the food waste by 29% as compared to the years 2006/07.Marks and Spencer collected 133 million clothes hangers and reused 76% of them and recycled the rest. C:UsersFaisalPicturesimagesCAM1CR39.jpg They have also recycled their construction waste up to 89%.Marks and Spencer are committed to do that by 2015 they want to landfill help their customers to recycle or reuse their packaging and products. They will also help their suppliers to reduce the waste and to gain zero rates as well. NATURAL RESORCES: In plan A Marks and Spencer aimed to get as much of their raw material from their natural resources as possible. It is the U.Ks first company who has signed the WWF sea food charter, with 62 % of their wild sea food. Marks Spencer also purchased Green palm certificate to cover all the palm oil to use their Marks and Spencer product. C:UsersFaisalPicturesimagesCAG3OZ2S.jpg Fair Partner: Marks and Spencer has a vision that they are very strong in their communities and ensure good working conditions. Marks and Spencer has the lowest employee turnover rate in UK retail i.e. 14%.Marks and Spencer is offering competitive salaries, discount to their employees, bonuses and share save options to their employees. It provides different training programmes to the employees. Every employee has to undertake Marks Spencer Career Path Training and learning programmes .While the managers have to attend the different workshops to boost their capabilities. Marks and Spencer is trying to provide the best salary packages for the employees. C:UsersFaisalDesktopimagesCAF15VPV.jpg Health and Wellbeing: Unhealthy food is one of the main factors of many health problems. According to the part of the commitment of Plan A Marks and Spencer encouraged its customers and employees to get healthy and nutritious food by developing new product ranges. Marks and Spencer has launched online diet forums and health newsletters to allow active dialogue with the customers on nutrition and health. Marks and Spencer has removed artificial flavours and colours from all of its food products and soft drinks. It has also removed 90% of salt in its products. Very few of the products still does not meet the required standard of health and nutrition but Marks and Spencer is working hard to bring it in line according to the required standard. C:UsersFaisalPicturesimagesCACFVO3Z.jpg Analysis of the external environment: According to plan A Marks and Spencer has also taken into consideration the external environment of the company. External environment means the factors that directly or indirectly affect the internal function and perhaps business strategy and objectives as well. Most common factors of external environment are political, social, economic and technical. These factors are totally out of control of the organisation, but the company could be able to take some steps to overcome these challenges. Basically the external environment defines the competitive situation of an organisation and potentially can have both positive and negative impacts on businesses. Target analysis has four major categories of external factors that affect the companys capability to grow. Based on operation region, external environment is divided into three interactive segments which is remote, industrial and operational environment. External factors produce different influences on the companys productivity. On the ot her hand some influences are inter-linked with each other. For example information technology completely changed the way of work, customer behaviour and life style as well. Based on PEST analysis four major factors are going to be discussed in detail. Political Environment: Political stability in a country attracts the investors to do investment and that is a very key factor to grow business. Secondly, government trade policy, is either flexible or hard. Every organisation operates under the government policy about trade and within the legal frame work. The legal frame work covers many areas like tax rates, employees benefits, wage legislation, trade regulation and tariff. Suppliers, customers and competitors are also affected by the political environment. Economical Environment: Economic conditions also affect organisations external environment. In this regard some factors that influence business are tax rates, inflation, money supply, government need, economic growth rate and the tendency to spend at international and national level. Social Environment: In social context, normally Britain customers lean towards a specific product. In every transaction product quality matters a lot, but it could easily be beaten by offering lower pricing of the same brand. Some fresh analysis about Britains customers is that they prefer some fashionable styles over classic trends. This can be seen in Marks Spencers case because they are still struggling to get a bigger market share. This indicates that British buyers are very keen about their wealth. Technological Environment: Now a days a large number of the population is able to use the internet. It means that by using e-commerce many organisations can widen their horizons and do many more operations. This can be seen in foremost companies like Sainsbury, Tesco and ASDA as well. These days most of the trading and purchasing is done through the internet, and it has also become a competitive advantage of Marks and Spencer. Analysis of External Environment of MS: The U.K retail market is very eye-catching. The company has full support from the government. Because Marks Spencer has rich historic values and has become a very powerful organisation in the business world, new competitors are finding it very challenging to keep up with the quality of products and services that Marks Spencer provide. Analysis of the organisations internal environment and identification: In Plan A Marks and Spencer has taken internal analysis, which is also called SWOT analysis. This is a very important part of business development. SWOT analysis is a simple structure for generating strategic alternative from a situation analysis. SWOT is an abbreviation for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. In late 1960, Edmund defined SWOT structure. Learned, C. Roland, Christiansen, Kenneth Andrews and William d Goth in Business Policy, Text and Cases (Homewood, IL; Irwin 1969).In the 1980s General Electric Growth Council used this form of analysis. Basically, it throws light on thecompanys strengths weaknesses. The strengths highlight the different aspects that bring results in market value and the weaknesses draw the attention to those areas which need improvements. SWOT analysis is fruitful where you have to tackle a complex situation in a limited time frame. Organisation of an effective strategy is based on a clear definition of the organizations mission. For the success of an organization it requires some necessary ingredients which are listed below: Strategy must be carefully verbalized, applied, manageable and accomplished. Internal analysis of the organisation is an essential part in the strategic planning process. During 2005-06 Marks and Spencer had seventy thousand employees globally. The Company changed the employees structure according to the nature of the customers that used the products and services of Marks Spencer. Marks and Spencer also pledge to promoting equal opportunities regardless of age, disability,race, views about politics, working hours and religion. Marks and Spencer arrange flexible working schedules for fatherhood, adoption and IVF treatment, child and career break to boost their employees uniformity. Marks and Spencer also runs Business Involvement Group (BIG), which is a work demonstration forum in all their stores and offices that inspire their work force to share information and develop discussion about the companys business. If we talk about salary and welfare, the company has some incentive packages that include fundamental fixed pay. As for training, in 2005-06 more than 102,000 days were fixed for training purpose in which Marks and Spencer try to develop inner aptitude and skill of their workers. Marks and Spencer proved that they have great concern about health and safety of their employees by providing a wide range of work related health services. The companys code of ethics is also developing to give guideline to their member concerning their responsibilities towards customers, workers, stockholders, dealers, societies, government and the environment. Identification of the major issues challenging Marks Spencer: Marks and Spencer is one of the UKs biggest traders, giving different services to their customers in the field of food, clothing, and house hold products. They tried at their best level to give good customer service at an affordable price, but it is not always very easy. Marks and Spencer are losing their trend towards the youngstersand their other opponents in the market are taking advantage of this weak point. This is the biggest challenge that Marks and Spencer is facing nowadays. To overcome this weak point Marks and Spencer is also taking steps to provide cheaper products to their customer, but for this they have to import their raw materials, which also lessen the Marks and Spencers image of British Goods Seller. Cards and cash methods have been used for payment since 2001. Marks and Spencer have seen very tough times during the period of recession, but now it seems as though everything is going back to normal. The companys thirteen weeks before the start of OCT (2010) was very hope full. Homeware made an astonishing growth in sales up to 7% and food stuff which was last year 3.6%, this year it increases up to 3.7%.The clothing section is also growing and is the most rapidly expanding sales item of Marks and Spencer. During the autumn the women shoes sales touched a record, which Marks and Spencer claims that it was because of their strong advertisement. External environment and the impact on the strategic direction of the organisation: Strategic direction means those incentives that a company adopts for the achievement of its target i.e. how to produce, develop and sell its products. Basically strategic direction is the planning that an organisation follows for the marketing of its products. Marks and Spencer introduced a plan that they named as PLAN A the purpose behind which is to become worlds most sustainable retailer. For the success of any organisation it is very necessary to keep an eye on the environmental changes that occurs outside the organisation. As these changes affect the strategy of any organisation, it has to alter its rules and regulations according to the environmental changes. There are four main external environmental factors that effect the strategic direction of any organisation. a) Political b) Economic c) Technological d) Social The political condition plays a vital role to put an impact on the strategy of an organisation as it refers to the government policies. If the government introduces new laws and the organisation has some policies or rules and regulations that conflicts with the existing government laws, it has to alter its rules and regulations and make them according to the governments policy. The change in the political condition can affects the strategic direction of the organisation as every government has its own policies and the organisation cannot work against the laws of the country. Economic condition has also a deep effect on the strategic direction of an organisation. The economic condition of any country has a deep rooted effect. It includes taxation rates, economic growth rate and capability to invest at national and international levels. The rapid change in technology is another factor that can affect the strategic direction of an organisation .With the passage of time new techniques and machines are coming up and it is very important to adopt new techniques for the development of a business. In the social environment the consumer plays a vital role to affect on the strategic direction of the organisation. The organisation has to provide the products and services according to the requirements of the consumer. The lifestyle trends, ethical issues, media views, law changes, buying access, brand, religion beliefs, demographics and fashion are the social factors that can affect the strategy of the organisation. What should the organisation do to achieve or maintain competitive advantage in its industries? Competitive advantage: A companys competitive advantages are the features that give permission to do best even in average industry extensive performance and free entry into the industry as a whole. Every company has some definite abilities which make it different from other companies in the same industries. It has some unique competences that cannot be replicated by the opponents. Many companies complete their management price by using effective use of skills to organise their jobs. One example of such a company is Marks and Spencer. This company use technology to locate their goods. The company also use technology to coordinate between different departments. It brings more proficiency and less expenditure, and as a result production cost is low. On -the-counter payment was also introduced by Marks Spencer. It was very beneficial for the company as they need only a small amount of employees, so as a result labour cost was minimized and profit margin were increased. Marks and Spencer with more than 100 years of experience have a competitive advantage over most of their counter parts, because the company earn the trust and reputation among the customers, their workers and suppliers. Their customers have an extensive collection and are fully confident about the companys products and services.They also get value for money as well. Marks and Spencer demonstrates a shared sense of doing things, with their strong inner structure that moves around permanent employment relationships and strong organisational routines. In the external environment Marks and Spencer fully focus on product specification and design to continue their relationship with the customer, which lasts for many years. As part of their business accountability the company has strong conservational and communal responsibilities. TSE Stated that Marks and Spencer use modern methods of management like consumer research, planning, personal management, product innovation, staff training and many more and has proved itself as a founder and outshined among all other companies (1985).Marks Spencer maintain a strong organisational structure that is run by comparatively normal employees who get excellent results over many years, although many changes have occured in the economic environment (1995). Although, over the recent years, due to the big recession the company has had to face downfalls in some of their retailing areas, but they have managed to overcome all their uncertain hurdles through flexibility, that their opponents view as unnerving. According to an analyst Terhi Halme (2008) ,Even though Marks and Spencer has carried out extensive reformation over the past years, the companys competitive advantage has not been fully revived, so the firm could be able to answerable to the current down turn in British retail market. The decline rate during the past few months has been increased in their food unit and as a result revenue has dropped. Because of this, the food sector is also losing its market share. The management have to step up marketing and promotional spending to protect the market share. Additionally the team confidence is also diminish because of changed management, and therefore not been able to generate sustainable improvements. It is possible that Asian and Middle East companies that are in search of western products will take a look at the market shares of Marks and Spencer as presenting buying opportunities at the present price, especially during this recession. Conclusion: Marks and Spencers main aim is to become the worlds most sustainable retailer by 2015. To achieve this target Marks and Spencer introduce Plan A in which it has highlighted five factors to achieve their business goal that is climate change, waste, sustainable raw material, fair partnership and health. There are some internal and external environmental factors that affect the business strategy of the organisation. Internal factors are under the control of the organisation that deals with the strengths and weaknesses. But the external environmental factors are beyond the control of the organisation. Marks and Spencer has also taken initiative to maintain and improve its position. It provides good customer services, using modern techniques, and provides products according to the demand of the customers.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Business Proposal to Implement New IT Infastructure Essay -- Papers Bu

Business Proposal to Implement New IT Infastructure 1.0 - INTRODUCTION Welcome to the Information Technology Era! Ever since the Stone Age, Man has begun the quest of improving the efficiency of life. Today, this mission continues and the hottest topic in our company, as a matter of fact, is to unite our business with the Information Technology. Information Technology general means the acquisition, processing, storage, and dissemination of massive information by aid of computers or by telecommunication devices while the processed data can be ranged from vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical, etc. As a result, the company can benefits with high speed and more accurate processing of information for administrative and control purposes. Furthermore, Computers are often grouped into local or wide area network for communication among themselves, for example, the Internet and the Intranet this allows data to be transmitted from one place to another during the course of routine business activities. On the other hand, Information technology does not solely mea ns the use of computers because it is made up of many other components. It includes a variety of processes and techniques which may be as common as databases, word processing, spreadsheets, telecommunications, and electronic mail (e-mail). 1.1 - COMPANY BACKGROUND Established in 1980, Possehl BESI Electronic Hong Kong Limited has been famous in the Electronic industry locally and internationally for its? precision skills and loyalty towards its? customers. Located in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong, we are currently employing over 600 staffs; they include Management and Administration officers, engineers, technicians, production opera... ...to success. However, this kind of technology changing all over the time and hard to catch up. We must choose the suitable one which can really fit on our business in stead of choosing the one with the highest technology. After detail analysing the business evironment, the above system should be the most fit to our case. The milestone will be set after three months and a deep system report will also be generated. REFERENCE 1. Map and Top Communication (Standards and Application) A.Valenzano * C.Demartini * L.Ciminiera 2. Software Engineering David Alex Lamb 3. The UNIX Operating System Kaare Christian 4. Computers and Information Systems Marvin R.Gore * John W.Stubbe 5. Business System and Information Technology Ron Anderson 6. Local Area Netowrk Design Andrew Hopper * Steven Temple * Robin Williamson

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas The movie, â€Å"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,† was a very interesting but sad movie. It made me think about how children really don't see a lot of things and how they are very innocent. The way the Jews were being treated made me really upset at how things were really running like that in Germany without many countries not noticing, especially the United States, until years later when they had gone to war.But by then, many people had died, or became survivors without any family, homes or any of their elongings at all. It was ridiculous in the way they got away with a lot of things. Their own people in the country thought that it wasn't even bad and they saw the Jews as the enemies. Brunos father who was in charge of the concentration camp though he was doing the right thing, but until his own son died, he was in complete shock. He didn't know what to do anymore. He was Just standing there and couldn't believe it.I think he realized what he was doing and how things drastically changed for his amily and him, especially in how many children and Jews he had been killing in the camp. I really liked how there was friendship in the movie though. Shmuel and Bruno had met, and Bruno would go visit him and talk to him and try to play with him sometimes. But Shmuel couldn't play, because he was very unhealthy and dehydrated, he could barely run. It would break my heart when Bruno would try to bring him food, but he would drop it along the way.I really liked the acting in the ovie; it made everything look so real, even the setting was nice. I really don't know how or what they did to make the prisoners in the movie seem so skinny as if they hadn't ate in months. Pavel who was the butler in the house, would Just peel potatoes all day, it was really horrid when he got beat up for dropping the glass of wine on the dinner table. Many people had to give up their dreams and school Just like Pavel did. It's hard to imagine if that would ha ve happened to me and my family.I wonder what appened to all the people who were involved in this, if they all died or if went to Jail, did they survive? This film also showed me that you shouldn't discriminate any types of people from the rest. It is really sad, because to this day, that's how a lot of people still are and that's the way they think. This is actually one of my favorite movies because it has so many different concepts and it makes you think about many things. Especially to see how far, into friendship you would go. By Jsierra9 The Boy in the Striped Pajamas The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, based on the novel of the same title, directed by Mark Herman, set in Germany during World War II in the early 1940s. It follows the story of Bruno, an eight-year-old boy living in Berlin, currently under the rule of Adolf Hitler. His father is a commandant at a concentration camp. When his family moves to Auschwitz (or as Bruno believes it to be pronounced: ‘Out-With’) near the concentration camp for his father’s work, Bruno finds himself confined to the front yard of his new home and longs for a friend and an adventure. After finding a way out of the property, he discovers a concentration camp, although at this stage he believes it to be a farm rather than a prison. Bruno quickly develops a friendship with Schmuel, a Jewish boy living in the concentration camp who is the same age as him. Bruno makes several visits to the camp, despite being told by his parents that he is not to venture outside the back gate. Schmuel tells Bruno that his father is missing, while Bruno is informed that he and his sister will go to live with his Aunt. Instead of leaving his home in the country to go back to Berlin, Bruno decides to help Schmuel find his father. He dons striped â€Å"pyjamas† and crosses the fence, with horrific consequences. A character I disliked in the movie was Bruno’s father, Ralf. Ralf is a stereotypical German Nazi commandant in charge of the nearby Auschwitz concentration camp. He is very much in support of Adolf Hitler, believing that the Jewish are bad people. He tries to convince his family that he is making the world a better place. Bruno’s sister, Gretel, supports her father’s views on the matter, and explains to Bruno about the Jewish. â€Å"But Dad just sat there! † â€Å"What did you expect him to do? The Jew deserved it! † Can I ask you something about the farm? † â€Å"Bruno, you don’t think it is a farm, do you? It’s a camp, what’s called a work camp, for Jews. † â€Å"Just Jews, because they are the best workers? † â€Å"They’re not in because they are good, silly, they aren’t good at anything. They are in there because they are evil. They are the enemy, evil dangerous vermin. They’re the reason why we lost the Great War. † Ralf also imposes a fake perception of the concentration camp on his soldiers. He shows them a video that portrays the fact that the camp is a nice place to live and that the Jewish enjoy it there. New arrivals here are happy to discover that life in the camp is not all work and that there’s ample opportunity for leisure also. At the end of their day of ironmongery or the build of boot factory, the workers can enjoy the many forms of pastime that the camp has to offer. Organised sport is very popular. Those that don’t play certainly enjoy watching. At the end of the working day the centrally located cafe is the ideal place for friends and families to join together for a hearty and nutritious meal. The children in particular enjoy the pastries and cakes on offer. In the evenings the occasional music concerts either by visiting orchestras or, indeed, by talented musicians from within the camp itself, are always well attended. Other recreations include reading in the library, pottery, cookery, art and horticulture for adult and child alike. Almost any activity one could wish for is available within the camp. † This description is in stark contrast to what the camp really is like. I find Bruno’s father a horrible person for not telling the truth about the camp. Even his wife doesn’t know what goes on in the camp, and when she finds out, Ralf tells her that he was sworn to secrecy. I think we are lucky that we live in a time when fathers aren’t necessarily bound to their job in such a way that it almost destroys a family. Bruno’s father was brainwashed into believing that the Jewish were bad people and did not deserve to live, as was Bruno’s sister, Gretel. I am glad that in this century we are not so easily led into believing such things. What Ralf did was horrible but in a way he was trying to protect his family – if he had disobeyed Hitler’s orders, he may have ended up in a camp himself or even dead – but in this case his efforts to protect Bruno did not turn out so well. I also think we are lucky that we live in a country where we have enough freedom to disagree with our leaders and have an option to vote them out if necessary. In World War II, if you had a different opinion to Hitler, you were either sentenced to death or put in a concentration camp. Ralf did what was best for his family, but in doing so did some horrific things to other people. I felt extremely sorry for the main protagonist, Bruno, and enjoyed the theme of innocence. Bruno was very young, naive and hardly knew anything about the war. I think his parents and tutor should have informed him better about what was going on outside of his front yard, as he certainly didn’t deserve to die in a concentration camp. If he had known more about the outside world, perhaps he wouldn’t have felt so obliged to explore further and in doing so enter the camp. His innocence is portrayed in this instance, when he is talking to Schmuel through the fence. Bruno: â€Å"Is everything alright? † Schmuel: â€Å"No, we can’t find the Pa. He went on a different work duty with some of the men and they haven’t come back. â€Å"I have got some bad news, too. I’m going away. † â€Å"How long this time? † â€Å"That’s what it’s bad. It’s forever I think. Mum says this is no place for children. † â€Å"It’s just stupid. When do you go? † â€Å"Tomorrow, after lunch. † â€Å"So I won’t ever see you again? † â€Å"Yes, you will. You can come on holiday to Berlin if you like, when everybody is getting on with each other again†¦ I wish I could have helped you find your dad. I really want to make up for letting you down like I did. That would have done it, wouldn’t it? Helping find your dad. Would have been great, like a secret mission. Hey, I could dig under [the fence]! † Bruno then proceeded to dig under the fence and dress in striped â€Å"pyjamas† to help find Schmuel’s Dad. He and Schmuel are marched into a gas chamber, where they both die. I also felt sorry for Bruno when he was having lessons with his tutor, Herr Liszt, as he was being taught very difficult things about the war and how Hitler is a good person. For example: â€Å"I don’t understand: a nation’s collapse is only done to this one man? † â€Å"The Jew here means the entire Jewish race. If it had been just one man, I’m sure something would have been done about him. † â€Å"There is such a thing as a nice Jew, though, isn’t there? † â€Å"I think, Bruno, if you ever found a nice Jew, you would be the best explorer in the world. â€Å" Again, this shows how lucky we are to live in a country where there is no war going on. If we were taught such things in school nowadays, we would have a very different perception of the world. We are not taught biased facts about historical nor current day events, and we are lucky that we are allowed to develop our own opinions without being sentenced to death. I think a child’s innocence is extremely important to hold on to in most instances because it prevents them from many dangers that the world poses, however in this case is was the difference between life and death for Bruno. If his parents had told him why he was not allowed to go to the concentration camp, he would have been aware of the dangers and perhaps not have persisted on visiting Schmuel, but his curiosity and lack of reason from his parents eventually led him to his death.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Consumer Behaviour in Jewellery Essay Example

Consumer Behaviour in Jewellery Essay Example Consumer Behaviour in Jewellery Essay Consumer Behaviour in Jewellery Essay According to the research conducted by Centre for Comparative Studies: 70% of consumers in Cochin and 38% in Delhi chose Gold as their major investment option. The primary reason being stable nature of gold, and also the high returns involved. Reason for Buying:- The preferences of Indian consumer for gold Jewelry have also changed with time. Consumers prefer lightweight, affordable and designer Jewelry more. The reason for buying primarily has been personal consumption. Gifting Jewelry in marriage is also another significant reason but it is mostly in marriages. Modern Women Shoppers:- As the Indian women are becoming more economically independent, the anemographic of the Jewelry market are changing. They are mostly young in the age group of 25 to 30 years. Among them the salaried women prefer Jewelry that they can wear everyday at their workplace while married women prefer Jewelry suited for religious and wedding occasions. What women buy:- It has been observed that bangles being the most preferred ornament having a share of 48%, followed by rings which capture 21% of share. Also women in lower age groups, predominantly prefer buying rings than other products. As per the survey conducted by FOCI, Ceremonial and bridal wear is the primary reason for gold eying. And this segment brings in maximum revenue for the sellers. Heavy buying buy the consumers in the form of sets takes places in the marriage seasons. Regional Preferences of Indian Consumers:- It has been observed that around 65% of the revenue comes from Southern and Western regions of the country. Pendants, Rings and Necklaces have been primarily considered as the lead categories across the nation. References: https://news. Colleges. Com/Schoolmaster/1339531200. Photo://www. Foci. Com/ supplement/20332/Linda-Jewelry-Review-2013. Updraft://online. Was]. Com/public/ sources/documents/Linda Counterinsurgencys. Updraft://www. Nonresistance. Com/ about/press/articles/10205a61-bed-4791-AAA-dada fatwood https:// www. Newbie. Com/Newbie/content/en/Newbie-gold-analysis? Did=152703;son=Detail Consumer Behavior Silver Jewelry The Silver Jewelry market occupies an important place in the Indian Gems and Jewelry market. It is one of the oldest sector and still a good prospect of growth. It is indeed richly entwined in Indians culture and tradition. Consumer behavior in the silver Jewelry industry concerns mainly the mental and physical behavior of individuals and groups regarding the use, maintenance, disposal, and status in the market. Throughout the sass, and the process of the liberalizing of the market, silver appeared to have a secure position in the Indian Jewelry industry. But there are different buying patterns of consumers that has led to the growth of this industry. Broadly the silver Jewelry in Indian context can be divided into three main categories as Every day wear, Special occasions wear Wedding wear Though the percentage of silver Jewelry in wedding wear is negligible as it is Gold and Diamond which is prominent in it. The different consumer behavior affecting the silver Jewelry industry are: Price: Since Silver is Jewelry is affordable to most people, it is one of the preferred metal. Also this price factor attracts a lot of youngsters and students these days. Moreover the antique and new designs brings variety into their collection. Design: These days silver Jewelry has taken a shift from traditional image to new western jewelry. Silver Jewelry with gold plated and silver Jewelry with diamond studded not only makes the price affordable, but it also gives the same design which was earlier very expensive for them. Moreover the technology advance has led to decrease in the tarnishing of silver Jewelry. Influence of family and friends: There is high influence of family and friends in silver Jewelry as it is not advertised much on TV and other media but through word of mouth. People buy it more from their traditional old places and continue for long time. Display: Displaying the Jewelry in the right way that it attracts more and more consumer always plays an important role especially when people go for window shopping these days. The domestic shops also renovate their shops to display the designs in more attractive manner. Ease of reach Convenience is the new mantra for people with busy schedule and want everything at their doorstep. Also the demand has grown so more and more retailers for silver jewelry has come up to cater to the demand of people. Diamond Jewelry Diamond usage has evolved significantly throughout the history. It directly reflects the view of consumer towards the precious stone. In past, diamonds were used by royal family to adorn their crowns and attires. Hence diamond was always seen as the symbol of status, wealth and power. Heavy prices and perception about diamond pet it away from the reach of masses. Few brands like Gill has identified this gap and positioned their brand as affordable diamond in 1994. It changed the consumer perspective and people started looking towards it as an accessory and not only investment option. Traditional positioning of gold as Jewelry metal in India since ancient time has prevented the penetration of diamond in the Jewelry sector since long. But this trend is changing now with changing lifestyle of the people. The share of diamond and platinum Jewelry is expected to reach about 30-35% of the total gold leery sales in the year 2015. Type Diamond is mostly popular in rings. It is also been used in ear rings and pendants. Since ages diamond has been chosen as the most preferred option for engagement ring. Brands have come up with exquisite designs in this types to attract young and professional users. Few brands have been strategically targeting bridal segments offering heavy Jewelry like Viva brand by Agitating Jewels. As the number of working women office goers has increased with time, there has been considerate demand for new designs- more elegant and light, than traditional heavy designs. Gold Price Frequently fluctuating prices of gold and silver is also drawing customer towards diamond Jewelry. People are now also seeing diamond as an option to invest rather than gold/silver as it is less dependent on dollar-rupee behavior. In 2013 diamond jewelry demand has grown by 25% compare to the previous year, with similar increase in all type of diamond Jewelry. Rising price of gold and change in lifestyle of Indian women, is driving the demand for diamond Jewelry. To address this demand jewelers are also promoting more and more diamond Jewelry. At the time of Tanners, 2013; about 76% of Jewelers are focusing on diamond and platinum jewelry rather than traditional gold Jewelry. (Tanners is one of the major occasion for buying Jewelry in India). Display Display also plays an important role in consumer preference. With the entry of brands, diamond Jewelry are more strategically promoted by retailing policy. Many brands have gone for Shop-in-shop, Multi Brand Outlet and Single Brand Outlet. Shop-in-shop method has brought the Jewelry in eyes of the young people as the new designs not only goes with traditional attires but also with the western and casual clothes. Brand Two decades after introduction of brands in this industry, unrecognized sector still owns the major fraction of this field. Though brands have considerably influenced the choice of consumers. Awareness regarding the certified Jewelry has increased considerably. It is one of the major factor for people going towards branded Jewelry. Also retail shops providing all the design at one stop is an attractive feature for the people with busy schedule. Ease Online shopping is also trending. Brands like Tannins (tannins. Co. In/shop-online) and Agitating (www. Citing]Allison. Com) maintain their online shopping website. Also there are other websites available like Amazon. Com and www. Correlate. Com/Resources: https://www. Commas. Org/press/shown-archive. PH? D=consumers Behavior Platinum Jewelry In early sass Louis Carrier successfully created platinum Jewelry for King Edward VII of England. This was the entry of platinum as Jewelry into the Jewelry market. From then Queen Elizabeth, Hollywood actress and many more other celebrities wore platinum Jewelry which showcased platinum as luxurious Jewelry. In India Platinum Jewelry trend started a decade ago, but showed impressive results in growth rate. Platinum, a precious rare material and price being near to gold, people are inclining to buy it even though re-sell price is not clear. Age Group : Platinum Jewelry being pricey and rare metal, people buy this Jewelry to the persons who are very dear to them. These people come under the age of 18 to 38 years. Before consumers are either gifted by platinum or they bought platinum jewelry for themselves for special occasions like valentines day, engagement rings etc. But now platinum Jewelry became an everyday wear, many people are inclining to buy daily wear chains and pendants embedded with diamonds. Platinum jewelry consumers falls mostly under urban youngsters. Men Jewelry in Platinum is increasing at exponential rate. Consumers in India are looking at adornment part. India became 4th largest consumer of platinum Jewelry ,as platinum is not seen as investment by many people, consumers are using platinum Jewelry for modern look and adornment. Consumer reasons to buy : Growing Diamond Jewelry segment is one of the main reason for platinum Jewelry consumption increase. Diamonds and other precious stone are embedded into platinum, as platinum being durable and resistant for scratches. Women seek exclusivity in Jewelry. Every women wants a unique Jewelry; as platinum being pure white material, rare and eternal many professional and young women are buying platinum Jewelry for modern look. Men are not only buying platinum bands but the sales in chains and bracelets are increased in past few years. Awareness : Many youngsters are ready to buy platinum Jewelry over gold Jewelry because of the awareness crested in them. Similarly many people in the age group of 40-60 doesnt know much about platinum, they prefer traditional gold and silver Jewelry. Recent analysis show that even when there is a drop in gold price, there is no change in demand of platinum and platinum demand at the same time is growing exponentially. As awareness increases we can say that there will be further increase in demand for platinum Jewelry in future India. What Consumer Wants: Indian urban women is aware of current trends. As Jewelry plays an important role in womens life. Every women seeks Jewelry as self reward( buy herself) or as gift ( from their loved ones). These women prefer different metal, elegant style and intricate designs. Reasons 88201 5-1075690 Change in Needs: There are differences in why consumers needed Jewelry earlier and why they need it now. Some of them are: Office Culture: Compared to before, more of the female population comes under the working population. This has resulted in demand for new Jewelry products. Women now want lighter and more sophisticated Jewelry than ever before. This need is easily fulfilled by artificial Jewelry made of pearls, American diamonds, crystal and stone Jewelry. Weather Conditions: Due to overall increase in temperature because of environmental pollution, women mind it difficult to wear heavy Jewelry. In such a scenario, artificial Jewelry is a relief. Increasing Incidents of stealing: The incidents of Jewelry snatching have increased over the year. Women in such conditions prefer to wear artificial Jewelry over original while going out. Change in Perception: There has been a shift in the way people look at artificial Jewelry. Earlier people viewed it as an alternate to original Jewelry in case they were not able to buy the original. It was a cheaper alternate. However due to change in designs and availability of large varieties of artificial Jewelry, it has become must have if one wants to look trendy. It also fulfils the need of looking traditional without having to wear gold. Addition of Users: In addition to the usual consumer group of age 20 above, people in age group of below 20 years have also started to embrace artificial Jewelry. Kids need perfection today. And this perfection comes accessories themselves. Factors Influencing Purchase: The various factors that influence consumer choice during a purchase decision for artificial Jewelry are: Price of the product: Consumer easily shift brands if they get similar product at a cheaper rice. There is low brand loyalty. Look and feel of the product: The look and feel of the product play an equally important role. Until and unless the product meets a certain criteria (rough look, sophisticated look, original look, funky look), sale is difficult to come by. Durability: Consumers generally do not buy a product if they feel it will not last for long even if it is not very expensive. Need for the product: Although artificial Jewelry buying is spontaneous and impulse driven, if the price is high consumers do consider whether they actually need the product or not.