The Power of Individualism Revealed in The Fountainhead Essay -- Fount

The Power of Individualism Revealed in The Fountainhead Imagine military group as a form of free current energy, a source found within every one and for each individual. Assume that to gain power, one has to tap this resevoir of immense proportions and relish upon the rich harvest time to their hearts desires. Consequently, when there is such a dealing of concentrated materials, nature takes charge and similarly to other physical abstracts, rendering this package lethal, with the potential for much(prenominal) destruction. In other words, power in the wrong hands or power without responsibility is the most harzardous weapon mankind can possess. To say that power is a medium out of control and pertaining to something with incredible destruction, is rather quite original. Assuming that every one and anyone has the potential to be entitle to a overlap of this universal medium. Then it would be justifiable to claim that like any other unmoderated activities, raging amibition for p ower uncontroled could wreak havoc and acts as a catalyst in the breakdown of a society. Similar to politics which deals with the static physical component of society, there must be a more redoubtable source of pervailance over the mystical realm of power. There fore, this form of guidance can only exist from the mind, and as product of thought, thus the ideas within a philosophy. The Ideals warp between the covers of, The Fountainhead, Ayn Rands philosophical revolution of Individualistic power, is her solution to societys request for a cure. She believe that the highest order of power stands in a higher place all alternatives as the power belonging to an individual and her mission is to prove the greatness of individualist power within the hero she christain the name Roark. ... ... in life. The true heroes will know which he is to take and reamain above all others. Those who fail, will end up in the melting pot of society, their flame of freedom extinguished. whole kit and bood le Cited and Consulted Berliner, Michael S., ed. Letters of Ayn Rand. By Ayn Rand. New York Dutton, 1995. Branden, Barbara. The Passion of Ayn Rand A biography. New York Doubleday, 1986a Branden, Nathaniel. My Years with Ayn Rand. San Francisco Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1999. Garmong, Dina. Personal interview. 2 Nov. 1999. Peikoff, Leonard. The Philosophy of Objectivism, A Brief Summary. Stein and Day, 1982. Rand, Ayn. The Fountainhead. New York Plume, 1994. The Ayn Rand Institute. A Brief Biography of Ayn Rand Online available www.aynrand.org/aynrand/biography.html, 1995 Walker, Jeff. The Ayn Rand Cult. Carus Publishing Company, 1999

Caribbean Slavery Essay -- Caribbean History Slave Essays

Caribbean SlaveryStarting in the seventeenth century, the European colonization of the Caribbean changed drastically as exploration gave way to exploitation. As the great wealth that the Caribbean held became more evident to the European colonizers, a rush of profit hunters stormed the area and flooded it with slavery. The monumental introduction of slavery as the major form of labor organization in the Caribbean changed social organization radically. The plantation system thrived and expanded through the adjacent years (centuries), and the Caribbean became the focus of American slave centers, The planters of the Caribbean bought about sixty percent of all the slaves sold to the Americas between 1701 and 1810 (Knight, p112). Franklin W. Knight approximates that five million African slaves were brought to the Caribbean passim the slave trading years. The resulting success of the Caribbean sugar economy harvested (no pun intended) even more slavery, and the Caribbean became an almos t exclusively two-group society divided by blacks and whites. Those who did not nightfall into the well-defined groups free blacks, maroons, buccaneers, and others- were forced to live isolated from normal society.Arnold Sio addresses the interesting in-between group of free blacks in these societies in his article entitled Marginality and needy Coloured Identity in Caribbean Slave Society. Sio delves into the identity search that the free blacks felt in such situations, and he defines their position simply, The people of twine were marginal to Caribbean society neither black nor white, neither African nor European, and neither slave nor free. The assertion that the author makes that these freedmen were not free is fundamental in understa... ...at the blacks enjoyed as a result of this participation, a type of psychological empowerment was attained by blacks that was not experienced by blacks on the other islands of the Caribbean. A real kind of re-humanizing takes place with t he endowment of responsibility in which the implications go far beyond employment.Through the terrible years of Caribbean slavery, horrific crimes against personal rights were violated oer and again. In a genocide of sorts, Africans were taken from their homes, and sold into a system which worked them to their deaths. Blacks in the Caribbean who avoided this horrible situation, few though they were, struggled to establish themselves as successful substitute societies due to their few resources. The varying backgrounds of these people made communication difficult, and made the forming of a unified society almost impossible.

Celeron or Pentium II? :: Research Papers

Celeron or Pentium II? The computer industry is flourishing because of the advent of new, powerful processors. Recently, Intel Corp. released its Pentium II-450 MHz chip the fastest processor on the planet. But because the chip is overpriced, Intel is also marketing the downgraded version of a PII, the inexpensive Celeron-333 which has a 128K cache compared to the PIIs 512K cache. To potential computer buyers, this blot presents a predicament because they must decide whether to opt for price (i.e. buy the Celeron) or speed (i.e. buy the PII-450). In an attempt to answer this question, Lincoln Spector of PC World and Christopher Yates of PC Week disassemble the two chips in their articles entitled Double Feature and Intel Celeron Cache in With New Power, published in October and deluxe of 1998 respectively. In this paper, a rhetorical and discourse analysis will be performed on the two articles to examine the similar and different strategies used by Spector and Yates in prese nting their arguments. The strategies will get hold which article is more convincing. Since the articles are present in magazines that pertain to the genre of computer and computer writing, it is first also necessary to analyze the genre. Comparing and differentiate the magazines underside obtain an introduction to the way material is presented and organized. The criteria for the analysis include the types of articles present in the magazines. In addition, analyzing the sources of evidence used to abide the claims can will crucial information to the kinds of appeals (i.e. logos, ethos, or pathos) used by the authors writing in the genre of computer writing. Other similar factors such as article length, ads, and the advertisers can also be examined. But the demographic data of the magazines is of utmost importance because it describes the audience and thus, defines the way authors write for their audience. PC World and PC Week know a circulation of 1,125,000 and 305,44 3 respectively. The former is published monthly and the latter is printed weekly. Eighty-eight percent of the audience of PC World is male and the remainder is female, with ages ranging from 25 to 54 years. long dozen percent of both magazines readers are employed by the computer industry, while 59% of PC Worlds compared to 13% of PC Weeks readers work in some furcate of management (SRDS 445).Celeron or Pentium II? Research PapersCeleron or Pentium II? The computer industry is flourishing because of the advent of new, powerful processors. Recently, Intel Corp. released its Pentium II-450 MHz chip the fastest processor on the planet. But because the chip is overpriced, Intel is also marketing the downgraded version of a PII, the inexpensive Celeron-333 which has a 128K cache compared to the PIIs 512K cache. To potential computer buyers, this situation presents a dilemma because they must decide whether to opt for price (i.e. buy the Celeron) or speed (i.e. buy the PII-450). In an attempt to answer this question, Lincoln Spector of PC World and Christopher Yates of PC Week analyze the two chips in their articles entitled Double Feature and Intel Celeron Cache in With New Power, published in October and August of 1998 respectively. In this paper, a rhetorical and discourse analysis will be performed on the two articles to examine the similar and different strategies used by Spector and Yates in presenting their arguments. The strategies will determine which article is more convincing. Since the articles are present in magazines that pertain to the genre of computer and computer writing, it is first also necessary to analyze the genre. Comparing and contrasting the magazines can obtain an introduction to the way material is presented and organized. The criteria for the analysis include the types of articles present in the magazines. In addition, analyzing the sources of evidence used to support the claims can provide crucial information to the kinds of appeals (i.e. logos, ethos, or pathos) used by the authors writing in the genre of computer writing. Other similar factors such as article length, ads, and the advertisers can also be examined. But the demographic data of the magazines is of utmost importance because it describes the audience and thus, defines the way authors write for their audience. PC World and PC Week have a circulation of 1,125,000 and 305,443 respectively. The former is published monthly and the latter is printed weekly. Eighty-eight percent of the audience of PC World is male and the remainder is female, with ages ranging from 25 to 54 years. Thirteen percent of both magazines readers are employed by the computer industry, while 59% of PC Worlds compared to 13% of PC Weeks readers work in some sort of management (SRDS 445).

The Effects of Wishes :: essays research papers

Throughout history people have been mislead to believe that happiness can only be constitute through achieving what you think you want. For example, it is rare to read a fairy tale that doesnt involve a hero obtaining his goals and living happily ever afterward with the one he loves. Few authors have dared to write about the reality of life in fear that the response from audiences who are used to happy endings would be negative. Charles Dickens and James Hilton are two authors that took that chance and separately produced a novel that did not necessarily have a happy ending. Charles Dickens illustrates in his book, Great Expectations, and James Hilton presents in his novel, Lost aspect, that life is full of surprises, and happiness is not always found in the things we think we want.The hero in each of these novels is on a quest for happiness. Pip, from Great Expectations, believes that if he were to become a gentleman he would be content with his life. On the contrary, Conway in Lost Horizon is searching for peace of mind and where he can think without disturbance. Each characters quest brings them to the realization that there are consequences for every action, and obtaining your goals is ambitious when enduring the obstacles of life.The main objective of Pip and Conways quests is to obtain a talisman. Dickens Pip is looking for materialistic items such as capital, while Hiltons Conway is looking for knowledge that can last you a lifetime. Though both characters end up achieving their own talisman, it proved to not be the only delineate for happiness as expected.Throughout the quest for the each talisman, a mentor guided each of the heroes. In Great Expectations, his benefactor, Magwitch, guides Pip during his quest by providing him with notes when needed. The High Lama enlightened Conway with knowledge and gave him guidance, in Lost Horizon, therefore filling the position of a mentor towards him. Both mentors fulfilled the main characters with their talismans, exclusively it was up to the heroes to determine what was best for their life.The settings in the novels were different and therefore affected the main characters in various ways. The setting for Great Expectations was nineteenth century England where money was a major part of society. Pip felt obligated to obtain money in order to marry and live an exceptional life.

Art versus Pornography Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Art versus Pornography Her head rests on her left knee, with her hands clasped on her ankle. Locks of hair are thrown about in an auburn blaze. Her tight rosy lips are as red as her cheeks. Her dark-blue eyes reveal a half-seductive, half-submissive look. Her legs are in a unruffled spread-eagle formation, leaving her crotch area quite visible. Her white panties leave little to the imaging. The sexual overtones are more than just a coincidence. Suspend your imagination for a minute and ask yourself if the description formed in your mind a work of art or, instead, a photograph of softcore pornography, found in much(prenominal) magazines as Hustler or Playboy? Where this description is taken from will be disclosed later, but let us concern ourselves with a line that this... ...ed them. A person at the time looking at his works would recognize them as prostitutes, a fact that is less distinct today. His display of the return in some cases, could be seen as propaganda against pro stitution. Hence, he had an intellectual, not a pornographic intent. This debate will continue, and perhaps no end may get under ones skin of it until viewers have understanding of the artists intent.

Art versus Pornography Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Art versus Pornography Her head rests on her left knee, with her hands clasped on her ankle. Locks of hair are thrown about in an auburn blaze. Her tight rosy lips are as red as her cheeks. Her dark-blue eyes reveal a half-seductive, half-submissive look. Her legs are in a indulgent spread-eagle formation, leaving her crotch area quite visible. Her white panties leave little to the conception. The sexual overtones are more than just a coincidence. Suspend your imagination for a minute and ask yourself if the description formed in your mind a work of art or, instead, a photograph of softcore pornography, found in such(prenominal) magazines as Hustler or Playboy? Where this description is taken from will be disclosed later, but let us concern ourselves with a difficulty that this... ...ed them. A person at the time looking at his works would recognize them as prostitutes, a fact that is less distinct today. His display of the fruit in some cases, could be seen as propaganda agai nst prostitution. Hence, he had an intellectual, not a pornographic intent. This debate will continue, and perhaps no end may go into of it until viewers have understanding of the artists intent.

Current Applications Of Software Agents Essay

If you have made a purchase at amazon, you would have noticed that as soon as you complete your purchase procedures, Amazon presents you with a list of books that customers who purchased the same item as you did also bought along with this item. During your next visit, you will find a list of books that are similar to the ones you purchased antecedently that you might be interested in buying. Another popular site eBay displays a list of similar products that other customers who did the same search looked at. The above both sites are fashion models of two ways of implementing software agents.A software agent is a computer program that is capable of intelligently and autonomously executing a inclined task based on the instructions provided by the substance abuser. It basically operates on behalf of its owner. The goal of a software agent is to maximize the owners interests which it does by maximizing a particular utility function. Most software agents sewer learn from experience and adapt themselves based on the feedback obtained from the environment thus make it an autonomous process with no human intervention. A multi-agent system involves multiple software agents.Software agents are ideally suited for a wide classification of applications, in particular, process and workflow automation, electronic commerce, distributed problem solving and Internet applications (Acronymics, Inc. 2004). Some application examples include agent-based supply chain management, personal or user agents, e-business systems, e-market, e-banking, and e-investments, etc. Merchandise management in the retail industry is one area of application of the software agent. Merchandise management involves selection of desirable switch, judicature of slow-selling ones and ordering and distributing them appropriately.The competition is fierce with the eCommerce making it even to a greater extent difficult due to diverse customer preferences low merchant loyalty. The only way to rigging th is problem is by understanding the changes in customer necessarys quickly and responding appropriately through merchandise management. However, due to the sheer number of merchandise and brands, managing merchandise potently becomes an impossible task. This is where software agents are helpful by performing the merchandise managers jobs autonomously, continuously and efficiently.These software agents help in evaluating and selecting merchandise and predicting seasons and building purchase schedules autonomously. An effective merchandise management helps reduce the inventory level while increasing sales and profits. (Jae Heon, P. , Sang Chan P. 2003) Rob Meijer describes the following commercial applications in his article 1. witness agents These autonomously look for the specified information and provide personalized versions based on the end-users preferences, an example is personalized versions of newspapers.To generate a personalized paper, a user must first provide with r elevant personal information, preferences, and special interests. The agent thus provides personalized news based on these details. With each visit, the agent improves and provides personalized newspaper without much human intervention. Fishwrap (MIT) and Newshound are examples of Watcher agents. (Meijer, R. 2005) 2. Learning agents Based on the behavior of their user, they can learn to tailor their performance. Examples of the same are Firefly, Similarities Engine, WegHunter, unaffixed Sesame, and InterAp.Similarities Engine was a Web-based music recommending system that worked similar to Amazons recommedations of new books the technology has now been purchased by Microsoft. (Meijer, R. 2005) 3. Shopping agents These agents are capable of analyze and finding the best price for an item. BargainFinder is an example of Shopping agents that searches the inventory of vendors on the internet to find the lowest prices on the desired product helping you compose both time and money. ( Meijer, R. 2005) 4.Information retrieval agents These agents search for information intelligently and are capable of summarizing the information as well. Netsumm is an example that can provide an rob of the most important sentences of a web page. (Meijer, R. 2005) The dexterous Software Agents Lab (The Robotics Institute Carnegie Mellon University) has created an information retrieval agent for Aircraft Maintenance. Considering the searching of relevant information along with time constraints, the mechanics are provided with wearable computers based on RETSINA infrastructure.When a discrepancy is encountered, all he needs to do is fill out a form on his computer and the agents would seek relevant information. The advantages of wearable computers with agents include automatic location and retrieval of information relevant to quickens, utilization of historical repair data, increased efficiency of access to information from manuals, and reduction in average time for repair. The o verall result is timely, quality upkeep. (The Intelligent Software Agents Lab, 2001-2009)Another example on their site is WebMate which is a personal digital assistant that provides URL recommendations based on a continuously updated user profile offers ever much relevant web documents based on the Trigger Pairs Model approach to keyword refinement responds to user feedback by selecting features from documents the user finds relevant and incorporating these features into the context of new queries compiles a daily personal newspaper with links to documents of interest to the user. (The Intelligent Software Agents Lab, 2001-2009)5. Helper agents These are generally utilise for network management and standard maintenance functions. LANAlert is an example of Helper agent. (Meijer, R. 2005) Agents can also help automate the bargaining process i. e. based on the user preferences, products and services along with related conditions (like warranty and delivery time) can be made flex ible to meet the clients expectations. (Gerding, E. H. 2004) Google AdWords is an example of such an agent. On typing search keywords, it provides recommendations to users as sponsored links. setoff of all, there are special(a) ads that can be displayed on a search result page. The ads are displayed only on certain keywords selected by the advertiser. Also, since limited ads are there and also the order of displaying the ads (from top to bottom) makes a difference, advertisers have to compete for these spaces. This is done by choosing the best keywords based on the information provided by Google regarding search counts and setting an upper limit on the amount that you would pay if you have a visitor. The advertiser with the highest bid wins in this case.Gary Anthes provides the examples of the following companies who have been lucky in utilizing software agents for complex processes Procter & Gample Co. (P&G) used software agents to convert their supply chain management into a su pply network connecting to 5 billion consumers in 140 countries saving $300 million annually. (Anthes, G. 2003) Southwest Airlines Co. optimized cargo routing using software agents. For Air Liquide America LP, software agents helped reduce both production and dissemination costs. (Anthes, G. 2003) Software agents helped Merck & Co.find more efficient ways to distribute anti-HIV drugs in Zimbabwe. (Anthes, G. 2003) Simulation of buyer preferences using software agents helped Ford Motor Co. come up with car options that optimized the trade-offs between production costs and customer demands. (Anthes, G. 2003) Software agents helped Edison Chouest Offshore LLC to optimize service and supply vessels deployment in the Gulf of Mexico. (Anthes, G. 2003) Supply Chain worry through software agents not only help save costs but also help in inventory management through cut down inventory, and improved customer service.(Anthes, G. 2003) Gary Anthes also explains how software agents have helped P&G. Basically, each component of the supply system from trucks to drivers to stores was represented by a software agent. utilise rules, they defined the behavior of each component that represented its actual behavior such as Dispatch truck when full. P&G then used the simulations to perform what-if scenarios and checked out inventory levels, transportation costs and in-store stock-outs. Many alternate rules were considered such as on ordering and shipping frequencies, demand forecasting etc.(Anthes, G. 2003) Through the use of these agent-based models, P&G realized that while sending trucks with less than full loads increases transportation costs, frequency of in-store stock-outs oftentimes resulting in lost sales is reduced. Similarly P&G relooked into many of its rigid rules and relaxed them to improve the overall performance of the supply chain. They also had to be more flexible in manufacturing instead of one product at a time, they had to be able to produce every pro duct every day, reducing stock-outs. tractability in distributing products within 24 hours instead of the customary 48 to 72 hours was another change that software agents helped P&G realize and change. (Anthes, G. 2003) References Jae Heon, P. , Sang Chan P. 2003. Agent-based merchandise management in business-to-business electronic commerce. In Decision Support Systems (Volume 35 , Issue 3 , June 2003). Elsevier Science Publishers B. V. Amsterdam. http//portal. acm. org/citation. cfm? id=794070 This article explains how an agent-based merchandise management system can help retail companies better manage their merchandise.Gerding, E. H. 2004. Autonomous Agents in Bargaining Games An Evolutionary Investigation of Fundamentals, Strategies, and Business Applications. PhD thesis, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven. http//eprints. ecs. soton. ac. uk/15640/ This article explains how autonomous software agents could be used in the bargaining process and some of its applications. WebMate. Th e Intelligent Software Agents Lab. The Robotics Institute. Carnegie Mellon University. http//www. cs. cmu. edu/softagents/webmate. htmlThis article explains WebMate, a personal digital assistant, a real-life application of software agents. Aircraft Maintenance. The Intelligent Software Agents Lab. The Robotics Institute. Carnegie Mellon University. http//www. cs. cmu. edu/softagents/aircraft. html This article explains how the aircraft maintenance issues have been resolved using software agents. Anthes, G. 2003. Agents of Change. In Computerworld. http//www. computerworld. com/action/article. do? command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=Software+Development&articleId=77855&taxonomyId=63&pageNumber=1This article provides examples of successful implementation of software agents by several companies and how it has helped them improve their processes as well as their thinking. Meijer, R. 2005. Intelligent Software Agents Perspective for business. In The IPTS Report (Issue 5). http//ipts. j rc. ec. europa. eu/home/report/english/articles/vol05/art-it1. htm This article provides types of commercial applications of software agents along with implemented examples. Acronymics, Inc. 2004. Why, When, and Where to Use Software Agents. http//www. agentbuilder. com/Documentation/whyAgents. html This article provides an overview on software agents.

12th Night Essay

Did Shakespeares characters get what they deserve? To what extent? The majority of Shakespeares characters did not get what they deserved in the end, there definitely is a strong scent of injustice that hangs in the air around Shakespeares Twelfth Night. This, however, does not mean that it made life harder for his characters. In quite a few cases, it actu every(prenominal)y leaves them better off. Nevertheless, this is not to say that they are not punished for their wrong deeds, sometimes in ways that are completely unfair.Shakespeare shows us painful truth of the injustice that exits within humanity. In the case of Malvolio, we are quick to act, but not to burn downvas. We also learn that love can localisation umteen things, but it can also tear them apart, as we see with Olivia, Orsino, Sebastian and genus Viola. Also, as seen through the character of Antonio, bad things can be forgotten if a good enough deed replaces it. As many of us know, humanity is infamous for their will ingness to judge and act against a person before they fully investigate the situation Malvolio is just sensation example of this.We are aware that Malvolio did treat others in a derogatory manner, Go hang yourselves all You are idle, shallow things I am not of your element, Malvolio, Act 3 snapshot 4. He never actually incapacitated anyone he never broke the law or strayed from his duties. He was simply just a spiteful individual and did not deserve to be imprisoned in a cage for however many hours of his life. I feel that this was an extreme measure and in the end, it may have inflicted to a greater extent anger and discourtesy towards Sir Andrew, Sir Toby and Maria, reversing the entire effect their plan was intend to make.When the truth was eventually exposed, and Malvolio freed after facing an invalid punishment, he was understandably furious, proclaiming, Ill be revenged on the whole pack of you Malvolio, Act 5 Scene 1. Perhaps this was a harsh act of karma, all we know i s that Olivia was quick to accuse him without further evidence, proving that for once and for all that humanity is unjust. Twelfth Night is a romantic comedy, and romantic love is the plays main focus. Despite the fact that the play offers a happy ending, in which the various lovers find one another and are married, Shakespeare shows that love can cause pain.Many of the characters seem to view love as a kind of curse, a feeling that attacks its victims suddenly and disruptively. variant characters claim to suffer painfully from being in love. At one point, Orsino describes love miserably as an appetite that he wants to satisfy and cannot, Act 1 Scene 1 at another point, he calls his desires fell and cruel hounds, Act 1 Scene 1. Olivia more bluntly describes love as a plague from which she suffers terribly, Act 1 Scene 5. These metaphors contain an element of violence, further painting the love-struck as victims of some random force in the universe.Even the less melodramatic Viola sighs unhappily that My state is desperate for my masters love, Act 2 Scene 2. This desperation has the potential to result in violence, as in Act 5 scene 1, when Orsino threatens to kill Cesario because he thinks that Cesario has abandoned him to become Olivias lover. Love is also exclusionary some people achieve romantic happiness, time others do not. At the end of the play, as the happy lovers celebrate, Malvolio is prevented from having the objects of his desire.Malvolio, who has pursued Olivia, must eventually face the realization that he is a fool, socially undeserving of his solemn mistress. Love, therefore, cannot overcome all obstacles, and those whose desires go unfulfilled remain no less in love but feel the sting of its absence even more severely. Sometimes in life, we can make up for our crimes, merely by doing respectable deeds instead. This is what Shakespeare demonstrates for us through the character of Antonio. We become conscious that Antonios past is shadowed wi th unlawful activity when he voices to Sebastian of many his enemies in Orsinos court, Act 2 Scene 3.Nevertheless, he still follows Sebastian, showing courageousness and loyalty. He then defends Viola (Dressed as Cesario but identical to Sebastian) from Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, bringing himself to the attention of the officers, who recognise him from his shady past and drag him away. Yet it is when Orsino sees him and Viola takes Antonios side, reimbursing the favour he did for her, that Orsino concludes that Antonio is free to go, insisting that he is a, Notable pirate and wonders how he, Hast made thine enemies? Act 5 Scene 1. So he is pardoned of all of his corrupt deeds, purely because he was kind and displayed courage and determination. As a result, it is quite clear that no one in Twelfth Night actually gets what he or she deserves. Shakespeares plays are just as unjust as the world itself, perhaps this is why we love to read and watch his works, we can relate to them. Twelf th Night has helped to show me just how one-sided life can be, but also that that unfairness can also work in my favour.

Lululemon’s Marketing Mix – Product

Lululemon offers a comprehensive line of writ of execution app arel and accessories for women, men and female youth. Their apparel assortment includes items such as fitness pants, in briefs, tops and jackets that are designed for healthy lifestyle activities such as yoga, running and general fitness. Although Lululemon benefits from the growing number of people that participate in yoga, they believe the percentage of their products exchange for other activities will continue to affix as they broaden their product range to address other activities.Lululemons fitness related accessories include an adjust of items such as bags, socks, underwear, yoga mats, instructional DVDs, and water bottles. They believe the authenticity of their products is driven by a number of factors. These factors include their athlete-inspired design process, their use of adept materials, their sophisticated manufacturing methods and their innovative product features. Lululemons acrobatic apparel is desig ned and manufactured using cutting-edge stuffs designed to deliver maximum function and athletic fit. They collaborate with leading fabric suppliers to develop advanced fabrics that they sell under their trademarks.Luluemons in-house design team works closely with their suppliers to formulate fabrics that meet their performance and functional specifications such as stretch ability, capability to wick moisture, color fastness and durability, among others. Advanced fabrics that they currently incorporate in their products include Luon is included in more than half of the products, wicks away moisture, moves with the body, and is designed to eliminate irritation. Luxtreme their inherently wicking fabric is used in their running lines and is silky and lightweight Silverscent incorporates silver directly into the fabric to reduce odors as a result of the antibacterial properties of the silver in the fabric.Lululemons products are constructed with advance sewing techniques, such as fl at seaming, that increase comfort and functionality by reducing skin irritation and strengthening important seams. Their apparel products include innovative features to promote convenience, such as pockets designed to let credit cards, keys, digital audio players, clips for heart monitors, and elastic bands attached to the zippers.Packaging and LabelingLululemon Athletica distributes reus adequate shopping bags to their customers as one of their green initiatives in reducing waste. The reusable shopping bag features their company name and logo on one side and on the other side features their manifesto. Their manifesto has inspirational messages that play a vital role in Lululemons culture which employees and customers a desire inspire to. Some of their messages include Life is full of setbacks. Success is determined by how you overcompensate setbacks, Do one thing a day that scares you and The conscious brain can only hold one thought at a time. involve a positive thought.Brand Name and ImageLululemon Athletica became famous for its yoga wear. The founder Chip Wilson, took his first yoga class and found the results exhilarating. However, he didnt care the cotton clothing that was being used for sweaty, stretchy power yoga. His passion laid in technical athletic fabrics, and created an underground yoga clothing movement and cherished to sell his products. How do you know what good yoga wear is when it doesnt exist yet? Lululemon would talk and let yoga instructors try their products and give back feedback. They design and echo with the end user.The reason behind why their brand became so popular was by talking and listening to their customers. Customers can give their feedback through and through Lululemons website, through the store, and on their Facebook Fan Page. Lululemon Athletica spends almost nothing on advertising except the occasional print ads in yoga and running magazines.Also, they do not endorse celebrities with funds to wear their merchand ise to help them profit. Instead, they deliver Ambassadors and Elite Ambassadors. Ambassadors are individuals in store communities (fitness instructors) who embody the Lululemon lifestyle and live their culture. These ambassadors are devoted $1000 of free apparel in takings for modeling it to their clients. Elite Ambassadors are their international athletes of an elite level (Olympians) that choose to train and/or compete in their product. They are not paid to wear their clothing but are part of the Lululemon family and they support the athletes with product, yoga classes and training accommodation.Warranty and ServiceLululemon does not have warranties for their products. They advise all customers how to wash and take care of their products so that they last long and which should refrain them from trying to return any damage product. Lululemon stands behind their return policy of 14 days.Lululemon sales associates are called Educators, they are trained intensively on product kno wledge and are to pass the knowledge of product features, benefits, drill and care to all customers looking to buy Lululemon product.Strengths and WeaknessStrengthsLululemon Athletica has many strengths with their product. They provide many features and benefits on their products which entices the customers to purchase. Their packaging is environmentally friendly so customers are able to reuse the shopping bag. They do not spend millions of dollars in advertising due to their ambassador program.WeaknessesWarranty of their product is a major weakness for them. many customers have complained and sent messages to the Complaints Board of Canada and United States regarding their horrible return/exchange policy on products that become damaged after one wash or one wear.Future RecommendationsLululemon Athleticas features and benefits, packaging and labeling, and brand name and image should be maintained. Lululemon is always striving to bring out the best products that have the best featu res and benefits to their customers because they listen to what their customers want. They continue to give reusable shopping bags to customers as they are an environmentally friendly company.A recommendation that should be developed for the upcoming class is on their product warranty. They should want to make their customers happy if they are unhappy with their purchase. If something was recently purchased and worn and washed within a month of purchasing and looks like it has been worn out, they should offer an exchange and look for the problem as to why the product turned out poorly in such a short time. Customers become turned off and bad mouth companies who do not stand behind their product.

Breaking DES (Data Encryption Systems)

Data Encryption tired ( stilbestrol) is an algorithmic rule for decrypting and encrypting unstipulated in manikination in the United States administration standard. stilbestrol is derived from IBMs Lucifer commandment and is depicted by the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 46, with its current modification being FIDS 46-3 (Conrad, 2007). stilbesterol is a mass mark that takes a plain school text sequence as a describe in and generates a grave transcript formulate of the same measurement lengthwise.The mass of the diethylstilbesterol pack is 64 bits which is also the same for the infix dimension even though the 8 bits of the key ar for the recognition of faults make the efficient diethylstilboestrol in frame up amount 56 bits. Because of the progressions in the authority of dispensation in workstations on that point be weaknesses in the 56-bit key extent presently (Conrad, 2007). In the comp any of proper ironware, there is a best chance assault on meth odical efforts to ein truth last(predicate) the 72 quadrillion hence, there is a calamity of dissimilar inputs. in advance(p) Encryption Standard (AES) true into an innovative FIPS-standard encryption average in 2001, 26th November to replace stilbestrol. Statistics Encryption Algorithm explains the definite algorithm as contested to the average. In such circumstances, TDEA is a short form for Triple stilbesterol. At the same time, there is a description of Triple Data Encryption Algorithm Modes of Operation ANSI X9. 52-1998 (Clayton & Bond, 2002). History of stilboestrol DES was pro be in 1975 and approved in 1977 as a federal information processing standard. It was criticized by the people who felt that its 56 key lengths to be insecure.In spite of this, DES re master(prenominal)ed a strong encryption algorithm until mid 1990. In the year 1998 summer, the insecurity of DES was demonstrated when a $ 250,000 computing device which was built by the electronic frontier foundati on decrypted a DES-encoded message in 56 hours. This was improved in the 1999 to 2002 hours finished a combination of 100,000 ne devilrked personalised computers and the EFF machine. DES remains a de facto standard unless a substitute is found (Landau, 2000, p. 341). A certified DES is obtained from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).This Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) works in three key lengths 128, 192, and 256 bits. The publication of DES indicated a new era in cryptography. The development in the confederation of public cryptographers was enhanced by having an algorithm availability of study that the national security agent certified to be secure (Landau, 2000, p. 341). The (DES) Data Encryption Standard A system that encrypts quickly but is essenti whollyy what is impossible to break is all what cryptographers have always wanted. Public key systems have captured the imagination of mathematicians because of their doctrine on elementary number theor y.Public key algorithms are employ for establishing a key because they are too slow to be used for most information transmissions. Private key system does the encryption because they are typically faster than public key ones (Landau, 2000, p. 341). The info Encryption Standard (DES) workhorse uses private key algorithm besides relying on cryptographic determination principles that predate public key. The RC4 in web browsers and the relatively insecure cable TV signal encryption are an exception to DES. DES is the most widely used public cryptosystem in the world. It is the cryptographic algorithm which is used by banks for electronic funds transfer.It is also used for the protection of civilian satellite talks. Still, a variant of DES is used for UNIX password protection. There are three operation of the DES which involves XOR, substitution and permutation. The DES is an interrelated plosive consonant encipher and a cryptosystem on a block of symbols that sequentially repeats an internal function which is called a round. It encrypts info by the use of a primitive that operates on a block of symptoms of moderate size. Self invert ability is also essential to enable one of the objects to encrypt and decrypt. When encrypting ordinary text, DES begins by grouping the text into 64 bit block.A number of operations are performed by the DES on each block (Landau, 2000, p. 343). The transformation of how the block is to be carried out is determined by a wholeness key of 56 bits. DES iterates sixteen identical rounds of mixing each round of DES uses a 48-bit sub key. The DES begins with an initial permutation P and ends with its inverse. The permutations are of minor cryptographic implications but forms part of the official algorithm. The woof of sub keys starts by splitting the 56-bit key into two 28-bit halves and rotating each half one or two bits either one bit in rounds 1, 2, 9, and 16 or two bits otherwise.The two halves are put back together and past 48 exceptional bits are chosen and put in order (Landau, 2000, p. 343). Attacks of DES The selection of DES was followed by protests in which quality some of the researchers appeared to object to the algorithm small key space. Investors in the key public cryptography claimed that a DES encoded message could be broken in about a day by a $ 20 million machine made up of a million specially designed VLSI capable of searching one key per microsecond while working in parallel.The use of a meet in the set eruption to break a four round version of DES did not extend past seven rounds (Landau, 2000, p. 345). This is evidence that, for all these attacks none of them posed a serious threat to the DES. Other attacks on the DES were performed to poke harder to the innards of DES. This brought anomalies which led to the first attacks that were seen to be more theoretically better than staring(a) search. The attacks were against the block structure system and the need of all block-structured cryptosystems needed to be designed to be secure against differential and linear steganography.There is a strong attack to DES which is differential cryptanalysis. This is apparently known to the algorithms designers. In order to design a secure cryptosystems, there is a need for a mixture of closely known principles, some theorems and the presence of some magic. Attacks on a cryptosystem fall into two categories which are passive attacks and active attacks. The passive attacks are the ones which adversely monitors the communication channel. They are usually easier to mount although they yield less. The active attacks have the opposition transmitting messages to obtain information (Landau, 2000, p.342). The aim of the attackers is to determine the plaintext from the cipher text which they capture. A more successful attack will determine the key and thus compromise a whole set of messages. By designing their algorithms, cryptographers help to resist attacks such as cipher text w holly attack whose adversary has access to the encrypted communications. The known plain text attack which has its adversary has some plain text and its corresponding cipher text. The third attack which can be avoided is the chosen text attack and its adversary chooses the plain text for encryption or decryption.The plain text chosen by the adversary depends on the cipher text received from the previous requests (Landau, 2000, p. 342). Observations about DES The simmpleness found in the DES amounts to some fully desirable properties. To start with it is the complementation. To illustrate, abide X to denote the bitwise complement of X. If C is the DES encryption of the plaintext P with key K, then P is the DES encryption of P with key K. In some cases the complementation can simplify DES cryptanalysis by basically cutting the investigating space in half.These properties do not cause serious weakness in the algorithm. The set generated by the DES permutations do not form a group. Th e group may have at least 102499 elements. There is strength in the DES when it lacks a group structure. It appears to be double encryption where this is twice by two different keys, EK2 (EK1 (P) and is not stronger than single encryption. The reason is that when meeting in the middle attacks for a given plaintext cipher text pair, an adversary will compute all 256 possible enciphering of the plaintext i. e.EKi (P), and indexes the same. The adversary will then compute all possible deciphering of the cipher text (Landau, 2000, p. 345). Models of DES There are four forms of DES, which are accepted by FIPS 81. They include (ECB) Electronic Codebook form, code mass sequence form (CFB), productivity reaction form (OFB) and system response (CFB). The forms are used to with both DES and Triple DES. Within each form, there are main dissimilarities which are based on the fault proliferation and obstruct vs. tributary codes (Conrad, 2007). Electronic Codebook (ECB) ModeIn this form of encryp tion, there is soereign encryption into respective blocks of codes text. It is done by means of Feistel code which generates 16 sub-inputs derived from the cruciform input and also encrypts the plaintext using 16 surroundings of conversion. Similarly, the development is used in the conversion of code text reverse into simple text with the divergence that, 16 sub inputs are contributed in overturn arrangement. The result of repeated blocks of identical plaintext is the repeated blocks of cipher text which is capable of assisting in the vault investigation of the code wording.In vermiform process 1 there is an illustration of the result (Conrad, 2007). The first picture of SANS symbol is the bitmap layout. The second picture is the encrypted logo of SANS bitmap via DES ECB form. The visibility of the model is due to the recurring of masses of the simple wording pixels in the bitmap which are encrypted into masses which are repeated and are of particular code pixels. In this form, f aults do not proliferate due to the autonomous encryption of each obstruct. Cipher Block Chaining ( blood profile) ModeThe CBC form is an obstruct code which XORs either original obstruct of simple wording with the previous block of code wording. This indicates that repeated obstructs of simple wording do not give prink to repeated obstructs of code wording. CBC uses a vector of low-level formatting which is an arbitrary original obstructs used to make sure that two simple wordings result in different code wordings. In figure 2 of the Appendix there is a clear illustration of the same SANS symbol bitmap data, encrypted with DES CBC form. There is no visibility of any prototype which is true for all DES forms apart from ECB.Therefore, in this mode, there is proliferation of faults as each prior paces encrypted output is XORed with the original obstructing of simple wording (Conrad, 2007). Cipher Feedback (CFB) Mode The Cipher Feedback Mode is a tributary code that encrypts simple wording by breaking into X (1-64) bits. This permits encryption of the level of byte or bits. This mode uses an arbitrary vector of initialization. The preceding elements of code wording are XORed with consequent components of code wording. Therefore, in this mode of CBC there is proliferation of faults (Conrad, 2007).Output Feedback (OFB) Mode Similar to CFB form, the productivity reaction form makes use of the vector of random initialization and also encrypts simple wording by shattering downward into a tributary by encrypting components of X (1-64) bits of simple wording. This form fluctuates from CFB form by generating a simulated-arbitrary tributary of productivity which is XORed with the plaintext during every step. Therefore, the productivity is fed back to the simple wording and because the output is XORed to the simple wording, faults there is no proliferation of mistakes (Conrad, 2007).Counter (CTR) Mode The oppose form is a tributary code similar to OFB form. The main di sparity is the accumulation of contradict obstructs. The commencement ceremony can be supplementary to an arbitrary importance that is used only once and then increased for each component of simple wording that is encrypted. The initial counter obstructs acts as a vector of initialization. Therefore, in each surrounding there is XORing of the offset obstructs with simple wording. Accumulation of offset obstructs permits disintegration of encryption into equivalent phases, improving presentation on a suitable ironware.There is no proliferation of mistakes (Clayton & Bond, 2002). (Table 1 in the Appendix summarizes the Data Encryption Standard). Triple DES (T DES) In anticipation of 2030, TDES can be used as FIPS encryption algorithm which is permitted in order to allow conversion to AES. There are three surroundings of DES which are used by TDES which have an input extent of 168 bits (56 * 3). There is a possibility of reduced impressive key length of TDES to roughly 12 bits thoug h beast might assaults against TDES re not realistic at present (Conrad, 2007).Architecture for secret writing All modern day practical ciphers both symmetrical and asymmetrical make use of security apparatus depending on their key length. In so doing, they provide a margin of security to cover from computational attacks with present computers. Depending on the level of security which is chosen for any software application, many ciphers are prone to attacks which unique machines having for instance a cost-performance ratio (Guneysu, 2006).Reconfigurable computing has been recognized as way of reducing costs while also acting as an alternative to a variety of applications which need the military group of a custom hardware and the flexibility of software based design such as the case of rapid prototyping (Diffie & Hellman, 1977, pp. 74-84). What this means is that cryptanalysis of todays cryptographic algorithms need a lot of computation efforts. Such applications map by nature to h ardware based design, which expect repetitive mapping of the main block, and is easy to extend by putting in place additional chips as is needed.However, it should be famed that the mere presence of resources for computation is not the main problem. The main problem is availability of affordable massive computational resources. The non-recurring engineering costs have enabled hardware meant for special purpose cryptanalysis in virtually all practicable situations unreachable. This has been unreachable to either commercial or research institutions, which has only been taken by government agencies as feasible (Diffie & Hellman, 1977, pp. 74-84).The other alternative to distributed computing with loosely coupled processors finds its base on the idle circles of the large number of computers connected through the internet. This method has considerably been successful for some applications. However, the verified detection of extraterrestrial life is considerably still a problem more so for unviable problems with power of computing in a particular organization (Guneysu, 2006). In cryptanalysis some algorithms are very suitable for special-purpose hardware.One main example for this is the search for the data encryption standard (DES) (FIPS, 1977). What this means is that a brute- suck attack is more than twice the magnitude faster when put in place on FPGAs as opposed to in software on computers meant for general purposes at relatively the same costs (FIPS, 1977). That notwithstanding, for many crypto algorithms the advantages due to cost-performance of hardware meant for special purposes over those meant for ordinary purposes is not really as dramatic as is usually the case of DES, more so for public-key algorithms (Guneysu, 2006).Arising from the advent of low-cost FPGA families with much logic approaches recently, written report programmable gate arrays offer a very interesting way for the thorough computational effort which cryptanalysis needs (Lesnsta & Verhe ul, 2001, pp. 255-293). Many algorithms dealing with the most classical problems in cryptanalysis is capable of being put in place on FPGAs. Code breaking though, requires more additional efforts as opposed to retributory programming a single FPGA with a certain algorithm (Electronic Frontier Foundation, 1998).Owing to the enormous perspectives of cryptanalysis problems, many more resources as opposed to FPGA are needed. This implies that the main need is massively powerful parallel machinery worthy to the requirements of targeted algorithms. Many problems are capable of being put in parallel and are perfectly suited for an computer architecture distributed. Conventional parallel architectures for computing can theoretically be used for applications of cryptanalysis (Guneysu, 2006). An optical Architecture to Break Ciphers The targeted DES brute force attack has several characteristics.To begin with, expensive computational operations which are put in parallel. Next, there is no need of communication between single parallel instances. The next characteristic is the fact that the general expense for communication is not high owing to the fact that the stage of computation strongly outweighs the data input and output stages. According to Blaze et al, (1996), communication is almost entirely used for results reporting as well as initialization. A central wangle instance with regards to communication is capable of being accomplished by a conventional low cost personal computer, connected s affect by an interface.This would imply that there is no need for a high-speed communication interface. The fourth characteristic is the fact that a DES brute-force attack and its following implementation require little memory. The final consequence of the above is the fact that the available memory on present day low cost FPGAs is sufficient (Guneysu, 2006). What this implies is that by making use of low-cost FPGAs, it is possible to develop a cost effective dynamic archite cture which is capable of being reprogrammed which would be able to accommodate all the targeted architectures (Blaze et al, 1996).Realization of COPACOBANA Drawing back, the Cost-Optimized Parallel Code Breaker (COPACOBANA) meeting the needs available comprise of several independent-low prized FPGAs, connected to a hosting PC by way of a standard interface such as a USB. Moreover, such a standard interface permits to extend a host-PC with more than one device of COPACOBANA. The initialization of FPGAs, the control as well as the process of results accumulation is carried out by the host. Critical computations are carried out by the FPGAs, which meet the actual cryptanalytical architecture (Schleiffer, 2006).Developing a system of the above speculations with FPGA boards which are commercially available is certainly possible but at a cost. Therefore it is important to put into considerations the design and layout among others in coming up with the above kind of system (Schleiffer, 20 06). This would therefore mean that our cost-performance design meant for cost optimization is only capable of being achieved if all functionalities are restricted to those required for code breaking. Arty the same time, many designs choices should be based on components and interfaces which are readily available (Guneysu, 2006).Conclusion In conclusion, cryptanalysis of symmetric and asymmetric ciphers is extremely demanding in terms of computations. It would be fair to hold the belief that breaking codes with conventional PCs as well as super-computers is very much costly. Bit-sizes of keys should be chosen in a way that traditional methods of code breaking do not succeed (Rouvroy et al 2003, pp. 181-193). This would mean that the only way to go through ciphers is to develop special-purpose hardware purposely meant for suitable algorithms.In the final analysis, traditional parallel architecture in the end equally appears to be too complicated and therefore not cost saving in findi ng solutions to cryptanalytical problems. As earlier observed, many of these problems can easily be put in parallel implying that the algorithms which correspond to them are equally capable of being parameterized to lower communication costs (Guneysu, 2006). A hardware architecture which is cost effective (COPACOBANA) is the end product of the algorithmic requirements of the intended problems of cryptanalysis.This work represents not only the design but also the first prototype of an effective design which meets the demands of the request. In the final analysis, COPACOBANA would be able to accommodate as many as 120 FPGAs which are less costly. At the same time, it is possible to break data encryption standard (DES) within a period of nine days. This would require a hardware design comprising of reprogrammable logic which could be adopted to accommodate any task, even those not necessarily in line with code breaking (Rouvroy et al 2003, pp. 181-193). References Blaze, M.. , Diffie, W. , Rivest, R. L., Scheiner, B. , Shimomura, E. , and Weiner, M (1996). Minimal Key Lengths for Symmetry Ciphers to Provide Adequate commercialised Security. Ad Hoc Group of Cryptographers and Computer Scientists. Retrieved from December, 13, 2008 from http//www. counterpane. com/keylength. html. Clayton, R. and Bond, M. (2002). Experience Using a Low-Cost FPGA Design to Crack DES Keys. In B. S. Kaliski, C. K. Koc Cetin, and C. Paar, editors, Cryptographic Hardware and Embedded Systems CHES 2002, fourth International Workshop, Redwood Shores, CA, USA,volume 2523 of series, pages 579 592. Springer-Verlag. Conrad, E. (2007).Data Encryption Standard, The SANS Institute Diffie, W & Hellman, M. E. (1977). Exhaustive cryptanalysis of the NBS Data Encryption Standard. Computer, 10(6) 74-84 Electronic Frontier Foundation. (1998). Cracking DES Secrets of Encryption Research, water tap Poolitics & Chip Design. OReilly & Associates Inc. Federal Information Processing Standard. (1977). Dat a Encryption Standard, U. S Department of Commerce. Guneysu, T. E. (2006). Efficient Hardware Architecture for Solving the Discrete logarithm Problem on Elliptic Curves. AAmasters thesis, Horst Gortz Institute, Ruhr University of Bochum. Landau, S.(2000). Standing the Test of Time The Data Encryption Standard vol. 47, 3, pp. 341-349. Lenstra, A and Verheul, E. (2001). Selecting Cryptographic Key Sizes. Journal of Cryptology, 14(4)255293. Rouvroy, G. , Standaert, F. X. , Quisquater, J. , and Legat, D. (2003). Design Strategies and circumscribed Descriptions to Optimize Cipher FPGA Implementations Fast and Compact Results for DES and Triple-DES. In Field-Programmable Logic and Applications- FPL, pp. 181-193 Schleiffer, C. (2006). Design of Host Interface for COPACOBANA. Technical report, Studienarbeit, Host Gortz Institute, Ruhr University Bochum

Mystery Man of Stonehenge

Archeologists were finishing excavating in Amesbury (planned development of housing) in spring, 2002. It is necessary to film that Amesbury is situated in the southwest of England. During excavation the small Ro part cemetery was uncovered by archeologists and thus that finding was considered fairly common. Nevertheless, two skeletons were discovered and unrivalled of them was important as it was interred in grave made up of timber.The position of a mystery skeleton was rather common for burials in tan Age skeletons legs were in a fetal position. Furthermore, skeleton had a hole in a jawbone proving that he had an abscess. The mystery macrocosm also sustained an injury as he had heavy limp as well as bone infection. That mystery skeleton was Amesbury Archer. Mystery soldiery appeared to be a wealthy dweller of modify region in Central Europe having analogy to forefront. (Stone 2005)Firstly, it is necessary to claim that a mystery man was rather wealthy bowman. According to a rcheologists he was between 35-45 years old and was buried with a black stone wrist guard on his gird of the kind apply to protect archers from the snap of a bowstring. (Stone 2005) Sixteen bouldery arrowheads were scattered across his body and it was assumed that mystery man had certain relation to Stonehenge. The evidence was that massive stone monument was near the burial place.Furthermore, it was apparent that archer was wealthy, because the grave was filled with wrist guards, arrowheads, copper knives, a cache of flint tools as well as metalworking tools. Additionally the grave was arranged with stone shaped like a sofa serving as an anvil. The beside evidence of wealth was a pair of gold ornaments, clay pot. Indeed the archer died rich.(Rubinstein 2005)Secondly, archer was born in a cool region in Central Europe. This fact was revealed due to archers mouth. Archeologists stated that tooth enamel of a person was the best way to point out his place of birth. Tooth enamel con sists of oxygen, calcium and phosphoric and other elements. Actually the composition of the oxygen molecules in apatite depends on the water a person drank as a child, and that, in turn, can reveal a great deal about where he grew upfrom the temperature of rain or snow to the distance from a coast and the areas altitude. (Stone 2005)The fundamental law of the oxygen found in archers teeth was scanned and thus it was determined by geoscientist Chenery (British Geological Survey) that archer was born in a cool region in Central Europe. Possibly, the archer encountered a rural setting of round timber houses with conical thatched roofs. (Stone 2005)Thirdly it was stated that the archer had certain dealings to trade and metalworking. In those times metalworking was the most important skill. And in about 2300 B.C metal implements completely replaced stone weapons and tools which defined the era of Stone Age.The bronzy Age started in the southwest of Europe in about the 4th century B.C. as it was mentioned the grave was filled with different copper knives being used as a weapon and for eating. Cushion stone proved that archer knew how to use and why to use metal instruments. There were some suggestions that the archer belonged to the vanguard of the flashy trade producing metal items used in different shows. (Rubinstein 2005)According to archeologists the metal tool found had to be buried only with his owner. Therefore archer was skillful to move from one community to another having his knowledge in his head. It is possible to suggest that he had unique and exceptional skill for those times, because archer was analogous to magician. It was revealed that the reach of the archer completely coincided with the arrival of the metal implements to the British Isles. Thus the archer is likely to be a pioneer in the new dye Age.In conclusion it is necessary to outline that the mystery men was considered to be the archer who lived in the Central Europe and was busy with producing metal tools and instruments for shows. Furthermore, the time of his arrival was the beginning of the Bronze Age. (Archaeologists Figure out Mystery 2005)ReferencesArchaeologists Figure out Mystery of Stonehenge Bluestones. (2005, June 24). Western Mail, 16.Stone, Richard. (2005, August). The Mystery Man of Stonehenge. Retrieved October, 26, 2006, from http//www.kidscastle.si.edu/issues/2005/august/stonehenge.htmRubinstein, William. (2005, November). Mystery Identities. History Today, 55, 11, 28-34.

HRM for a new Hotel

The Headrow Hotel is a much-loved local landmark in Leeds city substance and was foremost opened in 1904 by the York family, with its location being ideal for the local business community and booming nightlife. The directors grant recently decided to train major changes to the hotel by advancing it from a 3 to a 4-star status over the next twelve months. This specific objective eitherow for involve a more professional approach to the hotels operations with drastic alterations being made to the current old- fashioned standards of service through the addition of a Human imaging Manager.By employing this particular member of supply they hope to first identify, hence address the hotels present human imaging issues as well as the concerns they whitethorn lawsuit upon progression of the hotel and to produce appropriate recommendation st enjoingies in order to resolve the hotels HR issues. This will be carried discover through the adaptation of relevant theory, principles and p ractices that will be presented in a report format to the hotels board of directors. 1. 1 Context The hospitality industry is certainly a profitable place, especially for businesses that catch the golden rule of the customer is always right.However, with customer service being such a signifi apprizet part of the customers experience when staying in some(prenominal) modern-day hotel, there is always a possibility that the service is not fully satisfactory. Hotel clients have the potential to complain about almost whateverthing in basis of the service they receive such as the size of the toilet seat or the smell of the dining atomic number 18a. This can have massive impact on the hotels reputation if the customer then decides to create bad word-of-mouth advertising to their friends and family.Good reputation is paramount for hotels that want to increase their market-base and ain more regular stayers, which can prove difficult if staff do not contribute to helping the customers overall experience. Therefore keeping a good image is imperative for any hospitality company with friendliness, good service, efficiency, organization and professionalism being the key to success in this industry. Competitors can also play a huge part in determining how well its rivals do. Hotels that are specifically placed in a city centre can face a great deal of competition.Not entirely mustiness they compete with their rivals on price, but also on customer experience and satisfaction. This involves hotels ensuring that they have the correct facilities as well as the right employee parcelling roles in order for them to maximise profit. A st rangegical and coherent approach to the human resource issues should be integrated into the corporate strategy of the business as in this case successful people management is essential tor the business is to survive in an industry where statt unquestionably the most valuable resource. 2. Current Problems shortly the Headrow Hotel has nu merous problems in terms of its internal environment. First and foremost, its reputation has slowly deteriorated over recent ears, primarily due to its decline in standards of service. Secondly, the working conditions for staff have been generally regarded as poor, with low wages and unsociable working-hours also contributing to the hotels existing rate of 30% of staff receiving the minimum wage. This, among many opposite reasons, such as customer complaints and suspected thefts, has certainly had an effect on the hotels staff turnover, which was 56% in 2011. some other major concern for the hotel is its lack of cookery and emergence opportunities for existing employees, which has also had a negative effect on the hotels dismissal rate. estimates take place per annum, although they are not linked specifically to a incorporate performance pay scheme unless your role is of a supervisor or above instead performance bonuses are decided separately by the York family, who have prev iously postponementd all staffing issues.All these problems must be addressed whilst keeping the interests of the corporate strategy at the forefront of the hotels ambitions. 2. 1 Future Problems In addition to all the complications that the hotel faces, there are several new potential problems that can arise upon upgrading the hotel to a 4-star status. With the added extras of a health spa and swimming pool comes the requirement for increase custody and skill sets in order to deal with all the new refurbishment adjustments.New staff must be employed and trained by the hotel to handle the redecoration and refurbishment that is to take place, and the increased skills that will be mandatory for staff who are operating in precise areas i. e. specialised training for spa staff. Another possible problem is the customer complaints that the hotel could receive. With most of their complaints being related to staff it is central for the Headrow Hotel to ensure they attract, train and retai n their staff decorously so that everyone is squelched with their role, and even have someone who they can report their own individual workplace issues to.Failure to attract the right staff who are devoted to their Job could issuing in a further decline in the hotels reputation, hence it is crucial that the Headrow Hotel adopts the appropriate policies that match the services need from new employees. 3. 0 HR plan When producing a HR plan it is vital that the integration of the design matches the corporate strategy of the business and that the objectives are in correlation to the ime scales specified. In this case, qualitative modes should be applied.With the selection of specific employees in roles that match their specific skillset e. g. a qualified beauty therapist operating in the health spa department and a lifeguard operating in the swimming pool department. However employees, if not already qualified or new to technology advances, could take time to procure their optimum output, resulting in a slower work-rate which could harm the hotels overall output. It would therefore be advisable for the hotel to expand its manpower by hiring employees that already possess the skills needed to perform in their Job.In order to do this, the hotel must first address the issue of honorarium pay by increasing the hourly rates to that of a more acceptable standard i. e. E6. 08/hour (El above the NMW for 21+) which would also help to attract more experienced staff. This relates to Frederick Taylors 1 7) theory ot money as the main motivator tor employees. Next, hours in which employees operate under should be made more flexible subject to the roles they undertake with employees working on night shifts receiving a fraction of increased salary.Staff turnover is critical for any hotel, especially that of a 4-star restige, which is why the focus should be on providing an exceptional service for guests which can scarcely(prenominal) be accomplished by giving employees a decent wage, as well motivation and inspiration helping to ensure that future shortages in the workforce are avoided and that the business ability to progress is not obstructed. 4. 0 upgradement Selection Recruitment is all activities directed towards locating potential employees and attracting applications from suitable candidates. (Foot and Hook, 2005 p. 63) Based on this, the Headrow Hotel must abide by the proper procedures when choosing and hiring staff. At the moment the hotels reputation is declining, primarily due to the service provided by staff. Not to mention, customer complaints, suspected thefts, absences and punctuality problems are all leading to a high level of dismissal. This indicates that the hotel is employing unfitting staff. To prevent this, the Headrow Hotel must review its application policy thoroughly by first altering how it employs new staff.Below is a diagram showing the recruitment outgrowth that should be undertaken by management at the hotel The first step involves recognising the availability of the vacancy. The split second step ntails discussing the Job opening with higher management. Thirdly, there should be an analysis which sees the purpose and tasks of the Job in question. Fourthly, a Job description should be carried out by management discussing the aims, results and responsibilities expected from the position.Next, a person specification, which includes conferring what experience and skills are compulsory for this particular role. Lastly, attracting the suitable candidates for the vacancy through an application form and then selecting which candidate will suit the role best by collecting, assessing and comparing the Job applicants. If this systematic step process is followed accurately then the hotel will undeniably help to reduce its high dismissal rate, whilst increasing customer service. 5. Learning Development Human resource development comprises activities that help to expand the human swell through the in tegration of training and individual development which overall increases the organizations effectiveness. There have been various issues in relation to learning and development at the Headrow Hotel. unitary major concern is the fact that there is minimal opportunity for training and development at the hotel, which eans that staff leave to attend roles at competitors hotels where there are more personal development prospects.This has had a key influence on staff turnover and can be completely avoided by implementing a childlike training and development scheme, such as one that allows staff who have worked at the hotel for over two years to undergo a training syllabus lets them train to attain a higher, more-qualified position in spite of appearance the organisation increasing general staff stability and performance. Another concern is the low employee commitment and network which has arose due to low Job satistaction.The best way to combat this is through motivation ot employees to be active and enthusiastic about their Job. An alternative method mentioned forward was to increase salary, which has a definite impact on work- performance yet there are other ways to boost motivation. One of which is to train staff in multiple areas, helping them to manage more responsibility and feel like they have a great impact on the company. Another method would be to recognise their work output by supporting and offering them occupational promotions base upon how well they are performing in their current role.By believe at the diagram below you can begin to comprehend the multiple ways in which employers can amplify employee inspiration. Some employees can also press to adapt to new technological factors, such as updated computer software for receptionists. Therefore it is important for Headrow to delegate the roles accordingly and re-train staff that require improved specialiser knowledge. All these factors help to strengthen the labour force within any organisatio n by simply listening to the employees and then responding in such a way that both the workforce and corporate goals are met. . 0 Performance Appraisal A must-have for the Headrow Hotel is a consistent review of the work content, potentiality and mayhap expansion for workers. At this moment in time, there is no structured performance management scheme at the hotel with appraisals only taking place annually towards the end of the financial year. It is also evident that there is no connection between the appraisal performance pay scheme and integration of data tranquil from employee evaluations.This advocates that the management cannot identify any staff training requirements along with any possible career development, therefore preventing the hotel from evolving its workforce. The supreme applicable system to incorporate into the hotel would firstly be to hold employee appraisals more often, preferably every 4 months. This will allow management staff to analyse and evaluate each em ployees involvement within the organisation three times a year and propose any adjustments that can be made.Furthermore, management must implement a management by Objectives scheme which includes setting clear objectives for the employee to reach before the next appraisal, and discussing to what extent the objectives have been achieved. The advantage to this technique is that the employees objectives can be beneficial to the mployers own strategic targets e. g. An employee working in the kitchen making sure that they get to work tlve minutes early each time to ensure the kitchen is clean.Whats more Headrow must include a Performance Review Cycle within their appraisal system This particular system follows a 4-step process. It begins by first setting the objectives for the employee to complete by analysing the employees role. Next, there is a conversation between the employee and interviewer which discusses the results. Afterwards, the interviewer must distinguish the strengths and weaknesses of the mployee and what action plan should be followed to help achieve their targets.Lastly, the interviewer must converse with the employee about any opportunities for additional training and development helping the employee to progress further in their role. By following these methods Headrow will assist in improving their staff and give them a greater sense of accomplishment within the organisation. 7. 0 Reward Management Within any modern-day business it is fundamental that employees receive commendation based on the effort and output they commit. At the moment Headrow Hotel do not display a clear link between the appraisal and performance pay scheme, with no structured performance bonus system built-in.A lack of emphasise and acclaim on an employees performance can have a substantial impact on their interpretation of the hotel and incentive to work hard which has led to staff departing to a competitors hotel that appreciates them more. Possible changes would be to pr ovide employee repays based on their productivity as mentioned earlier, the Management By Objectives would provide a foundation whereby the employer could recognise whether the employee was making valid contributions, and hen reward them with a direct reward, such as a pay bonus.An extra perk would be to input a conventional pay system that sees annual increments in salary by an addition of +EO. 50 to their salary for each year they continue to work at the Headrow hotel. Finally, Headrow could correspondingly apply a Job ranking system which consists of comparing Jobs and producing a hierarchy based on the most and least significant roles helping them to decide what salary matches what Job. All these factors will not only enhance employee satisfaction and motivation, but also help giveHeadrow a competitive edge over their rivals in the heart of Leeds city centre. 8. 0 Discipline and Grievance Procedures Grievances can happen within any organisation and usually occur when there is a problem, concern or criticism from the employee while disciplinary procedures arise when the employee does not abide by the rules set. At present the Headrow Hotel is suffering from severe staff turnover, mainly in the kitchen. This may be due to the current Head Chets authoritarian regime which could be viewed as gross misconduct under the Employment Relations Act 2004.A problem like this should be dealt with immediately as it can affect multiple employees and should be done so by following the process below Headrow management ought to initially resolve the conflict within the kitchen by means of an internal mediator that will attempt to unravel the dispute by communicating to the Chef about his existing strict techniques, and perhaps filling out a written warning. If besides the problem persists, then management should consider the dismissal of the Head Chef and begin to search for a replacement immediately.Terminating employees is a tense area for companies as rules and egula tions must be firmly adhered to, otherwise the employer could face legal action against them. 10. 0 Conclusion Recommendations In conclusion, it is evident that the Headrow Hotel has various human resource issues most of which are contemporary and some which are imminent as the hotel advances in prestige prominence. The greatest concerns and their solutions at the moment remain (Problem Solution Resource issue) Declining reputation Recruit more capable staff Hotel may have to fire any current incapable staff.No structured performance bonus system Implement employee eview and reward system Very time-consuming to carry out various employee reviews. Poor working conditions New income rate and more flexible hours Expensive financially for the hotel. Appraisal not linking with performance pay scheme Implement performance review cycle, adjusting accordingly Will be a time-demanding process for management. High turnover rate Motivate employees through new reward management proc esses Expensive financially for the hotel.Little training or development offered Implement new employee training and development broadcast Could prove time-consuming to train and develop all mployees. Probable forthcoming problems as the hotel is upgraded to a 4-star status include (Problem Solution Resource issue) Shortage of workforce hire additional staff following new recruitment process Expensive financially for the hotel. Skill shortages Delegate roles accordingly and ensure medical specialist staff are properly trained Time-consuming for management staff.Customer complaints Ensure correct employees are hired following new recruitment process Time-consuming and may be hard to find the right person for the right position. Job dissatisfaction lack of commitment Use new learning and evelopment programmes to motivate workers and have specialist staff they can talk to Some employees may not agree with new procedures. Failure to attract talent Combine new recruitment process with new salary changes and development programme Competitors may still offer better working conditions.As you can see, it is apparent that the solutions do have their potential resource issues nonetheless the hotel must afford to take these risks when advancing to a higher reputational status and in order to receive a higher return rate in the future. As with any business, people are at the core of the organisation, therefore it is undamental that the precise procedures are followed by the Headrow Hotel board of directors to ensure that not only their employees are content, but ultimately their customers.http//www.blurtit.com/https//www.bezern.com/read.php?id=191373https//bb.imperial.ac.uk/https//wpengine.com/support/html-post-processing/http// www. kiwipumps. com/human-resource-development. htmlhttps//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/FileFrederick_Winslow_Taylor_crop.jpghttps//learn.lcb.ac.uk/

Zara Case Study

Despite the current profoundise statistical distribution model running(a) well and at below capacity, continuous rapid expansion outside of Spain for Inedited brands (exhibit 8) would meet problems of declamatoryr amalgamation of dispersed interlock pictures, rater demand and customization for Ezra spreeings from consumers. This would further bring the effects of discomposes of scale increased transportation costs, top heavy Organization, authorityly exceeding working capacity, increased risk if central distribution centre fails.No order food market position Saras expansion betterment find led them to be positioned differently in each geographical market disrespect targeting the same consumer segment, Ezra soon example company- piazzaed knowledge to determine price and positioning strategies for different geographical segments. This has grammatical cased inconsistent consumer perception of their brand e. . Americas and Spain. Being in a globalizes marketplace, this poses a problem to the global perception and position of the Ezra brand. belligerent Environment -? Ezra is competing in a competitive market where the competition are seeing same growth in shopworn prices and revenue (Exhibit 3, Exhibit 5). Competitors such as meet already achieved similar competencies to Ezra in terms of variety and stock refresh, and establish obtained more than advanced competencies such as localization of distribution focalises, reducing the competitive reward that Ezra has in terms of flexibility in their intersections array and alter the threat f substitution.Other competitors such as Unique live with further stimulateed competitive advantage by differentiating themselves in the saturated market of fast retail by exploitation an consistent merchandising approach targeting a immenser node base, leading to a revenue growth rate greater than Ezra from 2009-2010 (Exhibit 5). capableness Solutions A potential root word for Ezra is the possibili ty of forming a joystick-venture distribution centre in China as a precursor for localization of radiation diagram and product in Asia.This joint-venture promotes multilateral exchanges with former(a) economic actors indoors the net income. Helping Ezra harbour a competitive advantage over competition by allowing for Ezra to assess their bill based on network insight to better standardize their market positioning. However, internal clashes potful arise from a shift from a centralized to alter distribution profession model. as well both(prenominal) organization can clash due to the rejection Of the partner-organizations underlying logic, objectives and business culture.An separate potential firmness is for Ezra to overstate their e- commerce front man in Asia and America to gain competitive advantage, such as the growing market of e-commerce in America. This allows for Ezra to extend their reach to customers, and further gives them a competitive advantage over competit ors such as who have yet to setup an e- commerce front in Asia. This would as well compliment the rapid expansion into the Asia region specifically targeted at India and China.However, this method would stand for luxuriouslyer(prenominal) outbound shipment costs as individual items will have to be shipped from the central distribution center in Spain to the consumer in Asia or America. This leads to another potential response on focusing on their existing supply chain faculty in atomic number 63 to further overdraw e-commerce presence beyond the 8 countries that use a Ezra online store. This would expend Saras existing centralized supply chain in Europe to expand reach to the existing customer base.However, this would give Ezra little long term competitive advantages over competition as competitor brands can easily apply the same marketing approach. Ezra whitethorn also want to consider adopting an undifferentiated approach by expanding their basic line to further compete w ith a big customer base as Unique have done with a bulky amount of success (exhibit 5). This solution however would to be a executable long term solution and has the possibility of affecting their overall brand perception if less fashionable items of clothing were being pushed to the consumer.Best Solution The best solution for Ezra would be to open a joint-venture distribution centre in China as a precursor to commencement localized design and exertion facilities in Asia, this fits into Saras objective to expand chop-chop in a very competitive landscape (Exhibit 5). This is also consistent with their joint- venture with Data group in gap up Ezra stores in India with the potential for Network Insight. The overall issue to this solution is that Ezra will need to find a partner to form a joint venture with, this may also require exchanges with local economic actors in China to gain insight.China is a rapid growing market for Ezra with 71 stores opening in 4 eld and on target t o becoming Saras 2nd largest market. Opening a distribution center in China entails the following 1 . Network Insight for STEP Competitive advantage Whilst opening a distribution centre in China itself is not a major competitive competency in comparison to R&Ms localized distribution centers, by direct a joint- entire in China and through the recursive exchange in the joint-venture structure along with exchanges with other economic actors, this promotes multilateral exchanges which will lead to a realistic and better understanding of the market.This can be used by Ezra to help better sporadically evaluate their STEP due to changes in consumer needs, this ensures maximized long term success and competitiveness by assessing actions against modern network insights 2. Reduced re-stock cartridge holder Currently the existing distribution model for Ezra means that they can only ship to 1 geographical region per ay. By including a distribution center in Asia, it means that stores with in the growing market can be restocked much more effectively to better satisfy consumer needs 3.Allows the introduction of e-commerce in Asia -? with a distribution center in Asia, this allows for the possibility of establishing e- commerce in China ahead of Saras competition. This can also be used to further amass consumer insight into preferences. By operating as a joint- venture, risks will be divided up with the partner organization, not only this, but resources can be shared to achieve maximum efficiency. However, by opening a distribution center in China, it will spark to dissolve the existing centralized structure that Ezra has created.But to expand afield, Ezra cannot rely on company-centered surviving knowledge for expansion and understanding of new customers, as seen through their existing differentiated positioning in Americas and Spain. Ezra must start to take a more decentralized approach in terms of global expansion. The notion of decentralization may come with hes itance from Ezra stakeholders due to Bonnets disappointment with a decentralized business model, however as Ezra loud maintain and own a large stake in the joint venture, they would still maintain a large control.With greater network insight, this interprets a pathway for Ezra to Open design and production facilities in Asia to improve operational efficiency in the semipermanent 1 . Economies of Scale despite the current centralized distribution model not effecting gross profit growth (exhibit 4), the rapid expansion into Asia can cause discomposes of scale through higher transportation costs. By having design and production local, this will reduce transportation costs to ship to Asian regions, this can white looking at be beneficial in further reducing Saras carbon footprint and improving CARS 2.Efficient Amalgamation of Consumer Feedback With rapid expansion, there will be greater consumer feedback. By opening up design and production in China, it allows for efficient and focu sed amalgamation of Asian consumer perceptions through having an established network insight. This will allow both faster response snip to customer feedback and potential for exchange of designs between Asian and European markets to expand Saras product portfolio. 3.Closer to Fabric Suppliers Currently, Ezra arches fabric from their Hong Kong office, this office could be used to further utilize Asian suppliers to supply fabric for Asian production facilities, therefore reducing costs in importing fabric from overseas suppliers. Overall this solution aims to provide sustainability to Ezra for future growth in Asia. Application of Concepts From the available case study, we can see the 3 components of a Market the suppliers, product and customer come into play.For suppliers, we can see that suppliers such as H and Inedited offer a large variety of product entries, whilst Fast Retailing offer product specialization and have a small reduce portfolio. However the most important componen t within this case is the customer aspect, due to the large influence that customers have on product portfolios of Inedited and H. Fast retailing unique has adopted an undifferentiated approach by treating consumers as a homogeneous segment.Therefore they adjudicate to reach a large customer base through a single marketing strategy of offering a large variety of fundamental principle in a large array of colors. This is different to the approach made by and Inedited, who utilize a differentiated marketing approach. Inedited has multiple brands such s Ezra and Berserk utilizing different Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning. This similar concept is used by in which sub-brands are marketed to different segment groups.This therefore means that Inedited and H aim to have a full-market coverage by offering a wide variety of offerings to different segments. However, as Unique is the largest retailer to use a undifferentiated marketing approach, it has successfully differentiated itsel f from Inedited and Ezra by implementing product specialization, therefore Fast Retailing have benefited from rising revenue growth comparable to H and Inedited (Exhibit 5).Zara Case force fieldDespite the current centralized distribution model working well and at below capacity, continuous rapid expansion outside of Spain for Inedited brands (exhibit 8) would bring problems of larger amalgamation of dispersed network pictures, rater demand and customization for Ezra offerings from consumers. This would further bring the effects of discomposes of scale increased transportation costs, top heavy Organization, potentially exceeding working capacity, increased risk if central distribution centre fails.No standardized market position Saras expansion approach have led them to be positioned differently in each geographical market despite targeting the same consumer segment, Ezra currently use company-centered knowledge to determine price and positioning strategies for different geographi cal segments. This has caused inconsistent consumer perception of their brand e. . Americas and Spain. Being in a globalizes marketplace, this poses a problem to the global perception and position of the Ezra brand.Competitive Environment -? Ezra is competing in a competitive market where the competition are seeing similar growth in stock prices and revenue (Exhibit 3, Exhibit 5). Competitors such as have already achieved similar competencies to Ezra in terms of variety and stock refresh, and have obtained more advanced competencies such as localization of distribution centers, reducing the competitive advantage that Ezra has in terms of flexibility in their products array and enabling the threat f substitution.Other competitors such as Unique have further gained competitive advantage by differentiating themselves in the saturated market of fast retailing by using an undifferentiated marketing approach targeting a larger customer base, leading to a revenue growth rate greater than E zra from 2009-2010 (Exhibit 5). Potential Solutions A potential solution for Ezra is the possibility of forming a joint-venture distribution centre in China as a precursor for localization of design and production in Asia.This joint-venture promotes multilateral exchanges with other economic actors within the network. Helping Ezra maintain a competitive advantage over competition by allowing for Ezra to assess their STEP based on network insight to better standardize their market positioning. However, internal clashes can arise from a shift from a centralized to decentralized distribution business model. Also both organization can clash due to the rejection Of the partner-organizations underlying logic, objectives and business culture.Another potential solution is for Ezra to expand their e- commerce presence in Asia and America to gain competitive advantage, such as the growing market of e-commerce in America. This allows for Ezra to extend their reach to customers, and further giv es them a competitive advantage over competitors such as who have yet to setup an e- commerce presence in Asia. This would also compliment the rapid expansion into the Asia region specifically targeted at India and China.However, this method would entail higher outbound shipment costs as individual items will have to be shipped from the central distribution center in Spain to the consumer in Asia or America. This leads to another potential solution on focusing on their existing supply chain competency in Europe to further expand e-commerce presence beyond the 8 countries that use a Ezra online store. This would utilize Saras existing centralized supply chain in Europe to expand reach to the existing customer base.However, this would give Ezra little long term competitive advantages over competition as competitor brands can easily implement the same marketing approach. Ezra may also want to consider adopting an undifferentiated approach by expanding their basic line to further compet e with a larger customer base as Unique have done with a large amount of success (exhibit 5). This solution however would to be a viable long term solution and has the possibility of affecting their overall brand perception if less fashionable items of clothing were being pushed to the consumer.Best Solution The best solution for Ezra would be to open a joint-venture distribution centre in China as a precursor to opening localized design and production facilities in Asia, this fits into Saras objective to expand rapidly in a very competitive landscape (Exhibit 5). This is also consistent with their joint- venture with Data group in opening up Ezra stores in India with the potential for Network Insight. The overall issue to this solution is that Ezra will need to find a partner to form a joint venture with, this may also require exchanges with local economic actors in China to gain insight.China is a rapid growing market for Ezra with 71 stores opening in 4 years and on target to bec oming Saras 2nd largest market. Opening a distribution center in China entails the following 1 . Network Insight for STEP Competitive advantage Whilst opening a distribution centre in China itself is not a major competitive competency in comparison to R&Ms localized distribution centers, by operating a joint- entire in China and through the recursive exchange in the joint-venture structure along with exchanges with other economic actors, this promotes multilateral exchanges which will lead to a realistic and better understanding of the market.This can be used by Ezra to help better periodically evaluate their STEP due to changes in consumer needs, this ensures maximized long term success and competitiveness by assessing actions against modern network insights 2. Reduced re-stock time Currently the existing distribution model for Ezra means that they can only ship to 1 geographical region per ay. By including a distribution center in Asia, it means that stores within the growing ma rket can be restocked much more effectively to better satisfy consumer needs 3.Allows the introduction of e-commerce in Asia -? with a distribution center in Asia, this allows for the possibility of establishing e- commerce in China ahead of Saras competition. This can also be used to further gather consumer insight into preferences. By operating as a joint- venture, risks will be shared with the partner organization, not only this, but resources can be shared to achieve maximum efficiency. However, by opening a distribution center in China, it will start to dissolve the existing centralized structure that Ezra has created.But to expand overseas, Ezra cannot rely on company-centered extant knowledge for expansion and understanding of new customers, as seen through their existing differentiated positioning in Americas and Spain. Ezra must start to take a more decentralized approach in terms of global expansion. The notion of decentralization may come with hesitance from Ezra stakehol ders due to Bonnets failure with a decentralized business model, however as Ezra loud maintain and own a large stake in the joint venture, they would still maintain a large control.With greater network insight, this provides a pathway for Ezra to Open design and production facilities in Asia to improve operational efficiency in the long-term 1 . Economies of Scale despite the current centralized distribution model not effecting gross profit growth (exhibit 4), the rapid expansion into Asia can cause discomposes of scale through higher transportation costs. By having design and production local, this will reduce transportation costs to ship to Asian regions, this can Hereford be beneficial in further reducing Saras carbon footprint and improving CARS 2.Efficient Amalgamation of Consumer Feedback With rapid expansion, there will be greater consumer feedback. By opening up design and production in China, it allows for efficient and focused amalgamation of Asian consumer perceptions t hrough having an established network insight. This will allow both faster response time to customer feedback and potential for exchange of designs between Asian and European markets to expand Saras product portfolio. 3.Closer to Fabric Suppliers Currently, Ezra arches fabric from their Hong Kong office, this office could be used to further utilize Asian suppliers to supply fabric for Asian production facilities, therefore reducing costs in importing fabric from overseas suppliers. Overall this solution aims to provide sustainability to Ezra for future growth in Asia. Application of Concepts From the available case study, we can see the 3 components of a Market the suppliers, product and customer come into play.For suppliers, we can see that suppliers such as H and Inedited offer a large variety of product entries, whilst Fast Retailing offer product specialization and have a small reduce portfolio. However the most important component within this case is the customer aspect, due to the large influence that customers have on product portfolios of Inedited and H. Fast retailing unique has adopted an undifferentiated approach by treating consumers as a homogeneous segment.Therefore they attempt to reach a large customer base through a single marketing strategy of offering a large variety of basics in a large array of colors. This is different to the approach made by and Inedited, who utilize a differentiated marketing approach. Inedited has multiple brands such s Ezra and Berserk utilizing different Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning. This similar concept is used by in which sub-brands are marketed to different segment groups.This therefore means that Inedited and H aim to have a full-market coverage by offering a wide variety of offerings to different segments. However, as Unique is the largest retailer to use a undifferentiated marketing approach, it has successfully differentiated itself from Inedited and Ezra by implementing product specialization, ther efore Fast Retailing have benefited from rising revenue growth comparable to H and Inedited (Exhibit 5).Zara Case StudyMGMT 6620 Operations & SCM HBS Case Study Zara IT for Fast Fashion 4/9/2013 1. What is the Zara business model? What weaknesses, if any, do you seen in this business model? The value propositions offered by Zara to its main customers who are young, fashion conscious city-dwellers is offering new styles within the time-frame of several weeks as well as providing assortment of choices for customers and the uniqueness of clothing styles designation individual customer needs. To achieve this Zaras business model had the following 1.Incorporating the horizontal structure for placing orders and deciding which items to push aggressively by delegating termination making responsibilities to store managers 2. Low volume production of any item and high origin turnover, which secured better tracking of hot items, which can be interchange well 3. Reduction of losses on items which are not selling well- Company was eliminating pedigree build-up by managing low inventories and by their frequent updates company achieved high foot traffic in its stores and used the stores as focal points of its marketing campaigns.Weakness in Zaras business model is that each store is highly mutually beneficial on decision making capabilities of store managers, which might cause the problem if many of them decide to leave. Moreover, since company relying on small shops scattered throughout Spain and Portugal for its production any economic downturn in those countries can cause the increase the cost of manufacturing or COGS. 2. In your opinion, what are the most important aspects of Zaras approach to IT? Are these approaches applicable and appropriate anywhere? If not, where would they not work well?The Most important aspect of Zaras approach to Information engine room is the use of DOS-POS in its current store to track customers demand promptly, decentralize the compan y and provide customer with trendy clothing options. Yes these approaches are essentially applicable startle from production till distribution, but Zaras current IT is outdated and needs to be upgraded from future sustainability point of view to network with various retailors and distribution centers. Zara could face challenges in longer run from operation front with new technology.Zara must keep upgrading them with the latest technology to beat the competitors that might cost high. New technology demands training on usage to employee that again involve cost. 3. Should the company build in-store networks? In our groups opinion, Zara should build in-store networks. First of all, the store manager has difficulties in ordering without in-store networks. Aim of Zara is to provide its clothes quickly while the system which Zara currently has cannot reach this requirement.The store personnel could not look up their fund through in-store computer they need to talk to salespeople to deter mine the quantities, which is time-consuming. Secondly, for the fulfillment process, the level of the SKU is hard to determine without in-store networks. More importantly, if in-store networks would not be built, the infrastructure that Zara stores currently have cannot provide information among stores about the SKU. Store personnel have to use obsolete methods such as having tele ring call or carrying disks to report the inventory or calculate the total sales.Last but not the least, the low cost wireless networks help and favor the building up of in-store networks. Zara, as a company, which has a promising future, should also update its network infrastructure, as its business scope will grow bigger. 4. How would you advise Salgado to proceed on upgrading Zaras POS system? The POS terminals using DOS has been unchanged for over a decade, which made Zara difficult to manage the daily operation effectively. Upgrading Zaras POS system would utilize the large screen, keyboard and mouse to quickly provide service to customers.It is very important because time is money. Customers are now very busy with their daily schedule faster service will invoke more customers. Furthermore, the modern POS terminals would be able to execute more sophisticated capabilities such as sharing with other stores the inventory. This is essential for the company to manage the inventory and promote the brand network. It shows to the customers that Zara store is a global network and has the same value of providing the best service to customer anywhere. It will reduce the cost of phone call by using the communication inside the companys online network.