Contract Modification Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Contract Modification - Case Study Example The defendant promised to pay an additional sum of money for each flats timely construction fearing he would face liquated damages for delay under the original contract. After finishing about eight more completed flats, the plaintiff refused to work any more and also refused to return the remaining 460, which was the amount owing from the subsequent promise or the eight completed flats. The defendant tried to argue that following Stilk v Myrick3, they were not liable to the plaintiff because the subsequent promise was not legally enforceable due to the fact that no consideration had been paid for it .The plaintiff had offered no consideration because, in exchange, the plaintiff was only offering to do what he was already bound to do.4 The Court held that there was indeed a benefit for the defendant in that he would avoid the penalty liquidated damages and have the convenience of continuing with the same carpenter At the time this case was decided, it was widely expected that that this new notion of a "practical benefit analysis" would be applied to future cases concerning part payment of debts. 5If thoroughly applied the previous cases of Foakes v Beer and Pinnel's case would be rendered as not good precedent.6 Therefore, where the creditor accepts less than the full amount owed to him and promises to waive the rest of the money it would not be difficult for him to prove that there have been any practical benefits received. 7Lord Blackburn who gave the dissenting judgement in Foakes v Beer acknowledged this, as follows:8 "All men of business ... do everyday recognise and act on the ground that prompt payment of a part of their demand may be more beneficial to them than it would be to insist on their rights and enforce payment of the whole. Even where the debtor is perfectly solvent, and sure to pay at last, this is often so. Where the credit of the debtor is doubtful it must be more so."9 The case of Re Selectmove Ltd.10 involved an appeal by a company from an order arising from the request of the IRC to recover a large amount of taxes and to wind up the defaulting company. The company pleaded that the IRC had promised through an agreement that they could pay the arrears in a monthly scheme and pay the new taxes promptly. The court held in line with Williams v Roffey brothers that this arrangement amounted to a practical benefit to the IRC. However the case was decided in the favour of IRC and Peter Gibson L J made it very clear that if the Court of Appeal were to accept the practical benefits analysis, "It would in effect leave the principle in Foakes v Beer without any application". He also said that the creditor will almost always look at the practical benefits of any bargain but they cannot be classified as new consideration and this has been the view in Foakes v Beer. This view of the Court of Appeal has been subjected to much criticism. 11It is often said that it overlooked the incompatibility between the decisions of the Williams v Roffey and Foakes v Beer and that it is not possible to restrict this case merely to a restriction or expansion of the practical benefits doctrine but a clear line needed to be drawn between a promise to pay additional sums of money under the Williams v Roffey Case and a promise to accept a lesser amount of money in lieu of the full payment under the rule in Foakes v

System Integrity and Validation Essay Example for Free

System Integrity and Validation Essay Computer assisted auditing tools and techniques CAATs is highly recommend for Kudler finer Foods. The ability to share information with clients and auditor’s is one of the selling points. The main selling point of using CAATs is that every avenue of Kudler’s accounting information system will be reviewed and will ensure Kudler Finer Foods that their system integrity is intacted as well as the validation of the system. In the brief to follow will explain why using computer technology and CAATs makes the best business sense. System Integrity and Validation Kudler Finer Foods has come to the accounting firm in search of recommendations regarding the companies, computer information system, automated process of their accounting information system, data table analysis, internal control and risk evaluation, and an audit proposal. Kudler’s recent visit was warranted by concerns of the company’s system integrity and validation. Kudler Finer Foods has an excellent rapport with the accounting firm. The accounting firm will inform Kudler on the selected auditing techniques the accounting firm will use to validate data, and their system integrity. The firm will provide an explanation of the functions of the audit productivity software, followed by an explanation of the uses in the systems design. Computer Assisted Auditing Techniques used to Validate Data and System Integrity In today’s auditing world, companies use accounting information systems to manage the companies business electronically. In the past, before computers aided in the organization of business documents, audits were conducted on paper. Audits are performed using Computer Assisted Audit Tools and Techniques (CAATTs) or Computer Assisted Audit Techniques (CAATs). Computer assisted audit tools and techniques (CAATTs) is defined as the software used to enhance the auditor’s productivity and used to extract data and analysis. The second T in CAATTs refers to the techniques used to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the audit. The other form of computer assisted audit tools and techniques is CAAT, which has one t. Because this computer assisted audit has one t, the single t represents techniques. CAATs by definition, has the same meaning as CAATTs with the exception of enhanced auditor’s productivity and extracting data and analysis (Hunton, Bryant, Bagranoff, 2004, p. 78). Using CAATs for information technology audits consists of the auditor’s following 10- steps. Each of the steps will cover a wide area of objectives, processes, and identify different task that need to be performed. The 10- steps to using CAATs will be cover in the PowerPoint presentation. Validating data will be accomplished by running a series o f test data to ensure the system is updating and running properly. The test data is made up by the auditor to establish that the results received are the results the auditor is looking for. This particular type of test will be conducted throughout each of the systems to confirm the each system is working. The integrity of the system will also be tested in a similar style. Testing the integrity of the system occurs in step seven of the 10 step process. Function of Audit Productivity Software Audit Productivity Software aids in the individual auditor’s productivity. Audit productivity software is constructed of five different programs. The five programs start in this sequence, electronic working papers, groupware, ngagement management, reference libraries, and the program document management. Each of these programs enables the auditor’s to complete his or her personal productivity. Electronic working papers were once done manually and can be automated enabling the efficiency of the auditor’s. E-work papers enable the auditor’s to share client’s information and make changes electronically. After the auditor’s have made the appropri ate corrections GAAP compliant financial statement can be generated automatically (Hunton, Bryant, Bagranoff, 2004, p. 179). Groupware allows the clients and other auditor’s to share the information found using a couple of different programs. These programs are common groupware programs the auditor’s and their client’s use such as Lotus Notes, Novell GroupWise, and Microsoft Exchange. The other remaining software’s are Time and Billing, Reference Libraries, and Document Management. The remaining software’s are very important. Time and Billing affect the cash flow because business conducted may be conducted in different time zones and need to be billed correctly to receive payment on time. Reference Libraries are as they sound, company reference libraries store the company’s information is relevant to auditor’s to complete the audit throughout the companies different items. Document management allows the company to save hard copy document to files in the computer that can be viewed easily by auditor’s using the Internet. Audit productivity Software use in the Systems Design Kudler Finer Foods has a strong accounting information system in place serving three different locations. The industry specific accounting information system used by Kudler Fine Foods would benefit from the use of audit productivity software. The reason the audit productivity software would work with Kudler’s system design is because the information can be easily viewed by their auditor’s and clients using the Internet, reducing the travel time the auditors would waste traveling to each of the three location’s. Conclusion Kudler Finer Foods needs to ensure their accounting information system maintains system integrity and validation.

God’s Existence and the importance of the resurrection to Christianity

Prominent figures like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens have all argued that God does not exist. However, there is historical proof for God’s existence. Using different theories, this paper will show that God, the creator of the universe exists. The proof that God exists is also seen in the fact that we have a savior, Jesus Christ. Our compassionate God sent his son Jesus to die for all the world’s sin. The sting of sin is death, but thanks to God Christ took away this sting by dying on the cross. Jesus made atonement for sin. It is through Christ that we live. Paul wrote triumphantly in 1 Corinthians 15:55, â€Å"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?† Similarly, Christians rejoice because we have victory over death. To begin, proof of God’s existence is seen in the group of cosmological arguments. The cosmological arguments are a set of arguments that demonstrate the existence of a sufficient reason or first cause of the existence of the cosmos, or the universe as a whole. There are three different types of cosmological arguments, the Kalam, Thomist and and Leibnizian cosmological arguments. Proponents of the cosmological argument include Plato, Aristotle, and John Locke. Contemporary defenders include William Lane Craig, Alvin Plantinga and Richard Swinburne. Aristotle believed the universe existed since eternity and Christian philosopher John Philoponus (490–570 AD) seeked to refute this theory (Cambridge Dictionary of Christian Theology). This led to the the kalam cosmological argument. In A Defense of the Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God, William Lane Craig outlines the kalam cosmological argument. Craig states, the universe had a beginning at some moment in the finite past and, since... ...ould be liars (verse 15). Jesus revealed himself to Mary Magdalene and other women. During Biblical times, women were seen as second class citizens. Nonetheless, Jesus honored women because they were the first to see him after his resurrection. Verse 17 states, no one would be free from sin if Christ had not been raised from the dead. All past believers are dead (verse 18) and Christians would be the most pitiable people on the earth. Luckily, none of the above is true. Because Jesus died on the cross and was raised to life three days later. Believers are forgiven from their sin and are given a new life. As Christians, our belief is not in vain because the resurrections is an actual event. Christ is not dead and our faith is not useless. Opponents of God’s existence argue if an all-knowing and good god exists, why is there such an abundance of evil in the world. 

Globalization in Russia Essay

Globalization has done a lot to Russia not only in changing the economic parameters but also the social- cultural portfolio of life. Russia enjoys the sovereignty of a high state of integration within the community of the western world. The fight for high changes and maintenance of sovereignty is to maintain its high class phenomenon within its geographical neighborhood. The history of Russia is deeply founded on its Soviet country where the role of great leadership authorities reigned even across the national boundaries. In analyzing the globalization variable in Russia the role of women should not be over looked. As a general analysis however, the expectation of globalizations were not fully met. Long since the country went in such for globalization benefits, various rigidities have left it still lagging behind in the same aspects. Various economic downfalls and dissatisfaction have acted to compromise the adequate state of affairs in this state. (Brierley, 1) Broadly, females are greatly disadvantaged in this state full of political communism. From the UNICEF statistics, however, the women show a close difference with the male population. First the maternal mortality is as low as 32%. This is due to poor ante-natal care protection and poor attendant by skilled personnel during delivery. Only 96% of women are well attended by skilled persons at their delivery. The female mortality rate is around 7% which is a percentage almost equal to that of the male births. However, as the child ages 5 years, this ratio is considerably equal to that of the male children. Generally, Russia has a well proven medical care system. (Stoliaror, 43) Good medication systems make it vulnerable to deaths through ill-health compared to high percentage of the same in African and Asian countries. The female life expectancy has however showed a decreasing trend since 1970, with it being 72 years compared to 59 that of men. Either, the fertility rate in women is approximated to being 1. 4. Effect of globalization stretches its arms to the social autonomies were various social structures have radically changed to capture the changing effects in the national symmetry. At one level, marriage contraceptive prevalence is largely 34% with these varying between the literate and illiterate people. (Balcon, 27) High illiterates are vulnerable to low use of the same. Lower use of contraceptives has led to spread of various sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV whose total population is approximated to being 950,000. The ratio of marriage breakages between men and women is approximated to being 2 is to 3 (2:3) with two men for every three women. Either, teen marriage has been a social factor calling for various analytical consequences. Largely, 31% of the teen have showed in for marriage at their teen age. ( Robinson, 75) Out of this population 57% has been stated as being girls who even drop out of school above the consequences of early pregnancies. Such early marriages have been a big backbone of failed marriage coupled with inabilities to substantiate for family needs and requirements. The total fertility rate is however high as 1. 4. This has been precisely due to high standards of living and adequate medical attention. Education factor occupies a special place in studying the globalization and the social dispensation of Russia. However, the education statistics are high vulnerable and shows an equitable relationship between men and women (males and females). The ratio of adult literacy between men and women is almost equal and shows no much disparity. Statistic shows that, women through literacy have earned themselves a good place in the economic scenario where they have been voted as movers of wide range of governance activities. There is no discrimination between schooling for both sexes and every educational structure is modeled to provide equity and equality between men and women. Either, secondary school enrolment between males and females is equitable with a one to one ratio. The same attendance in the secondary school has also been found to been one is to one. High child education campaign and the good system of education providing equity for both sexes have ensured a high number of equal thresholds between males and females. The place for secondary school teaching has however favored females with the ratio being three is to two (60% for women). However, more men graduate for other occupations. Basically the university enrollment shows a small diversity with equal opportunity been provided for the both sexes. Generally, the level of literacy is subjectively equal with them sharing almost equally the various opportunities allied to education benefits. (Rozanora, 1) The female employment aspect is a critique issue in Russia. Various disparities between male and female employment draws various issues of concern. Broadly, the employment factor for females in Russia depend on critical issue of age, level of education and various social cultural autonomies. The general employment statistics in Russia are defined in terms of the level of professionalism. The major age bracket for women employment is between 20 and 55 years, though extremities below and above this fraction is evident. Any employment below 17 years is taken as child labor abuse. Either, some women population employment above 55 years is evident though few cases are available. Generally, the total women percentage is 43% of the total employment population in the country. Men are advantaged to get the better share of 57%. The female employment also shows a relatively equal ration between self-employed and professionals. Out of the total population of employed women, 54% are professional while the remaining ratio goes for self employment. However, men occupies the majority of the managerial position with around 2. 6% of the employed women population being managers (Fisher, 89) The wage and salary payment is depended on the professionalism and the level of position working for. Indeed, the general wage rate in Russia is substantially adequate which almost augers that of the United Nations and labor laws requirements. The existing state of Russia can be recommended of its high proficiency in factors of equity and equality in its structures. There is seldom equitable distribution of the natural resources between racial groups, sexes, social institutions and political structures. High political renaissance and motivation above the fight for sovereignty on individual rights has brought the absence or very minimal discrimination. (Taylor, 4) All the people founded on sexual disparities, religious orientations, educational indifferences and cultural autonomies above other parity orientations have enjoyed the fruits of equity and equality. The economic systems and structures are relatively distributed equally between the state groups. The political and legal processes have showered an equitable correspondence in providing support for everybody participation in the political interest. The legal system has ensured neutrality between the state groups in terms of education, cultural, religious and geographical orientations. Equity and equality also extends its arms to the marriage structures where a broad length in marriage regularities provides no discrimination to all. Neutrality in the states social structures provides adequate conditions with which people intermingle adequately with one another. (Smith, 47) Either, adequacy in people’s marriage has been provided with every person at his/her wish too choose marriage partner. At the marriage matrimony, equal rights between the couple have been founded on grounds of equity. Both the husband and the wife have equal role to play in the marriage activities. Ideally, globalization has done a lot in providing positive effects on health. The highly developed technology and research activity helps to provide high standards of medication. Generally, Russia is among the global states with high developments in health matters. However, globalization has yielded high standards in matter of health with high technology and medical attention been uncompromised. Health matters runs from household sanitation, drinking clean water, child immunization, malaria treatment, chronic disease treatments, HIV/AIDS statistics above others. (Duffy, 1) However, the general state of health is highly improved. As per the UNICEF statistics of 2006, Russian health variables have been characterized as among that of the developed countries which generally shows high states of health matters. However, HIV/AIDS campaign has below the hallmark of the health investigation, with 950000 million people been affected. Various health structures have been put into place to avoid its spread, through education on mother-child transmissions, use of sexual contraceptives and use of ARV’s above other medication pursuit for the affected people. Globally, Russia extends its arms even to other nations in providing health support. The country has various policies on population control and health support. (Passas, 1) Through its huge campaign it has set various health requirements and high standards for ensuring a controlled health population for its citizens. Various social-cultural inadequacies like literacy and political authorities have been in the fore front to shape the population growth and distribution. Russia defines various emigration policies and foreign citizen ownership. It has high controlled systems of monitoring migration exchange between its people and other nationals. Both emigration and immigration is captured at an outstanding perspective where various rules and regulations are never compromised in the acquisition of citizenry. Such policies streamline at one point to encourage or elsewhere to discourage immigration. This is based on the need for the observation of a high state of security. Any migration policy is also aimed at ensuring possible inadequacies which may have effect on the existing state resources. This is in the recognition of highly/excessive pressure of immigration and unexploited resources on high emigrations. Migration policies stretch its arms on refugees, where various laws have been put to cater for any refugee. They also observe the United Nations standards on their treatment to refugees. The neutrality in terms of laws has provided a high comprehensive observation of human rights. The United Nations Development Program has shown an explicitly adequate standard on the observation of human rights. The state legal process has a profound structure in which it elaborates the process system of the law and regulations defining human rights and freedoms. Either, it has been vulnerable in observing various rights allied to refugees as per the UNHCR regulations. The political system and the court autonomy have ensured a high implication in support for states which provide rationality in ensuring observation of people’s rights and freedoms. Summarily therefore, globalization has done a lot in shaping and determining the state of social structures in Russia. It various influences have helped to foster an improved state of living for both men women. Work cited Balcon, D. Solidarity without Pay in Russia. The Nation, vol. 266, April 27 1998. Brierley, N. Russia: Perceptions and Reality. a Round T able Discussion 13 February 2003 New Statesman, vol. 132, April 7,2003. Duffy, D. An assessment of Health Policy Reform in Russia. Policy Studies Journal, Vol. 25.

Economy and Society of Historical Brazil Essay

This essay investigates how the political distribution of land and the employment of coerced labor on sugar plantations and mining affected the development of economies and societies in colonial Brazil. Distribution of land in colonial Brail was politically-motivated and strikingly unequal. Landlords owned huge territories and exerted considerable influence upon both people residing in that territories and local governance institutions. People who didn’t own land were completely powerless against the tyranny of landlords. Furthermore, unequal distribution of land had negative economic consequences: landlords owned more land than they could manage, so great areas were used in a wasteful way (Wright & Wolford, 2003). As concerns coerced labor, slavery also had a profound impact on Brazilian economy and society. Coerced labor was used in sugar-cane mills, gold mines, and sugar plantation. Slavery contributed significantly to the economic development of the country, especially of its North-Eastern parts. Coerced labor can be regarded as a major factor in turning Brazil into export-oriented agricultural economy. As for the influence on the society, resistance among slaves used to be a source of constant social tension. However, in cultural terms, certain elements of African culture eventually fitted well in the mainstream culture of the country, Capoeira being the most telling example. Also, slave trade become a source of quick accumulation of wealth by certain categories of population, like traders and slave market owners. Thus, the political distribution of land and use of coerced labor can be regarded as two major factor shaping the economy and social structure of colonial Brazil.

Death Penalty Opinion essays

Death Penalty Opinion essays The Death Penalty has been around since and before the Americas were found. Even though it has been in affect for hundreds of years, I do not feel it is at The methods are cruel and in some cases, very painful for the inmate. most people think the death penalty is a good way of justice in the United States, and it is said to be a humane way of execution, but from what I have found, it is far from Since 1976, 549 people have have been executed by lethal injection, 149 by electrocution, 11 by gas chamber, 3 by hanging, and 2 by the firing squad. Of the 714 people executed in the United States, 332 were in Texas and Virginia alone. After World War II, many countries left the practices of capital punishment. The United States did not stop the practice of capital punshment. If there is a slight mistake, in any of the executions, the inmate feels even more pain than usual. The gas chamber is one of the most painful of executions. "At first there is evidence of extreme horror, pain, and strangling. The eyes pop. The skin turns purple and the victim begins to drool"(Duffy, Clifton-San Quenton Penitentiary warden). If done wrong, hanging can be just as horrific as the gas chamber. If the rope is to long, the body can be decapitated. If the rope is to short, the inmate can sufficate for as long as 45 minutes. Electrocution is a very common way of execution in Alabama and Nebraska. The prisoner has between 500 and 2000 volts of electricity, shot through their body for 30 second intervals. the process is continued until the prisoner is dead. "The hands grip the chair and there might be violent movement of the limbs that can cause dislocation or fractures. Defecation usually occurs. The eyes can pop out and rest on the cheeks. The prisoner vomits blood and drools. The body turns bright red and can some times ...

Important Sales Techniques

Important Sales Techniques Free Online Research Papers Maslow Marketing Hierarchy The theory developed by Maslow put forth that the motivation for any action made by any human being is an unfulfilled need. When we have unmet needs, we are motivated to meet them in a specific order. Once the needs on the first level are met, we move on to the needs of the next level, and so on until we reach the top tier. The first level that we are concerned with is our physiological needs: the basic things that keep us alive. Safety needs are met next, followed by social needs. We then move into the less tangible needs of esteem and, finally, self-actualization. Any student of the Maslow theory will understand how it can easily fit into a marketing context. When we attempt to make a sale, we are not only selling the product: we are selling the idea of the product, the image of the product, and the result of the product. We are essentially promising to fulfill one or more of the needs in the hierarchy. Obviously, a marketing campaign will be more successful the more it appeals to the lower levels of unfulfilled need in a persons life. What this means for you, the marketer, is that knowing your audiences needs is key. A product that promises to fulfill an esteem need will be virtually useless to a customer whose safety needs are not yet met. In order to be successful in any marketing endeavor, the first step is to get a firm grasp on the psychographic motivators to which you will be appealing. Which need on the hierarchy is your product going to fulfill? How will it fulfill this need, and how can you prove to your potential customers that it will effectively fulfill their need? Maybe a more important question is how you can tell which level of need your potential customer is currently attempting to address. If a customer comes to you asking for your product, then they are doing a large portion of your work for you. However, its exceedingly difficult to understand the needs of a complete stranger when you are attempting a cold sale. The best way to overcome this obstacle is simple, and its one that every marketer is taught from the very beginning of their career: just talk. Talk about sports, the weather, or family life anything other than the product you are trying to sell. Chatting with your potential customer in a friendly, non-pressured way will allow you to pick up on invaluable clues about their needs. Once you understand why your potential customer may be motivated to buy, you are one step closer to being able to fulfill their unmet need. By identifying their motivating factors, you can cater your sales techniques to each individual customer. By analyzing the needs of customers at large, you can now effectively market to your target audience as a whole. Maslows theory remains the basis for most management practices today. However, it can be equally successful when applied to marketing practices. The key, as always, is to know how to help your customer decide that your product will change their life. Maslows Marketing Filter One of the basics of all marketing and advertising training is a teaching of â€Å"Maslow’s needs pyramid†. Use Maslow’s needs pyramid so that you can get inside the consumer’s mind and develop an understanding of what’s truly motivating them as they consider purchasing your product or service. Maslow’s needs pyramid present human needs such that each need is pursued and met before the next level of needs can be considered; they build upon one another. The needs from most basic to most complex are: – physiological needs: food, shelter, sex – safety needs: clothing, weapons, defense of self – social needs: social acceptance – esteem needs: acceptance of self by self – fulfillment needs: a feeling of having and fulfilling a purpose So the question is, â€Å"How do we use this paradigm to get inside the consumer’s head?† Let’s consider a personal fitness training service. Here’s how it works at the most basic level. Place yourself in the position of the consumer and think as if you are considering hiring a personal fitness trainer. 1. How will personal fitness training impact my acquisition and use of food? Of shelter? Of sexual behavior? (Now you see why sex is used in marketing so many products – we react to it instinctually) 2. How will personal fitness training impact my personal safety? – you’ll be in better shape and can run faster from a mugger, perhaps. 3. How will personal fitness training positively impact my standing in society? In my social circle? Access to different social circles? 4. How will personal fitness training positively impact how I think about myself? 5. Will personal fitness training have an impact on my personal sense of fulfillment? I understand that most consumers will ask themselves these types of questions without really thinking about them. The answers you develop as you purposely ask yourselves these types of questions will give you insight in the processes a consumer may consider or be susceptible to as they are considering purchasing personal fitness training services. This process will also help you define ways to market that will get consumers to consider your personal fitness training service if they are not. Using Maslow’s needs pyramid helps you target your marketing. It is the foundation of: -Getting Attention -Developing Interest -Creating Desire -Facilitating Commitment -Motivating to Action Using this type of filtering process can also help you create need in those that have not yet developed an interest in your product or service. Simply put yourself in the consumer’s place and present you’re marketing to them in such a way as to answer or resolve each need in the hierarchy. Closing The Sale â€Å"7 Steps† I – You Have Got to Ask Questions One of the keys to closing the sale is opening the dialog. The best way to get a conversation going is to start with really good sales questions. Five phenomenal sales questions to help you get the business: 1. What are your responsibilities? This is a terrific sales question to get a measure of your prospects ego, self-esteem, and self worth. Most salespeople skip this question. What and how a decision Maker thinks about his position can help you cinch the deal later on in the selling process. 2. What are the biggest challenges you face in growing your business? most salespeople try to uncover problems instead of focusing on challenges. Logically, people you barely know may be reluctant to share their problems with you. Most people are willing to open up and discuss their challenges. 3. What qualities are you looking for (insert the appropriate product or service). The key to asking this question is listening carefully to the answers. For example, if somebody responded with reliability as a quality, you should immediately follow up and get the definition of the word reliability. How they define reliability will enable you to relate more specifically to that reliability factor. 4. What are your criteria for making a decision? This is a tricky question but only for the unprepared. You see, many times a sales prospect will respond by saying pricing is the bottom-line. When you ask these sales questions What are your criteria for making a decision and get a response like for us its the bottom-line pricing.Be sure to follow up with this additional question. In addition to pricing, what other criteria do you have for making this decision? They will always give you something else. 5. Describe the decision-making process. You should only ask this question for Big sales opportunities. You need to know whos going to be involved, what the time frame is, and what the natural progression for this organizations decision-making process will be. You must know this before you attempt closing the sale. 6. What would it take to win your supplier of the year award? The purpose of this question is to get them to tell you what they value in a supplier or in a suppliers product/service. Whether or not they have a supplier of the year award you still get their opinion when you ask this question. Once again you should listen carefully to their response. â€Å"You can judge the quality of your questions by the quality of the responses you get† Not asking intelligent and prepared questions trips up salespeople more than anything else. One of the best ways to attempt closing the sale in less time is to ask rock-solid questions that eliminates all the guesswork and assumptions. Plain and simple! II Forget Quotes Do Proposals Closing the sale is much easier when you present your sales prospecta professional sales proposal. Consider first things first. Forget about doing quotes and start doing value-packed sales proposals. It stands to reason that you want your sales proposal to adequately represent you when youre not there to speak for yourself. Imagine youre dealing with a committee of five decision makers. Also imagine they are seated around a conference table for a 1 PM meeting to determine who gets the business and youre not there to represent yourself. Whats left is your sales proposal and it has been spectacular. Lets also assume there are four suppliers involved. Three of the suppliers have submitted rather boring and bland quotations that almost scream out, Hey, heres my price. The person who wins the Pricing game is the person with the lowest price. Three tips that puts value into the proposal which will give a distinct advantage when trying closing the sale: 1. Here are some cover page essentials. If there are five decision makers, be sure you have each decision-makers name in large type on the front cover so that everyone gets a personalized copy of your proposal. The biggest thing on this page should be that persons name. Including a line that says Especially prepared for might score a few points as well. Put the date of the decision making meeting on the front cover too not the date you send it. If you do this it will force you to find out when the decision is going to be made. 2. Include an organization chart but not an ordinary one. Create a chart that includes the names of six to eight people who are most likely to have some interaction with your potential customer. Traditional organization charts usually include names and titles. Go beyond that and include telephone numbers, fax numbers, e-mail addresses, direct dial extensions and a digital photograph the size of a quarter situated in the box. Including this contact information draws attention to the accessibility of all key people and thats exactly what you want. Having pictures simply adds faces to the names. You can score some major points by introducing your support team. 3. Include a Benefits Page. This is very powerful and its where you have the opportunity to toot your own horn. On the top of this page you should in very large type XYZ Companys Benefit Page. List seven facts or features about your company and or products. Facts are simply facts. Under each fact express a benefit. This benefit statement should be indented, bold faced, slightly larger type, and printed in red so it jumps off the page at anyone who is looking at it. Begin each benefit statement with these words . . . Which means. This will increase your sales and multiply your personal income. This page should be positioned as the page before your first page of pricing. What this means is, your potential customer gets to see your benefits before he sees your pricing. Thats a smart move and makes closing the sale easier for you III– How Much Does It Cost? Closing the sale means you have to be ready for the unexpected. But you know some things in sales are very predictable. Like how to respond to the How much does it cost question. Rule number one unless you have asked all of your sales questions and given your presentation, deflect this question until later. Rule number two remember its QPP which refers to questions, presentation, pricing. If you dont stick to this sequence you are headed for heavy discounting and severe erosion of your profitability. The next time somebody asks you, How much does it cost respond with these two words. It depends! And then be totally silent. Within a very short period of time your prospect/customer will ask, It depends on what? For Example: You receive a call from a Vice President of Sales. He’s planning a National Sales meeting. He has forty salespeople and he wants to give them professional sales training. Ask and get answers to 12 open-ended questions. Describe your capabilities based solely on his responses to these 12 questions. He comments, This sounds good How much will it cost us? Respond with, It depends. He responds, It depends on what? It depends on whether you want to include pre-meeting reading assignments, it also depends on the length of the training program, and it depends on how youre planning to reinforce the sales training after your National Sales Meeting. It also depends on your interest level in establishing a Learning Library for your sales team and it also depends on how you feel about specialized training (field coaching) for your sales managers. Closing the sale becomes a lot easier when you follow this approach. Never give anything without getting something in return. In essence, what must be done here is to say the price of the sales training depends on a bundle of other choices. Literally it says the price depends on the size of the bundle you buy. â€Å"The bigger your bundle the better your price† Doesnt that make a world of sense? Dont offer one price for one product. The more choices you offer, the higher your probability of achieving success. And besides, most people love choices it makes the entire decision-making process easier. IV – Tips On Adding Value Closing the sale is made easier when you add value that your prospects/customers can appreciate. This is so important. Wham Bam its very important. If you cant quantify the value there is no value. Its got to be in your mind before you can transfer it to the customers mind. 1. If you must discount, discount the value of something you’re willing to give away for free, but only after you have assigned a dollar value to it. For example: If you sell equipment and include training, technical service/support, training manuals, warrantees, and even some accessories; be sure you list these in your proposal as separate line items with the estimated value for each item. Add up the value for each item and add these words next to the total No Charge. Note that no one can question the value you place on a service you provide. Closing the sale and getting your price requires that you add substantial value. Other ways to add value before you attempt closing the sale: => Simplify your offer – use high-liters and post it notes to identify key parts of your proposal. => Use odd numbers. => Offer dollar discounts not % discounts. => Consider adding a personal bio in your proposal. This can create some unbelievable connections for you. Adding value is something most salespeople take for granted. â€Å"Like gee whiz’† the customer has eyes he should be able to see the value of my products and services. Sure they have eyes but they wont see the value unless you spell it out for them. Don’t make any assumptions about value. To hit a home run you have to quantify the value so that even a seven year old child can tell you what something is worth. When you put a price on your value, it allows you to put that value into your price. You have to put the value into your value – plain and simple. Dont even think about closing the sale until you put the value into your value. V – Timing Your Close When thinking about closing the sale, Timing is everything. Here is the secret. The best time to ask for the business is – as early as you can. Let’s use a medical analogy. When is the best time for a doctor to recommend a prescription or a surgical procedure? In this medical scenario the answer is rather obvious. The best time for the doctor to recommend a prescription, or if needed, a surgical procedure is once hes asked all of his questions, completed all of his testing, and evaluated all the results. When thats done he can then offer his medical solutions. Its the same way in sales sort of. Once youve asked all your questions, completed your homework, finished your sales presentation, added significant value its time to attempt closing the sale. In medicine, if you offer medicine and/or surgery before a thorough examination, you may be liable for medical malpractice. In sales, if you start talking about your product before your prospect has completed talking about his current situation you may be facing selling malpractice. When asking for the business be sure you know how to do it in a comfortable, confident, and conversational way. When youre trying to secure the business its no time to be stumbling and mumbling! VI – Un-procrastinating Procrastinators Closing the sale is extremely difficult when dealing with a procrastinator. Why do procrastinators procrastinate? Knowing the answer to this question can remove the obstacles when you try closing the sale. They procrastinate because they dont know what the next step is. If they don’t know what it is, they can’t take it. Its that simple! They don’t procrastinate intentionally. It’s just in their buying DNA. Here’s a great question to ask to help getting the ball rolling with all the procrastinators you encounter. The single best question to motivate procrastinators to take action is . . . What would have to happen for you to place an initial order of three units of our new XYZ product? The key words are What would have to happen. Insert whatever is appropriate for the situation after the phrase What would have to happen. This question works like magic. It literally forces the procrastinator to think what the next steps ought to be. He tells you what the steps are and at the same time he tells himself what the steps are. It may be the single best way to un-procrastinate procrastinators. VII Asking For The Business Here are five powerful ways to ask for the order. This is not complicated. In fact its easy. It takes preparation and practice. Only a little of both is required. Most people can sense strength and weakness in salespeople. To avoid projecting weakness you must prepare in advance how you will ask for the business. Walk in with your chin up, a smile on your face, and know exactly how you are going to ask for the business. Five easy and effective ways to use when closing the sale: You should never be thinking about how youre going to do this when youre sitting in your customers office. Your customer will sense weakness and you will get pounded on your price. Here are 5 alternatives to consider: 1. We seem to be in agreement, what would you like the next step to be? 2. If I could take care of that concern, would you order the product from us today? 3. It seems like youve made up your mind to do this. Is that right? 4. I suggest an initial order of three units what do you think? 5. Do you have any questions, or are you ready to take the next step? Seal the Deal Sales Techniques Can you close a sale in just seven seconds? You can do it faster if you use a sales technique to make a great first impression. Seven seconds is the average length of time you have to make a first impression. Whether your initial meeting is face-to-face, over the phone or via the Internet, you do not have time to waste. It pays for you to understand the sales technique of how people make their first judgment and what you can do to control the results. Learn the Non-verbal Sales Technique: When you meet someone face-to-face, 93% of how you are judged is based on non-verbal data your appearance and your body language. Only 7% is influenced by the words that you speak. A good sales technique is to remember people do judge a book by its cover. When your initial encounter is over the phone, 70% of how you are perceived is based on your tone of voice and 30% on your words. Its not what you say its the way you say it. Choose Your First 12 Words: Although research shows words make up a mere 7% of what people think of you in a one-on-one encounter, dont leave them to chance. Express some form of thank you when you meet the client. Perhaps, it is Thank you for taking your time to see me today or Thank you for joining me for lunch. Clients appreciate you when you appreciate them. Use Their Name Immediately: Another forgotten sales technique is to remember there is no sweeter sound than that of our own name. When you use the client’s name in conversation within your first twelve words and the first seven seconds, you are sending a message that you value that person and are focused on him. Nothing gets other peoples attention as effectively as calling them by name. Pay Attention to Your Hair: Your clients will. In fact, they will notice your hair and face first. Putting off that much-needed haircut or color job might cost you the deal. Dont let a bad hair day cost you the connection. Shiny Shoes Sales Technique: People will look from your face to your feet. If your shoes arent well maintained, the client will question whether you pay attention to other details. Shoes should be as polished as your sales technique. They may be the last thing you put on before you walk out the door, but they are often the first thing your client notices. Walk Fast: A faster walker can be perceived as important and energetic just the kind of person your clients want to do business with. Pick up the pace and walk with purpose if you want to impress. A Good Business Handshake: The business handshake is an essential selling technique to make a lasting impression. The first move you make when meeting your prospective client is to put out your hand. There isnt a businessperson anywhere who cant tell you that the good business handshake should be a firm one. Yet time and again people offer a limp hand to the client. Make Stylish Introductions: The proper introduction is a selling technique used by all sales masters. It does matter whose name you say first and what words you use when making introductions in business. Business etiquette is based on rank and hierarchy. Honor the senior or highest ranking person by saying their name first. When the client is present, he is always the most important person. Say the clients name first and introduce other people to the client. The correct words are Id like to introduce or Id like to introduce to you followed by the name of the other person. Always Have Business Cards: Your business cards and how you handle them contribute to your total image. Have a good supply of them with you at all times since you never know when and where you will encounter a potential client. How unimpressive is it to ask for a persons card and have them say, â€Å"Oh, Im sorry. I think I just gave my last one away. You get the feeling that this person has already met everyone he wants to know. Keep your business cards in a card case, protected from wear and tear. You will be able to find them without a lot of fumbling around, and they will always be in pristine condition. Use Proper Body Language: The best selling technique is a smile. It tells your clients you are glad to be with them. Eye contact says you are paying attention and are interested in what is being said. Leaning in toward the client makes you appear engaged and involved in the conversation. Use as many signals as you can express interest. Research Papers on Important Sales TechniquesRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaPETSTEL analysis of IndiaThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementThe Project Managment Office SystemOpen Architechture a white paperGenetic Engineering

To Make it in Journalism, Students Must Have a News Sense

To Make it in Journalism, Students Must Have a News Sense Usually, its a disturbing development when you start hearing voices inside your head. For journalists, the ability to not only hear but also heed such voices is a must. What am I talking about? Reporters must cultivate whats called a news sense or a nose for news, an instinctive feel for what constitutes a big story. For an experienced reporter, the news sense often manifests itself as a voice screaming inside his head whenever a big story breaks. This is important, the voice shouts. You need to move fast. I bring this up because developing a feel for what constitutes a big story is something many of my journalism students struggle with. How do I know this? Because I regularly give my students newswriting exercises in which there is typically an element, buried somewhere near the bottom, that makes an otherwise run-of-the-mill story page-one material. One example: In an exercise about a two-car collision, its mentioned in passing that the son of the local mayor was killed in the crash. For anyone whos spent more than five minutes in the news business, such a development would set alarm bells ringing. Yet many of my students seem immune to this compelling angle. They dutifully write up the piece with the death of the mayors son buried at the bottom of their story, exactly where it was in the original exercise. When I point out later that theyve whiffed - big-time - on the story, they often seem mystified. I have a theory about why so many j-school students today lack a news sense. I believe its because so few of them follow the news to begin with. Again, this is something Ive learned from experience. At the start of every semester I ask my students how many of them read a newspaper or news website everyday. Typically, only a third of the hands might go up, if that. (My next question is this: Why are you in a journalism class if you arent interested in the news?) Given that so few students read the news, I suppose its not surprising that so few have a nose for news. But such a sense is absolutely critical for anyone hoping to build a career in this business. Now, you can drill the factors that make something newsworthy into students - impact, loss of life, consequences and so on. Every semester I have my students read the relevant chapter in Melvin Menchers textbook, then quiz them on it. But at some point the development of a news sense must go beyond rote learning and be absorbed into a reporters body and soul. It must be instinctive, part of a journalists very being. But that wont happen if a student isnt excited about the news, because a news sense is really all about the adrenaline rush that anyone whos ever covered a big story knows so well. Its the feeling one MUST have if he or she is to be even a good reporter, much less a great one. In his memoir Growing Up, former New York Times writer Russell Baker recalls the time he and Scotty Reston, another legendary Times reporter, were leaving the newsroom to head out for lunch. Upon exiting the building they heard the wail of sirens up the street. Reston by then was already getting on in years, yet upon hearing the noise he was, Baker recalls, like a cub reporter in his teens, racing to the scene to see what was happening. Baker, on the other hand, realized that the sound didnt stir anything in him. At that moment he understood that his days as a breaking-news reporter were done. You wont make it as reporter if you dont develop a nose for news, if you dont hear that voice yelling inside your head. And that wont happen if youre not excited about the work itself.

How can rituals facilitate the Grieving after the funeral Essay

How can rituals facilitate the Grieving after the funeral - Essay Example And so, sooner or later a person dies and the people who love him or her, family, friends and colleagues, are faced with the difficult job of dealing with death and the grief and period of mourning that come with it. Hence, grief brought about by the loss of someone important in one’s life, is an emotion that is felt by almost everyone at least once in their lifetime. It is a universal phenomenon that is unique to man (Jeffreys, 2005b, p. 24). In this context, the grief being experienced is akin to bereavement, â€Å"the loss of a loved one through death† (Archer, 1991, p. 1). Because of this universal nature of grief and bereavement and the intensity that goes with it—with people experiencing it having a tendency to fall into deep depression—grief counseling and therapy have evolved as a useful science that aims to facilitate the completion of the grieving process and help survivors move on as grief is not something that can be handled by most with just one bout of crying or just a shrug indicating â€Å"that’s life.† With the emergence of grief counseling and therapy, grief theories have been reinvented and formulated in order to better understand the grieving process and so that grief therapists and counselors can also be more effective in helping survivors cope and move on. Although much has been written and said about grief, one thing is obvious; and that is, because it deals with human experience, it cannot be completely boxed into just one theory as it varies with each person and situation (Jeffreys, 2005b, p. 24). There are many factors that aid in the successful facilitation of the grieving process and discussing them all will constitute the writing of an entire volume. Hence, it is better to focus on one aspect that has been proven to be effective in easing survivors into the stages of the grieving process. Rituals, whether shared or

How Molecule's Structure affect the pKa Lab Report

How Molecule's Structure affect the pKa - Lab Report Example The lab report "How Molecule's Structure affect the pKa?" discusses a molecule's structure effect on the pKa of Its ground and excited States. The structure of a molecule is widely believed to have a considerable influence on the pKa of Its Ground and Excited States. This is particularly attributed to the energy relationships between the ground and excited states of various organic acids in both their deprotonated and protonated forms. According to many experts, the electronic structure of a molecule can determine both its physical and chemical properties as well as the potential charge distribution, ionization potential, geometry, electronic affinity and ultimately, chemical reactivity. In this regard, any change in the electronic structure of a molecule may be expected to alter the chemical or physical properties. Generally, this is what usually occurs when molecules are raised to an electronically excited state through the absorption of quantum light such as photons with an energy that matches the energy gap between the exited and ground states. 2-naphthol, also known as ÃŽ ²-naphthol or ArOH is a fluorescent, colorless and water-soluble solid that can effectively be used to help determine the potential energy relationships between the protonated and deprotonated forms of organic acids and their ground and excited states. The reagents that were used in the experiment included 1.0 M ammonium hydroxide buffer solution (NH4OH), 1.0 M ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) and 0.10 M hydrochloric acid (HCl).

Uprisings of Soviet Union Satellite Countries Essay

Uprisings of Soviet Union Satellite Countries - Essay Example In the 1960s Czechoslovakia, though still a satellite of the Soviet Union was starting to display a certain degree of independence from the Soviet Union. By early 1968, the reformers had gained sufficient strength in the political apparatus to install Ludvik Svoboda as President and Alexander Dubcek as head of the Communist Party. These two took Czechoslovakia onto a path of economic reforms and provided greater press and travel freedoms, and as a result, Czechoslovakia became the most liberal Communist state in the world, with the people enjoying the newly available freedoms. This state of affairs was not to remain for long, as this state of affairs in Czechoslovakia, was alarming to the Soviet Union. Through negotiations, an agreement was reached between Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union to slow down the pace of reforms in the country, in an attempt to reduce the alarm of the Soviet Union. However, on August 20, 1968, the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact countries of East Germany , Poland, Hungary, and Bulgaria struck with lightening speed and massive force, so that within a week there more than half a million of these forces spread all over Czechoslovakia. Against this massive military might, the people of Czechoslovakia responded not through military means, but through nonviolent resistance. The Soviets responded with political manipulation and economic pressure that saw the Czechoslovakian leadership gradually give way. The intense initial resistance against the Soviet Union slowly eroded to a disgruntled complacency.

Marketing and Distribution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Marketing and Distribution - Essay Example It aims to paint a positive image for its brand in its efforts to cultivate a favorable impression from the buying public. This display of responsible and ethical conduct gains goodwill from the consumers and the community directly affected by its production operation (Heath, 2005, 368). Secondly, Nescafe Plan is also a measure to enhance good relations between the company and its suppliers. Nescafe is communicating the message that it takes care of those it deals with, hence, assures loyalty and even hard work from the farmers in the process. This also goes to other suppliers of Nescafe and Nestle. There is a clear message that working for the organization is an opportunity. Suppliers and workers are not slaves but instead, they are treated as partners in growth. 3. Although the website does not have a comments section, there is a button that enables visitors to share the website in social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. In addition, a section is provided that contains comprehensive contact details, if visitors want more information or have questions. This approach tells about the intent to disseminate information and perhaps initiate public discussion indirectly, which could work in Nescafes favor as it may not be seen as a blatant marketing

Reaction paper Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reaction paper - Coursework Example Laws in different countries or legal systems are different from one another and comparative law is the study of differences and similarities between these laws. The comparison can be between two or more countries. Comparative law unlike is not a set of rules or law in itself but an approach or method to legal enquiry ((Hoffman and Rumsey 4). From the above understanding of the two laws comparative law would be best suited and more useful in understanding gender issues that International law. The reason for this is compares the laws in different countries and more importantly tries to find the source of the issue. Different countries have different ethnic backgrounds and hence have different gender perceptions. In such case the source of same gender issue in two different countries can be different. Hence, single binding resolution or law like international law in both countries would not be appropriate or right. In this comparative law approach would be best to understand these issues. International law can be used in cases of extreme gender inequality but for deeper gender issues comparative law would be

Marketing and Distribution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Marketing and Distribution - Essay Example It aims to paint a positive image for its brand in its efforts to cultivate a favorable impression from the buying public. This display of responsible and ethical conduct gains goodwill from the consumers and the community directly affected by its production operation (Heath, 2005, 368). Secondly, Nescafe Plan is also a measure to enhance good relations between the company and its suppliers. Nescafe is communicating the message that it takes care of those it deals with, hence, assures loyalty and even hard work from the farmers in the process. This also goes to other suppliers of Nescafe and Nestle. There is a clear message that working for the organization is an opportunity. Suppliers and workers are not slaves but instead, they are treated as partners in growth. 3. Although the website does not have a comments section, there is a button that enables visitors to share the website in social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. In addition, a section is provided that contains comprehensive contact details, if visitors want more information or have questions. This approach tells about the intent to disseminate information and perhaps initiate public discussion indirectly, which could work in Nescafes favor as it may not be seen as a blatant marketing

Evaluating an International HRM strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Evaluating an International HRM strategy - Essay Example Globalization is becoming a reality in the modern business world. Therefore, companies are responding positively to the increased globalization by exploring foreign markets. Many companies have become multinational companies because of their exhibited efforts in taking advantages of emerging markets in different regions. Human resource is of critical importance to companies in their venture of international expansion. Without the proper human resource management strategies, many of the expansion ventures are bound to fail. Human resource personnel are tasked with four critical functions, namely the staffing, performance management, administration, as well as change management. Therefore, human resource managers.International human resource management requires the human resource practitioners to give attention to aspects such as global workforce, international context, the national context, operational issues, strategic issues, competencies, and have projections for the future. During efforts of venturing into a new market, the human resource department needs to develop effective strategies of staffing the foreign subsidiary. The human resource department must balance competencies of the parent company and the foreign subsidiary. In cases whereby a company adopts a joint venture approach, international human resource management becomes very important. The supermarket industry requires competent staff who can deliver quality support services to promote customer satisfaction.

By The Time Macbeth Murders Duncan He Has Already Lost The Battle For His Soul Essay Example for Free

By The Time Macbeth Murders Duncan He Has Already Lost The Battle For His Soul Essay Introduction By the time Macbeth murders Duncan he has already lost the battle for his soul. In this essay I am going to discuss this statement and examine the factors that lead to his decision to kill the king. I shall divide the essay into 3 main parts, these are; 1. The battle for his soul 2. The factors which lead Macbeth to kill the king 3. Conclusion The Battle For His Soul This play was written for James 1 in 1606. Shakespeares children were now deceased and this had put him into a mood where he would only write tragic plays instead of the usual comedies. Shakespeare included the theme of witches for James 1 as he was into witchcraft and had even wrote a book about it. The target audience of Macbeth would have been a very superstitious Christian crowd. The King was believed to have been put on the throne by God, and to kill the King would be a great sin. The belief in the existence and power of witches was widely believed in Shakespeares day. The practice of witchcraft was seen to subvert the established order of religion and society, trying to corrupt people and making them sin against God. Witch hunting was a respectable, moral, and highly intellectual pursuit through much of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries. If someone lost their soul, they would be lost to God and would be condemned to hell for eternity. Here is a definition of a soul taken from the oxford dictionary; 1. A persons soul is the spiritual part of them that is supposed to continue after their body is dead. 2. Somebodys mind, character, thoughts or feelings. From the beginning of the play, Macbeth undergoes a complete change in character from a virtuous nobleman into a monster. He has a tragic weakness ambition which, when released, draws him into a web of evil and corruption that finally leaves him with none of the noble human qualities he possessed at the beginning of the play. Before being transformed into a murderous monster, Macbeth is a popular noble and also a good friend with the King. This is shown when Duncan calls him his worthiest cousin. He shows great loyalty and devotion to both King Duncan and his country in his fight against the Thane of Cawdor. Duncan is grateful for this. He says; I have begun to plant thee and will labour / To make thee full of growing. He also fights with great courage, which he draws from knowing that he serves a good and virtuous King. This is proved when he says; Duncan / Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been / So clear in his great office, that his virtues / Will plead like angels. He is modest when confronted with his achievements, in contrast to the arrogance that he displays after becoming king. He loves Lady Macbeth, an emotion he will eventually lose by the end of the play. Most of all, he fears what his greed and ambition can lead him to become, and he feels dubious about acting on them. When he kills the King he does it in cold blood, which shows his change after the incident with the witches. Macbeth doesnt want to kill the King but is convinced by Lady Macbeth that only good things will come from it. But just after he does kill the King, guilt overcomes him and he is left regretting the whole idea. This shows that he still wants Gods blessing. Also he says; But wherefore could I not pronounce Amen? / I had most need of the blessing and Amen / Stuck in my throat. At that time it was believed that if you could not say Amen, God would not bless you and you were doomed to eternal damnation. Ultimately he regrets killing the King. Here are some quotes that help to solidify this; I had most need of blessing I am afraid to think what I have done To know my deed, twere best not know myself Wake Duncan with thy knocking: I would thou couldst You should be thinking the obvious question: Why does Macbeth decide that he has to kill the King to become King? And, anyway, why is he not sufficiently happy with the high social position he occupies and the honoured status he has acquired among his peers? There is a very simplistic answer to this, and that is to say he is too inpatient and too ambitious. Both of these are sins and therefore Macbeth must be punished for them. As he believes that he is damned for eternity this breaks him down until he doesnt care or feel anymore. Banquo was also present when the witches predictions were made which makes Macbeth insecure. There are two reasons for this; 1. Banquos children will become Kings and 2. Banquo may suspect that Macbeth murdered Duncan. Macbeth is now in too deep to be repented for his sins and he knows this. To maintain his Kingship he decides to hire murderers to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance. This takes Macbeth beyond the murder of Duncan; it demonstrates that he will spare no one not even a close friend to secure his illegitimate kingship. He has turned his back on his closest companion and doesnt feel any guilt. This suggests that he has now become just as evil as the witches. Shortly after the murder of Banquo, the dead noble appears at Macbeths feast. The terror of seeing Banquos ghost makes Macbeth more paranoid and insecure than ever, which leads him to seek answers from the three Witches; And betimes I will to the weird sisters. / More shall they speak. For no I am bent to know / By the worst means, the worst This suggests that he still wants more and is still unhappy. He has tasted blood and now he wants more. He believes that he will lose his position as King unless he continues to kill. Eventually he has the blood of Duncan, Banquo, the two servants, Lady Macduff and her children on his hands. Blood is a very realistic image that helps people to relate blood and evil together. The Factors Which Lead Macbeth To Kill The King The witches play a vital role in Macbeths thinking about his own life, both before and after the murder of Duncan. Banquo and Macbeth recognize them as something supernatural, part of the landscape but not fully human inhabitants of it. They have malicious intentions and prophetic powers and yet they are not active agents. When I say active agents I mean that they dont do anything other than talk and offer answers. They have no power to compel. The most obvious interpretation of the witches is to see them as manifestations of evil in the world. They exist to tempt and torment people, to challenge their faith in themselves and their society. Act 1 scene 3 suggests that the witches have power but not enough to kill. This is shown when they are talking among themselves about a woman who would not give one of the witches a chestnut. The witch tells her sisters that she will make the winds blow strongly against her husbands ship. They work on Macbeth by equivocation, that is, by ambiguous promises of some future state. These promises come true, but not in the way that the victim originally believed. Macbeth takes his first step toward losing his soul when he is confronted with the knowledge that he will be king. The witches tell him; All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be King thereafter! When they say this he makes the mistake of letting his ambition overrule his judgment. If his judgment had remained intact in the face of the witches powerful prophecy, he certainly would have decided not to let his actions be dictated by a prophecy given to him by three strange witches who evade most of the questions he asks. The witches, appeal to what Macbeth wants to believe. They dont make him believe it and they do not tell him what to do in order to achieve what they prophesise. They say nothing about killing Duncan (or anyone else). In that sense, they cannot be the origin of the idea of the murder. They may be appealing to that idea, but they do not create it. The witches are said to be able to take possession of people and make them do wrong. This, seeing visions and going into trances are signs of this. The later two of these are shown, the second when Macbeth sees the ghostly dagger before he kills Duncan and the third, when he is described as rapt. These witches exist as constant reminders of the potential for evil in the human imagination. They are ineluctably part of the natural world, there to seduce anyone who, like Macbeth, lets his imagination flirt with evil possibilities. They have no particular abode and might pop up anywhere, momentarily, ready to incite an eternal desire for evil in the human imagination, the evil which arises from a desire to violate our fellow human beings in order to shape the world to our own deep emotional needs. Guilt plays a strong role in motivating Macbeth, and causes Lady Macbeth to go insane, until she commits suicide. Throughout the story, there are many different types of guilty feelings that play a role in Macbeths fatal decisions and bring Lady Macbeth to commit suicide. Although there are many instances that show the power guilt has played on the main characters, there are three examples that show this the best. One is, just after the murder of King, Duncan. Guilt overcomes Macbeth where he can no longer think straight. A second example is soon after that, where all the guilt Macbeth feels at first, changes into hate after he decides that Banquo must be killed as well. The last example is just about at the end of the play, when we see Lady Macbeth sleepwalking, and then later committing suicide; this all because of the burden of her guilt. All of these examples build the proof that in this play, guilt plays a very large role in the characters lives. Perhaps one of the strongest evidences that show guilt, is how it affected Lady Macbeth. Act 5 begins by re-entering Lady Macbeth; this time though, she is not at all the woman we were first introduced to. It begins with a discussion between a doctor and a servant about the failing health of the lady herself. Lady Macbeth enters sleepwalking. She starts to rub her arms, in a washing motion and says; Out damned spot! Out, I say! She also says; Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him? The word blood, is really a image that we can use for the enormous guilt she feels and her action, in trying to get rid of the guilt by washing and rubbing it away. In the second quote, the old man represents, King Duncan. Her sleepwalking continues as she talks about the death of Lady Macduff; The thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now? / What, will these hands neer be clean? After the continuous rubbing motion, Lady Macbeth cries out; Heres the smell of blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. She realises that nothing could ever get rid of the smell of the blood and the guilt caused by all the murders committed by Macbeth. Its also shown here that she feels fully responsible for every person killed by her husband. Just several scenes later, Lady Macbeth commits suicide. The reason was just a build up of all the guilt. Another big influence on Macbeth is Lady Macbeth. She puts considerable pressure on Macbeth and he is eventually persuaded to commit the murder of King Duncan. Driven by Lady Macbeth, he then orders the assassination of Banquo and Fleance and of Lady Macduff and her son. The attempted murders of Fleance and Lady Macbeths son make it clear that Macbeth has no problems about killing the innocent. Being so deeply immersed in murder and death takes away his ability to feel; when Lady Macbeth dies, he reacts only by musing that; She should have died hereafter. One of the chief functions of Lady Macbeth in the early part of the play is to keep the vision of Kingship alive within Macbeth by any means at her disposal. She taunts him to act on his desires. What she is saying, in effect, is that he must not let his conscience stand in the way of his desires. Part of her tactics with Macbeth is to urge him to be more of a man. She identifies him as something unmanly. Lady Macbeth should not be blamed for the actions of Macbeth. He freely chooses to kill Duncan in response to his own deepest desires. Neither his wife nor the witches compel him to do what he does, and he is free at any time to refuse to carry out the murder or, having carried it out, to seek out various courses of new action. But his decision to carry out the deed is marked by his, perhaps evil mind. In a way, Macbeth is never entirely satisfied with what he needs to do to become king or what he really wants to do. After the murder of Duncan Lady Macbeth has thought that a little water and a few lies will clear them, but she cannot evade the psychological consequences of what she has encouraged Macbeth to do. She lacks his will power, his determination to continue, and his ability to withstand the inner torment. And so as he becomes more and more determined to keep killing his way to some final solution, she falls apart. This begins with her fainting spell as soon as the news of Duncans death becomes public, continues in her anxious fussing before and after the banquet scene, reaches its clearest expression in her sleepwalking, and concludes in her suicide. This lack of inner will to confront the consequences of her and Macbeths actions makes her story one without the tragic significance of her husbands. The phrase lack of inner will in the last paragraph is not meant to indicate some limitation in Lady Macbeth. She had thought that she could unsex herself, push away any of her deepest feelings about the love of others, and become a pure agent of destruction. So long as the murders have not started, she plays that role with great rhetorical effectiveness (especially in her taunts about Macbeths manhood). In a way her reference to Duncan looking like her father does take on an important resonance. Whats particularly noticeable, too, is the way in which, following the murder of Duncan, their relationship becomes divided. We have every reason to believe that before Duncans murder, they are very close. Certainly Macbeth shares all his thoughts and feelings with her, and she speaks to him about what her deepest thoughts are even if it is to defy Gods decision. They are at first a very close and loving couple but as more people are being killed by Macbeth (who mostly keeps them to himself and doesnt involve Lady Macbeth) Lady Macbeth is falling apart and being unable to cope with the guilt she commits suicide.

Economic Situation Malaysians Attitudes Towards Private Label Brands Marketing Essay

Economic Situation Malaysians Attitudes Towards Private Label Brands Marketing Essay The term of Globalisation is a very common word in business world. Many businessmen are trying hard to market their product to other countries. Globalisation becomes an important issue in the world today and eventually it leads to the increasing number of competitors among retailers by doing trade globally. In order to become an outstanding firm from other retailers, established a competitive advantage is an important criterion for any competitive strategy (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010). Retailers use different methods to achieve competitive advantage. The most important elements of retails branding is private label brands (Glynn and Chen, 2009). According to Levy (2009), it is easy to find out that private label brands available in almost every retail product category and it is one of the competitive strategies that retailers used to achieve competitive advantage. Private label brands have reached another level in the appearance of many products categories such as grocery, household che micals, clothing and cosmetics (Veloutsou et al., 2004). Private label brands can be a crucial component of competitive advantage especially in an economic recession (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010). Economic downturn will lead to the changes in shopping patterns. Private label brands are products that are produced by retailers and sold under the retailers own name through their own retail outlets (Baltas, 1997). Private label brands have grown in many countries and product categories in the last few decades (Connor et al., 1996). According to Lupton et al. (2010), private label brands have established their market in the United Stated and Europe in the past few decades. The consumers tend to perceive private label brands as a substitute or choices to the national brands (Lupton et al., 2010). Private label brands have built their own markets and becoming more popular among the consumers in the world (AC Nielsen, 2006). According to Morris (2002), the most successful retailer has more private label branding strategies and the retailer is normally the stronger firm. Retailers with strong private label brands will have better financial results (Morris, 2002). Malaysia, as a middle income country and one of the most developed in the developing countries, has transformed itself from a producer of raw materials into a multi-sector economy (Economy Watch, 2011). According to Economy Watch (2011), the population of Malaysia is 28.713 Million. In the following year, 2012, population of Malaysia will be 29.20 Million, which is more than the figure in year 2011 (Economy Watch, 2011). The increasing of population in Malaysia will encourage the development of retailing and will boost up the purchasing power of goods. Yelkur (2000) found that the success of private label brands is varied from different nations, such as in the United Kingdom, private label brands have successfully gain a large portion of grocery sales, but in the United States the proportion of purchasing private label brands is relatively low if compare to branded products. Developing countries are being exposed to private label brands and are becoming more aware of their benefits ( Collins and Bone, 2008). According to Collins and Bone (2008), the growth of private label brands in developing countries, such as Malaysia, is still remaining low. Private label brands continue to steadily increase their share in the marketplace. According to A.C. Nielsen (2005), the private label share of refrigerated food is 32%, paper plastic is 31%, frozen food is 25%, cosmetics is 23%, pet food is 21%, health care is 14%, non-Alcoholic beverages is 12%, snack is 9%, personal care is 3% and others. There are few hypermarkets in Malaysia selling their private label product, such as Giant, Carrefour, Tesco and Tesco Extra (A.C. Nielsen, 2010). These hypermarkets provide their private label brands in many product categories. For example, Tesco offers Tesco Finest as their private label brands (Morris, 2004). This Tesco Finest private label brands has include the product category of non-Alcoholic beverages. Morris (2004) mentioned that the strong private label brands in Tesco have became the key elements of Tescos success. Tescos private label brands generate 55% of the total sales in year 2004 (Morris, 2004). Apart than that, even though there is an amount of studies on private label brands, there is no specific research based on the Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. Nowadays, retailers own brand becomes an alternative of consumers. According to Veloutsou et al. (2004), consumers have their own perception on different brand of products, each of the products has its special features or characteristics and it will affect the purchasing behaviour of consumers. Retailers need to understand what are the main factors affecting Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands in order to attract and convince more customers stick to the own brands (Goldsmith et al., 2010). The factors affecting Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands include consumers perceived benefits (Chaniotakis, 2010), price (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010), social influences (Nelson and McLeod, 2005) and economic situation (Chaniotakis, 2010). In a recent study of private label brands (Richardson et al., 1996), some influences such as economic and psychological factors bring the effect to the purchasing rate of private label brands. Malaysian is a country comprises of many races. The three major races in Malaysia are Malay, Chinese, and Indian. Different culture will cause different people have different perception towards private label brands. This research is focusing on the factors affecting Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. The factors that will be look into are consumers perceived benefits, price, social influences and economic situation. Last but not least, it can lead us to have a better understanding toward the issue of private label brands in Malaysia. The Background of Study There are a few previous studies that focusing on the topic of private label brands in many countries, such as a scale for measuring attitude towards private label products and examination of its psychological and behavioural correlates (Burton et al., 1998), an investigation of the new generic consumer (Herstein and Tifferet, 2007), consumer behaviour towards own label monitoring the Greek experience (Boutsouki et al., 2008) and consumers perception of generic products a Mexican study (Yelkur, 2000). The definition of attitudes towards private label brands is a predisposition to respond in a positive way to private label brands and the consumer will purchase the private label brands in a more favourable way. (Burton et al., 1998) The Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1991) which focusing on the research of attitude-behaviour consistency can explain the positive attitude of consumers who has good perception towards the brands when they are making their decision on purchase. The rate of adoption of private label brands is not the same in all the nations (Veloutsou et al., 2004). According to A.C. Nielsen (2010), the private label brands are still not famous in all Asian markets, but only Hong Kong having a share above 5%. Private label brands of sales increased in a few countries in year 2009 compared to year 2008, but it still remains less than 5%, except of Hong Kong (A.C. Nielsen, 2010). In a recent study of retail and shopper trends, A.C. Nielsen (2010) mentioned that Malaysia has only a share of 2.3% in private label brands, Singapore has only a share of 2.8% and Thailand has a share of 1.8%. The growing of private label brands in Asian markets has to depend on how much the retailers are willing to invest in the private label brands. Retailers have to focus on the development of products and also the quality of products in order to gain a better position in the current market (A.C. Nielsen, 2010). According to the Private Label Manufacturers Association (2010), it showed that 91% of the respondents will still buying private label brands after the economic downturn and they believe that the private label brands are just good and same quality with the branded products. The promotion and packaging of the private label brands is often similar to the branded products (Putsis and Dhar, 2001). Problem Statement According to Hernon and Metoyer-Duran (1993), problem statement must be precise and it contains the need for the study. The problem statement for this research is the factor that will affect Malaysians attitudes on buying branded products or private label brands. There are some researches being conducted to find out the factors that affect the consumers intention to buy private label brands (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010), the attribute that affect the consumers intentions of buying own-label premium food products (Chaniotakis et al., 2010) and consumer attitudes and loyalty towards private brands ( Goldsmith et al., 2010). The globalization of business creates a lot of opportunities to the retailers and it also brings a lot of competitors to them. In this emerging world, establishing a competitive advantage is the main purpose of every competitive strategy while doing the business globally (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010). Some retailers have low store-operating cost, some have efficient supply chain management and some have a large number of loyal customers (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010). Therefore, hypermarkets tend to make some changes in order to attract new customers or to meet their existing customers needs. To become outstanding among all the other competitors, retailers must have some unique products or services to attract more customers. Furthermore, the technology advancement has altered the media habits from the traditional advertising method, such as billboard, to some new advertising techniques, such as product placement, in order to reach younger generation (Nelson and McLeod, 2005). Those hypermarkets required to catch up with all these changes on media habits in order to attract more customers. Besides, due to the advance technologies, people prefer to go online shopping rather than shopping in the hypermarkets. They can purchase anything online through some website, such as amazon.com. This research not only expects that the price will be the major factor that affect Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands, but also some other factors that will bring effect on the attitudes of consumer in Malaysia towards private label brands. Some of the consumers are willing to pay more for a branded product in order to obtain higher quality than paying a less money for a private label brand (Tse, 2001). So, it is very important for this study to find out what are the major factors that determine the attitudes of Malaysian towards private label brands. Objectives of Study The objectives of the research are: To examine the relationship between consumers perceived benefits and Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. To identify the relationship between price and Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. To examine the relationship between social influences and Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. To identify the relationship between economic situation and Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. The Scope of Study In every research, there are independent variables and dependent variable. The dependent variable in this research is Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. The attitude of Malaysian is important as they are contributing the response in this research. The independent variables in this study are consumers perceived benefits, price, social influences and economic situation. The coverage of this research is on Malaysian. This is because there already have a few studies that focusing on other nations but there are no research are doing based on the Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. Besides, Malaysian seems to be likely increased their purchasing rate of private label brands in hypermarkets in these few years. Grocery sales in private label brands in Malaysia are rising. The respondents who participate in this survey are those who used or bought any private label brands before. Only 150 Malaysian will be selected to contribute their response to this research. The author will develop a questionnaire with the different types and forms of questions, such as closed questions and negatively worded questions. By using the method of questionnaires, the attitude of the respondents will be shown. Hence, after finding out the relationship between the major factors and Malaysians attitude towards private label brands, it will give us a better understanding about the current consumer trend of buying private label brands in Malaysia. It helps the retailers to know which of the factor has the major influence on the peoples intentions of purchasing private label brands. Furthermore, the retailers can help them to find out what factors affecting them from losing their market share, so that they can do some analysis based on the results and make some improvement and changes. Respondents can also benefits from this research too. They can broaden their knowledge toward the topic of private label brands. They can also know better about the current market trends and the main factor that determines their attitude towards private label brands. Then, by knowing the factors that affecting Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands, the government can earn more income due to the increasing sell of private label brands. Besides, the government should implement some policy to help the private label brands in order to protect them from the competition of branded and national products. Lastly, it will make contribution to the Malaysias economy because it will help the local retailers to know which factors affecting their customer on choosing private label brands, therefore, they can make slightly changes and it will lead to the increasing number of sales. By the increasing number of sales, it will definitely lead to a rise in GDP. Definition for the Key Terms Attributes Definition Sources Private Label Brands Products that are produced by retailers and sold under the retailers own name through their own retail outlets Baltas (1997) Perceived benefits The degree to which a fulfilment of expectations when choosing private label brands. Veloutsou, Gioulistanis and Moutinho (2004) Price A monetary value when the consumer wants to exchange it with the goods or services provided by the sellers or producers. Nagle and Holden (2002) Social Influences The degree to which learning the skills, knowledge and attitudes relevant for consumption from media, parents and peers. Nelson and Mcleod (2005) Economic Situation The economic conditions that will lead the retailers to enrich the range of private label offerings. Chaniotakis, Lymperopoulos and Soureli (2010) Organization Structure There are total five chapters in this research. The structure of the study is organized as following. Chapter 1 is about the introduction, the author will start by the background of this study. Besides, the author will briefly explain why this research is important, what factors will affect the Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands, history of private label brands, rules and regulations towards private label brands in Malaysia, problem statements, research objectives and contribution of this study. This part will have an overview of the research. Chapter 2 is literature review that discusses the factors that affect the attitudes of Malaysian towards private label brands. In the beginning, the definition of the theory and interest of study are introduces. Then, the author will explain each of the variables that affecting Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. The author was reviewed the previous study to make the analysis of each variables. Chapter 3 is research methodology. In this part, it describes how the author collects information and finalizes the data. It will also explain what method will be used to conduct this research. The author defines the research framework, develops hypothesis, develops questionnaires, explain how the author undergo pilot study, chooses convenient sampling as the sampling method, and introduces the target size. Furthermore, data collection method and data analysis will be presented. Conclusion This chapter will give us some briefing about this research. Let us know about why this research is important and why this research is needed to be conducted. One of the reasons is that we can know the consumer purchasing trend in the current market after the completion of this research. Then, this study will make a huge contribution to the retailer who are selling or planning to sell private label brands. They can further know about how the consumers think and their attitudes towards private label brands in Malaysia. We can also know which variable has more powerful to affect the Malaysians intention to buy private label brands. This will have an impact on the economy of Malaysia too. Last but not least, we can also have better understanding towards the key terms that affect the Malaysians attitudes on private label brands. Besides, it will give us a clear picture for the structure of this research.

Hotelling The Wave of the Future :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Hotelling The Wave of the Future Throughout the years technology has made huge impacts on the way business conducts itself. From the internet and cellular technology to laptops, communication has become accessible wherever one might be. Those who have benefited most from such technology are those who spend most of their time out of the office. However, the question is this: If technology enables employees to communicate and accomplish the tasks necessary to complete one’s work outside the workplace, then why aren’t corporations jumping at the idea? Corporations are always looking at ways to cut costs. Having an employee work from home reduces office overhead. Corporations need to attain a level of culture that can only be absorbed when working at the business place. So how can corporations cut office overhead costs while trying to maintain growth, information sharing and a level of culture? Is it possible to implement such system? Accountants, who are not known for their ingenious technologica l creations, have contributed to technology by implementing a system where information sharing is enhanced and space is utilized more efficiently. For the most part ‘hotelling’ is more of a cost saving technique than a technological advance. However, the technology used, ensures that information sharing is not reduced or lost due to space utilization. Hotelling may be the new wave of the future, however communicating this to employees may be more difficult than anticipated because of some of the social elements that will be disrupted by installing the new system. Hotelling does have its downfalls, but the benefits certainly exceed the costs for any organization willing to install such a system. With the increase of communication devices such as intranets, cell phones, laptops, modems, emails, and voicemails, accountants have more mobility as to where they can do their work. This is extremely beneficial to those accountants who spend most of their time at the client’s workplace. Most of their larger clients populate the downtown core of major cities. Therefore, for most accounting practices, it is logical to have their main offices also situated in the downtown core. The big issue revolving the practice is the fact that being situated downtown gets extremely expensive, especially for a line of business where the employees occupy the office less than half of the time.