Country Profiles Malaysia and Indonesia

There are two emerging economies in Asia and these are Malaysia and Indonesia. Aside from the rhyming names there are many similarities that make it interesting to compare both countries. These two countries experienced hardships as a result of being under foreign domination. But the most impressive achievements of its people and political leaders is the creation of a new reality – one that is slowly erasing the stigma of poverty and transforming how they are being perceived by the international community.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Country Profiles: Malaysia and Indonesia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Country Profile: Malaysia Malaysia is a melting pot of culture because it is multi-ethnic like many of its Asian neighbours. It is also a multi-religious society and yet it must be pointed out that it is a Muslim nation because majority of its population adheres to Islam. At the same time a powerful Chinese community makes up the other part of the power structure in this country. From a geographical standpoint, the country is comprised of two regions and from a geopolitical standpoint â€Å"a federation of 13 states and three federal authorities† (World Factbook, 2011, p.1). It has now become a key tourist destination in Asia. This is due to the existence of tourist spots such as excellent beaches offering water sports and breathtaking sceneries. Sixty percent of the population are ethnic Malays while twenty six percent are comprised of Chinese. The rest are Indians and other indigenous peoples (Richmond, 2007, p.45). The Gross Domestic Product per capita is $14,700 (World Factbook, 2011, p.1). The GDP composition be sector is listed as follows: a) agriculture 9.1%; b) industry 41.6%; and c) services 49.3% (World Factbook, 2011, p.1). The Malays dominate the political realm while the Chinese control the business realm. The Indians on the other hand are the poorest in the country. It is important to point out that â€Å"the United Kingdom is Malaysia’s largest market in Europe and comparatively speaking, Malaysia is the UK’s second largest market for goods in South East Asia, after Singapore† (Foreign Commonwealth Office, 2011, p.1). This is not surprising because the United Kingdom has been a leading investor in Malaysia. The cumulative investment made in the last thirty years is estimated to be over  £20 billion (Foreign Commonwealth Office, 2011, p.1). The focus of UK Trade and Investment are in education, oil and gas, and defence (Foreign Commonwealth Office, 2011, p.1). The success of Malaysia can be attributed to its trade and investments.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Although huge sums of money are coming in from the UK, the flow of investment flows in two directions because Malaysia is also investing in t he UK. There are at least eighteen Malaysian companies that are listed on the London Stock Exchange. Malaysian companies have controlling interest in Wessex Water; Lotus; Laura Ashley and the Corus hotel chain to name a few (Foreign Commonwealth Office, 2011, p.1). Malaysia is slowly emerging as a dominant economic force in Asia. Country Profile: Indonesia The economic status of the population is diverse ranging from â€Å"rural hunter-gatherers to modern urban elite† (BBC News, 2011, p.1). From a geographical standpoint Indonesia is comprised of thousands of islands big and small that are straddled in between Thailand and Australia. It is a hot and humid country and the terrain is mostly coastal lowlands and the relative size of the country is comparable to Texas (World Factbook, 2011, p.1). The size of the country, its archipelagic nature, and its ethnical diversity can explain the difficulty of managing the nation and uniting the people towards a common goal. In the decad e of the 70’s General Suharto became the nation’s tyrannical ruler. The economic development of Indonesia was based on how Suharto distributed largesse to his family and supporters (Vickers, 2005, p.169). Another problematic aspect of Suharto’s rule is his insistence of army involvement. After Suharto’s ouster from power, the nation and its people began the painful and slow rebuilding process. The country’s new political leaders had to leverage its vast natural resources to improve its economic condition. This nation has â€Å"weathered the global financial crisis because of its heavy reliance on domestic consumption as the driver of economic growth† (BBC News, 2011, p.1). Indonesia’s Gross Domestic Product per capita is $4,200 (World Factbook, 2011, p.1). The GDP composition by sector on the other hand is listed as follows: a) agriculture 16.5%; b) 46.4%; and c) services 37.1% (World Factbook, 2011, p.1). Indonesia enjoy better stand ing than its neighbour Thailand but it is not at par yet with Malaysia and could not be compared to its second closest neighbour Australia in terms of economic prosperity. Nevertheless, the marked improvement of Indonesia over the past decades is an achievement in itself considering the problems it faced in the past. The economy has stabilised due to reforms. As a result real GDP has grown by 6.1% in 2008 and is considered the fastest rate since the Asian financial crisis (Foreign Commonwealth Office, 2011, p.1).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Country Profiles: Malaysia and Indonesia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Indonesia could have gone to the next level and pave the way to become an economic force like Singapore and Malaysia but because of poor infrastructure, a complex regulatory environment and corruption, it underperforms. Foreign investments are not as robust as Malaysia and therefore economic growth is unnecessarily hampered. Comparison In the past Malaysia struggled to maintain stability. A country ravaged by foreign domination and weakened by decades of internal turmoil. However, in the present time many have acknowledged that this Asian nation is one of the most vibrant economies in the East. It is due to decades of industrial growth and the careful management of astute politicians. It is a success story that keeps on surprising many international observers. For the good of the Malaysian people and the Asian region, the positive trend must continue. It is comparable to Indonesia because while Malaysia was ruled by British, Indonesia on the other hand was dominated by the Dutch for many centuries. At the same both countries experienced the same thing after wrestling independence from foreign overlords – both countries were ruled for many decades by a dictator. In the case of Indonesia General Suharto came to power in 1965 and reluctantly relinquished it only in 1998. The most problematic aspect of Suharto’s rule is his insistence of army involvement in all levels of government that has resulted in corruption (BBC News, 2011, p.1). The forced evacuation of people fostered conflict. Nevertheless, Suharto did something right by allow technocrats to run the economy and therefore ensuring modest economic success. Another important criterion for comparison is the fact that both countries are known to be Muslim nations. But Malaysia managed to control the rise of extremists while Indonesia has become a playground for Islamic terrorists. In 2002 for instance a massive bomb went on in Bali, Indonesia, a world class resort frequented by many Westerners. This event tarnished the reputation of Indonesia and it can be argued that the government’s inability to curb terrorist activities is a major hindrance to their continued growth. It is therefore important to study Malaysia and how it was able to maintain an image of stability and peace even i f it is also a nation with a significant Muslim population. Another important criterion for comparison is the utilisation of natural and human resources to foster economic growth. Malaysia is an exporter of electronics; oil and gas; and palm oil and rubber. Indonesia on the other hand, exports agricultural products such as rice and cassava. One revealing point of comparison is the oil reserves and the capacity to export crude oil.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The proven oil reserves of Indonesia are 4.05 billion barrels as of 2010 estimates. ts oil exports are a modest 322,000 barrels per day as of 2009 estimates. Consider for a fact that Malaysia’s proven oil reserves is lesser at 2.9 billion barrels as of 2010 estimates. However, its oil exports are higher at 511,900 barrels per day as of 2007 estimates. This means that Indonesia can boast significant amounts of natural resources and yet it is unable to efficiently harness them. There is a big difference in the way both countries are being managed. Nevertheless, the economic reforms and financial success of the two countries cannot be denied especially if compared to Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. One possible clue to the emergence of these two economic powers in Asia is the fact that both countries succeeded in weaning their respective economies from overdependence on agricultural exports. It can be argued that more money can be made in other pursuits. It is therefore important to discover that the GDP composition per sector of the Malaysia and Indonesia are quite similar. Malaysia’s GDP in the agriculture sector is 9.1% while Indonesia is 16.5%. Malaysia’s GDP in the industry sector is 41.6% while Indonesia is 46.4%. Malaysia’s GDP in the service sector is 49.3% while Indonesia is 48.9%. This is clear evidence that both countries are serious in changing their economic make-up and investing more in industrialisation and preparing its people to compete in a highly global world. But Malaysia is farther ahead in the field; consider for instance that the HDI for Malaysia is 57 while Indonesia is 108 (United Nations Development Programme, 2011, p.1). Conclusion There is a good reason to compare Malaysia and Indonesia. Both countries have similar economic backgrounds being dominated by foreign overlords and suffered under the hands of a dictator. However, the political leaders were able to turn the economy around after they earned their inde pendence. Indonesia was mismanaged more badly than Malaysia. Thus, it may explain why the economic development lags behind that of Malaysia. The political leaders in both countries succeed in developing an economy that is not dependent on imports. The best example is the use of their oil reserves to fuel the energy needs of the nation. At the same time both countries succeeded in industrialising the economy so that Malaysia and Indonesia are gearing towards a service oriented economy. References BBC News. (2011). Indonesia Country Profile. BBC News. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/country_profiles/1260544.stm BBC News. (2011). Malaysia Country Profile. BBC News. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1304569.stm Foreign Commonwealth Office. (2011). Asia and Oceania. Foreign Commonwealth Office. Retrieved from http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/country-profile/asia-oceania/indonesia/?profile=economy Richmond, S. (2007). Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. London: Lonely Planet. United Nations Development Programme. (2011). International Human Development Indicators: Malaysia. Retrieved from http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/MYS.html United Nations Development Programme. (2011). International Human Development Indicators: Indonesia. Retrieved from http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/IDN.html Vickers, A. (2005). A History of Modern Indonesia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. World Factbook. (2011). Indonesia. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/id.html World Factbook. (2011). Malaysia. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/id.html This essay on Country Profiles: Malaysia and Indonesia was written and submitted by user Hayes Ramirez to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Sound And The Fury

The Sound And The Fury In the book the Sound and the Fury, the author, William faulkner uses his lack of femine presence in his earlier life. For example, he grew up with three older brothers and no sisters, and when he got married, his first child, whom he named Alabama, was born premature and died very soon after birth. Heartbroken, Faulkner turned to his writing and poured all of his anguish into his novel the Sound and the Fury, which was later hailed as the greatest novel he had ever written. All of his love was poured into one Character. That character was named Caddy Compson. And although Caddy she turned out to be a bad person, had an illigitimate child, and was married and divorced several times, Faulkner would not allow the reader to hate her. Always, Faulkner would place in the reader's heart, a tenderness and love that no other character would give to you.The sound and the fury

Writing an evaluative essay about the experience

Writing an evaluative about the experience - Essay Example The play begins with the appearance of the three witches where they meet the two generals Banquo, Macbeth. We later find that the heinous crimes committed by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have affected their psyche. Lady Macbeth is seen suffering from sleep walking malady and finally she kills herself. Macbeth is left alone to fight with the enemies after he has been crowned the King of Scotland. The play ends with the death of Macbeth. He is beheaded (Shakespeare, Gill). I have analyzed the play based on- The program note informed that the director designed the theme based on a 16th century mandala, which was present at the backdrop of the play. The play was spectacular. The supernatural scenes, which were played by three men, were exquisite. The witches looked perfect in their black gory dressed with their accompanying high-pitched voices. The dresses of the actors looked perfectly of the Elizabethan period. The dim lights and the shadowy backdrop reinforced the effect of darkness and mystery that portrayed though out the play. To enhance their effect the witches were dressed in rotting costumes, which were types of shrouds. The porter scene was also very symbolic. The drunken porter went on rambling about the inner hell of Macbeth’s castle. His drunken yet appropriate metaphors not only enhanced the plays but also lifted to another level. The sleepwalking scene of Lady Macbeth is also nerve chilling because it shows the complete disintegration of her psyche. It is seen that she tells to herself that not all the perfumes of Arabia would sweeten her hand. By this she means that the crimes that were committed by these hands could not wash away and the heinous deeds were as if smelling even after they had been washed away repeatedly. The doctor informs later the audience that she used to keep on washing her hands. We

Tax Law Research Worksheet Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tax Law Worksheet - Research Paper Example Rulings in agreement with administrative rules together with court rulings permit for the formation of public agencies that regulate and govern statutes and judicial decisions. The purpose of these administrative agencies aid in administering rulings that are being geared towards implementation of the duties and powers of the laws stipulated. Additionally, it prevents against impunity regarding the violation of laws and regulations enforced by these administrative agencies. Administrative rulings and court cases have helped in the design of a system of checks and balances that aims to minimize the risks of bureaucracy (Tax Law, 2003). In many occasions, there has been inconsistencies and conflict about court rulings. If I had a choice to choose the judgment to go with, then I would rely on the hierarchical rule between the two court rulings. The hierarchical rule will dictate the case ruling that will dominate over the other and that is the position I will take. It is because a court case ruling based on the internal revenue code will always prevail over a case ruling basing on other tax law. It is because the code is supreme over the other tax laws (Tax Law, 2003). It is possible to use timing strategies to have an impact (AGI) Adjusted Gross Income deductions, tax credits, itemized deductions and dependency exceptions. It is possible by strategically timing when the year ends. It means that there will be less uncertainty to the short-term viewpoint for tax law as opposed to the beginning of the next year. With this brief tax reprieve comes the opportunity to form a tax saving plan that is sound. It is essential to time strategically the moment to implement the plan. For example, one can reap benefits on tax retirement savings by making a maximum amount allowable at the end of every year. On the other hand, income shifting strategies impacts or alters these deductions by reducing the central income tax

New Look Is Privately Owned Fashion Retail Company Marketing Essay

New Look Is Privately Owned Fashion Retail Company Marketing Essay For this Report it was requested to analyze the company New Look. To recognise the key issues those have an influence on the company to perform to its best, and to make recommendations for these. As a group tasks were divided; each person was assigned to analyze an influential issue and make recommendations for the information it had gathered. For the recommendations to be pleasing and realistic research had to be done. Resources such as: the internet, the companys website, website electronic resources, books, magazines, and general knowledge. For proof measures references were added for realistic purposes and avoid plagiarism. After finding the key issue an in-depth analysis of internal and external environment were conducted in which the New Look was operating. On doing the analysis next step was to decide the strategy options for resolving the issue faced by New Look. The major findings found in this case study based on the questions were: the standardised approach New Look as a company uses and whether it worked well. This research was carried out by analyzing reports and articles based on the strategy. It was found that the strategy worked well so far. Other factors are like the acceptance of New Look into developing countries such as India and the reason behind the frequent targeting from Non-tariff barriers. The organization is lacking knowledge on recognizing the number and nature of competitors in the fashion retail industry which could affect, directly or indirectly, business in the future in the form of decrease in revenues and closure of outlets. Research was done to understand adaptation of Polycentric approach in emerging economies. In the report success was achieved by finding the issue, analysing it and then giving the recommendations on it. All the findings and research conducted has been put in systematically in this report. INTRODUCTION Background New Look is a privately owned UK based Fashion retail company, and offers clothing, footwear, and accessories for men women. The company started its operation in 1969, and opened its first store in Taunton, UK and in 1988 its also spread its wings and entered French market and in 1995 opened its first store in Scotland. New Look was purchased and taken private by a private equity consortium in 2004 for GBP 700 million. In 2000 New look sold its French stores to French company Mim in return for 51% stake in company and then in 2003 it acquired remaining 49% share. Now it operates over 650 stores in U.K and has subsidiaries in France. Its manufacturing took place in over 1000 factories in 45 countries which include Europe Asia. Now in 2006 company have opened number of trial stores in Belgium and now looking forward to expand in Netherlands, Luxembourg, Eastern Europe, Middle-East and Asian Markets (www.newlook.com). Nature, Size, and Structure of the Market According to google news, New look is the UKs third largest womens retailer store. It is increasing range of its menswear to cope with the competition. According to Wrigley, New look is worth now between  £1 billion and  £1.5 billion. Company is keeping on penetrating its business in the UK. It has purchased 34 stores from the Littlewoods chain owned by retail group Associated British Foods. New Look is looking to boost its retail space to 2.4 million square feet by March 2006 from 1.6 million square feet last year. Market Segment, Nature of Competition New Look faces intense competition in the UK market. Because of its investment in design technology and low prices it keeps them ahead of competitors. Company is now focussing on menswear and children wear. By the end of 2005, New Look plans to extend its menswear ranges from 14 to 30 stores and is also planning to extend its fashion ranges to cater for children under nine (www.newlook.com). New look have strong working relationships with its suppliers and they are treated like their partners and even share the same values on Trust, ethics, quality, speed and ambition. Company deals with most up to date international fashion trends for both Men Women at low prices. KEY ISSUE FACING COMPANY Main Key Issue As a research on New Look proceeds, the group unanimously agreed that the global expansion can be the key issue for New Look Group. This was later confirmed with the course tutor. Explanation The decision was made on the basis of comparison of profits with major rivals (e.g. Gap Inc), slow growth in profits, emerging economies of India and China, and the boom in online shopping. Graph below shows the slow increase in profits to the year 2005. As many companies are rapidly going globally and making India and China their primary targets, it is urging New Look to react to this trend. According to the history of new look, they do have ambition to go global and they have started opening stores in France from 1988 but that strategy fails. In the report, we will analyse internal and external environment of new look and how they can manage to enter in different market segments globally with low risk of failure. Methodology After doing all our research, I found out that the major issue the company is facing to expand globally in order to cope with intensely increasing competition in the UK which is reducing profits. Its time now for New Look to think about expanding globally in order to increase sales and profits. To make it effective, we need to analyse the tangible and intangible resources which ensures expansion is feasible. It makes no difference whether they target their neighbour markets or the foreign market as New Look cant afford to fail in any of their global markets due to the fact that New Look is not a public limited company (PLC) so its got no shareholders to invest in them. New Look might consider other options such as outsourcing etc to reduce capital investment. In the report I aim to analyse the environment under which company is operating and look up for the strategies which will help them to overcome any potential threats in the global markets. After critical analysis of environment, we will be able to identify companys major strength and weaknesses and the potential opportunities and threats globally. Because of the nature of the business, I will have to look each market individually and provide options for mode of entry in each market. Initially, for each given option for the target market, I would advise company to test the option prior to make final decision. However, I will provide analysis evaluation for each given option in this report with the use of latest material available. . AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The aim of this essay is to investigate the internal external strategies of the business environment for NEW LOOK group. To achieve this aim I have planned to use Porters five forces and the PESTEL tools to analysis the intensity of the external environment and financial ratios to calculate whether or not the strategies are successful. Finally I will use a SWOT analysis to be specific and critical in our conclusion. ANALYSIS OF EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT The external environment is often referred to as the macro environment. The external environment is often out of a businesses control none the less businesses use tools to achieve their goals. The external environment is divided into three major areas: the general, industry, and competitor environments as shown in figure below: GENERAL ENVIRONMENT PEST Analysis Political factors Government sometimes have direct control or influences to greater or lesser extent over legislation and regulations, this covers laws that influence employment, consumers protection, health and safety at work, contract and trading, trades unions. (Business Strategy, David Campbell). Chip PIN is the new, more secure way to pay with credit or debit cards in the UK. Instead of customers using their signature to verify payments, they will be asked to enter a four-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN) known only to them. Chip PIN is the biggest change to the way we pay since decimalisation. It is part of a global programme to tackle the soaring levels of plastic card fraud (BBC News). Economical Factors Governments usually set policy concerning these of taxation and expenditure in the country. With an increase of the grey market who have more disposable income due to the fact that there is a boom in the housing market a lot of these elder generation are now selling out from 3 to 4 bedroom houses in to smaller houses as a lot of there kids have grown up and moved out. There for this market has more disposable income then before, therefor new look should give more emphasis on this market then they have done previously Social Cultural Factors The cultures of countries in which a business operates can be of particular importance. The culture of a country consists of the values, attitudes and beliefs of its people. These in turn, will affect the way individual act and behave when dealing with certain product and services. In order for new look to go global they would have to consider the religious and cultural issues that will differ In different country such as Saudi Arabia were the grater number of the population would be offended by seeing a female in a mini skirt so there for new look should also conceder making different styles of clothing for different countries e.g. for Saudi Arabia less reviling clothes Technological Factors With the introduction of the internet and the success of it uses new look should provide a bigger emphasis on providing the merchandise on the internet such as ordering, reserving and selling on the internet., in order to increase there market share and compete with other online retailers. With the introduction to new and better technologys British fashion chain New Look is investing in new technology to help combat potential theft and the possible loss of stock worth  £4 million, according to a media report. New look is aware of the technological influence that involve developing and understanding that effects changes in their company. For new look technology is vital for competitive advantage, this is a major drive of globalisation for their company. New look produce good quality cloths and the best at a reasonable price, because technology has improved new looks production processes and deliver their service through its catalogue and via the Internet this has developed their information and communication technology. Industry Environment PORTERS FIVE FORCES To analyse New Look external environment, a business tool known as Porters five forces will be used. Porters Five Forces helps the marketer to contrast a competitive environment. These forces can be neatly brought together in a diagram like the one below: Porters five forces in accordance with New Look The Threat of new entry New Look has been established for almost a 37 years and has a considerable amount finance should the worst happen. At the moment they face competition from already established competitors for e.g., Debenhams, HM (datamonitor.com). For a new entrant to be a threat they would need to offer something different apart from trendy clothing and newer technology. New Look also face competition from new fashion stores being opened and to have the advantage over New Look would need to have better location and a wider selection of clothing including accessorise. Threat of Substitute Products New Look branch out in to five main areas these are women wear, menswear, children wear, footwear and accessorise. This means they are active in five different markets and to reduce the pressure of competition allow other companies to franchise there products or services allowing them to have a substantial amount of control. Threats from already established competitors come from Debenhams, HM, Top- Man, MS, Next and Claires. Bargaining Power of Buyers Generally the bargaining power of Buyers is low because the customers understand that they are paying Reasonable prices for up to date fashion clothes and services. However for the fashion retail market they have a considerable amount of choice so its important for New Look to get the service right to keep loyal customers and attract new ones. Power of suppliers Suppliers are also essential for the success of an organisation. Raw materials are needed to complete the finish product of the organisation. Suppliers do have power. This power comes from: If they are the only supplier or one of few suppliers who supply that particular raw material for this point the power of the supplier is low because there are several other suppliers that will sell to them. If it costly for the organization to move from one supplier to another also known as switching cost. Again on this point New Look has the upper hand because there are many suppliers that will want to sell there good to them. This means that the powers that the suppliers have over New Look and other major fashion producers around the world are under constant pressure to supply at lower prices in order not to loose a major client. Competitive Rivalry New Look group face intense competition from other well known fashion brands producers such as Debenhams, HM, Top-Man, and MS and NEXT; therefore compete through price wars in order to attract customers. Debenhams is a competitor because they make high levels of fashionable clothing selling different types of brands such as, John Rocha, Jonh Richmond, and variety of accessorise including gifts, home accessorise, electrical appliances. Also another competitive rivalry for New Look is Top Man. The reason it is competitive rivalry is because they are similar to New Look as they also offer fashionable up to date clothing at reasonable prices. They also sell their own brand of clothing like New Look. The barriers that affect this market to new entrance are havig the money to set up the business in terms of human resources, machinery and location. Finding a supplier for fashionable clothing wont be difficult for new businness. Almost half of sales are in Women wear. A quarter of sales are dedicated to Menswear and Children wear, with other items constituting the remaining sales.. COMPETITOR ANALYSIS Competitor analysis focuses on each company against which a firm directly competes. Four dimensions given below helps the firm prepare an anticipated response profile for each competitor. According to datamonitor.com, The New Looks top competitors are Associated British Foods plc, Debenhams PLC, Marks and Spencer Group PLC, Matalan PLC, NEXT PLC, Arcadia Group Limited. Some of the above mentioned competitors have already strong presence in some of the Global Markets. They are described below: Primark Stores Ltd is a subsidiary of Associated British Foods plc (ABF) Primark targets young, fashion-conscious under 35s, offering them high quality, fashion basics at value for money prices. Almost half of sales are in Women wear. A quarter of sales is dedicated to Menswear and Children wear, with other items constituting the remaining sales. Debenhams is a leading department stores group. Debenhams has a strong presence in key product categories including women wear, menswear, home wares, health and beauty, accessories, lingerie and children wear. A unique mix of exclusive own brands, including Designers at Debenhams, and third-party brands helps differentiate Debenhams from its competitors. In addition Debenhams has 30 international franchise stores in 14 countries outside the UK and Ireland, with a further 15 franchises scheduled to open by the end of the 2008 financial year. Debenhams is also extending its customer reach by making direct sales through its internet website. Marks and Spencer is a UK retailer of clothing, foods and home ware. It operates through both wholly owned stores and franchise stores. It has over 450 stores in the UK. The company is structured into four main operating divisions: food, clothing, home and international. The clothing division offers womens wear, mens wear, lingerie and childrens wear and footwear. The international division operates eight wholly-owned stores in Hong Kong as well as 198 franchise stores in 30 territories around the world. Matalan is a retailer of discount fashion and home wares. Matalan sells name-brand and private-label apparel for men, women and children, as well as some household products, at discount prices. The company operates primarily in the UK. Matalan sells discount fashion and home wares through its network of out of town UK stores. Matalans product range includes home ware, ladies, mens and childrens clothing, and footwear. Arcadia Group is a clothing retailer that operates approximately 2,000 stores throughout the UK, mainly in urban areas. It also controls over 200 franchised stores in about 30 countries worldwide. Arcadia operates eight store banners: Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Top Shop, Top Man, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Wallis and Outfit. Each brand targets a distinct market. As well as its eight shopping banners, the company also operates a complementary catalogue and online shopping business through its Dial Home Shopping unit. All the competitors have strong intentions to expand in the UK market as well as globally. As described above, they are targeting new markets and entering some the markets through acquisitions. It is affecting New Look because expansion is increasing their profit potential and they are making prices more competitive in the UK markets.. However New Look does hold an advantage over its competitors. According to Mintels consumer research the average age of the New Look customer is slightly older than at most specialist chains, but Next and Gap also record above average penetration figures in the 35-44 age band. For New Look this reflects its move to become more of a family fashion destination in its bigger stores. Price points are pitched low to attract young, less affluent women who want fashion but are restricted by tight budgets. New Looks combination of low prices and fashionable merchandise pitched at the younger end of the market is absolutely right in current conditions. The company has invested heavily in design facilities and producing a distinctive and unique handwriting is what is setting it apart from competitors this investment has made it a competitive edge on its competitors. And the retailer is moving towards being a distinctive fashion brand- with an attractive price tag attached to it. New Look faces some very competitive times. But it is well-established, has an excellent brand name and a considerable following. It should be one of the survivors. New Looks combination of low prices and fashionable merchandise pitched at the younger end of the market are the major plus point for the company. Delivering product with current market fashion with low price tag keeps New Look strong. Competitors are strong in online stores. Although a selection of products and their prices are featured on the New looks website, it is not transactional and customers are urged to visit their nearest store and see the full range. Before analyzing internal environment of New Look, the serious intention was given to context of Internal Analysis which is Global Economy, Global Mind-Set, and Analysis outcome. Analysis of Internal Environment The internal environment is divided into several stages as shown in figure below: Resources According to google news, New Look is a developed brand name and the group itself is a 3rd largest retail clothing company in the UK. It manufactures its products in 1000 manufacturing plants in 45 countries all over the globe which contributed to a large portion of companys physical resources. They have developed their organizational resources to manage, plan, and control their stores and manufacturing plants effectively. They own all of their stores in the UK and their subsidiaries in France which are their main fixed assets. It owns technological resources in the form of registered trademark, copyrighted designs. New Look has a reputation in producing latest design by the use of latest technology. It is investing in new technology to help combat potential theft and the possible loss of stock worth  £4 million, according to a media report. They have high calibre staffs which are the valuable assets of the company. They have focussed deeply on customer services by operating most of their women wear, menswear, and children wear stores separately. It is keen on employing key people in its board of members to increase the value of intangible human resources e.g. Phil Wrigley, Richard Lapthorne. By the combination of all above resources they are becoming more innovative in developing new designs and brining new ideas to attract more customers e.g. in 2005, their first national brand campaign New Look, The New Now was launched nationwide in-store with product, signage, POS and window displays. Customers are invited to become part of the New Look window display with the launch of the ultimate window shopping experience; customers will have their picture taken through the store window by a simple press of a button and their face then becomes the face for the mannequin. By making the effective use of all resources New Look can able to produce high quality and durable products. Capabilities New Look is effectively allocates and schedule for all its time and resources. They have very highly competitive human resource system which makes sure they select best people they want. It can be varied from store staff to the high management people. Because of their target market among the teens with unique fashion design with economical prices with effective marketing policy leads to brand promotion, high quality customer services and innovation merchandising. Core Competencies The company manufactures its products in 45 countries which increase rivalry among its suppliers which can act as a source of competitive advantage as they will produce durable products on cheap prices. They have developed a unique transport system which connects all 1000 factories which deliver all the manufactured garments to the company on time. This system is difficult to imitate for competitors and they can use it as a source of competitive advantage in order to operate globally. As far as outbound logistics concerned, they have developed such a system inside their business that it has to become one of their core points. They apply strict rules and regulations on outbound logistics and give good rates to the outsource company so that it becomes vital point for their business to deliver the product on time. New Look supply chain starts from the getting of raw materials and finished at the end products available for the customers in their stores. They have experts from buying raw materials and despatching them to warehouses where it goes through the manufacture processing and where quality control is assured. Then the finished product despatched to the market and the way its market is completely unique. They have expertise designers from very high reputative and innovative people which are meant to be made for designing. New Look have their designers from Turkish company called Saide which has a high reputation in giving new designs with a good quality product. They have unique style of marketing their product through prints, electronic, store promotion and through various schemes which attract lot of customers. In September 2005, New Look launched its first national brand campaign, New Look, The New Now. The New Now is designed to amplify New Looks ability to release affordable of the moment fashion onto the high street with most products hitting the stores within six weeks of the initial vision. Key Success Factors New Look target value-conscious customers who are aged 15-24 and tend to come from lower socio-economic groups. New Look set up its own sourcing arm in Turkey as a joint venture with Global Textiles, part of the Saide Group, in order to speed up its fast fashion even more. As well as economical cost, they highly focussed on innovative designs which make their products successful. The company has doubled the number of designers working on new ranges to 22 and has also strengthened its buying and merchandising team. Effective marketing strategy is one of the key factors which make them successful in the UK. SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths New look is a powerful retail brand. It has a reputation for value for money, convenience and a wide range of products all in one store. New look is a global fashion brand built upon a reputation for fine products and services. It has 650 stores in the UK and over 50 stores in France. A focused strategy is in place for human resource management and development. People are key to new looks business and it invests time and money in training people, and retaining a developing them. Weaknesses The organisation is dependant on a main competitive advantage, the retail of cloths. This could make them slow to diversify into other sectors should the need arise. Since new look sell products across many sectors (such as cloths, shoes and accessories), it may not have the flexibility of some of its more focused competitors. New looks logo has a very feminine look to it such as the use of the colour of the logo witch is in pink and the style of the logo which does discourage a lot of the single male to go and shop because they think it is only for the female shoppers Opportunities New look is becoming global and they are taking there trades to other countries such as India, where the younger generation are adopting a more of a westernise fashion and we see a lot of this in Indian bollywood films. With the introduction of the internet a wide access of the internet new look should think to sell more of there products over the internet witch would reduce more costs as thee will not need as many more employees. New products and services that can be retailed in their shops, such as Fair Trade products. New Look has the opportunity to expand its global operations. New markets for fashion retail such as India. Co-branding with other manufacturers of fashion, and brand franchising to manufacturers of other goods and services both have potential. New locations and store types offer new look opportunities to exploit market development. Threats New Look being one of the biggest fashion retailer means that they are a target for competitors to improve on. New look being a global retailer means that they are exposed to political problems in the countries that they operate in. New Look is exposed to the international nature of trade. It buys and sells in different currencies and so costs and margins are not stable over long periods of time. Such an exposure could mean that New Look may be selling at a loss. This is an issue that faces all global brands. Online retailers are a threat as they are often able to sell at a cheaper price than shops WHAT I FOUND AFTER ASSESSING METHODOLOGY? After assessing the methodology, it was found that New Look should expand its business globally. New Look has to be very cautious and careful while expanding its business and keeping in mind all the pros and cons which are vital in any expansion of the business. Therefore, they must follow reasonable set of rules before stepping into new market. The methodology discussed in section 3 is one of the courses of actions available to the company. If the company follow this as explained in section 4, 5 and 6 they can make successful expansion across the globe because of the opportunities available in the global market. Although there are some threats of new rivals, cultural and geographical differences but keeping in mind the big picture in a strategic long run business plan expansion can become one of the strongest strength of the company. LIST OF POTENTIAL OPTIONS After analysing the external and internal environment of New Look Group I am able to make some suitable options. As the clothing industry has intense competition all over the globe, I have to split options according to each segment. They are outlined below: Option 1) The best mode of entry in India and Middle East is through Franchising because of Government regulations and competitive market. Many companies have entered through franchising and they were been successful. Option 2) As the New Look lacks the investment of shareholders, they should make cautious approach to North American market as they will face high competition but early returns on investments are implausible. Presence through e-commerce is moderately attractive but this will have positive effect on overall image of the company. Option 3) Openings of stores in Far East is attractive but geographical locations needs to be given importance as access to logistics will be limited. Option 4) According to the findings I have made, we conclude that New Look has high profit potentials in European Markets and they need to invest more in new stores throughout Europe. ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL OPTIONS Strategic Options Analysis Evaluation Consistency Suitability Validity Feasibility Business Risk Appeal to Shareholders Option 1 Æ’- Æ’- Æ’- Option 2 Æ’- Æ’- Æ’- Æ’- Option 3 Æ’- Æ’- Æ’- Æ’- Option 4 Æ’- Æ’- Æ’- Æ’- EVALUATION Evaluation of the project report After initial test been done, company should launch full expansion in the target market/country. Evaluation and maintenance of sales revenue needs to be done and if the expansion is successful than they should target 2nd attractive market and so on. Future recommendations Technology New Look can use the latest technology available in mechatronics to made products more cost effectively to compete in global markets. E-commerce They need to introduce online shopping as much of their rivals already have a strong online presence. Going online with their sales will also cut down on money spent on shops, distribution, transportation, staff and other sundries. The customer when buying something online also pay money for shipping so there is added cost to the company. It is expected in the next 15 yrs 70% of all retail businesses will be done online so implementing this is not only beneficial but very necessary. E sale will help them to move from only high street presence to thousands of customer homes. Stock market In order for New Look to expand globally, they need a strong investment in the company. The best way to have this is by allowing investors to invest in the company. To make it attractive they need to register on the stock exchange. Whit there growing profits they can expect to command a good price for there stock. Doing this

Home Schooling And Educating Children At Home

One of the major advantages of homeschooling is that it allows parents to be profoundly involved in the instruction of their kid. Lyman ( 1998 ) and Mayberry ( 1988 ) suggest that parents are interested in homeschooling their kids because of the turning perceptual experience that the school system is unequal in developing kids into high winners and that many schools by and big deliver standardized instruction without respect to the person ‘s endowment and potency. Lyman ( 1998 ) and Mayberry ( 1988 ) write that by supplying their undivided attending to their kids, they are in a better place to acknowledge their kid ‘s possible and promote the kid. In a survey by Lines ( 1991 ) , it was found that about three fourths of the parents who home schooled their kids besides prepared their ain instruction stuffs. Furthermore, in a survey comparing the public presentation of homeschooled kids with the regularly schooled kids, it was found that the former outperformed the latter on many steps ( Ray & A ; Wartes, 1991 as cited in Abell, 2002 ) The 2nd advantage of place schooling is that parents can avoid the disadvantages of modern twenty-four hours public instruction ( Clark, 1994 ) . Clark ( 1994 ) suggests that parents are progressively concerned that many public schools have a batch of offense and other bad pupils can negatively act upon their kids. He suggests that parents feel that because drug usage and force is increasing in many public schools, they are better able to guarantee the safety of their kids by educating them at place. Therefore by homeschooling their kids, parents can guarantee the safety of their kids. Homeschooling is non without its disadvantages and one of the normally quoted disadvantages is that place schooling consumes a batch of clip and the parents do non hold any clip for other activities. For illustration, if a kid has to be homeschooled, one of the parents has to give up work and pass a big portion of the twenty-four hours in learning and tutoring the kid. This may put a major load on the parent and may take to feelings of depression, ennui etc. Furthermore, because the parent may or may non be qualified adequate to learn the kid, he or she may non be in a place to learn every bit good as the instructors in a school where there are different instructors for different topics and are hired by the school based on their makings. The 2nd disadvantage of place schooling is that parents feel that they are paying revenue enhancements and other responsibilities, which go into making public schools, and if they do n't direct their kids to these schools, it would be a waste of the money spent. A related ground is that many parents feel that schools have many installations like research labs and playgrounds that place schooled kids do non hold entree to and hence miss out on several chances to larn and socialise ( Abell, 2002 ) . Another disadvantage of homeschooling is that societal cost of place schooling. Diana Jenkins writes that kids feel the demand to socialise and a major portion of their development is in their ability to interact with other kids of their ain age group. She suggests that kids who are place schooled are non in a place to interact with other kids and frequently feel that they are losing out on a really of import experience. Furthermore, Jenkins besides suggests that a major portion of acquisition is the ability to larn while taking the positions of others into consideration. She suggests that homeschooled kids do non hold the luxury of taking into history other pupils ‘ thoughts and sentiments and hence stop up with cognition that is merely in one way. It appears from the above reappraisal that homeschooling has more disadvantages than advantages and that it may be better for the kids to go to schools than stay at place and survey. However, because many parents feel that public schools have many disadvantages, their concerns can be removed by making better place school partnerships. While traditionally parents have merely dropped their kids at school, and participated in some pupil parent meets, some bookmans have suggested that schools can affect the parents more by back uping them with better instruction resources which they can utilize at place to do place tutoring by them more interesting, and besides ask foring parents to school to take part in synergistic activities with instructors so that instructors can besides profit from some of the cognition that parents have. Another suggestion is that better communicating channels should be created between instructors and parents so that the instructors are cognizant if the kid is tra veling through a hard stage and is underachieving because of that ground, and likewise parents are cognizant if the kid is holding some interaction jobs at school because of some issues at place. This manner the environment at both the school and place can better ( Patrikakau, 2005 ) . Therefore, it is clear from the above the place schooling is popular among many parents because of the feeling among them that public schools have many jobs like offense and make non pay single attending to the pupils like the parents can. However it is besides clear that because parents can non supply many installations like research labs and resort areas and can non assist them with societal interactions with friends and schoolmates, homeschooling may non be a really good thought. It appears that both schools and parents can profit from better coaction between parents and instructors where parents experience safe about their kids and instructors can profit from cognizing more about the pupils from the parents.

David Carson: Renowned for His Inventive Graphics

He was born September 8, 1952 in Corpus Christi, Texas. Carson and his family moved to New York City four years later. Since then he has traveled all around the world but has maintained New York as his base of operations. Carson now owns two studios; one in New York and another in Charleston, South Carolina. Because of his father, Carson traveled all over America, Puerto Rico, and the West Indies. These journeys affected him profoundly and the first signs of his talent were shown at a very young age; however, his first actual contact with graphic design was made in 1980 at the University of Arizona on a two week graphics course. He attended San Diego St. University as well as Oregon College of Commercial Art. Later on in 1983, Carson was working towards a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology when he went to Switzerland, where he attended a three-week workshop in graphic design as part of his degree. This is where he met his first great influence, who also happened to be the teacher of this course, Hans-Rudolph Lutz. He became renowned for his inventive graphics in the 1990s. Having worked as a sociology teacher and professional surfer in the late 1970s, he art directed various music, skateboarding and surfing magazines through the 1980s. As art director of surfing magazines and more famously style magazine Ray Gun (1992-5), Carson came to worldwide attention. His layouts featured distortions or mixes of ‘vernacular' typefaces and fractured imagery, rendering them almost illegible. Indeed, his maxim of the ‘end of print' questioned the role of type in the emergent age of digital design, following on from California New Wave and coinciding with experiments at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. In the later 1990s he shifted from ‘surf subculture' to corporate work for Nike, Levis, and Citibank. During the period of 1982–1987, Carson worked as a teacher in Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, California. In 1983, Carson started to experiment with graphic design and found himself immersed in the artistic and bohemian culture of Southern California. By the late eighties he had developed his signature style, using â€Å"dirty† type and non-mainstream photography. He would later be dubbed the â€Å"father of grunge. † Carson went on to become the art director of Transworld Skateboarding magazine. Among other things, he was also a professional surfer and in 1989 Carson was qualified as the 9th best surfer in the world. [1] His career as a surfer helped him to direct a surfing magazine, called Beach Culture. This magazine lasted for three years but, through the pages of Beach Culture, Carson made his first significant impact on the world of graphic design and typography with ideas that were called innovative even by those that were not fond of his work. Not afraid to break convention in one issue he used Dingbat as the font for what he considered a rather dull interview with Bryan Ferry. 2] (However, the whole text was published in a legible font at the back of the same issue of RayGun, complete with a repeat of the asterisk motif). From 1991-1992, Carson worked for Surfer magazine. A stint at How magazine (a trade magazine aimed at designers) followed, and soon Carson launched Ray Gun, a magazine of international standards which had music and lifestyle as its subject. Ray Gun made Carson very well-known and attracted new admirers to his work. In this period, journals such as the New York Times (May 1994) and Newsweek (1996) featured Carson and increased his publicity greatly. In 1995, Carson founded his own studio, David Carson Design in New York City, and started to attract major clients from all over the United States. During the next three years (1995-1998), Carson was doing work for Pepsi Cola, Ray Ban (orbs project), Nike, Microsoft, Budweiser, Giorgio Armani, NBC, American Airlines and Levi Strauss Jeans, and later worked for a variety of new clients, including AT&T, British Airways, Kodak, Lycra, Packard Bell, Sony, Suzuki, Toyota, Warner Bros. CNN, Cuervo Gold, Johnson AIDS Foundation, MTV Global, Princo, Lotus Software, Fox TV, Nissan, quiksilver, Intel, Mercedes-Benz, MGM Studios and Nine Inch Nails. He acted as the original design consultant for the tourism magazine Blue in 1997. In 2000, Carson opened a new personal studio in Charleston, South Carolina. In 2004, Carson became the Creative Director of Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston and designed the special â€Å"Exploration† edition of Surfing Magazine and directed a television comme rcial for UMPQUA Bank in Seattle, Washington. Carson became interested in a new school of typography and photography-based graphic design and is largely responsible for popularizing the style; he inspired many young designers of the 1990s. His work does not follow â€Å"traditional† graphic design standards. Carson is emotionally attached to his creations. Carson's work is considered explorative of thoughts and ideas that become â€Å"lost† in the subconscious. Every piece is saturated, but Carson still manages to communicate both the idea and the feeling behind his design. His extensive use of combinations of typographic elements and photography led many designers to completely change their work methods and graphic designers from all around the world base their style on the new â€Å"standards† that have distinguished Carson's work. Carson's work is familiar among the generation that grew up with Raygun Magazine and its progeny such as huH and xceler8, and in general, the visually savvy MTV generation, but his work still receives criticism from a generation that refuses to engage with his connotative excesses. Carson has been one of the greatest influences on modern graphic design in the last twenty five years. He took photography and type and manipulated and twisted them together and on some level confusing the message but in reality he was drawing the eyes of the viewer deeper within the composition itself. In November 1995, Carson published his first book the End of Print. It sold over 200,000 copies in five different languages and soon became the best-selling graphic design book worldwide. His second book, 2nd Sight, followed in 1997. It is said that this book simply changed the public face of graphic design (Newsweek). In 1998, Carson worked with Professor John Kao of the Harvard Business School on a documentary entitled â€Å"The Art and Discipline of Creativity. † The third book that Carson published was Fotografiks (1999) which earned Carson the Award of Best Use of Photography in Graphic Design. Carson’s fourth book, Trek, was released in 2000. Carson has also helped in the development of The History of Graphic Design by Philip Meggs and The Encyclopedia of Surfing by Matt Warsaw.