Example of ANOVA Calculation

One factor analysis of variance, also known as ANOVA, gives us a way to make multiple comparisons of several population means. Rather than doing this in a pairwise manner, we can look simultaneously at all of the means under consideration. To perform an ANOVA test, we need to compare two kinds of variation, the variation between the sample means, as well as the variation within each of our samples. We combine all of this variation into a single statistic, called the ​F statistic because it uses the F-distribution. We do this by dividing the variation between samples by the variation within each sample. The way to do this is typically handled by software, however, there is some value in seeing one such calculation worked out. It will be easy to get lost in what follows. Here is the list of steps that we will follow in the example below: Calculate the sample means for each of our samples as well as the mean for all of the sample data.Calculate the sum of squares of error. Here within each sample, we square the deviation of each data value from the sample mean. The sum of all of the squared deviations is the sum of squares of error, abbreviated SSE.Calculate the sum of squares of treatment. We square the deviation of each sample mean from the overall mean. The sum of all of these squared deviations is multiplied by one less than the number of samples we have. This number is the sum of squares of treatment, abbreviated SST.Calculate the degrees of freedom. The overall number of degrees of freedom is one less than the total number of data points in our sample, or n - 1. The number of degrees of freedom of treatment is one less than the number of samples used, or m - 1. The number of degrees of freedom of error is the total number of data points, minus the number of samples, or n - m.Calculate the mean square of error. T his is denoted MSE SSE/(n - m).Calculate the mean square of treatment. This is denoted MST SST/m - 1.Calculate the F statistic. This is the ratio of the two mean squares that we calculated. So F MST/MSE. Software does all of this quite easily, but it is good to know what is happening behind the scenes. In what follows we work out an example of ANOVA following the steps as listed above. Data and Sample Means Suppose we have four independent populations that satisfy the conditions for single factor ANOVA. We wish to test the null hypothesis H0: ÃŽ ¼1 ÃŽ ¼2 ÃŽ ¼3 ÃŽ ¼4. For purposes of this example, we will use a sample of size three from each of the populations being studied. The data from our samples is: Sample from population #1: 12, 9, 12. This has a sample mean of 11.Sample from population #2: 7, 10, 13. This has a sample mean of 10.Sample from population #3: 5, 8, 11. This has a sample mean of 8.Sample from population #4: 5, 8, 8. This has a sample mean of 7. The mean of all of the data is 9. Sum of Squares of Error We now calculate the sum of the squared deviations from each sample mean. This is called the sum of squares of error. For the sample from population #1: (12 – 11)2 (9– 11)2 (12 – 11)2 6For the sample from population #2: (7 – 10)2 (10– 10)2 (13 – 10)2 18For the sample from population #3: (5 – 8)2 (8 – 8)2 (11 – 8)2 18For the sample from population #4: (5 – 7)2 (8 – 7)2 (8 – 7)2 6. We then add all of these sum of squared deviations and obtain 6 18 18 6 48. Sum of Squares of Treatment Now we calculate the sum of squares of treatment. Here we look at the squared deviations of each sample mean from the overall mean, and multiply this number by one less than the number of populations: 3[(11 – 9)2 (10 – 9)2 (8 – 9)2 (7 – 9)2] 3[4 1 1 4] 30. Degrees of Freedom Before proceeding to the next step, we need the degrees of freedom. There are 12 data values and four samples. Thus the number of degrees of freedom of treatment is 4 – 1 3. The number of degrees of freedom of error is 12 – 4 8. Mean Squares We now divide our sum of squares by the appropriate number of degrees of freedom in order to obtain the mean squares. The mean square for treatment is 30 / 3 10.The mean square for error is 48 / 8 6. The F-statistic The final step of this is to divide the mean square for treatment by the mean square for error. This is the F-statistic from the data. Thus for our example F 10/6 5/3 1.667. Tables of values or software can be used to determine how likely it is to obtain a value of the F-statistic as extreme as this value by chance alone.

The Importance Of Religious Practices In International...

their specific religious practices. The hamburgers (and all food items for that matter) must be Halal, and in fact, they do not call the burgers hamburgers as such, instead they call them beef burgers so as to make it clear that there is no ham in them. (The Travel Almanac n.d) So taboos and preferences have to be explored before entering a religious society and trade with partners who are religious believers.Whereas in developing economics foreign brands have status value, when countries develop, people tend to focus more on their historical national preferences. In the early 1990s anything Western sold in Russia, but since 1996 international companies such Coca-Cola and Nestle have been localizing their messages in†¦show more content†¦On the other hand, another important institution in China is the family and the mutual dependency of its members.In Chinese societies, such relationships are governed by what is termed guanxi, which is a bond between people, on the basis of which friends are expected to look after each others wellbeing. (Bargiela-Chiappini and Harris 1997: 42) The complexities of interpersonal relations bothered a large number of western businessmen, since most Chinese businessmen prefer to trade with friends or friends friends and relatives, who are thought to be more trustful due to the special guanxi between them.So, exploring the social institution of the destination countries is very useful for businessmen to trade in different societies efficiently. A famous study of cultural dimensions, which can provide a more clear view of the impacts of culture on international business.Dimensions of cultural differences are very necessary for organizations especially those who operate internationally to understand and cope with such differences that can manifest themselves in terms of different standards, values and expectations in the various countries in which they operate. (Johnson, Scholes, Whittington 2008: 190) Here I have to mention one of the most effective studies of cultural dimensions, Hofstedes cultural dimensions, which are consisted of power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism and collectivism, masculinity-femininity, andShow MoreRelatedReligion and Spirituality in the Workplace Essay1680 Words   |  7 PagesToday there are over 900 religious employee resource groups, according to the International Coalition of Workplace Ministries (Caà ±as Sondak, 2010). 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Nonsmokers A Prospective Study Free Essays

In 2006, Rudolf bertagnoli and his team published a study investigating the effects of smoking on patients who have undergone Lumbar total disc arthroplasty. â€Å"Smoking has always been considered to a negative predictor for fusion surgery.† (Bertagnoli. We will write a custom essay sample on Nonsmokers: A Prospective Study or any similar topic only for you Order Now R, 2006) Not many studies have been undertaken to observe effects of smoking on the procedure of Total arthroplasty and the recovery afterwards in smoking and non smoking patients. Some research suggests that smoking prevents or reduces the bones ability to grow into the prosthesis. Delay in recovery and decrease in over all success of the implantation procedure have also been blamed on smoking. (ProDisc Total Disc Replacement, 2008) â€Å"The aim of the study was to evaluate the changes in functional and disability outcomes within a period of two years minimum in smoking and nonsmoking patients who have undergone the artificial disc replacement therapy.† (Bertagnoli. R, 2006) The Null hypothesis and the Alternate hypothesis proposed were as follows. Null Hypothesis: Smoking has no detrimental effect on success of artificial disc replacement (ADR). Alternate Hypothesis: â€Å"Smoking has a detrimental effect on the success of artificial disc replacement (ADR).† (Bertagnoli. R, 2006) A cohort study was conducted with an initial sample of 110 patients between March 2000 and April 2002. The inclusion criteria for the sampling included, smokers and non smokers, age between 18-65 years, â€Å"disabling low back pain and some radicular pain secondary to single-level lumbar spondylosis† (Bertagnoli. R, 2006) , patients undergoing minimum of 2 year follow up and assessment, and lastly failure of medical treatment. They excluded â€Å"patients with spinal stenosis, osteoporosis, prior fusion surgery, chronic infections, metal allergies, facet arthrosis, inadequate vertebral endplate size, more than one level of spondylosis, neuromuscular disease, pregnancy, Workers’ Compensation, spinal litigation, body mass index greater than 35, and/or any isthmic.† (Bertagnoli. R, 2006) Patient’s smoking status was recorded through questionnaires. Preoperative aspects of the lumbar anomaly were recorded radiographically. Outcome measurements were recorded at 3rd, 6th, 12th and the 24th month after undergoing the procedure. The procedure success and recovery progression was noted using the Visual Analog Score (VAS) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Questionnaires recording the back pain, pain drugs usage and patient satisfaction were also used. Preoperative and postoperative radiographical assessment of the back was also used to observe the recovery progression in both, the smoking and non smoking group of patients. Dependent variables included Smoking and Non smoking group. Whereas the independent variables included VAS, ODI, patient satisfaction, leg pain, work rates (postoperative), and drugs used postoperatively. Statistical analysis was done as it was found that even though there was significant changes between preoperative and postoperative variable like VAS, ODI, patient satisfaction, relief of leg pain work rate etc but no statistically significant differences were found between these outcomes of smoking patients when compared with nonsmokers. Therefore, the study fails to reject the null hypothesis, which still stands, i.e. â€Å"Smoking has no detrimental effect on success of artificial disc replacement (ADR).† (Bertagnoli. R, 2006) The research was conducted in a controlled manner excluded many bias.   But further studies need to be conducted with larger sample sizes to further explore the role of smoking if any, in the success of disc replacement. Also there is need for exploring the link between blood levels of nicotine and success of procedure as well as the effects of smoking and indicators of bone adherence to the prosthesis needs to be further conducted. Couple of questions that come to mind, if nicotine plays such great inhibiting effect on the bone and collagen growth as the study claims, then why wasn’t the effect of smoking   on growth factors and their monitoring not included in the study. Also, if as the researchers claim, that nicotine has an analgesic effect on patient, was it not included as a component in the study? REFERENCES Bertagnoli. R., Yue. J.J., Kershaw.T, Shah.R, V., Pfeiffer. F, Fenk-Mayer, A, et al. (2006). Lumbar Total Disc Arthroplasty Utilizing the ProDisc Prosthesis in Smokers versus Nonsmokers: A Prospective Study with 2-Year Minimum Follow-up. Spine, 3, 992-997. ProDisc Total Disc Replacement (2008).   Spine Service- Sydney, Australia, retrieved on February 29th, 2008, from http://www.spine-service.org/dr.html ; ; ; ; ; How to cite Nonsmokers: A Prospective Study, Essay examples

Logistics and Supply Chain Management Products and Information

Question: Discuss about the Logistics and Supply Chain Management for Products and Information. Answer: Introduction Logistic management refers to a supply chain management that is used to meet the demands of the customers with the help of planning, implementation of effective movement and storage of products and information from the point of source to the point of destination (Abbasi Nilsson, 2016). Logistic management is an important element for a business and the importance of logistic management has transcended the sky. In the age of international trade, it is important that logistic management is given special attention and stress to ensure smooth functioning of the business. Logistics decides the smoothness of the flow of the goods from the point of source to the point of destination. The following report critically analyzes the challenges faced by OMEGA for transporting refined products from Singapore to Townsville, Mackay and Bundaberg. The application of logistics management and concepts are useful and critical in analyzing the challenges faced by a company regarding logistics. Logistic Goals and Objectives The goals of logistics are to efficiently handle materials and reduce cost. It intends on reducing the variable cost, which is related to the movement and storage of goods. Another objective of logistics is to reduce the level of investment involved in logistics and at the same time it intends to increase the return on the assets of logistics. At the same time it intends n improving the service to the company and the firm. The evaluation of the goals and objectives of logistics paves the way to the challenges faced by logistics of OMEGA. Logistic Challenges faced by Omega The purpose of the logistics is to plan and manage the movement and storage of refined products from one place to another. In the age of globalization the logic aspect of OMEGA has to face various challenges in order to survive in the competition. There are various factors that affect the logistics of OMEGA, especially the macro environment factors. Some of the elements that pose a challenge to the logistics to OMEGA are: Tariffs Tariffs are a tax or duty that is imposed on import and export of goods. They are macro environment element that affects international trade. They restrict trade as they limit the volume of flow of goods across the borders. From the viewpoint of OMEGA, tariffs are a major source of hindrance for the company. It includes the charges of the product for OMEGA. It affects the overall growth of the company and impacts the smooth flow of goods from the point of source to the point of destination (Selviaridis Norrman, 2015). Increased demand and customer satisfaction In the age of globalization and international trade, one fact that needs to be noted is that there is increasing demand and the need of customer satisfaction is integral and critical. In the case of OMEGA, one of the challenges that the company has to face to meet the increasing demands of the customer. In addition to this, the company also has to provide value to the customers so that it meets the customer satisfaction level. As OMEGA is trying to reduce sourcing cost and component cost, the customers interest will only be pertaining to the landed cost and the quality of the product and its overall value (Caunhye Nie Pokharel, 2012). So the major challenge for OMEGA is to reduce the cost involved with logistics and at the same time maintain the quality of the product that it provides. Therefore, one of the major challenges is to provide value and reduce landed cost. Maintenance of the velocity of supply chain Another factor that needs careful evaluation and understanding is the need to maintain the various elements in a supply chain. The company tries to increase the velocity of the product and at the same time tries to reduce cost by reducing the storage time and the damage that could be caused before the dispatching of the good. However, the extended time taken in transit has an adverse effect on the supply chain management of the company. The distance between Singapore and Australia is a long distance and in such circumstances border delays and unnecessarily extended time while the goods are in transit increase the perils of damage to the goods and it reduces the product velocity that the company aims to achieve. It makes the maintenance of the velocity of the supply chain difficult in such circumstances (Schulenberg, 2014). Maintenance of the visibility of supply chain Visibility in the supply chain is a major requirement for a company. It is important for manufacturers and companies to keep a track of the product that is in transit and which goes through multiple channels. It is important to track the time of arrival of product. Since OMEGA deals in international trade, one of the things that will be noticed is that there will be multiple carriers and it will got through multiple chains after its dispatchment from Singapore until it reaches the ports of Townsville, Mackay and Bundaberg. Therefore, since it involves multiple channels, it becomes important that tracking of shipment is done in a more proactive way. The increased supply chain variations present fresh challenges for the company. Increased documentation and the role of government in cross border trade Documentation is an important element in international trade. The flow of documents is an important feature in international trade. There are various documents that are required for international trade and more than 100 documents are required for cross border shipment. Some of the important documents that are required are Certificate of origin, commercial invoice, shippers export declaration and shippers letter of instruction. Australian Biosecurity follows the document requirement policy. As per this policy, there is minimum number of documents that is required to be submitted to the AQIS (Dekker Bloemhof Mallidis 2012). The failure to do so could create hindrance in the transit. The increased number of documentation makes it challenging for the company to discharge smooth functioning of the flow of goods and adds increased layer and wastage of time involved in documentation. The logistics will have to have through excess level of regulations that will constrict the functioning of the company. At the same time there are significant roles of government in international trade. The policies are made by the government. In the case of OMEGA, there is a significant role played by the Australian government. There are standards and requirements set according to the Australian biosecurity requirements. There are two regulatory acts as per the biosecurity requirements. These are Quarantine Act 1908 and the Quarantine regulations. As per the requirements, the goods need to be packaged and careful inspection and scrutiny of the good is required. Inspection if good is compulsory as per the biosecurity requirements. The Quarantine Act puts special emphasis on avoiding all those elements that may cause adverse effect on human beings and the surroundings. According to the biosecurity requirement, if there is a specific treatment of goods that is required, then it should use an accredited provider before the product moves for shipment (Zijm, 2016). A lot of stress is given on the quality o f product. The terms of sale, also known as incoterms also analyses the various logistics channels. The role of government is important in logistics. Government shutdown adversely affects logistics. The lack of funding of road highways and airports or ports might obstruct the smooth functioning of these strategic points. Border crossings of trucks could become difficult because of custom border patrol that would create priorities between the products and cause unnecessary delays. The Singapore government shutdown could pose a major hindrance to the security of air and traffic control due to the lack of funds of the government (Selviaridis Norrman, 2015). Legislations and rules of the government also affect the logistic process. The recent cases of Oil spills have resulted in stringent laws and regulations been implemented to offset the adverse impact and implement conservation practices. These might spring up challenges for logistics, which they need to tackle. Wave management Wave management is another challenge that OMEGA has to face in the logistics sector. Wave management refers to the arrangement of freight in an order that would allow the company to meet the requirements of the customers in an efficient and economical way and would utilize labour in an effective and efficient way. There are 72 cities in South Australia, with more than 100 companies in the arrangement of freight and cargo. OMEGA might face certain challenges regarding wave management. Economic condition and cyclical trend Another fact that needs to be kept in mind is the economy of a country. Cyclical trend of economy has a major impact on logistics. Australia is in the grip of a major global financial crisis. This could heavily impact the import of refined products (Christopher, 2016). As a result, logistics might have to adjust their supplies accordingly and the product in transit could be majorly impacted. As a result of global financial crisis, there could be major fluctuation in the currency value and consequently the market size would be adversely impact by evil of negative cyclical trend. Supply Chain Vulnerability The vulnerability related to supply chain is another factor that needs to be evaluated. The perils of destruction of goods during transit can result in loss for the company and major obstructions for the logistics. The supply chain vulnerability is an obstruction for the company (Fernie Sparks, 2014). Conclusion On concluding the report, it can be seen that OMEGA has certain objectives and goals to fulfil. There are certain challenges that OMEGA has to fulfil. Vulnerability of the product, economic factors, tariff issues, visibility and velocity of the product in the supply chain are some of the issues faced by the company. The company has to overcome these issues so that the operations can be carried out smoothly and without any hassle. The company has to identify these issues regarding the economic issues and the government regulations that hinder the process of the logistics of the company. Recommendations Some recommendations to overcome challenges in logistics are: The supply chain needs to be assessed and the network should be maintained in a more optimum and intricate details need to be noted. To company needs to focus on more fulfilment of order in a more efficient way and it should be done without increasing the cost of operation The process involved in the logistic department should be assessed to secure reduction in the cost and increase efficiency of operation Wave management and lean management should be practiced in amore better and effective way. Better technology and warehouse management should be done efficiently. Reference List Abbasi, M., Nilsson, F. (2016). Developing environmentally sustainable logistics: Exploring themes and challenges from a logistics service providers perspective.Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment,46, 273-283. Caunhye, A. M., Nie, X., Pokharel, S. (2012). Optimization models in emergency logistics: A literature review.Socio-economic planning sciences,46(1), 4-13. Christopher, M. (2016).Logistics supply chain management. Pearson Higher Ed. Dekker, R., Bloemhof, J., Mallidis, I. (2012). Operations Research for green logisticsAn overview of aspects, issues, contributions and challenges.European Journal of Operational Research,219(3), 671-679. Dekker, R., Fleischmann, M., Inderfurth, K., van Wassenhove, L. N. (Eds.). (2013).Reverse logistics: quantitative models for closed-loop supply chains. Springer Science Business Media. Fernie, J., Sparks, L. (2014).Logistics and retail management: emerging issues and new challenges in the retail supply chain. Kogan Page Publishers. Leiras, A., de Brito Jr, I., Queiroz Peres, E., Rejane Bertazzo, T., Tsugunobu Yoshida Yoshizaki, H. (2014). Literature review of humanitarian logistics research: trends and challenges.Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management,4(1), 95-130. Rushton, A., Croucher, P., Baker, P. (2014).The handbook of logistics and distribution management: Understanding the supply chain. Kogan Page Publishers. Sarraj, R., Ballot, E., Pan, S., Montreuil, B. (2014). Analogies between Internet network and logistics service networks: challenges involved in the interconnection.Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing,25(6), 1207-1219. Schulenberg, J. L. (2014). Systematic social observation of police decision-making: the process, logistics, and challenges in a Canadian context.Quality Quantity,48(1), 297-315. Selviaridis, K., Norrman, A. (2015). Performance-based contracting for advanced logistics services: challenges in its adoption, design and management.International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management,45(6), 592-617. Sundin, E., Dunbck, O. (2013). Reverse logistics challenges in remanufacturing of automotive mechatronic devices.Journal of Remanufacturing,3(1), 1. Taniguchi, E., Thompson, R. G., Yamada, T. (2016). New opportunities and challenges for city logistics.Transportation Research Procedia,12, 5-13. Zijm, H. (2016). Trends and challenges in logistics and supply chain management.ERCIM news,2016(105), 3.

The Handmaids Tale Essays (927 words) - The Handmaids Tale

The Handmaid's Tale Ruth McDermott November 30, 1998 The creation of Offred, the passive narrator of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, was intentional. The personality of the narrator in this novel is almost as important as the task bestowed upon her. Atwood chooses an average women, appreciative of past times, who lacks imagination and fervor, to contrast the typical feminist, represented in this novel by her mother and her best friend, Moira. Atwood is writing for a specific audience, though through careful examination, it can be determined that the intended audience is actually the mass population. Although particular groups may find The Handmaid's Tale more enjoyable than others, the purpose of the novel is to enlighten the general population, as opposed to being a source of entertainment. A specific group that may favor this novel is the women activists of the 1960's and 1970's. This group, in which Offred's mother would be a member, is sensitive to the censorship that women once faced and would show interest to the ?possible future? that could result. Offred is symbolic of ?every woman?. She was conventional in prior times, married with one daughter, a husband and a career. She is ambivalent to many things that may seem horrific to the reader. On page 93, Offred is witness to Janine's confession of being raped. She doesn't comment on how the blame is placed on Janine. Is this because Offred has begun to accept the words of Aunt Lydia, or more likely, is she silent to create emphasis on the horrific deed? The answer is easily satisfied when the reader finishes the novel. Offred must realize the injustices if she feels compelled to reveal her story on the tapes. She must grasp the importance of conveying the atrocities that were executed during the Gileadian area. Offred is representative of an average women also because she has experienced no great traumas. She isn't just ambivalent because of her tendencies but because she has been abruptly interjected into a new society. She is stunned and almost numb. She barely shows signs of life. She doesn't think there is any use to have a sense of hope. She thinks of the woman in ?her? room before her. Her strong sense of life did nothing to help her earn her freedom. She received nothing from her quiet rebellions. Offred is also obviously the perfect narrator because she is a handmaiden. In this new system, almost a caste system, the role of being a handmaiden is not only of great importance, but is also considerably better than other positions, such as an ?unwoman?, who cleans toxic waste in the Colonies. Because Offred is characterized as passive, and mostly compliant, she is not as much in danger as other characters. Moira, her friend from college and the previous life, is dynamic and full of life. She doesn't want to be held back, and her resistence causes her both trouble and distress. Janine, another character, is a ?brown-noser? who uses flattery and praise to achieve a virtually impossible level of hierarchy with the Aunts among her peers. She has to sacrifice self-worth, though, and her admittance of fault in being raped is disgusting. The tense that Atwood uses is relative to the narrator also. The shifts from present to past are frequent. When an author causes the narrator to use past tense, the reader can generally conclude that the narrator knows the end of the story. This builds a sense of suspense. Using present tense allows images in the story to be more solid and realistic, compared to past life. Not all shifts in tense are used for the same reason. When Offred is ?speaking? of Luke, she can't decide if she is in love with him, or if she was in love with him. Offred gradually reveals the story, which we are to eventually discover is on tape. Atwood elects to use leisurely disclosure in order to make the conclusion of the story more believable. The ?Historical Notes? chapter causes the reader to re-examine the book, both mentally and manually. As the reader recalls the jumble of thoughts, the bouncing back and forth between the present and the past, and the narrator's decisions to withhold certain details, they understand the possibility, though unlikeliness, that this could actually happen. Contrasts are important aspects in the narration of this novel. The obvious contrasts are between other characters, such as between Offred and Moira. There also are the images of past life that Offred

Free Essays on Liberal Intergovernmentalism

PAPER ON â€Å"LIBERAL INTERGOVERNMENTALISM† CAN WE APPLY THE LIBERAL INTERGOVERNMENTALIST THEORY TO THE BARGAINS OF THE EUROPEAN AGREEMENTS WITH THE VISEGRAD COUNTRIES (1990-1991) ? The historical events of 1989 with the collapse of the Iron Curtain created a unique historical situation in Europe: a new reintegration period between two political parties of the continent. The European Agreements were the first attempt of this reintegration period. When we look at the European Agreements made between the European Union and the Visegrad Countries (Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary) in 1990-1991, we see that they were signed after long bargaining period between both parties. In order to answer the topic question, we have to look at the basic aspects of the theory and the practices of the bargains of the European Agreements. Basically liberal intergovernmentalism includes a preference analysis (demand) and an intergovernmental bargain (supply) analysis. The former should be reflected by the interests of the European Union and the Visegrad Countries as the two parties, but there was the problem of diversified trade interests between the South and North countries within the European Union. The latter was purely existing in this bargaining process and showed the strength of the European Union in the trade regime. The Visagrad Countries were the regime takers, and suffered for their weak bargaining position. Another point was, that the European Agreemants had to be ratified in each member country just as constitutional changes have to, which illustrates the strong role of the state in the decision making structure, and this is also a main point in liberal intergovernmentalism. Shortly, the answer of the topic question is positive and the bargaining process of the European Agreements between the European Union and the Visegrad Countries can be explained with the liberal intergovernmentalist theory. Although there was some... Free Essays on Liberal Intergovernmentalism Free Essays on Liberal Intergovernmentalism PAPER ON â€Å"LIBERAL INTERGOVERNMENTALISM† CAN WE APPLY THE LIBERAL INTERGOVERNMENTALIST THEORY TO THE BARGAINS OF THE EUROPEAN AGREEMENTS WITH THE VISEGRAD COUNTRIES (1990-1991) ? The historical events of 1989 with the collapse of the Iron Curtain created a unique historical situation in Europe: a new reintegration period between two political parties of the continent. The European Agreements were the first attempt of this reintegration period. When we look at the European Agreements made between the European Union and the Visegrad Countries (Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary) in 1990-1991, we see that they were signed after long bargaining period between both parties. In order to answer the topic question, we have to look at the basic aspects of the theory and the practices of the bargains of the European Agreements. Basically liberal intergovernmentalism includes a preference analysis (demand) and an intergovernmental bargain (supply) analysis. The former should be reflected by the interests of the European Union and the Visegrad Countries as the two parties, but there was the problem of diversified trade interests between the South and North countries within the European Union. The latter was purely existing in this bargaining process and showed the strength of the European Union in the trade regime. The Visagrad Countries were the regime takers, and suffered for their weak bargaining position. Another point was, that the European Agreemants had to be ratified in each member country just as constitutional changes have to, which illustrates the strong role of the state in the decision making structure, and this is also a main point in liberal intergovernmentalism. Shortly, the answer of the topic question is positive and the bargaining process of the European Agreements between the European Union and the Visegrad Countries can be explained with the liberal intergovernmentalist theory. Although there was some...

Discussion Board 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Board 4 - Essay Example various options such as empathic and objective listening, nonjudgmental and critical listening, surface depth listening, polite and impolite listening, and finally, active and inactive listening. All of these options are used during a given moment in time. Each type of listening activity is dependent upon the existing conditions that may distract the attention of the listener and thus require an adjustment in his listening attention abilities. The culture and gender of the listeners have a direct effect on their ability to effectively listen to their peers. Admittedly, people never listen to each other the same way, each person listens to an responds to others in unique methods that are dictated by his ability to listen. The culture of a person has preconditioned him to listen to his peers in a certain way and it is this method that he will use regardless of the differing culture of the next person he listens to. This is almost the same reason as to why men and women have different ways of listening to others and each other. Women tend to listen in order to share feelings and establish closer relationships with their peers. Men on the other hand use listening as a method by which they can flaunt their natural or artificial abilities with his peers. Therefore, the focus of man is mostly on sharing information with one another. Women on the other hand seek to come to an agreement amongst themselves while discussing and list ening to one another. Therefore, the two sexes have distinct listening styles that are geared towards their gender specific roles and expectations within a given

Harlequin Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Harlequin - Case Study Example he product since each novel is a prominent segment of a superior product line, whose quality is delivered consistently in a manner that provides immense satisfaction and exhilaration to the consumers (Mark 3). Harlequin should re-enter the single-title business since the business presents the organization with substantive growth opportunities, particularly in terms of enhancing sales volumes. Since trends in the publishing industry show that demand for single-title fictional books continues to increase despite the stable demand of series romance, harlequin should re-enter the business so as to maximize opportunities presented by increasing demand. While single-title publishing presents relatively immense risks, the company’s previous venture into the business will prove beneficial since the company is aware of the mistakes it made during its last attempt at the single-title business. Furthermore, harlequin’s successfulness in the publishing industry is a significant advantage since a vast majority of the risks vary depending on the author’s reputation (Mark 2). Furthermore, harlequin needs to redefine its brand by entering the single-title business. This is primarily because research indicates substantive declines in the growth of the romance series business, which could, in turn, result in massive

Compare and Contrast Nike vs. Adidas' Business Operations Research Paper

Compare and Contrast Nike vs. Adidas' Business Operations - Research Paper Example The founder of the company, Adi Dassler intended to offer superior quality equipments to every single athlete. The product offerings of Adidas ranges from apparel to footwear to accessories related to every kind of various sports. However, the company designs products that are mainly associated with football, training, running and basketball. The brand was acquired by Salmon group in the year 1997 and the company came to be known as Adidas-Salmon AG. In the year 2006, the group acquired Reebok which was perceived to be highly advantageous for Adidas. Reebok was also a well known name in the sports industry. With the combination of two such reputed brands, the new group was expected to attain a higher degree of competitive advantage in the industry. The group was expected to cater with an increased variety of products accompanied with a strong existence across athletes, leagues, teams and events. The Adidas group engages above 42,000 employees across the globe. The group also has abov e 170 subsidiaries which assures the availability of its products across the world. The group’s sales along with distribution of products have been categorized in four global regions which are North America, Latin America, Europe/Emerging markets and Asia/Pacific. The group deals in sportswear and footwear as well and is known to be amongst the biggest suppliers of Europe. The group is also observed to dominate quite a number of sports events being reputed as the ‘Olympic brand’ in Sydney. The sale of the group was stated to reach a record high in the year 2000 (Adidas Group, â€Å"At a Glance the Story of the Adidas Group†). 1.2. Nike Nike Corporation deals with developing, designing and global marketing of products ranging from apparels and accessories to footwear and sport equipments. The company is known to cater about 18,000 retail stores with its products across the United States. It also makes available its products in about 200 different countries with the combination of independent licensees, distributors and subsidiaries. The athletic footwear range of Nike is particularly designed for the use of athletes; however, few of the products from this range are used for leisure as well as informal purposes. The company designs its products for all age group of women, men and children. The popular group of products that has the highest sales is basketball, cross-training, running, women’s and children’s shoes. The company also designs and markets footwear that are required for outdoor actions like golf, baseball, bicycling, wrestling, aquatic activities, other recreational and athletic uses, tennis, soccer, football, volleyball, cheerleading and hiking among others. Nike is also involved with selling sports related equipments which entails majority of the mentioned groups, lifestyle wear that are athletically enthused and others. The competitive advantage of the company is stated to be its constant innovations in the field of apparels, footwear and equipments as well. The company attains this competitive edge with the help of its Research and Development team which is technologically quite advanced (Dermesropian & Et. Al. â€Å"NIKE†). 2.0. Sales & Supply Chain Management 2.1. Sales & Supply Chain of Adidas The suppliers of Adidas are trained in a way so that they comprehend the significance of setting up and synchronizing the organizational system of management along with ways and methods of proper communication. The easy and

The Recycling Of Plastic Waste Environmental Sciences Essay

The Recycling Of Plastic Waste Environmental Sciences Essay When you think about the huge amounts of plastics we produce and the problems that can occur when we try to Disposal of plastic, it makes sense to reuse or recycle what we can. Recycling: means making new things from items that have been used and are not need any more. Steps to recycling First, depolymerization is the step of transfer a polymer in a mixture of monomers. Second, thermal depolymerization is a depolymerization step using hydrous pyrolysis for the reduction of complex organic materials (often waste products of various sorts, often biomass and plastic) in a light crude oil.Third, the heat compression process have taken all unsorted, cleaned plastic in all forms, from soft plastic bags to hard industrial waste. The Applications in plastics tybes. (PET) are recycled to reuse the material out of which they are made and to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills. (PVC) is a thermoplastic polymer. (HDPE) The most-often recycled plastic. (HDPE) came from petroleum. (Other plastics)The white plastic foam peanuts used as packing material are often accepted by shipping stores for use it again.Finlly Example Items Recycling,Recycle Plastic Bags. Recycle Plastic Coat Hangers. Recycle Plastic Bottles .Recycle All Other Plastic Waste. The Effect of Recycling Plastics on the Environment # Resource Conservation Recycling plastic bottles assists to conserve natural resources, specially oil, that is nonrenewable natural resource obtainable only in limited provide recycling one ton of plastic can conserves around 3.8 barrels of oil according to the Environmental Protection Agency . 2.12 millions of plastic was recycled in 2008 which is equivalent to approximately 7.6 million barrels of oil. # Energy Conservation. The process of finding new materials from existing materials need much less energy than what is needed for rare materials. Recycling one pound of the most common plastic used in water bottles called polyethylene terephthalate (PET) can conserve around 12,000 British thermal units of heat energy according to the Environmental Protection Agency . the process of recycle needs less energy by two- third than usual manufacturing . which help in reducing the damage of the usual power grid. That depend on burning fossil fuels. # Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions The process of producing plastic is able to increase the greenhouse gasses in air like carbon dioxide. Which is known as a major reason of global warming . because recycling plastic require less energy and fossil fuels it result in reducing greenhouse gas revival . The Environmental Protection Agency foredoomed that each family can help to reduce its production of carbon dioxide by the average of 340 pounds yearly . just by reuse the plastic things # Decreased Pollution besides reducing greenhouse gasses . recycled plastic can decrease the amount of pollutants in air and water . in addition many of landfill operations will burn the plastic bottles to keep waste that is able to secreted toxic pollutants and other materials that irritants into the atmosphere . the plastic resin is useful to produce water bottles. Besides it contain unsafe chemicals Challenges of recycling Recycled the Plastics have a low entropy of mixing. A macromolecule of plastic interacts with its environment along its entire length. Also In most places, plastics are collected for recycling. It is not easy to recycle plastics because the different kinds of plastic must first be sorted out. Mixed plastic connot be used for recycling.In addaion, some people donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t suport gaverment so they didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t put kind of plastic in the right place!!. In Germany and some parts of the United stats, you pay a deposit when you buy a full plastic bottle. When you take your empty plastic bottle back to the shop, you get the deposit back. This encourages people to return their emptyplastic bottles and not just throw them away. The shops then return the bottles to the company that made them for refilling. Another solution to reduce using of plastic Many scientists and governments are working together to find ways to stop using plastic. In Bangladesh the government prohibited the plastic bags completely. In 2002 Ireland imposed taxes for using plastic bags about 0.15 EUR per bag that helped to reduce the usage of plastic bags by 90 percent .besides , they gain 1 million dollar as a revenue. But as individual we can take the lead to reduce usage of plastic by several steps such as: we can use reusable bags which have a various shapes, designs and sizes, when you donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t use it you can rolled and put it in your pocket. Another way you can use reusable water bottles which made of recycled materials that can last for a long time and be recycled once again also we can use glass bottles instead of plastic bottles which is reusable. Also the number of Disposable Diapers used nowadays is very huge, and it cost around $300 million yearly to decompose single use diapers . so families can use for their kids Disposable Diaper s that made of wood base instead of the once with plastic base because it is going to decompose later so it will not cause environmental problems and it cost less than the plastic once. However, good cooperation between the people and government and the countries will lead to better results . Conclusion This report is concerned with the complex question of dealing with plastic waste. There are dozens of different plastics in common use, and many products are made from a mixture of these. However , people dont really care about throwing plastics away as they are not expensive. The Previous pages introduced and discussed ideas such as source reduction of waste, degradability of plastic, and the impact on environment and human ,which all inter-relate with the central issue of plastic pollution. In addition, the report provided overview of the facts and issues involved, together with examples from around the world which demonstrate how progress is being made in effective waste management and production of brand new plastics is less cost. It must be emphasized that plastic waste recycling and management are not merely the concern of large-scale schemes and companies. Every individual one of us can take action to deal effectively with plastic waste in our lives, and in this small way make an essential contribution towards improving our environment by put our own selfish needs before the needs of everything around us now and the lives of future generations.

Agriculture In More and Less Developed Countries Essay -- Agriculture

Dark, thick smoke rises from the engine of a huge tractor that is plowing the plains of Dumas, Texas with enough power and technology to plow fifteen rows at one time. While just overseas in Pakistan a farmer works to plow one row in his field with the help of his oxen. Both farmers come home late at night, one just the same as the other, but the work they have accomplished for the day will be drastically different. The farmer in Pakistan farms 2.5 acres of land hoping to use what he harvests for feeding his family and his village. The farmer in Dumas farms 500 acres of land, which is 200 times the size of the farmer's land in Pakistan, and he uses what he harvests to make a living and to sell to grocery stores in the United States. Agriculture is practiced all over the world but agriculture in one country can be far different than in another country. The world can be divided into the less developed countries, where the output of the farm is used on or near the farm where it i s produced, and the more developed countries, where the farmer sells the crops and livestock. There are some major differences between what we do in the United States and what others do in other countries concerning agriculture. As one can see, agriculture is a very important way of life for many different people all over the world. The uses of agriculture are very different throughout the world considering whether the country is more or less developed. First, we must define agriculture and determine how agriculture began. Agriculture is the deliberate modification of Earth's surface by cultivating or caring for plants and rearing animals to obtain sustenance or economic gain (1). So how did agriculture begin in the United States? Before agric... ..., so maybe someday they can be more fortunate in their living conditions. Through agriculture, we as humans are surviving together as we provide for each other. Works Cited: 1. Rubenstein, James M. An Introduction To Human Geography. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1996. Sources of Information 2. "History of Agriculture." 199?. http://www.ag.usask.ca/cofa/displays/college/plains/history.html (16 April 1998) 3. "The Nation and the People." 1996. http://www.prica.org/indonesia/nation_people/econ2.html#Agri (16 April 1998) 4. "Pakistan Goverment - Agriculture." 199?. http://www.pak.gov.pk/govt/agri7.htm(16 April 1998) 5. http://www.ext.missouri.-edu/agebb/commag/index.htm (16 April 1998) 6. Deterling, Del. "Grain Growers Look South for Markets" 1998. http://www.progressivefarmer.com/markets/0498/south/index.html (16 April 1998)

Mexican Culture Essay

I. Introduction A. Hello my name is Yaakov B. The purpose of my presentation today is to inform you on the Mexican culture. C. First, I will talk about the early history of Mexico. Second I will talk about its religion. Last I will tell you about the lifestyle This ends my introduction .now onto my body of my presentation II. Mexican culture goes back to the olmec, Maya and Aztecs 1. The Olmec where the fist Mesoamerican civilization, they were also the first to practice blood based rituals, they had type of artwork characterized by the colossal heads. 2. Maya lived in a vast area covering parts of present day Guatemala, Mexico and the western areas of Honduras and Salvador. Mayas had no central king that ruled a vast empire. Each city had its own ruler. Ancient Maya developed advanced systems of astronomy, mathematics an accurate calendar systems, extensive trade routes. The jaguar is the icon of power of Maya history. 3. The Aztec empire was peopled by a group that was once nomadic. The Aztecs principal food was tortillas. Tenochtitlan is their capital city, which is present day Mexico city. B 1. These civilizations where destroyed by the Spanish in 1521.hernado Cortez accompanied by five hundred and Indian allies. The Spaniards won victorious over the Aztecs. 2. The Spaniards had better weapons and horses. Iron armor and steel swords were where above Aztecs weaponry as the Aztecs had clubs, wooden swords, and spears. Guns and cannons were used to annihilate the Aztec defense . Horses stunned Aztecs for they had never seen horses before. 3. The Spanish brought new diseases, such as smallpox’s which killed many people. An African slave who came in 1520 had small pox. One of the Spanish soldiers contracted the disease. During combat the soldier died and Aztecs contracted the disease which killed many . That was my fist point. Now into my second point. A. Religion in Mexico was influenced by Spanish rule. 1. The Roman Catholic Church had a strong influence. Hernandez Cortez was the one who brought the catholic church to Mexico . 2. Priests learned native languages and converted American Indians to catholism. this way it would be better talk then to fight for conversion. B. 1. Catholism was established as the dominant religion of Mexico. Catholicism is not just a religion it’s a way of life in Mexico. Fifty percent of Mexico’s population attends weekly mass in their local church. Religion is a big part of Mexican culture. I have shared the early history of Mexico and religion. Now onto my last point A. The lifestyle of Mexico consist of celebrations, cinema and arts 1. A celebration that is celebrated is the day of the dead. This celebration has come far as the Aztecs. This holiday is for remembering and honoring those who have passed away. 2. The golden age of Mexican cinema. This period between 1935 to 1969.the golden era is thought to have started with the film â€Å"vamonos con pancho villa† (1935). To now it has been considered the best of the cinema of Mexico, another famous actor of this era is Maria Felix. 3. Diego Rivera the artist who painted many famous paintings such as the flower vendor, and many more. Fernando Botera had a unique style of painting all of his characters were oddly figured which would be impossible in real life III. Conclusion I have shared the early history, religion and lifestyle of my unique culture. Now into my conclusion of my presentation. 1. The significance of the history of Mexico is to inform people about the great history of Mexico. 2. The religion is the cause of Spanish influence on Mexico. 3. Lifestyle is significant because of how it has developed. I want to thank all of you for allowing me to share this important part of me with you.

Functionalist Theory Essay

The functionalist theory is one that views the society as one that is social system made up of interrelated components. Each of these components is important and works together towards the achievement of a whole complete society. A common analogy supporting the functionalist theory is the human body which has several body organs which usually work together with problems in one organ affecting the rest of the body. The major components within a society are customs, traditions, norms and institutions such as families. It is agreed among major functionalists that social institutions make the essential components of society with rules and regulations being needed so as to organize the society in an effective manner. Functionalism within the discipline of anthropology developed in the early 20th century as a reaction to the extremes of the diffusionist and evolutionary theories developed within the 19th century (Goldschmidt 1996). The change was as a result of a change in focus from the more speculative diachronic examination of cultural traits and social customs as survivals to a more synchronic examination of the various social institutions existing within functioning societies. Functionalists were attempting to increase socio-cultural examination beyond the limits of the evolutionary notion of social history which viewed cultural traits and social customs as the residual pieces of cultural history. The theory has anthropological roots based on the thoughts and works of Bronislaw Malinowski, who argued that social institutions existed so as to meet the physiological needs of individuals within a society. As such, social stability was achieved by ensuring the needs of the individuals comprising the society were met with adequate knowledge of the feelings and motives of these individuals forming a basis for understanding how the society functioned. He viewed culture as the main element that ensured the needs of the members of a society were met. It is also based on the works of Alfred Radcliffe-Brown who argued that the basic divisions of anthropology were the various processes of human life within a social structure interlinked through interactions. Stability within society was therefore achieved through social practices that would repeat themselves and develop overtime supporting each other. As such, he theorized functional analysis as the attempt to understand social stability by observing how these social practices would fit together. The functionalist theory is also based on the thoughts and works of major social positivists and was first theorized by Auguste Comte following the French revolution which resulted in social malaise. This led him to see the need for social cohesion within society. This was followed by the works of Emile Durkheim that advanced the theory of organic solidarity, whose major emphasis was on the fundamental function that ethical consensus played in ensuring social order as well as building an equilibrium within society. His main concern was how certain societies were able to maintain stability and be able to survive hence proposed that such societies are usually have subdivisions with the separate divisions being held mutually by common values and symbols. In addition, Talcott Parsons argued that a social system is usually one that is comprised of the actions of individuals who are faced with a variety of choices which in turn are influenced by several social and physical factors. He posited a social system that had four types of action systems which included culture, personality, organismic, and society, with each these four systems having to satisfy four functional needs which were latency, adaptation, integration, and goal attainment. His analysis involved studying the processes and trade offs of social structures within and between the four system levels (Turner and Maryanski 1991). Central principles in the functionalist theory Functionalist analysis studies the social importance of phenomena. It seeks to examine the various functions that these phenomena serve within a society in order to preserve the whole (Jarvie, 1973). According to Malinowski, the major concepts included: †¢ Understanding behavior based on an individual’s motivation in addition to both rational and irrational behavior; †¢ Recognizing the interrelationship of the various items which comprised a culture forming a system; and †¢ Recognizing a particular item and identifying its function within the contemporary operation of a culture. Radcliffe-Brown based his works on those of Emile Durkheim who had posited that social phenomena comprised a domain of reality that was independent of any biological or psychological facts. As such, social phenomena have to be explained in terms of the other social phenomena occurring within the domain (Broce, 1973). Radcliffe-Brown therefore studied the circumstances under which the various social structures are upheld within society. He developed an analogy between organic life and social life in order to be able to explain the idea of function hence placing emphasis on the contribution of phenomena to preserving social order. Functional analysis has given value to social institutions. This is because it considers them as integrated and active components of a social system and not as simple customs (Langness, 1987). Functionalism has also contributed to the current idea that traditional usages have been formed by the necessity that human beings have to live collectively in harmony. Its emphasis on exhaustive fieldwork has offered an in-depth study of human societies. In addition, the study of functional interrelationship between institutions and customs has provided a framework for collecting information on how societies function. Major criticisms There have been several criticisms raised against the functionalist theory leading to its decline. The functionalist theory has been criticized for its major ignorance towards historical process in addition to its presumption that societies exists in an equilibrium state (Goldschmidt, 1996). Interactionist theorists have criticized this theory due to its failure to conceptualize sufficiently the multifaceted nature of individual actors and the methods of interaction within societies. Marxist theorists have criticized functionalism due to its conservativism and the fixed nature of examination used that underlined the role of social phenomena in the preservation of the status-quo within society (Holmwood, 2005). Constructionist theorists have criticized functionalism due to the use of classificatory theories that characterized phenomena based on their functions (Turner and Maryanski, 1991). Responses to Critiques Comparative functionalism, developed by Walter Goldschmidt, attempts to respond to the difficulties that have developed as a result of Malinowski’s argument that a culture can be comprehended on its own with institutions been seen as products of the various cultures within which they were created. Comparative functionalism seeks to understand institutional differences between cultures by examining phenomena within the different cultures and the problems experienced in these societies. This approach is worthwhile since it is aware of the universality of the functions to which social institutions are a response to. Problems are usually consistent from one culture to another culture, but the institutional solutions that will be needed will vary from one culture to another (Holmwood, 2005). As such, one begins with analyzing the problem so as to find out how institutional procedures provide solutions. Neo-functionalism is an attempt to revise British structural-functionalism. Some neo-functionalists seek to analyze phenomena based on particular functional requisites. Other neo-functionalists focus on matters of social integration, social evolution, and social differentiation. Others examine how the various cultural processes such as rituals, values, and ideologies integrate with social structures. However, neo-functionalism places little emphasis on how phenomena are able to meet system needs (Turner and Maryanski, 1991). This approach is worthwhile since it provides a bridge between human behavior, which frequently involves cooperation, and natural selection, where individual interaction involves competition more than cooperation. References Broce, G. (1973). History of Anthropology. Minneapolis: Burgess Publishing Company. Goldschmidt, W. (1996). Functionalism. In Encyclopedia of Cultural Anthropology, Vol 2. David Levinson and Melvin Ember, eds. New York: Henry Holt and Company. Holmwood, J. (2005). Functionalism and its Critics, in Harrington, A. Modern Social Theory: An Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Jarvie, I. C. (1973). Functionalism. Minneapolis: Burgess Publishing Company. Kuper, A. (1996). Anthropology and Anthropologists. London: Routledge. Langness, L. (1987). The Study of Culture. Novato, California: Chandler & Sharp Publishers, Inc. Turner, J. H. & Maryanski, A. (1991). Functionalism. In Borgatta, E. F, Encyclopedia of Sociology, Vol 2. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company.

System Tray Delphi Application

System Tray Delphi Application Take a look at your Task Bar. See the area where the time is located? Are there any other icons there? The place is called the Windows System Tray. Would you like to place your Delphi applications icon there? Would you like that icon to be animated - or reflect the state of your application? This would be useful for programs that are left running for long periods of time with no user interaction (background tasks you typically keep running on your PC all day long). What you can do is to make your Delphi applications look as if they are minimizing to the Tray (instead of to the Task Bar, right to the Win Start button) by placing an icon in the tray and simultaneously making your form(s) invisible. Lets Tray It Fortunately, creating an application that runs in the system tray is pretty easy - only one (API) function, Shell_NotifyIcon, is needed to accomplish the task. The function is defined in the ShellAPI unit and requires two parameters. The first is a flag indicating whether the icon is being added, modified, or removed, and the second is a pointer to a TNotifyIconData structure holding the information about the icon. That includes the handle of the icon to show, the text to show as  a tool tip when the mouse is over the icon, the handle of the window that will receive the messages of the icon and the message type the icon will send to this window. First, in your main forms Private section put the line:TrayIconData: TNotifyIconData; type TMainForm class(TForm) procedure FormCreate(Sender: TObject); private TrayIconData: TNotifyIconData; { Private declarations }public{ Public declarations }end; Then, in your main forms OnCreate method, initialize the TrayIconData data structure and call the Shell_NotifyIcon function: with TrayIconData dobegin cbSize : SizeOf(TrayIconData); Wnd : Handle; uID : 0; uFlags : NIF_MESSAGE NIF_ICON NIF_TIP; uCallbackMessage : WM_ICONTRAY; hIcon : Application.Icon.Handle; StrPCopy(szTip, Application.Title); end; Shell_NotifyIcon(NIM_ADD, TrayIconData); The Wnd parameter of the TrayIconData structure points to the window that receives notification messages associated with an icon.   The hIcon points to the icon we want to add to the Tray - in this case, Applications main icon is used.The szTip holds the Tooltip text to display for the icon - in our case the title of the application. The szTip can hold up to 64 characters.The uFlags parameter is set to tell the icon to process application messages, use the applications icon and its tip. The uCallbackMessage points to the application-defined message identifier. The system uses the specified identifier for notification messages that it sends to the window identified by Wnd whenever a mouse event occurs in the bounding rectangle of the icon. This parameter is set to WM_ICONTRAY constant defined in the interface section of the forms unit and equals: WM_USER 1; You add the icon to the Tray by calling the Shell_NotifyIcon API function. The first parameter NIM_ADD adds an icon to the Tray area. The other two possible values, NIM_DELETE and NIM_MODIFY are used to delete or modify an icon in the Tray - well see how later in this article. The second parameter we send to the Shell_NotifyIcon is the initialized TrayIconData structure. Take One If you RUN your project now youll see an icon near the Clock in the Tray. Note three things.   1) First, nothing happens when you click (or do anything else with the mouse) on the icon placed in the Tray - we havent created a procedure (message handler), yet.2) Second, there is a button on the Task Bar (we obviously dont want it there).3) Third, when you close your application, the icon remains in the Tray. Take Two Lets solve this backward. To have the icon removed from the Tray when you exit the application, you have to call the Shell_NotifyIcon again, but with the NIM_DELETE as the first parameter. You do this in the OnDestroy event handler for the Main form. procedure TMainForm.FormDestroy(Sender: TObject);begin Shell_NotifyIcon(NIM_DELETE, TrayIconData);end; To hide the application (applications button) from the Task Bar well use a simple trick. In the Projects source code add the following line: Application.ShowMainForm : False; before the Application.CreateForm(TMainForm, MainForm); E.g let it look like: ...begin Application.Initialize; Application.ShowMainForm : False; Application.CreateForm(TMainForm, MainForm); Application.Run;end. And finally, to have our Tray icon respond to mouse events, we need to create a message handling procedure. First, we declare a message handling procedure in the public part of the form declaration: procedure TrayMessage(var Msg: TMessage); message WM_ICONTRAY; Second, the definition of this procedure looks like: procedure TMainForm.TrayMessage(var Msg: TMessage);begincase Msg.lParam of WM_LBUTTONDOWN: begin ShowMessage(Left button clicked - lets SHOW the Form!); MainForm.Show; end; WM_RBUTTONDOWN: begin ShowMessage(Right button clicked - lets HIDE the Form!); MainForm.Hide; end; end;end; This procedure is designed to handle only our message, the WM_ICONTRAY. It takes the LParam value from the message structure which can give us the state of the mouse upon the activation of the procedure. For the sake of simplicity well handle only left mouse down (WM_LBUTTONDOWN) and right mouse down (WM_RBUTTONDOWN). When the left mouse button is down on the icon we show the main form, when the right button is pressed we hide it. Of course, there are other mouse input messages you can handle in the procedure, like, button up, button double click etc. Thats it. Quick and easy. Next,  youll see how to animate the icon in the Tray and how to have that icon reflect the state of your application. Even more, youll see how to display a pop-up menu near the icon.

Financial Overview For the Global Venture PowerPoint Presentation

Financial Overview For the Global Venture - PowerPoint Presentation Example Times have changed and the world has become a global village where internet should be used as an effective tool for marketing the product and managing other resources while making sure that its done in a careful manner in order to avoid cybercrime or theft of confidential information to the competitors. The mission statement of Company A focuses on being the market leader in energy drinks industry while operating in an effective and profitable manner and at the same time providing an organizational culture that supports employees input and gives them their deserved recognition. Company A intends to work on SMART goals that mean being Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-based and at the same time developing the objectives of growth, business development and fulfilling their obligations to society.SWOT analysis of Brazil demonstrates that they the major strengths of Brazil lie in high economic growth and fully developed infrastructures which are crucial for any new start- up company or a product launch. Weaknesses lie in complex regulatory mechanisms, fluctuations in the business cycle and complicated foreign investment policies. On the other hand, economic stability and abundance of hydroelectricity are considered to be the main opportunities in the Brazilian market. Lastly, two major threats include HIV which although is declining but still has a huge absolute number and high-interest rates.Based on the analysis, Brazil appears to be a profitable market/economy for Company A to launch their energy drink.

Appeal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Appeal - Essay Example Therefore, I and my younger sister have suffered severe anxiety and melancholy afterward. My younger sibling has become suicidal after this tragic incident as she could not accept the realistic fact of death. Previously my younger sibling lived in Canada for her studies, but after her several attempts of suicide; I could not leave her on her own, took her under my wings. Right now, I am struggling with my own anxiety, focusing on my sister’s rehabilitation and trying to be empathetic towards my father. I am physically and sentimentally exhausted and could not focus on my studies, which resulted in low grades. After my mother’s demise, my father urges me to return to Korea as he also feels lonely and gloomy. I have become sleep deprived and struggling with emotional and physical demands of my family every day and in the meantime barely getting any sleep like a normal person. I have visited counseling center for the same sake and received medical assistance from the hospi tal as well. I do not want to leave my studies in between as I have always been eager to complete my graduation from the University. However, I am trying to recover from the tragic incident and struggling to manage my family life and studies for which I will need your support and empathy as well. If I am reinstated, I will focus much better on my schoolwork, take fewer hours, and manage my time more wisely. Fortunately, my father is recovering and has returned to work, so I should not need to travel home nearly as often.

Contemporary Management Practice (with IT focus) - Assignment 2 Essay

Contemporary Management Practice (with IT focus) - Assignment 2 - Essay Example advantage over others by gaining markets and customers, organisational managers must now deeply study complex scenarios and technology as well as technology change to allocate organisational resources in a strategic manner. This essay presents a discussion about the impact of technology on the way in which organisations are now managed. I certify that, except where cited in the text, this work is the result of research carried out by the author of this study. The main content of the study which has been presented contains work that has not previously been reported anywhere. Within the recent past, the practice of management has undergone a change which was brought about as a result of intense competition, globalisation and developments in technology including information technology, e-commerce and the Internet etc (Tassabehji, 2007, Pp. 15). Computing power that was made available as a result of advances in technology on a broad front made it possible for managers to use tools of corporate finance and capital market analysis as well as management information systems and decision support systems to assist them to make better and more informed decisions (Kochan, 2003, Chapter 1). Computer modelling based on operations research and statistics became an important tool for the modelling of complex situations to provide a feel for the human decision makers. Database technology enabled organisations to maintain, process and to rapidly access huge quantities of data that was of interest to organisations. It is now necessary to manage technology and the process of technology innovation, with work taking on a new meaning and management-employee relations being guided on the basis of principles of economics and behavioural science. Knowledge management is now important and the rapidly escalating prices of energy and food pose new challenges for business. Technology is now said to be moving towards a convergence of information science, life science and nanotechnology.

The Dublin environment and entrapment within it Essay Example for Free

The Dublin environment and entrapment within it Essay Dubliners: The stories are variations on the theme of rebellion from the Dublin environment and entrapment within it. Discuss how these themes (rebellion/entrapment) are explored in at least THREE of the stories in the collection. Throughout Dubliners the themes of rebellion from the Dublin environment and entrapment within it occur in each story. One story where the protagonists are particularly trapped is Two gallants where Corley and Lenehan are stuck in a vicious cycle involving easy money for drink and easy women for sex, their rebellion from the mundane life of Dublin. Similarly, Gallaher in A Little Cloud is an immoral character but he has escaped Dublin ans by contrast, Little Chandler is trapped with an unhappy marriage and thwarted ambition. The title of Two Gallants is highly ironic, with neither of the central characters being close to gallant, in fact they are the least respectable in the entire collection. The story is in the adolescent phase of the novel though Corley and Lenehan are in their thirties; Joyce describes Lenehans hair as scant and grey showing him to be prematurely aged, exacerbating the contrast between their maturity and their age. This arrested development is an important element in their entrapment, as they are stuck at a level of maturity short of their age, their development paralysed. Moreover, their amoral behaviour is like an unconscious rebellion against the dismal nature of their existence. Joyces intention to portray Dublin in a very negative light is conveyed clearly in this story, not only through the leech like Lenehan and large, globular Corley, but also with his description of Dublin. The circular structure of the story reflects the entrapment of the characters. The fact that Lenehan, with nothing better to do, just wanders the streets, getting nowhere adds to the idea that there is no escape from Dublin. In addition to the circular structure, Joyce refers explicitly to circles. The word circulated is used in the first line and later Lenehans gaze was fixed on the large faint moon circled with a double halo. To consolidate the circular idea, Joyce later refers to a girl Corley used to see off the south circular. The unity of a circle is eternal and confined, like the misery of Dublin. In A Little Cloud, Little Chandler is trapped, not only in the stagnant Dublin but in a miserable marriage: He looked coldly into the eyes of the photograph [of Annie, his wife] and they answered coldly. Certainly they were pretty and the face was pretty. But he found something mean in it. He is in awe of Gallaher who has experienced and seen the world outside Dublin; Gallaher rebelled against Dublin by escaping. Though he is no longer trapped in the city, like the protagonists in Two Gallants, he is another example of arrested development, trapped instead in the adolescent stage of his life. Little Chandler is similarly in a state of arrested development with his child-like characteristics including his hands, which are white and small, also his voice was quietand when he smiled you caught a glimpse of a row of childish white teeth. Little Chandler has his own rebellion at the end of the story when he finds a disturbing outlet for his frustration. Joyce uses the technique of the interior monologue to convey Little Chandlers great anger: It was useless, useless! He was a prisoner for life. His arms trembled with anger and suddenly bending to the childs face he shouted: Stop!' This act, which borders on violence from Chandler whose manners were refined, illustrates the great extent of his dissatisfaction. This lack of fulfilment stems from the entrapment he feels from living in Dublin, which in turn implies the severity of Dublins stagnancy. Another story in the collection with the themes of rebellion and entrapment is Counterparts where Farrington, the protagonist, is trapped like Chandler in an unfulfilling career as a clerk. Farrington spends an inordinate sum on alcohol in the story but at the end of the night he felt humiliated and discontented; he did not even feel drunk. This emphasises the pointlessness of his existence as he drinks to alleviate the monotony of his life, but the money he earns from his unfulfilling job is not even sufficient to make him drunk. Farrington also provides a parallel to Little Chandler in his loveless marriage: His wife was a little sharp-faced women who bullied her husband when he was sober and was bullied by him when he was drunk. In addition, he likewise takes out his rage on his son but the two characters differ considerably as, unlike Chandler, Farrington does seem to be a violent man. He struck his son vigorously with the stick as opposed to Chandler whose cheeks suffused with shameand tears of remorse started to his eyes. A further example would be the entrapment in Eveline which is less metaphorical than in the other mentioned stories, as she is trapped by duty to her abusive father, in addition to her mental prison like that of the other protagonists. She fears the unknown, preferring to embrace a future of certain misery than an uncertain pursuit of happiness: It was hard work a hard life but now that she was about to leave it she did not find it a wholly undesirable life. Each story in the collection contains reference to either rebellion or entrapment, implying Joyces anti-Dublin opinions. It is made clear that without leaving Irelands capital, it is impossible to prosper or advance, a prime example being the Two Gallants arrested development or Little Chandlers and Farringtons increasing frustration resulting in violence. Joyce explores these central themes in detail and uses the ideas of rebellion and frustration to comment on the disparity of Dublin, reiterating repeatedly that people become trapped: You could do nothing in Dublin. Gallaher, however has achieved escape and although Chandler initially elevates him, his vulgarity is exposed leaving the reader uncertain as to whether true success, even outside Dublin, is possible for the Dubliners.

Changing Face Of Rural Consumer In Emerging Markets Economics Essay

Changing Face Of Rural Consumer In Emerging Markets Economics Essay India is growing at an average annual rate of 7.6 for the past many years and it is expected to continue growing at an equal if not faster rate. The rapid economic growth is increasing and enhancing employment and business opportunities and in turn increasing disposable incomes. The rural consumers in India account for about 73 percent of the total consumers. In recent years, the lifestyle of a large number of rural consumers in India has changed dramatically and the process of change is going on. The buying behaviour of the rural consumers is influenced by several factors such as socio-economic conditions, cultural environment, literacy level, occupation, geographical location, efforts on the part of sellers, exposure to media etc. As the benefits of growth trickle down, an increasing number of people are moving up from the economically weaker class to join the middle class. The middle class with its rising numbers and incomes is thus becoming the biggest market segment. The affluent class too will continue to grow in terms of size and value, albeit, at a slower pace than the middle class. Most of the companies are going rural because of large and diverse markets, increase in literacy level and changing life style of the people. Even globalization and liberalization expanded the Indian rural market. Several studies have shown that rural consumers are generally ignorant and they are also unorganised. Under these circumstances, the sellers or the manufacturers, exploit the consumers. Though, the consumers in India have been provided with various safety measures against their exploitation. In this paper, an attempt has been made to study the changing face of rural consumer in emerging markets. Key Words: Globalisation, Rural Consumer, Rural Market, Rural Potential. Introduction Rural consumers in emerging markets of developing countries are among the largest and fastest growing segments of the worlds population. In a country like India, where a substantial number of the rural people are living below poverty line, having high level of unemployment and poor literacy level; consumer awareness continues to remain low. Above all about 70 percent of Indias population lives in rural areas. There are about 6, 38,365 villages in the country as against about 300 cities and 5,161 towns. Of the 121 crore Indians, 83.3 crore live in rural areas while 37.7 crore stay in urban areas, as per the Census 2011. Even in urban areas, a large number of people live in slums whose life is not better than those living in rural areas. This clearly highlights that India is still dominated by rural population. There were 7,935 towns in 2011 as against 5,161 in 2001. About 13.3% of Indias population and 42.6% of urban population reside in 53 cities having more than a million people, wh ile the remaining 7,882 cities account for 47.4% of the urban population. There has been a steady increase in the number of cities from 5 in 1951 to 35 in 2001 to 53 in 2011 having a population of more than 10 lacs. About 31% of the urban population lives in the top-20 cities and about 51% of the countrys urban population lives in the top-100 cities.4 A report on survey conducted by National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) says that there are 720 million consumers across the villages in rural India. Hence, the development of the nation largely depends upon the development of the rural population. Agriculture is the main occupation of the rural people for their subsistence. It has been observed in the report that the condition of the rural consumers is deplorable because they are being exploited in the rural markets on account of lack of competition among the sellers. Although the rural consumers face various problems like fake brands and spurious products, misleading advertisements, unfair warranties and guarantees, and unreasonable pricing but it hardly affects their passion to buying because they want to buy those products which reflect their prosperity level. Similarly, with globalization and liberalization, rural market in India expanded its potentialities across the world. Globalization describes a process by whi ch regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through a global network of communication, transportation, and trade. Globalization can be defined as the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant locations in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa. Globalization generally means integrating our economy with the economy of world. Globalization had its impact on various sectors including agricultural, industrial, financial, health and many others. Globalization has helped in: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Raising the living standards of people, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Alleviating of poverty, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Assuring food security, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Creating a market for expansion of industry and services, and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Making substantial contribution to the national economic growth. Globalization has brought in many varieties to choose from i.e. it has given a wide range of products to choose. The rise of rural market has been the most important marketing phenomenon of 1990s, providing volume growth to all leading companies. Objectives To examine the reasons why companies are going rural. To study the changing face of rural consumers To analyse the present scenario. To study the initiatives taken by some leading companies in the area of rural marketing. Data Collection The study is based upon secondary data which has been collected from various text books, journals, reports etc. Besides, a few websites have also been consulted. Potential of Rural Market Now-a-days, every company is excited about the potential of rural India and trying to get a grip on the rural market because the urban market is showing the sign of saturation. But the challenges are many: how to make the product affordable, how to penetrate villages with small population, connectivity, communication, language barrier, overcoming spurious brands etc. The reasons for companies going rural are manifold. Increasing rural incomes driven by agricultural growth, increasing enrolment in primary schools, high penetration of TV and other mass media which has increased the propensity to consume branded and value added products in rural areas. As per a study conducted by the Market information Survey of Households (MISH) and NCAER rural India is quietly transforming and growing and becoming different. Today the rural market offers a vast untapped potential. According to a McKinsey survey conducted in 2007, rural India would become bigger than the total consumer market of many countries such as South Korea or Canada in another 20 years. Marketers and manufacturers are becoming aware of the increasing purchasing powers, vast size and demand base of the once neglected Indian hinterland. They are now making efforts to understand the attitude of rural consumer. While entering the rural market companies are also resorting to CSR- Corporate Social Responsibility activities, thus helping the poor not only to augment their income but promote their products also. For example, Hindustan Unilivers Project Shakti not only brings revenues to the company but also assist poor rural women to become income earners by selling the companys product in the rural markets. It provides entrepreneurial opportunity and thus improves the living standard of rural women. It is a win-win situation for the company as well as for the consumers. Some major companies that have focused in Indian rural sector so far are Asian Paints, PG, and Bajaj Auto, LG electronics, Coca Cola, Hindustan Unilever, Britannia, Philips, Colgate, ITC and LIC. We are sti ll to understand the rural consumer, his attitudes, and his habits, particularly from the marketing point of view. Following points explain the reasons why companies are going rural i.e. what attracts them: Large and Scattered market Major income from agriculture Low standard of living Traditional Outlook Diverse socio-economic backwardness Infrastructure Facilities High Growth Rate Facts about the Indian Rural Market The following facts are gathered from the analysis done by National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER) about the rural India: Rural India constitutes 70% of Indias total population. It accounts for 56% of national income. It contributes to 1/3rd of Indias total savings. It accounts for 64% of total expenditure. Rural economy is estimated to reach a size of Rs 18 trillion by 2012-2013 as against Rs 12 trillion in 2007-2008. Rural consumers share of total ownership of low cost items like bicycles, pressure cookers and watches during 1995-96 was 60%. The share of rural India in the FMCG market is around 53% and is expected to reach 60% in future. Why focus on rural consumer? It is found that companies have expanded in rural areas because they are able to ward off competition, generate a new demand and in turn increase their sales or profits as well. The rural India offers a tremendous market potential. In fact, rural markets are the new markets offering both durable and non-durable products. Long-term perspective of marketing planning with modern approach is essential for their future growth. The Indian rural market is a goldmine, which needs to be explored. Rural consumers behaviour needs to be understood and products specially designed to suit the rural lifestyle.  The key business players are ecstatic about the immense market potential in Indias rural areas. It is also believed that major changes have taken place in the economic fundamentals, decrease in agricultural dependence, and increase in average income, life style, standard of living of the rural due to high economic growth rate. Business tycoons plan huge investments focused on rural areas, as part of growth of rural strategy. Rural India has witnessed a wave of change in recent times. Rural markets dominate Indian marketing scene and they need special attention for the expansion of marketing activities. With media exposure and increasing literacy levels, people are now demanding a better lifestyle. Figure shown below depicts the consumer Indias confluence of change in this regard. Figure: Consumer Indias Confluence of Change The changing shape of income distribution suggests growth in rural incomes which in turn should herald a consumption boom. Now-a-days, liberalisation, comfort with technology, changed attitude of people especially middle income group, alongwith rise in aspiration, the rural India is going beyond agriculture and is creating a new market for mass consumption. The figure given below depicts that with the increase in income, the rural people are moving from lower to lower middle, lower middle to middle; middle to upper middle and upper middle to upper level as far as income and spending are concerned. Figure: Rural Percent of each income group The coming together of a diverse set of economic, demographic and social change waves-point towards the fact that a brave new market is here. Table 1shows the demand for consumer durables in rural India. Inspite of the lower penetration and lower per capita purchase of consumer goods by rural people when compared to that of urban Indians, marketers are attracted towards rural markets because of large population (Table II) Table 1: Demand for Consumer Durables in Rural India (% of all India) Consumer Durables 1995-96 2001-02 2009-10 Scooters 33.1 39.4 39.9 Automobiles 37.9 36.0 37.9 Television 54.0 54.5 44.2 White goods 23.8 23.9 23.7 Fans 50.0 56.9 56.7 Low Cost items 58.1 60.1 61.3 Source: NCAER Table 1 explain the position from 1995-96 to 2009-10. The demand for the consumer durables in case of automobiles, white goods, low cost items is more or less is same, but there is an increased trend in fans, scooters etc. Table II: Comparative Sizes of Rural and Urban Markets Particulars Urban Rural Population 2001-2002 (million households ) 53 135 Population 2009-2010 (million households ) 69 153 % of All India Population 28 72 Market ( Number of town/Villages ) 3768 627000 Western consumer-focused companies are growing impatient as they seek out the opportunity to sell their products both in Indias major cities as well as to consumers in rural areas.  Companies should proceed with caution when marketing their products to Indias rural consumers   http://blog.frontierstrategygroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Rural-India.png Present Scenario Rural markets are witnessing value growth. That is rural consumers are willing to go for premium brands in any product category. Rural market is providing ample options to its consumer in terms of tastes, choices which are changing. The three most important factors are: Change in consumption pattern Change in life style Change in behavior of rural consumer In this regard, many large sized corporations have seen great success in rural areas because of innovative strategies like smaller packaging (Fast Moving Consumer Goods FMCG companies have creams and soaps priced at Rs5, hair oil and shampoo sachets at Re1 and small Coke at Rs5), customized development and positioning and a good distribution network. The rural India success story is being replicated across a range of sectors in the rural markets. Thus, the sales of FMCG products in rural markets is growing at a fast pace, even faster than that in urban markets. Nielsen estimates that by 2025, the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) market in rural India will hit $100 billion and that inflation and pricing will be outstripped by consumption. Presently, the rural market has more than 70 percent of toilet soaps, 50 % share of total sales of TV sets, Fans, Pressure Cookers, Bicycles, Washing soap, Blades, Tea, Salt and Tooth Powder  and 38 percent of all two-wheelers were purchased in rural areas. Rural India consumers hold a major share in many categories. Bijoor adds some growth numbers. Our rural folk have bought a lot more of FMCG; this part of the market has grown at a robust rate of 23% [over last year i.e., 2008-09], he says. As durables shrink in urban India, the rural market is witnessing a 15% growth rate. Some 60% of the durables market lies in rural India. Telecom in rural India is growing at 31%. It depends on the product, of course. Just the sheer population numbers dont mean very much from a marketing point of view, says Garudachar of Voltas. Statistics presented at the meet assessed the market size for nail polish at around Rs. 270 million in rural areas as against only 81 million in the urban area. Same i s the case with lipstick and face creams. This is mainly due to the rise in the disposable income of an average rural family. These itself bring awesome opportunities to the investors in rural markets.14 Various initiatives have been taken by the companies like: Nirma the first FMCG Company which initiated and produced goods according to the rural consumers in 1970. It changed the whole Indian FMCG scene. A number of companies such as Hindustan Lever, Coca Cola, LG Electronics, followed suit to expand their base in rural market. Maruti Suzuki introduced various innovative schemes such as a) Wheels of India scheme for State government employees which led to the sales of more than 5000 automobiles; b) Another scheme called Ghar Ghar Me Maruti: Mera Sapna Meri Maruti is targeted at the customer segment consisting of village panchayat members who are highly influential and respected in rural areas and nearby towns. This scheme increased Maruti sales by 16600 units; c) Other schemes Maruti are steel wheels for steel industry employees, 1 class officer for Indian Railways employees and Teacher Plus schemes for teachers. Gaon Chalo By Tata Tea: Gaon Chalo is another distinctive rural marketing initiative started in 2006 in the Uttar Pradesh by Tata tea for penetrating the rural market, the company partnered with NGO. This project has created employment opportunities to the youth in villages and small towns. Tata tea consolidated its market share in rural areas and it rose from 18% to 26.6%. Dabur India Ltd has also tied up Indian Oil Corporation. According to agreement between the two companies, IOC retail outlets all over the country will stock and sell Daburs products consisting of oral care, health care, personal wash, skin care and home care products. This helps Dabur in reaching millions of rural customers. There are 1600 such IOC outlets across India. According to report entitled India Retail Report 2009 by Images FR Research, Indias rural market offer a sea of opportunity for the retail sector? Presently, India is globally the fifth largest life insurance market in the emerging insurance economies. 78 percent households in rural India are having awareness about life insurance and just 24 percent are policy holders. The Indian pharmaceuticals market is regarded as one of the fastest growing in the world. According to a report by McKinsey, entitled Indian Pharma 2015, the rural and tier-2 pharma market will account for almost half of the growth till 2015. According to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, India is having more than 826.93 million mobile phones and 35.55 million landlines in April 2011, which is about 70.23 percent. Out of this about 40 percent are from rural areas, and by 2012, rural users will account for over 60 percent of the total telecom subscriber base in India. Thus, India has witnessed a n increase in the purchasing power of consumers, accompanied by their desire to upgrade their standard of living. Today the rural market offers a vast untapped potential. With the rapid growth of rural market, the quantum of consumer grievances also increases simultaneously. The main problems faced by rural consumers are related to adulteration, lack of safety, quality in appliances and equipment, unfair warranties, unreasonable pricing etc. The Department of Consumer Affairs of the Government of India and various state governments has undertaken a number of innovative measures to protect rights of rural consumers. The Indian Consumer Protection Act 1986 ensure better protection of rights and interest of people who are consumers in one way or the other from the exploitation of trade and industries. Consumer disputes redressal mechanism (popularly known as consumer courts) are set up under the Act at district, state and national level to provide simple, inexpensive and quick redressa l of consumer complaints. Although they are in urban areas but in rural areas, there is Panchayati Raj- a three-tier system with elected bodies at the Village, Taluk and District levels. Conclusion Today, rural consumers are not only buying to fulfill their basic needs but also taking care of higher needs of comfort and socialization. Moreover, they are getting more conscious about health and that they have the extra money to spend on such products. Consumer behaviour which is related to likes and dislikes and expectations of the consumers has changed in recent years owing to enhanced awareness, information technology and more importantly governmental intervention through legislations. The buying behaviour of the rural consumers is influenced by several factors such as socio-economic conditions, cultural environment, literacy level, occupation, geographical location, efforts on the part of sellers, exposure to media etc. Thus, the manufacturers are more cautious in dealing with consumers of their respective products.  A recent study by the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) suggests that if India continues to grow at the current pace, average household incomes will triple over t he next two decades and it will become the worlds 5th-largest consumer economy by 2025, up from 12th now. Mahatma Gandhi said, A consumer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us, we are on him. He is not an interruption to our work; he is the purpose of it. We are not doing a favour to a consumer by giving him an opportunity. He is doing us a favour by giving us opportunity to serve him. Keeping these words in mind, there is an urgent need to address the concerns of the rural consumers and the only way forward is to involve the available constitutional mechanism of Panchayati Raj Institutions.