Breaking Through Essay

Throughout the book â€Å"Breaking Through,† Francisco Jinemez discusses many themes. This book is an interesting and a must read book for people who moving to another country and trying to get a better life. There are three themes in the novel that one must follow in order to understand and earn a meaningful life: family, work, and education. First of all, family is the first school in which a child receives the basic values of life. When Francisco was young, his family moved to America, hoping to get a better life. He grew up in a poor family. The six members in his family are his parents, (how many? 3? ) brothers, and sister. His family suffers and struggles with many hardships because they were not coherent English speakers. His mother is a caring and thoughtful woman who places her family as an important priority. She gives Francisco a lot of advice that helped him solve many of his problems. All the members of his family are friendly except his father. His father always yells at him and Roberto when they ask to go out. Although his mood changes invariably like the weather, they still respect him completely. Francisco spends a lot of time with his big brother since their ages are close to each other. Francisco’s love for his family is never-ending. In one part of the book, Francisco and his brother, Roberto, moved away from their family to a different city to live by themselves. At the beginning, Francisco misses his family so much that he can’t help but reminisce about the time when they still lived together. Francisco often misses â€Å"the sounds of [his] Papa’s coughing, the rattle of his aspirin bottle, and the rolling of Mama’s twelve-inch lead pipe† (19). Being away from his family occasionally makes Francisco think of all the little things about his life when he lived with his parents. Jimeneez illustrated an image of Francisco’s life before he moved to _____ in order to demonstrate how Francisco’s strong ties to his family causes him to think about when they were still living together. Everyone has to work whether to earn money or get experience for a better future. When Francisco was still in middle school, he supported his family by working. His work was to pick cotton, carrot, or strawberry, depending on the season. Francisco’s father has trouble with his back, so he could not work as well as he did before. Things get worse when Roberto got married because he is unable to support the family anymore because he needs the money to build his own family. Francisco and his father become depressed as they worry for their life and survival. They often wonder how they will survive with the limited amount of money they receive from their work. Life is tough for them. Why do we have to go to school? It is the best option for our future. In general, achieving an education is not an easy thing to do. It is even harder for Francisco who moved to another country. Although he has problem with English, he never stop trying to learn it. In addition to getting a good education, Francisco also has to help support his family. This caused him to miss many school days. In his senior year, he hears good news from his teacher that he might be able to get a scholarship. He discusses the news with his family, but his father did not approve. Francisco could not control himself and finally talk back to his father that why cannot he get into college. Francisco felt ‘’anger [swallowing him] and [he] could not escape it† (168) Francisco felt passionate about his education because it is the only hope for Francisco to escape his poor life. He believes that he must fight for it because education is not only a ladder to success, but it will also give him knowledge to become a useful person in the future. In conclusion, Jimenez is trying to demonstrate survival and hardship through these themes. These are themes that would help us break through all the hardships in life. A better future depends on our hope and courage.

Perfume Market in China

Strategy for UNIQLO in India Class: Global Strategy – Optimizing your Global Footprint Professor: Mark Roeske Students: Hidenobu Hayakawa Nagasaka Sohta Nguyen Thanh Thi Phuong Waseda Summer Intensive , August 2012 Final Report Final Report [STRATEGY FOR UNIQLO IN INDIA CONTENTS Executive Summary PART I/ UNIQLO and Apparel Industry – Overview of UNIQLO business – Apparel Industry: Value Chain & Key Success Factors PART II/ Environmental Analysis – PEST analysis for India – 5 Forces analysis for Apparel industry in India – SWOT analysis for UNIQLO’s entering into IndiaPART III/ Strategy Formation – Entry Strategy: Entry Mode – Expansion Strategy: 3 Phases – Implementation Plan: 4P, AAA Conclusion Reference Appendix 2 Final Report [STRATEGY FOR UNIQLO IN INDIA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Japan is famous for innovation and high-tech manufacturing industries but not for fashion. However, this fact should be reconsidered since th e brand UNIQLO, a true Japanese fashion brand, now can be found in the biggest cities of the world from world-class shopping malls like Ginza (Tokyo), Fifth Avenue (New York) to the streets of Shanghai and Malaysia.UNIQLO is the main brand of Fast Retailing Co. , Ltd (see Appendix 1 for Corporate Profile), the largest producer in apparel retailing industry in Japan and ranks the fourth in the world (after ZARA, H&M and GAP). Mr. Tadashi Yanai, the founder a nd current CEO of Fast Retailing (FR) used to be the richest man in Japan. In this report, we develop the strategy to bring UNIQLO to the world second largest population, India. The reasons why we choose this plan can be explained briefly as following.Fast Retailing aims at becoming the number one apparel retailer in the world by 2020. In order to achieve this ambitious vision, they need to boost up sales from other markets other than depending only on the already-saturated Japanese market. First venturing into international mark ets in 2001, UNIQLO now has worldwide operations, including in the U. K. , China, Hong Kong, South Korea, the United States, France, Singapore, Russia, Taiwan and Malaysia. There are very few big economies in the world that UNIQLO has not touched, which includes India.The reason for choosing India as the next destination of UNIQLO brand is mainly because of the attraction of India itself with a big population and rising GDP growth as well as an warm-welcome legal environment for foreign investment. About the structure of this report, we divide in three different parts. The first one will give an overview of UNIQLO brand, its position versa other world-top apparel brands. This part also explains the value chain of apparel industry focusing on SPA model and its relevant key success factors. The second part provides an in-depth but compact environmental analysis of India n general and its apparel industry. Based on the country and industry analysis, a summary of external and internal f actors affectin g the introduction of UNIQLO brand into India is shown in the SWOT analysis. The last but most important 3 Final Report [STRATEGY FOR UNIQLO IN INDIA part of the report focuses on forming the entry strategy as well as expansion strategy for UNIQLO in Indian market. The main data source for this report is the FR’s latest annual report for fiscal year ended August 31, 2011 as well as information available on reliable websites, which are shown in the Reference.PART I/ UNIQLO and Japanese Apparel Industry UNIQLO of Fast Retailing â€Å"Changing the World with Truly Great Clothing† is the motto of Fast Retailing which show s the corporation’s spirit, vision and strategy. The specialty retailer UNIQLO, the Group’s mainstay operation, has enjoyed strong growth by offering high-quality casual wear at reasonable prices based on its SPA (Specialty store retailer of Private label Apparel) business model, which spans product design, manufacture, distr ibution and retail. UNIQLO’s products range from denim, cashmere, knitwear & underwear to men & women jeans, trousers, shorts, shirts and t-shirts.The first UNIQLO store opened in 1984 and as mentioned above, UNIQLO now has operations in U. K. , China, Hong Kong, South Korea, the United States, France, Singapore, Russia, Taiwan and Malaysia. In 2011, th ey opened global flagship stores in Taipei, Seoul and on New York’s prestigious Fifth Avenue, as part of plans to grow business worldwide. At the end of fiscal 2011, they had 843 stores in Japan and 181 stores in other markets. Their breakthrough products include HEAT-TECH inner wear line, Ultra Light Down jackets and Cool biz line. In Japan, UNIQLO is the nation’s largest apparel retailer, with a 5. % 1 share of the 10. 7 trillion yen Japanese apparel market, and 843 stores nationwide at the end of fiscal 20 11. In fiscal 2011, sales increased 28. 7% year on year to 93. 7 billion yen and operating profit grew 40 . 6% to 8. 9 billion yen. While this is still only a small amount compared to UNIQLO Japan’s sales of 600. 1 billion yen, UNIQLO international’s operations in Asia are providing highly profitable. The total number of UNIQLO International stores stood at 181 at the end of August 2011. They plan to add another 107 to boost the total to 288 stores by the end of August 2012. Fast Retailing’s Annual Report 2011 4 Final Report [STRATEGY FOR UNIQLO IN INDIA The chart below envisions the breakdown of UNIQLO sales in the future: (Source: Annual report yearend 2011, Fast Retailing Co. , Ltd) Apparel Industry The following chart shows the current ranking of major global SPAs in the apparel world (Source: Annual report yearend 2011, Fast Retailing Co. , Ltd) SPA business model incorporates the entire clothes-making process from procurement of materials, product planning, development and manufacture through distribution and retail to inventory management.To ensure the develo pment of products of exceptional quality, UNIQLO has refined its SPA business model to control the entire business process (see UNIQLO business model in Appendix 2). UNIQLO successfully differentiates itself from other companies by developing unique products and minimize store operation cost. This model is described in the flow of supply and key success factors are identified as below: ?1) Product Planning Key Success Factor: Product development based on customer feedback. Market-Out is a one of key driver for UNIQULO to attract consumer where their preference are diversified. Final Report [STRATEGY FOR UNIQLO IN INDIA ?2) Raw material Purchase Key Success Factor: Material procurement from around the world. The UNIQLO Material Development Team is able to procure high-quality materials at low costs through direct negotiations with and bulk purchases from material manufacturers globally. ?3) Production Key Success Factor: a) Expert technical guidance at factories emphasizes quality in order to produce millions of products of standardized quality. b) Flexible to produce in small unit(lot) ? 4) Sales & Marketing Key Success Factor: Flagship Stores Boosts the BrandUNIQLO is seeking to build its brand through its network of global flagship stores. Global flagship stores serve as hubs to get out the UNIQLO message, and concept of high-quality basics, while showcasing what sets UNIQLO apart from competitors such as H&M, Zara or Gap. PART II/ Environmental Analysis 1/ PEST analysis for India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. Its population is around 1. 2 billion, second largest after China. In term of the ease of doing business, India ranks 132nd, even worse than Pakistan (105th). ? Political factor:About its political system, India is the world's most populous democracy with a parliamentary republic with a multi-party system. However, India ranks 95th over 185 countries in term of corruption rate and the corporation tax is really hig h at 40%. The law was changed in 2011 and it allows foreign companies to have wholly own subsidiary. Although tax and corruption are negative points, there are lots of positive points as the current Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, promised to bring more transparency in work of public servant and create no barriers to investment in India ?Potential impact to UNIQLO: It is an ideal timing for UQNILO to go to India now because from 24th November 2011, Indian government allowed a foreign company to have its wholly-own subsidiary of retailer. However, it needs to pay attention to potential legal risks from Indian inflexible Labor Law, for 6 Final Report [STRATEGY FOR UNIQLO IN INDIA example, practically impossible to fire someone in India, requiring payment of annual bonuses even if the company wasn’t profitable, high compensation for workers that suffer injury/death on site of employment and trend of getting stringent on working condition and minimum wage law enforcement. Economi c factor: India is a rapidly rising power. Its GDP growth rate is impressively high (2009: 8. 24%, 2010: 9. 55%, 2011: 6. 86%). In term of nominal GDP, it ranks 11th in the world. Nevertheless, GDP per capita is very low compared to the other BRIC countries ($1,389, 140th ranking). India contains the largest concentration of people living below the World Bank's international poverty line of US$1. 25 per day. Inflation rate is very high of 11. 99% in 2010 and 8. 63% in 2011. As for apparel industry, the total market capitalization is expected to increase from US$32. billion in 2009 to US$57 billion in 2015. ?Potential impact to UNIQLO: consumer’s demand is increasing more and more in the future. Therefore, Indian apparel market creates a huge chance for UNIQLO. However, India is too big to deal with as a one country, so that cities are important to define business strategy. The first targeted destination should be Mumbai, which is the biggest city in population (12. 5 mil peop le) and its density (20,694/km2) is four times higher than Tokyo (5,541/km2). It is absolutely a very promising business because there is no tariff to clothing between Japan and India from 2010. Social factors: Population growth rate is 1. 4% per year and India is expected to reach 1. 4 billion in 2030. The literacy rate is about 74. 04% (2011) and there are more than 90 million English speakers. This population is divided in the following age structure: 0-14 years: 31. 8%, 15-64 years: 63. 1% and 65 years and above: 5. 1%. Their lands are fertile and very good for agriculture. The weather is various in locations and there are summer and winter and raining seasons. ?Potential impact to UNIQLO: UNIQLO should make unique comfortable products suitable for various climates.Although India provides cheap labor cost, the deviation in salary base in India is very large, 2-3 times difference by education and 20-30 times difference for professionals. Another important factor for consideration is related to the labor union in India. There are about 8,000 Labor Unions and they are very active. 7 Final Report ? [STRATEGY FOR UNIQLO IN INDIA Technology factors: India is well-known as the land of IT outsourcing, so the infrastructure as well as transport and communication should be good. Nevertheless, there are more and more blackouts recently.As for textile, India is a big textile producer as being the largest producer of Jute, Cotton, Silk, Cellulosic and Synthetic fiber/Yarn. ?Potential impact to UNIQLO: in the long run, UNIQLO should make its own products in India to take the advantage of cheap raw material and low-paid labor sources. However, they now need to build up their distribution from the scratch. 2/ 5 Forces analysis for apparel industry of India In general, the PEST analysis shows favorable results to the business plan of introducing UNIQLO brand in India.In order to form the entry mode as well as competition strategy for UNIQLO, an in-depth understanding of cu rrent apparel industry of India is needed. The 5 forces model of Porter is applied to identify involving forces of this industry and details are shown below: ? Threat of new entrants: High Barrier to new entrant into apparel industry is low because there are no restrictions and the current Indian government shows warm welcome to foreign investment. On the other hand, â€Å"Functional Fiber’’ could lose its uniqueness and distinctiveness by products from other apparel companies.For example, Private brand from Chemical companies (like Du Pont Company) could be our rival in this category. ? Bargaining power of suppliers: Low As the main raw materials are â€Å"Cotton and Functional fiber’’ and cotton is commodity, UNIQLO can find the cotton source from various suppliers in and outside the country. More importantly, UNIQLO has a strong sourcing of functional fiber from Toray, its strategic partner. They have had a good corpo ration on global base under a lo ng-term contract. Finally, access to distribution channels is not limited and retailers provide shelf-space when they receive listing fees here in India. Bargaining power of buyer: Medium There is no switching cost for buyers. Most of the POS (Point of sales) are PAPAMAMA shop but they are small in size and not able to exercise buying power. However, due to the regulation change in 2010 8 Final Report [STRATEGY FOR UNIQLO IN INDIA with regard to the field of retailer, quantity of mass–retailers has been increasing at urban area, making buyer bargaining power stronger. Consumer spending on fashion products has grown at 7. 1% annually from 2002 through 2010. There is a rising affluence which helps to increase brand awareness among Indian consumers.Indian is among the most brand conscious countries in the world (according to the â€Å"Nielsen Global Luxury Brands Study†). Indian often spend around 100$ on an average for apparel. To them, the most important factor is the l ook and feel of the product and price is also another important factor. Therefore, UNIQLO should market itself as the highly functional and innovative clothing brand from Japan to be sold at reasonable price. ? Threat of substitute products of service: High The substitutes are various from price, quality to brand as well as ease of access to customers.Local apparel manufacturers have consolidated in group and they are strong at low-cost operation. Still people have preference in local style outfit (their traditional custom: sari). ? Rivalry of competition: High India is considered an attractive market for luxury brands, about 50 premium and luxury brands, including Zara, GAP, Tommy Hilfiger, Guess, Benetton, Levi’s etc, have opened stores in India in recent years. Direct competitors of SPAs like UNIQLO (GAP and Zara) have been doing business in India and they have solid portions of market share in the non-functional category. Rivalry among existing companies is fierce.Regardi ng strengths and weaknesses of current competitors, Zara’s strength lies in its ability to quickly bring the latest designs to its stores while Levi’s and Benetton strengths are in their supply chains as they have been in India for more than 10 years. Shopper’s stop and Provogue are local players and they are available in more locations of customer attraction. However, current competitors also have weaknesses like: due to fewer seasonal variations, driving new fashions every season hasn’t been easy for them. Except Benetton, most of other brands do not offer traditional (embroidery) and colorful stuff, which Indians prefer more.Some of the competitors do not have good distribution infrastructure. In brief, the market in India is still in its early ages and is growing at a high rate. A lot of other premium brands are planning to open their stores in India soon. Market size is big especially in its tier-1 three most populous cities namely Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore (more than 30 million people in total). 9 Final Report [STRATEGY FOR UNIQLO IN INDIA UNIQLO targets customers of all ages and genders, but in its first bricks, it should focus on customer aging from 15-64 and who is more brand conscious.The targeted customers should earn more than $100 dollars per month to afford UNIQLO products. 3/ SWOT analysis for UNIQLO in India The overview of UNIQLO business and the results of PEST and 5 forces analysis help us recognize the external factors and internal factors affecting to the investment decision and strategy formation of UNIQLO in India. All important factors are summarized in the SWOT frameworks below: Strengths Weakness – High quality, functional products for wide range of customer and to be sold at – UNIQLO originally had image of cheap clothes for everybody with basic designs Japanese culture is still the core value of FR reasonable price – Being famous for innovative products back up by Japan technolo gy innovation while Indian working culture is very much different. – Having strategic cooperation with suppliers (TORAY) – Shortage of global human resources due to the language barriers. – Having strong global footprint – Lack of well-established distribution network – Good SCM with SPA model – The financial status is very healthy Opportunities Threats – Increasing demand of functional products with high-tech and innovative materials in government welcomes oreign investment (apparel) – High Yen – Increase of purchasing power and brand consciousness in India price for market share. – Instability of consumption tax and regulations the second populous world. – Indian – Strong competition which may cause a war of – Different wear behavior of targeted customers and poor access to shopping centers – The global economic downturn and Indian slow GDP growth – Social matters (labor union, war with Afghan, security risk, market exit) – High rental at shopping mall 10 Final Report [STRATEGY FOR UNIQLO IN INDIA PART III/ Strategy Formation 1/ StrategyBased on environmental analysis as well as strengths and weaknesses of UNIQLO, following is the suggested strategies for UNIQLO upon entering into India. Vision: Becoming the number one lifestyle apparel SPA in India in next 10 years. ? Value Positioning: highly functional clothes selling at middle to high price ? Competitive strategy: Differentiation by innovative product and aiming to be creator of new clothe types (ex: HEAT-TECH or Ultra Light Down Jacket lines) ? Targeted segmentation: Customer aging from 15 to 64 years old of both genders, belonging to the social classes having medium and high-income, living in urban area. Entry mode: first entering as a wholly-own subsidiary of Fast Retailing Co. , Ltd and later expand the store networks through alliance with strategic retailers or franchising/licensing models . UNIQLO had very successful business results with the wholly-own branch model in other countries like China, US and EU, which should be an advantage for them in India. ? Expansion Strategy: Phase-based model Phase 1 (Year 1 – Year 2) Market penetration & Brand and Network building Target: Having piloted 5 big-sized stores in the five most condensed shopping malls of Mumbai (5 stores) Phase 2 (Year 3- Year 5)Brand building & Regional expansion Target: Having 10 stores in malls of 4 big cities: Mumbai, Delhi, new Delhi and Bangalore (40 stores) Phase 3 (Year 6 ~ Year 10) Brand strengthening & National expansion Target: Building the first flagship store in Mumbai and having in total 100 stores nation-wide (1 flagship and 100 stores) 2/ Implementation plan: To realize the above strategy, 4P marketing framework has been applied and details are shown in the table below: 11 Final Report [STRATEGY FOR UNIQLO IN INDIA Products Place – Phase 1: emphasize functional inner wear à ¢â‚¬â€œ Phase 1: start from big-sized stores in top-tier ine (heat-up and cool-biz types). This makes shopping malls in Mumbai and corporate with Indian more comfortable when combining domestic retailers who are easy to be controlled UNIQLO innerwear with their traditional by UNIQLO. sari. – Phase 2: develop various stores in big and – Phase 2: offer diverse casual apparel small shopping malls in top 4 biggest cities products of vivid designs for men and including Mumbai, Delhi, New Delhi, and women for any occasions. (T-shirt, sleeveless Bangalore. dress, jackets, jeans, etc ) – Phase 3: design styles and develop materials for Indian market to turn UNIQLO as the Phase 3: Open one world-class flagship store in Mumbai and increase the store quantity through franchising or licensing nation-wide. leading lifestyle clothes for domestic people. Price Promotion – Pricing for UNIQLO in India will be based – The store design, furniture, fixtures and music competitors’ pricing in India as well as its are all carefully planned and coordinated to global price strategy. create a shopping experience that reflects – Considering UNIQLO’s unique differentiated products and the income of target customers, the price will range from medium to high. global UNIQLO's brand concept. Marketing strategy will emphasize on the senses to inspire the aspiration lifestyles as – The possibility of lowering price of some Unique Clothing via strong investment in products is high because GPD per capita of advertising on TVs, journalism and on-line India is still very low compared to other websites. Discounts at weekends and special BRICs. ceremonies will be applied to boost the sales. Moreover, India is a totally different market compared to its home Japan in term of culture, religion and politics. Therefore, in order to win in this market, UNIQLO must follow the triple A strategy for its global operation and planning. Adaptation: India is very big and varies in climate, tribes, religion and tradition. Therefore, UNIQLO has to provide diverse products adapting to wear behavior of localities . For example, in Mumbai, where UNIQLO aims to open first stores, is very hot so UNIQLO's high -tech dry T-shirt would be ideal. At the very end, UNIQLO should provide the specific design and fabric exclusively for India (ex: embroidery products with vivid color). By adapting the firm’s products and services to the local 12 Final Report [STRATEGY FOR UNIQLO IN INDIA context, it can boost revenues and market share. ?Aggregation: India's population is 10 times than Japan and this market is getting bigger and bigger. Therefore, if UNIQLO makes a big success in Indian market, they would get the benefits of economy of scale by turning India into regional or even global operation of UNIQLO. Although they now have a production factory in Sri Lanka, India is a very much bigger market connecting to the Asian sub continent. I n the future, all development, production and marketing can be grouped in India as the regional operations headquarter. ? Arbitrage: India has a big apparel cluster and cheap labor force.On the other hand, now in China, where 80% productions of UNIQLO products are there, labor wage is increasing rapidly. If UNIQLO decided to go to India, they can move factories from China to India to reduce to cost burden as well as avoid the threat of intense political conflict between China and Japan. CONCLUSION UNIQLO aims to create apparel MADE FOR ALL, offering the elements of style in clothes that suit diverse values of customers. Therefore, although India is diverse in term of culture and shopping behavior, in the one-world one-market era, UNIQLO has a big chance.According to us, short-term goal for UNIQLO is to set up profitable business model and increase brand awareness. Long-term goal is to be a leading lifestyle brand in India. Starting from high-profile shopping centers, then flagship s tores but eventually UNIQLO would become popular functional casual clothing that its shops can be found in every cities of India. As for organization and operation, to meet up with the huge demand of labor force in the future, we suggest UNIQLO to recruit and train university graduates in India in the same way as in Japan (either in India or Japan).The fresh approach to staff training will facilitate aggressive new stores openings in India later. Finally, regarding the corporate culture, in order to avoid cultural conflicts as well as to preserve UNIQLO’s Japanese Core Values amid Globalization, (UNIQLO is a company born and bred in Japan), they should balance and integrate its Japanese DNA and Indian DNA to feature itself as a new type of Japanese-originated global corporation. 13 Final Report [STRATEGY FOR UNIQLO IN INDIA REFERENCE 1/ Note on Globalization and Strategy http://www. iese. edu/en/files/AR-Apuntes9. pdf 2/ Fast Retailing Latest Annual Report 2011 http://www. as tretailing. com/eng/ir/library/annual. html 3/ Other websites: http://www. jetro. go. jp/world/asia/in/biznews/4ed43b5b0cb20 http://www. jetro. go. jp/world/asia/in/invest_04/ http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index http://ja. wikipedia. org/wiki/%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%83%89 http://www. google. co. jp/publicdata/explore? ds=d5bncppjof8f9_=ny_gdp_mktp_kd_zg m=country:IND=ja=ja=%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%83%89gdp%E6%88%90%E9%95 %B7%E7%8E%87) http://ja. wikipedia. org/wiki/%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%83%89) http://www. google. co. jp/url? sa=t=j==s=web=1=0CGAQFjAA =http%3A%2F%2Fcsi. ckinsey. com%2F~%2Fmedia%2FExtranets%2FConsumer%2520Shopper%252 0Insights%2FReports%2FIndias_fast_growing_apparel_market. ashx=LtM0UN7mGIb4mAWmwoG YCQ=AFQjCNE5VELIQ-B385iwXw_VnAjkCscOCw=rXzMNQp0szM7wLXWKzPqXQ http://ja. wikipedia. org/wiki/%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%83%89 http://ecodb. net/country/IN/imf_inflation. html#pcpipch http://www. meti. go. jp/policy/trade_policy/epa/country/pdf/india0408. pdf h ttp://www. google. co. jp/url? sa=t=j==s=web=1=0CGAQFjAA =http%3A%2F%2Fcsi. mckinsey. com%2F~%2Fmedia%2FExtranets%2FConsumer%2520Shopper%252 0Insights%2FReports%2FIndias_fast_growing_apparel_market. shx=LtM0UN7mGIb4mAWmwoG YCQ=AFQjCNE5VELIQ-B385iwXw_VnAjkCscOCw=rXzMNQp0szM7wLXWKzPqXQ http://www. indexmundi. com/india/age_structure. ht 14 Final Report [STRATEGY FOR UNIQLO IN INDIA APPENDIX Appendix 1: Fast Retailing Corporation Profile Index Figure Country Japan Found year 1963 Sales( billion) 820. 35(2011. 8) Net profit( billion) 54. 35 Total assets( billion) 533. 78 ROE(%) 18. 1 Market value (() 14,742 Stores 2088 (10 countries) Employees (full-time) 14,612 Region sales rate 73(Japan):27(Oversea) (Source: Annual report yearend 2011, Fast Retailing Co. , Ltd) 15

Parkinson Disease Essay

N.J. is a 70-year-old man with a 4-year history of Parkinson’s disease (PD). He is a retired engineer, is married, and lives with his wife in a small farming community. He has three adult children who live close by. Since his last visit to the clinic 6 months ago, N.J. reports that his tremors are â€Å"about the same† as they were; however, further questioning reveals that he feels his gait is perhaps a little more unsteady, and his fatigue is slightly more noticeable. N.J. is also concerned about increased drooling. Among the medications N.J. takes are carbidopa-levodopa 25/100 mg (Sinemet), one tablet an hour before breakfast and one tablet 2 hours after lunch; carbidopa-levodopa 50/200 mg (Sinemet CR), one tablet at bedtime; and amantadine (Symmetrel) 100 mg at breakfast and bedtime. On the previous visit, he was encouraged to try taking the carbidopa-levodopa (Sinemet) more times throughout the day, but he reports that he became very somnolent with that dosing regi men. He also reports that his dyskinetic movements appear to be worse just after taking his carbidopa-levodopa (Sinemet). 1.What is parkinsonism? (7points) Parkinsonism is a neurological syndrome characterized by tremor, hypokinesia, rigidity, and postural instability. Parkinsonism is a symptom complex that differs from Parkinson disease. Parkinsonism is any condition that causes a combination of the movement abnormalities seen in Parkinson’s disease; such as tremor, slow movement, impaired speech or muscle stiffness. Especially seen in results from the loss of dopamine-containing nerve cells. 2.What is Parkinson’s Disease? Parkinson disease is a progressive degenerative disorder of the basal ganglia that results in an eventual loss of coordination and control of involuntary motor movement. 3.What clinical manifestations did N.J. mention he had? List at least 4. (10 points or 2.5 points per answer) N.J. mentioned his gate is becoming more unsteady, his fatigue is slightly more noticeable, his drooling has increased, and his tremors are the same as the last visit. 4.What are the clinical manifestations of Parkinson’s Disease? List at least 7 symptoms (10 points or 1.42 per answer) †¢Tremor †¢Rigidity †¢Bradykinesia †¢Loss of dexterity and power in affected limbs. †¢Aching †¢Drooling †¢Lack of facial expression †¢Rhythmic head nodding †¢Reduced blinking †¢Slumped posture †¢Gait disturbance 5.N.J.’s wife asks you, â€Å"How do the doctors know N.J. has Parkinson’s disease? They never did a lot of tests on him.† How is the diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease made? (5 points) Parkinson disease is diagnosed from the physical examination and health history results. In some cases a MRI may be done to narrow down other causes of the symptoms. 6.N.J.’s wife comments, â€Å"I don’t even know which one of his medicines he takes for his Parkinson’s.† What medications are used for Parkinson’s Disease? †¢Pramipexole ( Mirapex) †¢Ropinirole (Requip) †¢L-dopa (L-dihydroxyphenylalanine) †¢Carbidopa/Levadopa (Sinemet) †¢Carbidopa/levadopa/entaca[pme (Stalevo) †¢Amantadine (Symmetrel) †¢Trihexyphendiyl (Artane) †¢Benztropine (Cogentin) 7. N.J. asks, â€Å"If I don’t have enough dopamine, then why don’t they give me a dopamine pill?† Why can’t oral dopamine be given as replacement therapy? (5 points) Dopamine can’t be given directly because it can’t cross the blood-brain barrier, a lining that insulates the brain from the rest of the  body. 8. Levodopa is always given in combination with carbidopa. Why? When two drugs are used in combination, therapeutic levels may be achieved with lower doses.

Assignment should be presented as a Journal opinion article. The Essay

Assignment should be presented as a Journal opinion article. The article should be timely and address an economic issue of current interest to Wall Street Journal readers - Essay Example For the Chicago region, costs of shipping have risen since some organizations are forced to use other routes, which were more expensive. In Dallas, trucking companies argue that cargo volumes went down due to West Coast ports shipping disruptions. This is because small-parcel and rail shipments went up in January, even though they were high the previous year. For the retailers in the western states, they would have realized strong sales during the holiday season if the delays that emerged from West Coast ports never took place. These issues led to a reduction in agricultural exports, as perishable goods were wasted while in storage containers before they could be shipped (Portlock). In addition, Boston Fed revealed that firms were under pressure, particularly due to the negative influences that resulted from unanticipated weather conditions in the southern part of New England. Nevertheless, products, such as coats, boosts, and winter sporting equipment realized strong sales. However, several retailers said that more than 200 stores situated in New England could not operate for a few days due to extreme weather conditions (Portlock). New York, on the other hand, is showing a rise in available rentals, indicating new economic developments, especially in Brooklyn. A transportation analyst situated in Philadelphia region stipulated that the flourishing traffic is nearing levels last witnessed during the previous expansion. In Cleveland district, decline in prices of gasoline have encouraged certain individuals to purchase trucks and SUVs, reaching a sales rise of about 7 percent compared to January 2014. However, a number of dental equipment producers in Richmond area said low number of patients led to reduced sales of the products. In the case of Atlanta region, establishments meant for casual dining witnessed a rise in customer volumes as clients were becoming

BIO100 Week 2-4 Discussions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

BIO100 Week 2-4 Discussions - Essay Example Third was his theory of vestigial structures, stating that life started out as very simple and grew more and more complex. Even though he was not a scientist, Malthus was the greatest influence on Darwin’s work. Multhus was an economist who understood the state of world population and his idea that population was growing faster than food can be provided fascinated Darwin; this lead to the theory of ‘survival of the fittest’. Inheritable changes in an organism which occur spontaneously and randomly are called mutations; these may or may not be harmful. Mutations can also add new traits through new alleles or interchange the amount alleles present. A biome can be defined as a large piece of land containing fauna and flora often defined by their abiotic factors such as climate, vegetation, geology, relief etc. A biome may be mistaken for a large ecosystem but this is not true. Biomes and ecosystems are two different things. The main difference is that organisms in a particular biome make many adaptations in order to be able to survive in that particular setting. The aquatic biome refers to water bodies. Their adaptations include gills, fins, blubber, stream lined bodies and many other such adaptations. The aquatic biome is in turn divided into two groups: Freshwater Biomes including lakes and ponds, rivers and streams, wetlands and Marine Biomes including oceans, coral reefs and estuaries. Although there are 5 major and different biomes, there may be features present within a biome that resemble those of another. We know that desert biomes contain little to no vegetations, with harsh weather conditions; however, it may occur that on a small area there may be as much vegetation as there is in grassland, not enough to be called grassland but enough to be called similar to it. Two biomes that can be called similar are Desert and Tundra. Desert and Tundra biomes both face

The Financial Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Financial Crisis - Essay Example The valuable lessons learned from the crisis will also be discussed herein. Bear Stearns, AIG, Lehmann Brothers, Northern Rock, and Goldman Sachs are some elite names that suffered most because of the economic crisis also known as recession. Lehmann Brothers filed for bankruptcy while AIG and a few other elites just hung in there with the skin of their teeth. This economic crisis is still having repercussions on countries such as Greece and Spain; the whole of Euro Zone is facing a financial turmoil. There are a few other countries that have been not so severely affected by the same. The crisis was triggered off because of unchecked debt; banks kept issuing loans to people who invested heavily in buying assets; several things were taken for granted but when proved otherwise, there was hardly a place in the world to hide. Overvaluation in real estate is perhaps the biggest cause of the current economic crisis. It is better known as the subprime crisis in the US. The likes of Lehmann B rothers and other financial services went bust because they kept issuing credit to the people who thought the property price would increase and they would be easily able to pay off the debt that they are borrowing. It did not turn out that way and there was a short of equity. This is exactly why the financial institutions went bankrupt. The overvaluation is the biggest factor that caused the current economic crisis. Factors such as bad income tax practices have added insult to injury, bad mortgage lending also contributed heavily to this current economic crisis. â€Å"The way to address the root cause is to let house prices drop to where an average house is within the means of an average household.   (Or, alternatively, boost the income of the average household to the point that they can afford an average house.   But that's very hard.   Letting houses prices go on falling, although painful for everyone who owns a house or who has lent money to someone who owns a house, is ve ry easy)† (â€Å"Root Cause of the Financial Crisis†). Role of Monetary Policy Some of the main plausible reasons that caused the recent financial crisis have been identified in the above sections. According to Brunnermeie, cheap mortgage financing to sub-standard borrowers fuelled the boom in the U.S. housing market. Three factors were primarily responsible for the fall of the housing market in the U.S. (which, in essence, constituted a very small segment of the financial market in the country) transforming into a global contagion. First, the â€Å"originate and distribute† banking model, together with the high rate of securitization, led to declining lending standards and made it impossible to re-price the complex structured products. This significantly eroded the confidence level of banks, thereby disrupting the inter-bank markets and credit flow. Second, banks relied heavily on short-term funding sources, hence raising the risk of funding. Finally, the ever-g rowing integration of global financial systems and the increasing interest towards structured financial instruments quickly transmitted the crisis to all the major regions of the world. Gourinchas focused on the role of monetary policy in the recent financial contagion as well as the role played by exogenous influences, particularly the rising external deficits referred to as â€Å"Global Imbalances.† According to Gourinchas, both explanations are not satisfactory as the sole reason behind the crisis. This opinion has

Historical Perspective on Motivation Term Paper

Historical Perspective on Motivation - Term Paper Example In any activity, the importance of motivation cannot be overemphasized. There are a whole range of historical factors that have a great influence on the study of motivation in the workplace. This paper provides a historical perspective of the motivational behavior in human psychology, and discusses how teachers can enhance the motivation levels of the students to help them improve their academic performance in light of the theories of motivation. Characteristics of Agrarian Societies The history of food production has been greatly influenced by the land cultivation by means of plough. People made use of animals to increase their land productivity as the animals helped them bring the soil’s nutrients to the top. The yield of crops was particularly increased by combining the techniques of irrigation with plough. â€Å"The invention of the plow, about 6,000 years ago, was an event so significant that many still speak of it as the â€Å"agricultural revolution†Ã¢â‚¬  (Elw ell, n.d.). This also enabled people to make the fallow land cultivatable. The agricultural societies increased in size as the burden of people busy in other activities was reduced. These societies led to the establishment of political institutions such as the formalized bureaucracy and played an important role in the evolution of different socioeconomic classes in the society; particularly into a class that owned the land and another class whose people worked on the lands of others as farmers. Factors characterizing the Agrarian societies included but were not limited to family businesses, stability, and use of simple tools for agricultural purposes. Since the agrarian societies have always played the main role in bringing economic stability and...   The history of food production has been greatly influenced by the land cultivation by means of plough. People made use of animals to increase their land productivity as the animals helped them bring the soil’s nutrients to the top. The yield of crops was particularly increased by combining the techniques of irrigation with plough. â€Å"The invention of the plow, about 6,000 years ago, was an event so significant that many still speak of it as the â€Å"agricultural revolution†Ã¢â‚¬  (Elwell, n.d.). .The agricultural societies increased in size as the burden of people busy in other activities was reduced. These societies led to the establishment of political institutions such as the formalized bureaucracy and played an important role in the evolution of different socioeconomic classes in the society; particularly into a class that owned the land and another class whose people worked on the lands of others as farmers. Factors characterizing the Agrarian societies i ncluded but were not limited to family businesses, stability, and use of simple tools for agricultural purposes. Since the agrarian societies have always played the main role in bringing economic stability and prosperity in the world, advancement of their agricultural productivity is obligatory so that the growing demand of food production can be met. In the modern history, the industrial revolution caused the transformation of the society from the agrarian and handicraft economy to an economy controlled, led, and governed by machinery and industry.  

Political Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Political Systems - Essay Example Political system of Libya In accordance with the article â€Å"Libya is Bigger for EU than for US† published by European Affairs on the official website of the European Institute, â€Å"the revolt in Libya differs radically from the recent regime changes in neighboring Egypt† (Libya). The author considers that Libya has the largest degree of violence and transatlantic challenges. The Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi is described as a ‘mad dog’, but still USA and EU have economic or business affairs with this country. If America tried to fight against Libyan repressive regime, EU has already established certain economic concerns. At first European countries and America neglected oppression of Libyans human rights, but currently the main political issues of cooperation with Libya are solved and the world’s society makes an attempt to pacify a bloodbath. Oppressions of Gaddafi and military forces directed on civilians are severely criticized in the modern world. Therefore it is relevant to establish a new regime in Libya and not to ‘squeeze’ current repressive process. ... Further on the article deals with considerations of potential risks for Europe and America. The main impact on Europe is seen in oil output of Libya and oil supply of the EU. Migration to European countries, especially to Italy is another challenge caused by current turmoil in Libya. Unlike Europe, America tries to pacify terroristic moods in this country and made an attempt to fight against it by military attacks in 1984. Thus the political leader of Libya is scared off by America, but Europe is on the starting point of conflicts with Libya. Consequently, on the background of challenging international relations with Libya, social turmoil is shown. Libyans do not want to be â€Å"rooted in tribalism which Gaddafi carefully preserved and nurtured as part of his technique of divide-and-rule in Libya† (Libya). Thus Libya is in a more unstable position than Egypt, where military force is the basic pillar of the country. Political system of Egypt In the article â€Å"Egypt and the   Middle East:  revolution  or evolution?† the political system of Egypt is also described on the background of current turmoil events. The repressive regime of Egypt made this nation to fight against repressive regime and to protest against ‘fake’ elections. Egyptian nation has been tired of oppression and tyranny. This revolt is a sign of nation’s evolution from scared off social subjects to individuals striving for independence and democracy. Egyptians want â€Å"freedom and justice for every Egyptian† (Egypt). The main emphasis in this article is made on a potential struggle of ME against high-speed development of China and India. The author suggests to make an attempt and to fight for developing of the country. Therefore there are

Healthcare Marketing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Healthcare Marketing - Research Paper Example The Affordable healthcare Act however does not just look at the issue of affordability, it looks on so many factors. The factors that the Affordable healthcare Act has addressed are so many that they could not have been implemented all at once without causing some disruption in the market. As a result, it is being implemented in steps, with the last bit expected to be implemented in 2022, over twenty years after the first bit was implemented in 2012. One of the biggest problem that have faced the American healthcare in the last few decades was not just the inability by millions of Americans to afford health insurance, but the fact that insurance companies have been seen to not be faithful to their promise after a patient who has been paying them premiums gets sick (Selker & Wasser, 2013). This has been a challenge and many Americans have suffered in the past because they would hope to be covered when they were sick only for the insurance company they had insured themselves through coming up with excuses as to why they cannot be compensated. The affordable care act is very useful in making sure that the insurance firms will have to be accountable in making sure that they cover the patients when they get sick (Zuniga, Marks, & Gostin, 2013). This is going to bring in a new paradigm in the healthcare market. Definitely, the fact that most people were losing hope with insurance firms meant that they were choosing to not buy health i nsurance. This meant that even those who could afford healthcare insurance were becoming suspicious and refusing to buy it, thus increasing the number of people who have not been covered. The other issue that the affordable healthcare act seeks to solve is the issue of insurance companies refusing to pay out when an applicant makes an honest mistake on their application. This is one issue that has stained the American healthcare insurance and needs to be addressed. The affordable

Employee Burnout Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employee Burnout - Essay Example At the end, the writer will render her opinion on the issue discussed. Employee burnout is often associated with workers feeling "lethargic, empty, and no longer able to take satisfaction in their jobs (ASTD)." In order to understand this problem more thoroughly, we will turn to the three common symptoms of employee burnout. Often, the first sign of employee burnout is emotional exhaustion from one's work. This happens when the employee complains of feeling drained up, at the end of the rope, and physical fatigue. Work has become dreadful and everyday in the office has become agonizing. Next, the employee cope with the situation by depersonalizing his/her relationship with his/her colleagues. The worker may resort to creating distance between himself/herself with his boss. The last sign is a feeling of low personal accomplishment where the worker feels that he/she is not contributing to the organization or community (Jackson & Schuler 2). Knowing the general symptoms of employee burnout, we now turn to their various causes. Employee burnout happens within an organization where there are no rewards and control. Emotional exhaustion is largely caused by these factors.

Marketing of World Cup Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Marketing of World Cup - Essay Example In order to understand well the history of soccer, it is appropriate to grasp how the professional sports came into being. People have always sought to have and enjoy leisure time which in most cases was not possible. This urge built up and people were able to form some organized sports in the mid ninetieth century. Before then, people, especially in America, had some forms of skills but they had not been put into practice and they were not standardized. It is the increased interests and the urge to make the recreational activities better and enjoyable that led to the development of various rules and regulations to govern the activities such that they became more organized. The organized groups developed into more established and well-managed teams with the members being more serious. The aspect of competition also came up where different teams could compete and have some rewards for the winning teams. The teams got skills through training and could now compete on national and intern ational levels. The games started with simple aspects like curling, bowling after which professional sports like baseball, basketball, hockey and football came about. Just like any other aspect, the field of sport has grown from very humble beginnings of very simple groups of social interactions to more organized activities, specialized and sophisticated professional sports. That has also transformed to the modern big tournaments like the popular world cup events. The splitting marked the beginning of the today’s most famous game, which is soccer.

Voices of freedom Journal Industrialization Essay Example for Free

Voices of freedom Journal Industrialization Essay Industrialization, †the new economy† brought on a wave of new movements and activism in America. Labor movements, women’s rights activists, social, religious, and political reform are among the changes of the Market Society. Industrialization shaped Market Society expansion in many ways. Immigration, Nativism, Westward Expansion, the rise of Nativism,Transcendentalists Movement and The Second Great Awakening all taking place during the 1800-1840 Market Society growth. Market Society refers to farmers, large city growth, factory system, and immigration. Industrialization was the force that shaped Market Society. In the Northwest farming and commercial cities were booming. Westward expansion was due to land being cheap and plentiful which was especially appealing. The belief that freedom laid in the west was because of the availability of land and was ultimately important to economic independence. Here farmers sold livestock and were able to rapidly plow land with aid of the steel plow. While credit and the market was to the east. Cities like Cincinnati and Chicago would grow due to the population growth from immigration and high demand for jobs. Artisan workers were soon replaced by that of the factory worker usually female or immigrants. The very first factory was established in 1790 based on an outwork system. Later large scale factories would be constructed focusing on cotton textiles. Lowell factory is known for their female factory workers. These women adopted the name â€Å"Lowell† girls. Lowell girls were young women of farm families who were offered meager wages for long hours of labor. Ultimately overworked and frustrated workers would expose the grueling conditions of working in the factory. In the words on one Lowell factory worker document 51 in Voices of Freedom, Eric Foner â€Å"Shall they be compelled to listen in silence to those who speak for gain, and are the mere echo of the will of  the corporations? Shall the worthy laborer be silenced by wealth and power, and for fear of being deprived of the means of procuring his daily bread?†. Written is 1845 this worker was upset and speaking out after being over worked, mistreated, and underpaid. This quote is telling not only of her personal feeling about being silenced by power but the mass feelings of injustice to the common worker by corporations at the time. I feel the audience this worker is trying to reach is not only fellow workers to gain backing in resistance of mistreatment but the corporations as well. She is standing up for her own integrity and encouraging others in her situation to the same. She is rightfully casting shame on those corporations for inflicting those conditions. It is during this time that women began to fight for equal rights of opportunity and happiness outside of the home. Immigration caused labor demands to rise fueling the economic expansion. The approximately 4 million immigrants who migrated to America had a variety of motivating factors. Irish Potato Famine, European economic conditions, religion and politics are all some of the reasons immigrants were making the voyage to the America in such large numbers. Most immigrants during this time were German or Irish. Generally Germans came to America more skilled workers and the Irish were unprepared fleeing famine forcing them to fill low-wage laboring jobs. Eventually Nativism would rise in the 1840’s and 50’s. A racially fueled violent backlash in New York City and Philadelphia against immigrants, â€Å"Nativists† feared immigrants were the down fall of America. Nativists blamed immigrants for crimes, corruptions, addictions, and poor wages. ‘Walks among the New york City Poor’, New York Times June 23,1853. Document 52. Voices of Freedom, Eric Foner. â€Å"Healthy, stout frames, and low, degraded faces with many stamps of inferiority†. Here the writer really captures the discriminatory American opinion of immigrants at this time. Nativism labeled these people as inferior and not capable of rising above the status that they arrive with. He is stating that immigrants are seen as inferior to everyone around them and in for a hard time as the reading goes on. I feel like the purpose of the article is to shed light on the high hopes of immigrants and minimal possibility in the new world. This was a very difficult time to be an immigrant. During this time a group of New England intellectuals formed called The Transcendentalists. This group of men believed in the idea of The Free Individual. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a Transcendentalist who believed freedom obtained by the process of self realization transforming ones self according to their own liking. Voices of freedom, Eric Foner document 54. â€Å"The American Scholar 1837,† Ralph Waldo Emerson opens his powerful statement â€Å"In self-trust, all the virtues are comprehended†. Ralph Waldo Emerson addresses the nation and President directly. He is expressing here that self realization is the key success and freedom. This was the fundamental principle of Individualism the the Transcendentalist’s believed in. Henry David Thoreau also a Transcendentalist believed the market revolution worsened individual judgment and freedom was within the individual. The Second Great Awakening was more optimistic than the first and had similar philosophy of the Tra nscendentalists with the addition of a religious twist. The belief in self improvement through determination with the addition of Christianity. Christian denominations such as baptists and methodists began to branch off during this time.

Corporate Strategy of Fedex Corporation

Corporate Strategy of Fedex Corporation Executive Summary This analysis of the corporate strategy of FedEx Corporation relates to three specific issues in the corporate strategy case. The first issue is a critical analysis of the global express transportation and logistics industry. The second issue discusses about the mergers and acquisitions in transportation and logistics industry. The final issue is a critical review of the performance of FedEx in the events leading to the January 2000 reorganisation. In the first section, the global express transportation and logistics industry is an attractive sector based on the fundamentals of the sector given in the five forces analysis using Porters framework. There are large barriers to entry, there are minimal substitutes that exist, industry is relatively disciplined, and the power of buyers and suppliers are mixed. FedEx is well placed in the sector given its core competencies and dynamic capabilities relating to its management and the functional areas of marketing, human resources and information technology and systems. In the second section, gives a brief knowledge about the benefits and limitations of merger and acquisition strategies in this industry. This also describes how effective was the 1998 Caliber System acquisition and where did it led the company do in its further years. In the final section, it is noted that FedEx performed poorly within its sector and given its capabilities, the firm was expected to have been more proactive in moving past its poor performance. Nevertheless, the firm had to wait until after several quarters of poor performance and only after the competitors have taken advantage of the development in the Internet market did FedEx make changes to its business. Post the changes, FedEx did well in utilising its core competencies that were identified in the first section, and leveraging these competencies to its advantage. CHAPTER-1: Analysis Of Global Express Transportation And Logistics Industry Introduction To Transportation And Logistics Industry. Global Transportation Logistics Industry comprises a wide range of service providers, covering all modes of transport air, road, rail, sea as well as related services such as warehousing, handling, stevedoring, and finally value added services like packaging, labelling, assembling etc. In addition to these physical services, TL involves all sorts of planning, organising and managing services in the area of transportation and logistics. Over the past years, we have seen a trend to diversification (growth strategies mergers acquisitions), which results in larger integrated groups operating in more than one of the TL sub-sectors. As a result, it becomes very unclear to understand the limits between the different TL sub-sectors. (http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/transportation-logistics/index.jhtml) About FedEx FedEx corporation offers transportation, e-commerce and business services through its network of subsidiaries, divided into four business segments. The FedEx express segment includes Federal Express Corp., a leading global express transportation company offering time-certain delivery within one or three business days; and FedEx Trade Networks Inc., a provider of customer brokerage, global cargo distribution and Global Trade Data and Global Trade Tools software products. The FedEx ground segment includes FedEx Ground Package System Inc., which provides small package ground delivery to nearly 100% ofU.S.residences. The FedEx Freight segment includes FedEx Freight Corp., a US provider of next day, second day and interregional less than truckload (LTL) freight services; FedEx Custom Critical Inc., the worlds largest provider of expedited time critical shipments; and Caribbean Transportation Services Inc., a provider of airfreight forwarding services between the US and Puerto Rico. The last segment is FedEx Kinkos, consisting of FedEx Kinkos Office and printing services Inc., which provides copying and printing services, signs and graphics, videoconferencing, high speed wireless and wired Internet access and computer usage, as well as retail access to all FedEx ground and global express shipping services. (Jack W. Plunkett 2007) Porters Value Chain Analysis This section assesses the global express transportation and logistics industry through the value chain analysis of Porter. The review is done across the primary and support activities for the value chain with the details presented in the following table: Primary Activities Comments Inbound logistics Increased presence in various markets to expand footprint and capture market share by players (Lai et al, 2008) Operations Increased cost in operations due to rising fuel prices; margins of industry players hit (Wadewitz, Johnson Weinz, 2008) Outbound logistics Important activity as link to customers Distribution centres being set up by the largest players in the sector in new markets such as China (Lai et al, 2008) Marketing and sales Increased importance in current market with pressure on margins though players have generally kept pricing discipline Service Service to customer could potentially change with new pressures and competitive dynamics; current focus on service but business models on customer service delivery could change (Greene Longson, 2008). Support Activities Comments Firm infrastructure Entrepreneurial culture typically Management of firms could be forced into action with potential consolidation in the sector driven by pressures in decreased business and margins; could lead to synergies and value (Fitchie, 2008) HR management Human resources continues to play an important role as talent influences the activities across the value chain Technology development Technological capabilities continue to be critical factoring the sector and a requirement to be a player (Greene Doshi, 2007) Procurement Important lever for sector given large capital outlay required for building or replacing fleet Some are pursuing this activity despite sector pressure as business has decreased; FedEx recently reported to have bought some aircraft from Rolls-Royce (Armitage, Fornaro Crispin, 2008) www.umbrellacloud.com/business-model/value-chain We note from the analysis above and the supporting arguments in articles, the key factors impacting the value chain are the following: Integration of the firms activities across primary and support activities Though each of the activities above have their influence on the sector and its development, the important underlying factor is the integration of the primary and support activities in order to drive the efficiency of the firms in the sector, and ensure the delivery of the customer service required by clients. Use of technology to drive integration and also efficiencies across the value chain Aside from the integration of the activities, a key driving force as well is the use of technology to both drives the integration and also pushes the efficiencies across the value chain as this impacts the pricing of services and delivery of customer requirements. Strong management to drive actions and initiatives across the chain Finally, strong management is needed in order to identify the opportunities and be able to push for the implementation of these initiatives, particularly in technology and in integration. The current industry pressures from higher fuel prices are changing the dynamics of the sector. Supply Chain Management Supply Chain analysis involves working across multiple enterprises or companies (Inter-enterprise) to shorten the supply chain time in the delivery of goods and services to the consumer or customer. Demand uncertainty in supply chains can be addresses by faster response times. A basic product supply chain can afford longer lead times and batch manufacturing of large lot sizes to meet the demand. A supply chain that produces fashion or mass customization products must respond quickly and be more agile. Most supply chains are moving in the direction to support a more rapid changing of demand by the consumer or customer. Good transportation and logistics companies also natures in reducing total costs through supply chain management excellence. Supply chain management means managing the business process from the initial supplier to the ultimate customer focusing on speed and flexibility, resulting in the lowest total cost and highest customer satisfaction-from suppliers supplier to customers customer-with supply decisions based on total life cycle costs. In this Context, FedEx identifies five principal attributes of supply chain management: Strategy Creating an effective supply chain management organization and supporting fact-based strategies and plans. Resources Developing and deploying human resources and information systems necessary to maximize performance. Nothing happens without top-notch, highly-skilled professionals using effective technical tools. Processes Creating strategic plans based upon total cost management and in sourcing/outsourcing analysis and applying a systematic approach to better utilizing the supply base. Optimization Aligning the supply base with our supply chain goals and continually seeking to improve the supply chain methods and composition. Globalization Viewing supply opportunities on a global basis. (www.fedex.com) FedEx Core Competencies And Dynamic Capabilities The analysis above of the global express transportation and logistics industry provides an indication of the requirements needed in order to be successful in the sector. This sub-section presents the core competencies and dynamic capabilities of FedEx and will present the link with the sectors requirements for success. The core competencies and dynamic capabilities of FedEx are the following: 2. Human resources: empowering employees One of the core competencies of FedEx is the empowerment of employees which has led to entrepreneurial behaviour among the employees (Schindehutte, Morris Kocak, 2008). This empowerment is the reason that FedEx is able to adapt quickly to market changes and keep abreast of the development in the global express transportation and logistics sector and ahead of competition. 3. Marketing: delivering customer value FedEx is known for their innovativeness in delivering value to their customers. It is partly the point above on employee empowerment which drives this. However, it is also largely the strength of their marketing organisation in being able to identify the value that customers require and their ability to deliver this through convenience and minimised relational costs (Smith Colgate, 2007). 4. Information systems and technology: providing accurate 24/7 information FedEx has invested significantly in its information and technology systems in order to provide customers with information to track the services being provided by FedEx. The firm realised early on in their business history, and well ahead of the other firms in their sector, the importance of information (e.g. package tracking, drop-off location finder) and the power this brings to meeting customers needs (Bhattacharya, 2006). 5. Management: continuing learning and application to operation This core competence of FedEx is driven by their CEO and Founder Fred Smith who stated that the success of FedEx is based on â€Å"continual learning and education and the discipline to apply those lessons to your operation† (Sarros, Cooper Santora, 2007). FedExs actions have been based on a continual understanding of their market situation and the implementation of initiatives to meet the requirements of the evolving sector such as technological demands and customer service level requirements. Strategic Vision And Infrastructure Within FedEx Corporation (a) FedEx Strategic Vision And Visionary Leadership. Frederick W Smith, the Chairman, President, and CEO of FedEx Corporation was presented the â€Å"Peter F. Drucker Strategic Leadership Award† for the year 1997. The award, established in 1995, was in recognition of an individuals innovative and result-oriented leadership. With the help of his team he executed a vision with consistency and focus. Analysts credit Smiths leadership as the reason for the transformation of FedEx, from a once loss making company, to a global logistics industry leader with revenues of â€Å"$22.5 billion.† Under his leadership, FedEx management has developed rigorous processes with extremely low defect rates; employees are empowered through information, technology and thorough training. Information technology has transformed the company into a cyberspace leader as well as a logistics trailblazer. Smith was one of the few business leaders who first anticipated the application of Internet in business operations, resulting into the launch of the website www.fedex.com in 1994, enabling customers to do business online. FedEx had been established as a technologically driven company. Smith stipulated three goals, which he believed would form the critical success factors of FedExs business in future speed, reliability and customer service. In order to achieve these goals, Smith invested heavily on IT. Smith strongly believed that for an express industry, it was necessary to use IT to provide customers with real-time information about the movement of their documents/packages. Visionary Leadership FedEx Supply Chain Services will be an acknowledged world leader in global integrated logistics management, supply chain solutions and time-definite delivery. Our motivated associates will forge mutually profitable partnerships with our customers using world-class technology and business practices. Smith also believed that in a service oriented organization like FedEx, it was very important to have highly committed employees, failing which; it was not possible to deliver the kind of service that the customers expected. FedExs employees were made to believe that they were not merely performing their duties but were solving the transportation problems of the customers. It is clear from these analyses that FedEx Corporation had been very competent in technology and human resources which resulted in its great success. FedExs corporate strategic vision is based on three principles; operating independently: by focusing on independent networks to meet distinct customer needs; compete collectively: by standing as one brand worldwide and speaking with one voice Manage collaboratively: by working together to sustain loyal relationships with their workforce, investors, and customers. http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Leadership%20and%20Entrepreneurship/LDEN023.htm (b) FedEx Transportation And Logistics Infrastructure FedEx Corporation (â€Å"FedEx†) provides a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services through companies competing collectively, operating independently and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. These operating companies are primarily represented by Federal Express Corporation (â€Å"FedEx Express†), the worlds largest express transportation company; FedEx Ground Package System, Inc. (â€Å"FedEx Ground†), a leading provider of small-package ground delivery services and FedEx Freight Corporation, a leading U.S. provider of less-than-truckload (â€Å"LTL†) freight services (FedEx Annual report 2007). Overall, FedEx hasover 280,000 employees worldwide,operates approximately 50,000 drop off locations and managed over 10 million square feet of warehouse space worldwide. They have 670 aircrafts, and 75,000 vehicles and trailers, handling around 6.5million daily shipments to more than 220 countries and territories. (Jack W. Plunkett 2007). FedEx Corporation introduced express delivery to the world in 1973, and remains the worlds largest express transportation company and it is the worlds largest overnight package carrier with about 30 percent market share. Taking into considerations the key elements from the above analysis and FedExs core competencies it can be figured out that FedEx primary activities are Marketing and Sales, checking orders, financial analysis and receiving payment, packaging, shipping products, logistics, handling and storing of products to be shipped, handling orders, delivery of the products, and finally Service to ensure customer satisfaction. But, the key elements which support these activities are: Procurement (purchasing, trucks, planes, gas and other assets). Research and Development (RD) activity which include technology development, investments in systems innovation, and information technology (IT) development. Human Resource Management that includes hiring, training, developing and compensating employees from the truck drivers to the top management. Firm infrastructure which includes general management, planning, accounting, legal support, government regulations, and other general requirement to support the value chain. (c) FedEx Virtual Information Infrastructure Information Technology is the backbone of the FedEx Corporation which is immensely responsible for its success and its competitive advantage over its rivals. FedExs consistent effort in the development of information technology and system innovations has always been its prime concern which created the direct interconnection between its customers and services. FedExs Virtual Information System emerged as a revolution in this context which closed the gaps between the consumer and seller. In 1979, a centralised computer system Customer, Operation, Master Online System kept track of all packages handled by the company. This computer system relayed data on package movement, pickup, invoicing and delivery to a central database. In 1984, FedEx started to launch a series of technological systems. The Power-Ship program, aimed at improving efficiency and control, which provided the most active customers (around 850,000) with the proprietary online services. But, the most significant development in this field came between the years 1994-99 which started giving the shape to the virtual information infrastructure. They were first to offer online package status tracking through FedEx website so that customers can actually conduct business via internet. In 1995, a Windows-based shipping and tracking software allowed around 650,000 users to process and manage their shipment from their desktops. FedEx Virtual-Order Software in 1996 linked internet ordering with the delivery and o nline tracking. In 1997, FedEx introduced e- Business tools for easier connection with shipping tracking applications. FedEx decided to overhaul its internal I.T. infrastructure under the Project GRID (Global Resources for Information Distribution). The project involved replacing 60,000 terminals and some PCs with over 75,000 network systems. Also, in 1999 FedEx signed an agreement with Netscape to adopt Netscape software as the primary technology for accessing its corporate intranet sites. FedExs intranet included more than 60 Websites, created for its end users and some cases by its end users. At this point of time FedEx was the largest online client server network in the world that operated in real time. The benefits of these services were not limited to FedExs customers. Its online services, which in 1999 handled 60 million transactions per day, saved FedEx cost of 200,000 customer service employees. In turn, the Company reported spending 10 percent of its 17 billion U.S. dollar s annual revenue on I.T. in 1999. Information had allowed FedEx to lower its costs such that the cost to customers of using FedEx in 1999 was lower than it was 25 years ago. FedEx Virtual Order Process http://www.ite.poly.edu/people/brao/fedex_case.htm CHAPTER-2: Mergers Acquisitions In Transportation And Logistics Industry. Benefits And Limitations Of Merger And Acquisition Strategy. Merger and Acquisition is basically a mechanism by which an organization grows. It is a kind of external growth strategy which involves using the businesss money to invest in other businesses, whereas the internal growth occurs by investing profits in the same business. A merger occurs when two separate companies agree, usually by mutual consent, to come together. On the other hand, acquisition is a takeover which involves purchasing a shareholding of over 50%, and then this company can control and impose its will upon this. Merger and acquisition are growth strategies are beneficial for transportation and logistics industry, as in all the other industries if two companies decide to join hands after a detailed research and surveys. (book†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦book†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.book) Benefits Of Merger And Acquisition: Mergers and acquisitions usually succeed in building cost efficiency through the implementation of economies of scale. Basically, a new economically stable firm emerges, through the union of two parent firms with an increased scale of operations. As a result, there are chances that the cost per unit will come down with rise in output production. In context of TL industry the company will get a bigger infrastructure and they may get easy access to the areas which were to difficult to reach. This in turn will increase their logistics offerings and their efficiency with reduced cost, which was not possible if they would have thought of increasing the branches on their own. This process also often leads to an increased value generation for the company. It is expected that the shareholder value of the newly established firm would be greater than the sum of the shareholder values of the parent companies which is applicable in TL industry as well. One of the benefits of mergers and acquisitions is increase in market share. When a financially stable company acquires a contrastingly distressed one, the newly found organization experiences a substantial increase in market share. The new firm is usually more cost-efficient and competitive when compared to its financially weak parent organization. Limitations Of Merger And Acquisition: I. If due to mergers and acquisitions, a company has considerably a big market share then there could be less competition complacency amongst firmscan lead to lower quality of services and less investment in new products and services. II. Due to merger or acquisition, if a company expands too much then it could also lead to diseconomy of scale. In this condition, it will lead the firm to produce products and services at increased per unit costs. III. Mergers and acquisitions can lead to loss of jobs. IV. Mergers could be a factor of de-motivation for staff, for example, managers would prefer to work for big company where they get higher salaries and more prestige. V. There could be failure to secure good will of a wide range of stakeholder groups in both companies. VI. Potential conflict between individual and corporate objectives is not given sufficient recognition and isnt managed. VII. Reputation can also be damaged during the merger process. Acquisition Of Caliber Systems In 1998 By FedEx Corporation In the year 1998, FedEx took a big leap in context to its diversification by acquiring Caliber System Inc. As a result of this, five subsidiary companies were formed: Federal Express, RPS, Roberts Express, Viking Freight and FDX Logistics. Apart from Federal Express, all the other four were the part of Caliber System and all were managed independently. The logistics operations of both FedEx and Caliber were different as differed in customer bases and service offerings. Caliber was expertise in providing an elaborate logistics operation focusing mainly on high priced goods industries such as moving raw materials, managing work-in-progress, manufacturing of cars and fork-lift trucks etc. Federal Logistics and Electronic Commerce (FLEC) before the acquisition was not able to provide complete supply chain solution because they just focused on finished goods and reverse logistics. But, the acquisition led FLEC to put there hands into areas like warehousing and transportation apart from th e basic logistics functions. Later, Caliber became apart of FDX Logistics and FLEC continued as a division under Federal Express. The burden which this acquisition brought along with it to the company was that, the company has to loose its image of just being an express delivery company. The challenge was that all the critics including the customer related the FedEx brand just with transportation. One solution to this challenge was the renaming of the company. In this context, the acquisition gave the name to the holding company as ‘FDX Corporation but they did very less to promote the name. Therefore, the transportation subsidiary FedEx Express still lived on as a brand image and the corporate name was still under cover. Unlike other companies such as UPS which ran only under one name for all its services, FedEx was trying to promote all its subsidiary companies with completely unrelated names under FDX logo. The key agenda here was that, the two separate logistics businesses within the group with separate sales and customer service staff created confusion within customers and resources were duplicated. The big thing was despite having such confusion the branches continued to operate and offer solutions at all level of supply chain. In this scenario, the autonomy of all subsidiary companies where maintained but the challenge was to bring the companies closer to create the synergy. These companies were operating with separate accounting systems and customer service staff, so they made a vision to â€Å"progress individually but compete collectively.† Therefore, we can figure out that this acquisition was not a complete success as all the subsidiary companies sustained but the ultimate goal for the corporation was to provide customers with a single point of access to the whole Group. In later years, this became the main reason for the companys structural transformation through advancement in information technology within the company. CHAPTER-3: Events Leading Up To January 2000 Reorganization This section provides an analysis of the events leading to the January 200 reorganisation of FedEx. The first sub-section reviews the performance of FedEx and the developments in the Internet market while the second sub-section touches on the impact of the major strategic initiatives undertaken. The final sub-section provides a quick summary of the analysis. FedEx Performance And Internet Market Developments The January 2000 reorganisation was largely driven by the poor performance of FedEx in the preceding periods. While performance remained strong and positive up to 1999 with record earnings, this proved to be the start of a downtrend in performance. The next several quarters saw FedExs performance experience considerable in income and profit. This was partly influenced by the rising fuel prices but the failure of the company to react and still be reasonably profitable in a backdrop of rising fuel prices led management to believe that change was needed. The performance of FedEx was sub-par and deserved poor reviews. The lower financial performance aside, FedExs performance was inadequate for the following reasons: Un-reactive and inflexible It took several quarters of poor performance for FedEx management to take action. FedEx could have been more aggressive in its actions and realised immediately after the first quarter of poor profit performance that the industry was changing and that FedEx needed to make a move. At the very least, FedEx could have made moves that would have impacted other players as well and severely harm the poorer capitalised firms (e.g. start a price war) Did not utilise advantages in sector Partly related to the first point, FedEx did not push to make any impact on the sector. FedEx could have utilised its network, for example, and worked with its suppliers and even buyers to ensure that the firm still maintained good profitability in the period of high fuel prices. In addition to the poor performance of FedEx in the preceding several quarters, the development of the Internet market and the actions of competitors forced FedEx to review its business strategy and determine the steps necessary in order to bring the firm back to profitability and successful operations. In this respect, the actions of FedEx were unacceptable as well for a couple of reasons: Failure to realise technological changes For a firm that was known to be reliant on technology as well as at the forefront of technological advancements, the actions of FedEx were unacceptable as they showed poor pro-activity and understanding of the changes happening in the sector. Reactionary moves to technological innovation Not only did FedEx not realise technological changes that would impact the sector, FedEx had to wait for other firms to take the first move in tapping the new technology. This thus made the situation worse as it placed FedEx in a position that was far behind other competitors in terms of the use and development of technology. Motivation for Strategic Initiatives FedEx had three strategic initiatives following the reorganisation in January 2000. For these actions, FedEx could be lauded as these addressed the concerns that FedEx faced following the several period of poor performance and the developments in the Internet market. The strategic initiatives and the rationale for pursuing each are as follow: A new branding strategy that involved changing the Companys name to FedEx Corporation, and extending the ‘FedEx brand to four of its five subsidiary companies This is an excellent move for a couple of reasons: (1) integrates the firm and leverages the successes of the various divisions, (2) taps the brand that clients are familiar with. This would allow FedEx to leverage its advantages in the sector as seen in the five forces analysis. Although relatively belatedly, FedEx did realise the importance of integrating their businesses and maximising their position in the sector. The need for one point of access to sales, customer services, and billing and automation systems This again touches on the integration point although at a different aspect. With an integrated business across its key activities, FedEx could provide clients with easy access and reliable services, factors that are important for the FedEx clients. Also, this action gives FedEx the technological push that it needed in order to bring its technology up to par with competitors, and position the firm for possible advancements at a later time. FedEx Home Delivery, a new, economical residential delivery service- This last action by FedEx touched on several important factors related to the success of firms in the global express transportation and logistics industry: (1) innovation in products and services, (2) leverage of strengths of related businesses, and (3) exp

Indivdual Differences In Pain Tolerance Psychology Essay

Indivdual Differences In Pain Tolerance Psychology Essay It is generally agreed that the perception of pain does not only depend on the noxious input, but also on a variety of psychological variables including an individuals emotional state. The amygdala is one area of the brain linked with the regulation of both emotion and pain (Lapate, Lee, Salomons, van Reekum, Grieschar Davidson, 2012). This region has also been implicated in trait aggression and the act of cursing. The current study aimed to expand on previous work looking into the hypoalgesic effect of swearing on pain (Stephens, Atkins and Kingston, 2009; Stephens Umland 2011) whilst also examining the role of trait aggression and gender. Participants consisted of 50 students from the University of Central Lancashire. They took part in two cold pressor task trials whilst either cursing or repeating the word chair. They also completed the Trait Aggression Questionnaire (Buss Perry, 1992). Physiological readings of heart rate and systolic/diastolic blood pressure were taken along with cold pressor latency. It was found that swearing had no impact on pain tolerance and there were no differences in physiological reading between any of the conditions. However, the results showed that both males and females who scored high on the trait aggression questionnaire could withstand the cold pressor task for longer than those low in trait aggression. Males also lasted longer on the cold pressor task than females across both the swearing and non-swearing conditions. The lack of findings with regards to swearing could be due to the manner in which participants were asked to curse. Despite this, the findings do support the idea that individual differences need to be taken into account when studying pain and when dealing with pain in the clinical population. Physical pain has been subject to vast amounts of research across various disciplines. From an evolutionary point of view, pain serves an important purpose. For example, it motivates action to escape or avoid noxious stimuli (Ploghaus, Tracey, Gati, Clare, Menon, Matthews, Nicholas Rawlins, 1999). The more that is discovered about the physiological and psychological processes involved in the perception of pain, the more complex it has become (Ogden, 2007). Traditionally, the main body of research into pain has been on the pharmacological control of pain and has been focused on the spinal cord processes of pain relief. As more is being learnt about the different types of pain modality systems it is becoming clearer that pharmacology is not the only way to manipulate these mechanisms (Villemure Bushnell, 2002). More recent evidence has been provided using neuroimaging as a means to further explore these mechanisms. Functional neuroimaging has shown that certain areas of the brain are activated when pain is experienced. These include the thalamus, somatosensory and prefrontal cortices and the anterior cingulate cortex (Ploghaus et al, 1999). However, recent research on pain has focussed more on the role that emotions play in pain regulation. The current view is of pain is much more multidimensional. This means the perception of pain does not necessarily depend on the level of noxious input; rather it is heavily influenced by many psychological variables (Wiech Tracey, 2009). The emotional dimension of pain is further supported by findings that show a large percentage of neurons in the medial thalamus that respond to noxious stimuli applied directly to the skin are changeable depending on the motivational and affective state of the animal (Price, 2002 cited in Wickens, 2009). Therefore it is necessary to study other areas of the brain in relation to pain. More and more research is showing that the amygdala may play an important role in the integration of affective regulation and pain perception (Lapate, Lee, Salomons, van Reekum, Grieschar Davidson, 2012). Using a combination of behavioural, physiological and neuroimaging methods (Lapate et al. (2012) demonstrated that both pain and emotion regulation are reflected in amygdala function. Other recent studies have also focused on the influence emotions have on pain. For example, Godinho,  Magnin,  Frot,  Perche   Garcia-Larrea (2006) demonstrated that empathy with other peoples suffering increased a participants own reported pain intensity. In addition, De Wied and Verbaten (2001) conducted a study looking at the effect positive and negative pictures would have on participants pain tolerance. They found that participants viewing the positive pictures prior to the task could withstand pain for longer than participants viewing the negative pictures before the task. With regards t o negative emotions it has been found that inducing anger or sadness (Rainville, Bao Chrà ©tien, 2005) or a depressed mood (Berna, Leknes, Holmes, Edwards, Goodwin Tracey, 2010) in healthy participants increases pain intensity and leads to individuals rating pain as more unpleasant than if these negative emotions had not been induced. Given that emotions are linked to the effects of pain, research has also explored the role they play in its regulation. For example recent research has looked at the effects of swearing on pain tolerance. The use of taboo words, or swearing, is a prominent yet understudied part of human language (Van Lancker Cummings, 1999) which is used across all cultures (Pinker, 2007). Swearing can be used as a means to express emotion, particularly negative. The primary meanings of offensive words are connotative (Jay Janschewitz, 2008) rather than denotative meaning they have an emotional feeling distinct from the actual meaning of the word. As soon as a child learns to speak, they learn to curse. Children learn that cursing is a form of coping with stress and it has been hypothesised that being punished for cursing as a child can lead to the words holding a negative emotional connotation for the user (Jay, King Duncan, 2006). Therefore it is important to explore how swear words effect emotions compared to normal language. It has been suggested that the connotations and denotations of words are actually processed and stored in different parts of the brain, with denotation being primarily dealt with in the neocortex of the left hemisphere and connotation being processed across connections between the neocortex and the limbic system in the right hemisphere (Pinker, 2007). Interestingly it appears that the neuropathology of swearing is distinct from the main language areas of the brain. This can be seen in cases of severely aphasic patients where cursing is done with almost perfect articulation in comparison to the patients disabilities in other areas of language and speech (Van Lancker Cummings, 1999). It has also been found that for patients suffering from coprolalia (the obscene linguistic outbursts of Gilles de la Tourettes syndrome) the symptoms are the same (although culturally specific taboos) in different languages which is evidence to support the act of cursing as having a neurobiological basis (Pinker, 2007). The amygdala has also been implicated in swearing with neuroimaging studies showing increased activation in this area of the brain on hearing/saying taboo words (Jay, 2000). However, despite swearing being common in both clinical and non-clinical populations, it is a relatively neglected area of study. This may be due partly to a universal negative reaction to profanity (Van Lancker Cummings, 1999). In particular it is surprising that swearing as a response to pain has received such little attention in the scientific community. To date there appears to be only two studies in the area of swearing as a response to pain, both of which were conducted by Dr Richard Stephens (Stephens, Atkins and Kingston, 2009Stephens, et al. 2009; Stephens Umland 2011).In the first of these studies Stephens et al. (2009) looked at swearing as a response to pain by asking participants to submerge their hand in freezing cold ice water (the cold pressor task). They hypothesised that swearing would be a maladaptive response to pain. In total 67 participants took part in a swearing and non-swearing trial. In the swearing trial they were asked to repeat a swear word they would use if in pain and in the non-swearing trial they were asked what word they could use for a table. Stephens took heart rate readings as well as using a perceived pain scale. In this study he found that swearing increased cold pressor latency (i.e. the time that they could keep their hand in the ice water), lowered pain perception and was accompanied by an incr eased heart rate. The increased heart rate is indicative of sympathetic nervous system activation, or the fight or flight response. As this study included both male and female participants the element of gender based differences in pain tolerance had to be considered. While this is a physical difference, the emotional effect of swearing for males compared to females could affect pain tolerance. The main gender difference with regard to pain tolerance found in Stephens et al.s (2009) study was that males could withstand the cold pressor task for longer than females. Women have been found to show greater sensitivity to experimentally induceds pain than men (Riley, Robinson, Wise, Myers Fillingim, 1998) although a review of studies conducted over the past ten years looking at pain and gender suggests that pain tolerance is the only measure in which there is significant difference between males and females during the cold pressor task (Racinea, Tousignant-La ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ammec, Kloda, Dione, Dupuis Choinià ¨re, 2012). Other gender differences in the study by Stephens et al. (2009) were observed with females having a greater reduction in perceived pain and a greater increase in heart rate during the swearing condition. This could be due to gender differences in swearing. For example, it has been found that females perceive more power in swear words than males (Dewaele, 2004). It has also been found that although swearing frequency is similar across both genders, males tend to be more offensive than females (Jay Janschewitz, 2008). There have also been inconsistent results in studies looking at physiological responses to pain in men and women. Maixner and Humphrey (1993) found that women responded to pain with an increased heart rate, as shown in Stephens et al. (2009), and men responded to pain with an increase in blood pressure. However a more recent study conducted by alAbsi, Peterson and Wittmers (2002) found a relationship between blood pressure and pain perception only amongst their female participants whilst other studies have found no evidence of gender differences when looking at the blood pressure/pain relationship (Helfer McCubbin, 2001; Poudevigne, OConner Pasley, 2002). These gender differences could go some way to explain why swearing has the different effects on pain perception and physiological responses.In a second study conducted by Ste phens Umland (2011) replicated earlier findings in a second study on 71 participants. , most of the results from the first study were replicated. Participants were able to keep their hand in the cold water for longer if they were swearing, and heart rate was also increased. With regards toHowever, when they looked at gender differences they found males lasted longer during the cold pressor task than females as before but this time there was no dramatic change in heart rate for the female participants. One possible reason for swearing being an effective response to pain is that it could activate part of the brain known as the Rage Circuit. This is an evolutionary response in mammals which goes from part of the amygdala, through the hypothalamus then into the midbrain. It is like a sudden reflex response to pain or frustration. When this happens the rage circuit triggers the parts of the brain connected with negative emotion including words with a strong emotional connotation such as swearing (Pinker, 2007). Indeed, Stephens et al. (2009) suggested that swearing may be effective due to it inducing a negative emotion despite previous research suggesting that negative emotion actually decreases pain tolerance and increases pain perception (Berna et al., 2010; De Wied Verbaten, 2001; Rainville et al., 2005). It should be noted however that such research tends to consider the emotional state prior to the experience of pain rather than the emotional response to noxious stimuli (Rainvil le, Bao Chrà ©tien, 2005). Another explanation for the hypoalgesic effect of swearing could be the role of the amygdala in the fight or flight response. The central nucleus of the pathway projects to the hypothalamus which then triggers the sympathetic nervous system resulting in the fight or flight response of raised heart rate and blood pressure (Wickens, 2009). This response can be activated by a number of different stimuli; including pain and can increase pain tolerance and decrease the perception of pain. Further activation of the amygdala, such as through swearing, may increase physiological reactions further resulting in this mechanism being even more effective against pain. Negative emotions such as anxiety and depression have received a lot of attention in the field of pain research. It is becoming apparent that other negative emotions, such as anger, fear and aggression may also be involved in the perception of pain (Quartana, Bounds, Yoon, Goodin Burns, 2010). Aggression is one of the negative emotions that have been suggested to be linked to swearing (Stephens Umland, 2011). Many studies have been conducted in the past on whether pain elicits aggression, but there has been little research into whether aggression as a trait has an effect on pain tolerance and pain perception. In a study conducted by Seguin, Pihl, Boulerice, Tremblay Harden (1996) adolescent boys were asked to take part in a pain tolerance task assessed via finger pressure pain. Trait aggression was recorded as stable, unstable or no history. The results suggested that boys classed as unstable aggressors displayed the lowest pain tolerance, whereas boys classed as stable aggressors displayed the highest pain tolerance. Another study found that male participants who displayed higher levels and frequency of aggression could endure longer periods of pain compared to males with lower levels of aggression (Niel, Hunnicut-Ferguson, Reidy, Martines Zeichner, 2007). This seems to suggest that aggression does, in some way, play a role in pain tolerance. The main issue arising from these studies is that they only included male participants. A more recent study looking at a sample of both males and females found no significant relationship between pain tolerance and trait aggression once the mens conformity to a masculine gender role had been controlled for (Reidy, Dimmick, MacDonald, Zeichner, 2009). These conflicting results highlight the need for further research into the role of trait aggression in the experience of pain alongside the effects of swearing and including both male and female participants. The amygdala has already been mentioned in connection with pain modulation, swearing and emotion however it has also been linked with trait aggression. In a recent study 20 volunteers underwent brain scans which revealed a significant negative correlation between trait aggression and amygdala volume (Matthies, Rusch, Weber, Lieb, Phillipsen, Tuescher et al., 2012). Due to this and the previous inconclusive research into the role of trait aggression and pain, a high/low trait aggression condition will be included in the current study to see if there is any interaction between trait aggression and swearing during the cold pressor task. The main aim of the current study is to try and replicate the results found by Stephens et al. (2009; 2011). A cold pressor task will be used as the noxious stimuli with swearing, gender and trait aggression being compared with regards to cold pressor latency. Heart rate will be recorded as in Stephens et al. (2009; 2011) but the current study will also record systolic and diastolic blood pressure. These physiological responses were not measured in the original studies on swearing and pain and would provide more evidence that the sympathetic nervous system is activated to a greater degree whilst swearing as well as giving more insight into the blood pressure and pain relationship (Helfer McCubbin, 2001; Poudevigne, OConner Pasley, 2002). Based on previous research several hypotheses were generated. In line with the findings of Stephens et al. (2009; 2011) it is hypothesised that cold pressor latency will be longer in the swearing condition compared to the non-swearing condition for males and females. It is also expected that physiological responses (systolic/diastolic blood pressure and heart rate) will be higher in the swearing condition compared to the non-swearing condition. Additionally, males are expected to withstand the noxious stimulus (cold pressor task) for longer than females across the swearing and non-swearing conditions. In line with Stephens et al. (2009), but not Stephens Umland (2011) it is hypothesised that females will display a greater increase in heart rate (and therefore systolic and diastolic blood pressure) in the swearing condition in comparison to the males. HypothesisIn line with Stephens et al., (2009; 2011):Cold pressor latency will be longer in the swearing condition compared to the non-swearing condition for males and females.Systolic blood pressure will be higher in the swearing condition compared to the non-swearing condition for males and females.Diastolic blood pressure will be higher in the swearing condition compared to the non-swearing condition for males and females.Heart rate will be higher in the swearing condition compared to the non-swearing condition for males and females.Overall males will withstand the noxious stimulus (cold pressor task) for longer than females across the swearing and the non-swearing conditions.In line with Stephens et al., (2009), but not Stephens Umland (2011):Females will display a greater increase in heart rate (and therefore systolic and diastolic blood pressure) in the swearing condition in comparison to the males.Due to the inconclusive research into the role of trait aggression and pain tol erance no specific hypothesis will be generated for this variable. Instead it will be examined whether trait aggression will have any effect on systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate and cold pressor latency across the swearing and non-swearing conditions and also whether there are any gender differences. METHOD DESIGN A 2 x 2 x 2 mixed subjects design was employed for this study. The between subjects factors were gender (male/female) and trait aggression (high/low). The within factor was swearing with all participants taking part in both the swearing and the non-swearing condition. The order of conditions (swearing/non-swearing) was counterbalanced for each participant. The dependent variables measured were systolic blood pressure (mmHg), diastolic blood pressure (mmHg), heart rate (BPM) and cold pressor latency (length of time participants kept their hand in the cold water in seconds). The cold pressor task was employed as the painful stimulus. To avoid demand effects participants were not informed of the true nature of the task until they were debriefed. PARTICIPANTS The participants consisted of 50 students attending various courses at the University of Central Lancashire. They were recruited using both opportunity sampling and through the research participation pool where students receive credit for taking part in research. Participation was entirely voluntary. There were 25 females and 25 males with ages ranging from 18 to 44 years. Mean age was 23.4 years (SD = 5.71). Participants were screened for existing heart conditions, high/low blood pressure and circulatory problems. No participants were excluded from the study on the basis of this screening. MATERIALS Prior to taking part in the study, participants were given a brief sheet (see Appendix 1 for brief) and screened using a health screening questionnaire provided by the University of Central Lancashire (see Appendix 2 for Health Screening Questionnaire). For the Cold Pressor Task a bucket filled with a mixture of cold water and ice was used. Prior to each task a thermometer was used to check the temperature was 0 °C. For baseline readings and between tasks a bucket containing room temperature water (25  °C) was used. Physiological readings were obtained using a LifeSource ® UA-767 Plus machine which measures both blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) and heart rate. Trait aggression was measured using a trait aggression questionnaire (Buss Perry, 1992). This questionnaire consists of 29 items which participants rank on a likert scale of one to five with one being not at all like you and five being completely like you. Examples of statements are; Once in a while I cant control the urge to strike another person and I tell my friends openly when I disagree with them. Within the questionnaire are four subscales which measure verbal aggression, physical aggression, hostility and anger. For the purposes of this study the overall trait aggression score was used where a higher score on the questionnaire equals a higher level of trait aggression. The questionnaire has been shown to have good internal consistency (ÃŽÂ ± = .89) as well as test-retest reliability (r = .80; Buss Perry, 1992). (See Appendix 3 for Trait Aggression Questionnaire). After completing the aggression questionnaire participants were made fully aware of the nature of the study th rough the debrief (see Appendix 4 for debrief). PROCEDURE For the task students individually attended a research laboratory on campus at the University of Central Lancashire. They were informed that the study would be looking into physiological responses to the cold pressor task and asked to complete a health screening questionnaire. Following this participants were asked to make themselves comfortable whilst the blood pressure/heart rate cuff was placed around their non-dominant arm before submerging their dominant hand up to the wrist in a bucket of room temperature water for three minutes. At the end of the three minutes a baseline blood pressure and heart rate reading were recorded. Participants were then asked for what swear word they would use if they were to bang their thumb with a hammer and also what word they would use to describe a chair. Whilst repeating their chosen word for either cursing or chair, participants submerged their dominant hand in the cold water. They were given the instruction to keep their hand in the water unti l it became too uncomfortable or painful. A time limit of three minutes was imposed due to safety reasons and 11 participants reached the limit in one or both conditions. During the task, heart rate and blood pressure were recorded every 30 seconds. Once they removed their hand they were asked to submerge it back in the bucket of room temperature water for three minutes. Following this participants were asked to repeat the initial cold pressor task, this time repeating the chosen word not used in the first condition. Order of conditions was counter-balanced for all participants. Following both cold pressor tasks participants were asked to complete the aggression questionnaire before being fully debriefed. The trait aggression questionnaires were scored and then a median split performed. Possible trait aggression scores range from 29 145. Participants in this study scored from 49 113 with a median of 69.5. Trait aggression was then split into high or low, with high being equal to, or more than 69.5, (n25) and low being less than 69.5 (n25). The research was conducted with the approval of the ethics committee at the University of Central Lancashire The research was conducted with the approval of the ethics committee at the University of Central LancashireRESULTS For the purpose of analysis, averages were taken of the systolic, diastolic and heart rate readings for male and female participants with high and low trait aggression in each condition (swearing/non-swearing). Cold pressor latency was recorded in seconds. the trait aggression questionnaires were scored and then a median split performed. Possible trait aggression scores range from 29 145. Participants in this study scored from 49 113 with a median of 69.5. Trait aggression was then split into high or low, with high being equal to, or more than 69.5, (n25) and low being less than 69.5 (n25). (For raw data refer to Appendix 5) The effects of swearing/aggression on systolic blood pressure during the cold pressor task Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) was recorded during the cold pressor task. Table 1 shows the means and standard deviations of systolic blood pressure during the swearing and non-swearing conditions for high/low trait aggressive males and females. Table 1: Means (and standard deviations) of Systolic Blood Pressure (mmHg) across swearing/non-swearing conditions for high/low trait aggressive males/females. HIGH AGGRESSION LOW AGGRESSION TOTAL SWEARING MALE 125.24 (20.95) 129.21 (16.05) 127.15 (18.48) FEMALE 123.31 (12.45) 119.81 (11.65) 121.49 (11.92) TOTAL 124.31 (17.07) 124.32 (14.45) 124.32 (11.92) NON SWEARING MALE 121.45 (16.46) 129.48 (19.54) 125.30 (18.09) FEMALE 119.33 (13.77) 116.44 (11.28) 117.82 (12.36) TOTAL 120.43 (14.95) 122.70 (16.82) 121.56 (15.79) A 2 (trait aggression: high/low) x 2 (gender: male/female) x 2 (swearing/non-swearing) mixed subjects factorial ANOVA revealed no significant main effect of swearing condition on systolic blood pressure (F(1,46) = 1.57, p = 0.217, Eta ² = 0.033). There was a non-significant main effect of gender (F(1,46) = 2.95, p = 0.093, Eta ² = 0.060) and a non-significant main effect of trait aggression (F(1,46) = 0.13, p = 0.718, Eta ² = 0.003). In addition, the interaction between swearing and trait aggression showed no significance (F(1,46) = 0.29, p = 0.593, Eta ² = 0.006). The interaction between swearing and gender was non-significant (F(1,46) = 0.19, p = 0.662, Eta ² = 0.004) as was the interaction between gender and trait aggression (F(1,46) = 1.42, p = 0.240, Eta ² = 0.030). Overall there was no significant 3-way interaction between swearing, gender and trait aggression (F(1,46) = 0.16, p = 0.691, Eta ² = 0.003). (For analysis output on systolic blood pressure see Appendix 6). The Effect of swearing/aggression on diastolic blood pressure during the cold pressor task Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) was recorded during the cold pressor task. Table 2 shows the means and standard deviations of diastolic blood pressure during the swearing and non-swearing conditions for high/low trait aggressive males and females. Table 2: Means (and standard deviations) of Diastolic Blood Pressure (mmHg) across swearing/non-swearing conditions for high/low trait aggressive males/females. HIGH AGGRESSION LOW AGGRESSION TOTAL SWEARING MALE 78.73 (17.66) 87.37 (12.75) 82.88 (15.81) FEMALE 85.63 (9.85) 79.50 (16.37) 82.44 (13.72) TOTAL 82.04 (14.58) 83.28 (14.99) 82.66 (14.65) NON SWEARING MALE 80.56 (13.05) 86.24 (13.05) 82.88 (15.81) FEMALE 85.21 (8.81) 85.74 (10.06) 85.49 (9.29) TOTAL 82.79 (11.24) 85.98 (11.78) 84.39 (11.51) A 2 (trait aggression: high/low) x 2 (gender: male/female) x 2 (swearing/non-swearing) mixed subjects factorial ANOVA revealed no significant main effect of swearing condition on diastolic blood pressure (F(1,46) = 0.65, p = 0.425, Eta ² = 0.014). There was a non-significant main effect of gender (F(1,46) = 0.07, p = 0.801, Eta ² = 0.001) and a non-significant main effect of trait aggression (F(1,46) = 0.48, p = 0.491, Eta ² = 0.010). In addition the interaction between swearing and trait aggression showed no significance (F(1,46) = 0.21, p = 0.651, Eta ² = 0.004). The interaction between swearing and gender was non-significant (F(1,46) = 0.40, p = 0.531, Eta ² = 0.009) as was the interaction between gender and trait aggression (F(1,46) = 2.51, p = 0.120, Eta ² = 0.030). Overall there was no significant 3-way interaction between swearing, gender and trait aggression (F(1,46) = 1.41, p = 0.241, Eta ² = 0.030). (For analysis output on diastolic blood pressure see Appendix 7). The Effect of swearing/aggression on heart rate during the cold pressor task Heart rate (BPM) was recorded during the cold pressor task. Table 3 shows the means and standard deviations of heart rate during the swearing and non-swearing conditions for high/low trait aggressive males and females. Table 3: Means (and standard deviations) of heart rate (bpm) across swearing/non-swearing conditions for high/low trait aggressive males/females. HIGH AGGRESSION LOW AGGRESSION TOTAL SWEARING MALE 83.79 (11.45) 81.93 (15.86) 82.90 (13.48) FEMALE 92.10 (16.79) 87.34 (16.14) 86.92 (16.29) TOTAL 87.78 (14.59) 84.74 (15.91) 86.26 (15.19) NON SWEARING MALE 84.57 (20.16) 84.91 (16.13) 84.73 (17.96) FEMALE 89.88 (12.40) 85.17 (16.42) 87.43 (14.53) TOTAL 87.12 (16.76) 85.04 (15.94) 86.08 (16.22) A 2 (trait aggression: high/low) x 2 (gender: male/female) x 2 (swearing/non-swearing) mixed subjects factorial ANOVA revealed no significant main effect of swearing condition on heart rate (F(1,46) = 0.01, p = 0.934, Eta ² = .000). There was a non-significant main effect of gender (F(1,46) = 1.40, p = 0.243, Eta ² = 0.030) and a non-significant main effect of trait aggression (F(1,46) = 0.46, p = 0.503, Eta ² = 0.010). In addition the interaction between swearing and trait aggression showed no significance (F(1,46) = 0.09, p = 0.770, Eta ² = 0.002). The interaction between swearing and gender was non-significant (F(1,46) = 1.14, p = 0.292, Eta ² = 0.024) as was the interaction between gender and trait aggression (F(1,46) = 0.24, p = 0.628, Eta ² = 0.005). Overall there was no significant 3-way interaction between swearing, gender and trait aggression (F(1,46) = 0.08, p = 0.780, Eta ² = 0.002). (For analysis output on heart rate see Appendix 8). The Effect of swearing/aggression on cold pressor latency during the cold pressor task Cold pressor latency (the length of time participants kept their hand in the ice water) was recorded in seconds. Table 4 shows the means and standard deviations of cold pressor