Hrm Practices in Aarong

Part-1 Introduction Organizational overview: â€Å"To provide a stable and gainful source of employment for the under privileged rural artisans, lift up the traditional identity and the commitment of quality service† The name of the organization Aarong is a Bangla word. It means â€Å"a village fair or market†. Aarong started its journey on the basis of this slogan. Now-a-days it is an established fashion and home decor in Bangladesh. Its’ dedication is to change the lives of the disadvantages , promoting traditional products from Bangladesh and opening the doors so their products can be exported.It has grown into a thriving international enterprise showcasing ethnic wear to beautiful crafts from silks, handloom cotton, endi to terracotta, bamboo, jute and much more. It is the handicraft marketing arm of BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement committee), the largest NGO in Bangladesh. Aarong has created a village fair for the craftsmen of all trades come together to exhibit and sale their traditional handicrafts. it helps vitalize the traditional craftsmanship and find a wider market for their products nationally and internationally.Established in 1978, Aarong is a fair trade organization dedicated to bring about positive changes in the lives of disadvantaged artisans and underprivileged rural women by reviving and promoting their skills and craft. Reaching out to weavers, potters, brass workers, jewelers, jute workers, basket weavers, wood carvers, leather workers and more, Aarong embraces and nurtures a diverse representation of 65,000 artisans, 85% of whom are women.Today, Aarong has become the foundation upon which independent cooperative groups and family-based artisans market their craft, in an effort to position the nation’s handicraft industry on a world platform of appreciation and acknowledgement. Background of the Organization Aarong began as a cause – a means to an end for a quiet organization fighting to uphold the di gnity of the marginalized. In 1976, when BRAC- a Bangladeshi NGO dedicated to alleviating poverty and empowering the poor, first began encouraging sericulture for women in Manikganj, their only buyers were a few scattered retailers in Dhaka.Weeks, even months would pass between supply and payment, until BRAC intervened. Aarong was born out of a need to ensure that the penniless silk farmers of Manikganj were paid for their goods upon delivery, so that they could feed their families. Today, Aarong's reach has spread beyond Manikganj to the rest of the country. It has grown into a thriving international enterprise showcasing ethnic wear to beautiful crafts from silks, handloom cotton, endi to terracotta, bamboo, jute and much more.From a single shop, Aarong has grown into one of Bangladesh's biggest retail chains, with eight stores spread across the major metropolitan areas of the country – in Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna and Sylhet and one in London, UK. Aarong symbolizes fairnes s in the global village. The organization has identified three basic constraints for gainful employment of the low income and marginalized people in the rural areas: lack of working capital, marketing support and opportunity for skills development.In order to bridge these gaps, Aarong provides a wide range of services to its workers and suppliers: Figure: The services Aarong provides to its’ customer and suppliers Aarong’s Mission Statement â€Å"To make Aarong the best in the world in providing a unique Bangladeshi lifestyle experience to empower people and promote Bangladesh while protecting our environment. † Vision of the organization Aarong has a vision to establish them as world’s one of the famous fair trade fashion house, and to remain market leader throughout its business. Aarong expanded its business in international arena.Aarong has a dream to develop more artisans of Bangladesh and make them self-dependent and attract more and more internation al customers towards Bangladeshi culture. Goals: †¢Empowering destitute rural women by providing opportunities for employment and income generation. †¢Ensuring commercial success of the enterprise of women producers. †¢Reviving traditional skills of rural artisans. Services: †¢Free Medical check-up including free eye treatment, eye-glasses and treatment costs for severe illnesses †¢Advance wage payments for employees in need †¢Day care services Workers retirement fund Twenty five thousand independent cooperative groups and traditional family-based artisans also market their crafts through Aarong. Potters, Brass Workers, Jewelers, Jute workers, Basket Weavers, Handloom Weavers, Silk Weavers, Wood Carvers, Leather workers and various artisans with specialized skills from all over the country come to Aarong for marketing and support services. Personality Test Result Human Metrics Jung Typology Test Based on Carl Jung’s and Isabel Briggs Myersâ€℠¢ Typological approach to personality I have been classified in the ENTP category.It refers that- I m Extrovert (67%) Intuitive (31%) Intuitive Thinking (25%) Perceiving (33%) More specifically — * I have distinctive preferences of Extraversion over Introversion (67%) * I have moderate preferences of Intuition over Sensing (31%) * I have moderate preferences of Thinking over Feeling (25%) * I have moderate preferences of Perceiving over Judging (33%) HR Planning of Aarong: Aarong is the one of the biggest fashion house in Bangladesh with ten outlets around the country. Behind the fashion house/lifestyle store Aarong has a corporate office and branches of Ayesha Abed foundation in several districts.Aarong & AAF has been employing a huge number of employees from all over the country and in some cases overseas employees. Here is the organogram of Aarong & AAF to have a look on the positions of the employees who are involved in different Human Resource activities: Figure: Organog ram of HR & Training Department of Aarong Recruitment and selection Process: Selecting and recruiting good employees for an organization is indeed one of the most crucial and critical aspects of running an organization as the decisions so taken to this respect can take the organization to the heights of success.In this respect, it must be borne in mind that each individual has a valuable contribution, irrespective of the position or status of the employee in respective organization. Staffing is the process of recruiting applicants and selecting prospective employees it is known as the key strategic are of Human Resource Management. Stated that an organization’s performance is a direct result of the individuals it employs. The specific strategies used and decisions made in staffing process will directly impact an organization’s success or lack thereof.Planning for recruitment and selection: The aim of the policy and the procedure is to support the recruitment and select ion of people with necessary ability, skills, qualification and competencies to contribute effectively to delivery of Aarong & AAF Recruitment and Selection Strategy: As Aarong has huge number of employees all around the country, they recruit different types of employees based on the nature of the jobs. Aarong recruits five types of employees, these are ?Regular ?Part time ?Temporary ?Contractual ?Project based Regular employee:Regular employees work five days a week from Sunday to Thursday, starting from 8. 30 am to 5. 15 pm. These employees will receive the entire compensation program (bonus, increment, overtime and insurance) and every other facility that are given by the organization. Part-time employees: Part- time employees are those who does not work on the regular working hours, they are given the facility of flexible work hours. Part time employees are recruited for the outlets for example – sales associates, store helper, guards etc. They are not given the facilitie s of the regular employees.However they will be given some facilities based on the contracts they have with the organization. Temporary employee: Aarong recruits temporary employees for different purposes. Some times when a position is vacant and the recruitment might take long to fill in that’s when Aarong & AAF goes for recruiting temporary employees. Temporary employees may work full time or part-time. The temporary sales associates for Ramadan work as part timer. On the other hand temporary employees for documentation work as long as full timer in Aarong. Contractual employee:Contractual employees are hired to work on certain projects or for a certain period of time. The sales associates for the Ramadan are under contract of one month whereas the interns have three months of contracts in Aarong. However depending on the nature of the job the organization may extend their contract with employees. Project based employee: Project based employees are hired for specific projec ts. The organization make contract with them to work on a certain project. To open new outlets in Mirpur and Uttara Aarong hired interior designers to design new outlets is under project based employment.Recruitment method: Aarong recruits its employee’s mostly on viva voce and they do not take any written examination of the candidates. But the interviews are conducted by several steps, which are, in first round if someone qualifies the interview then they are selected for the second round of the interview. These types of interviews are arranged for officer, executive and managerial level. But for the technical posts like IT department computer literacy is tested. But recently Aarong has stated taking written examination on computer for finance and accounts department and also for other departments as well.Only In case of design studio the applicants has to present their portfolio. The steps of recruiting the employees: To recruit the employees for different departments Aaron g goes through several steps, these are performed by the HR department: Figure: Recruitment Process in Aarong & AAF Requisition for Staff: In the beginning of the year all the departments’ head send their requisition in a fixed form to the HR department estimating the requirement of new staff for the whole year in their respective department, then HR collects the approval of the director.HRD would make yearly plan to recruit staff on the basis of the received approved requisition. According to the organizational chart, it is previously determined how many people are required to run a particular department or to do a specific kind of job. So with the resignation of an employee respective department needs to get approval for a new position, it forwards the form to HRD along with the detail particulars like educational level, experience, interpersonal skills and other skills that the job required of the deserving candidate. Check and Verify organizational Chart:Once the HR depar tment receives an approved job requisition, it is the foremost duty of the HR departments to check and verify the approval with the organizational chart. Next, the manager of HR prepares the job watch, which is to circulate for job announcement. This job watch contains job responsibility, objectives, number of vacancies of the department, educational background of the candidate, working experience and other interpersonal skills. The job watch basically asks the potential candidate to send their CV if they qualify the minimum qualification level. Sources of Recruitment:There are two kinds of sources Aarong & AAF uses for recruitment. They are ?Internal source ?External source ?Internal source: Aarong & AAF think that current employees are a major source of recruits for all but entry level positions. Whether for promotions or for lateral job transfer, internal candidates already know the informal organization and have detailed information about its formal policies and procedures. Prom otions and transfer are typically decided by responsible department with involvement by HR department. Employee references/ recommendation: Employee reference has universal application.Lower level and mid-level positions can, and often are filled by the recommendation of a current employee. In higher level positions it is more likely referral will be a professional acquaintance rather than a friend with whom the recommender has close social contacts. In jobs where specialized expertise is important, and where employees participate in professional organizations that foster the development of the expertise, it can be expected that current employees will be acquainted with or know about individuals they think would make excellent contribution to the organization. External sources: Aarong & AAF believe in innovative inspiration so HR department use to look outside of the organization for applicants. The external source starts with the job advertisement on different media. Job Advertisem ent: Aarong gives their advertisement mostly on the major newspapers and internet to collect applicants for all the departments and posts. Through the advertisement they declare the posts of the jobs and the job description which includes duties and responsibilities along they also mention the facilities Aarong provides.In the advertisement they mention the required qualification of the applicants, age and experience etc. Collecting & Screening: After the advertisement for a particular job the HR department starts collecting the bio data. The bio data are collected from sources, for example the bio data dropped in the application box in the head office are collected, online applications are downloaded and printed, some are collected from the outlets by post and some are through references. After collecting the applicants’ bio data the qualifications, experience and age are matched.The applicants are selected and prioritized based on their education such as applicants from rep uted universities and year of experience they possess. While screening them qualified applicants for the specified jobs are found, but sometimes applicants with fewer years of experience are kept separately. And some time these candidates’ bio data are used when there is lack of candidates for interview. Short listing the potential Applicants: After going through the bio data that matches the qualifications, applicants who are well qualified for the positions have to be put on a short list.Following completion of short listing process, HR personnel should give them priority in calling for interviews. Schedule and Arrange the interview: After short listing the bio data, the arrangements of the interview starts. The shortlisted candidates are to be called and they should be well informed about the interview method, date, time and venue etc. For these responsible personnel has to make a schedule for interview. HR manager and respective departments’ managers, sometimes pro gram head altogether decides a convenient time for the interview.After scheduling the applicants are informed of the time date venue of the interviews and if appropriate, be asked to bring photographs for further identification. Conduct interview: Interviews must be fair, objective and structures to allow the maximum amount of information to be obtained from the applicants. The person specification and outline job description should form the basic questioning . which should be relevant to the recruitment of the post. In the interview panel there are two personnel from Aarong most of the time, one person from the HR department and another person should be from other department.For example recruiting a marketing officer the representative from the HR department is either a senior HR officer or an executive and the other interviewer in this case would be marketing head or marketing manager. In the interview panel the judges are given an interviewer appraisal form to keep the record of applicants’ personal attributes and their educational and professional qualification. From officer and above there are two rounds of interviews taken. The candidates selected from the first round interview are to be interviewed by the director of Aarong.Compile interview results: At this stage HR compiles the interview results. In order to compile the result, average score of the interview is calculated. Usually, the candidate that matches with hiring departments requirements is called for the second round of interview. After the interviews the candidates are selected by analyzing their qualifications by the director mostly and then it is the responsibility of HR to inform applicants about the result. But for but for entry level jobs it is the responsibility of an HR officer to finalize the selection.Background Check/ candidates’ verification: The selected candidates will provide copies of their educational and professional certificates ant the HR department will make arrangement for verifying these records by calling their references checking the copies of certificates with the original ones. Inform the selected candidate: After verification of the papers submitted by the candidates, HR department will call them for further formalities that are to be carried out like negotiation of salary, confirmation of joining date, fitness certificate, releasing order etc.Appointment: After completion of the introductory training sessions, the candidates are asked to come with their certificates, releasing order from previous employer, experience certificate, reference letter etc. The regular employees are required to fill-up several forms on the day of their appointment. These are †¢ Personal information form †¢ Insurance form †¢ Joining form Training: Training department of Aarong is a part of Human Resource department. Training personnel are responsible for all the necessary training sessions for the new employees.As they are to be acquaint ed with the new organization, working environment, people and job responsibilities. The training officers train the new employees to be introduced with the job and organization and make sure they are able to perform effectively. As the training section is very small and yet they are responsible for training employees all over the country, the training session lasts for one day. In mid-level and higher positions the employee gets on the job training. But positions like Sales associate, store helper and maintenance workers are mostly trained about their job. Orientation or induction:Generally the HR department arranges employee’s orientation or induction which provides new employees with basic background information about the organization, information they need to perform their job, their job description or so on. It is called a socialization process. it helps to cope with new environment very easily and it minimizes reality shock. Performance Appraisal System: Performance appr aisal system is defined as a systematic process of performance planning, organizing, monitoring, appraising, and guiding & rewarding individual employee’s performance by using standard tools.This is a formal management process being conducted through participation. The system does not merely represent an annual event rather it represents a systematic processed viewed from the standpoint of total perspective. The essence of performance appraisal system is that the employee’s perform the best of their abilities to attain individual standard and achieve the organization goals. Aarong and Ayesha Abed Foundation has a performance appraisal system closely similar to an amalgamation of â€Å"Behavioral anchored ratings scale (BARS)† and â€Å"key performance indicator (KPI)† performance Appraisal mechanism.The present performance is done using: a) Appraisal by Achievement against certain behavior b) Competence profile in current job, which includes rating or lea dership quality, resource management, business development, communicative etc. The organization views the system as year round process. Every employee at Aarong is being evaluated once in a year. And employees are evaluated when their working period is more than six month. Aarong has three types of performance appraisal form, these are – top level, mid-level and entry level, as all the employees cannot be evaluated in same manner.The reason for having the performance appraisal system is to evaluate them from different aspects and find out their strengths and weakness and provide them chances to improve them in order to perform more effectively. There are different component of the performance appraisal system namely performance planning, performance monitoring and performance development and annual appraisal each of those are inter related and integrated with each other having several sub- component under each of those components. The Annual performance Appraisal format:In th is study, focus has been given on the performance appraisal system of the management executive. The elements of the performance appraisal form are a) Performance planning b) Career growth & development c) Performance competences d) Overall performance evaluation e) Review and comment by appraiser, appraisers’ manager and appraise her/himself. In Aarong has four types of Performance Appraisal formats, Form-A, for top level employees, PA Form- B, for mid-level employees, PA Form-C, for lower level employees, and the last one is Performance Appraisal or Sales Associates. Aarong mainly uses customized software developed for carrying out the specificfunctions involved in the various functional departments. The Key In-HouseSoftware used by Aarong is as follows: Part-2 IT in HRM The IT used in Aarong: 1. Central Office Management System (COMS): COMS also used by the export department for handling export orders. The retailing department uses COMS to check inventory levels and maintai n re-order levels by analyzing data such as amount sent to outlet, amount in display and amount in the warehouse. 2. Point of Sale (POS):Point of sales software is used in all the outlets of  Aarong. When a sales staff scans the barcode of any product, the software records the transaction. This database enables the organization to identify the demand of the product and adjust their inventory level accordingly. 3. Ayesha Abed Foundation Software (AAFS): Ayesha Abed Foundation, which is the primary manufacturing unit of Aarong, uses this Software to check product levels. 4. Customer Relationship Management: This software enables Aarong to identify the most loyal customer and to retain them.Customer databases are maintained with the help of this software. It also enables Aarong to provide special services, such as â€Å"My Aarong Rewards†, to loyal customers. With the buying and contact information of all loyal customers, Aarong is able to notifythem whenever products that sui t their taste are available Figure: HRIS department at Aarong The Human Resource Department of Aarong is responsible for managing , controlling and the employment of the total employees, staff, and managers. The firm maintains some IS function with its HRM department.These functions have been given in the upward diagram and described here: Employee Database: All the information of the employees is saved in the database following the Microsoft access. This database includes the information of the employees from the joining days to the last days. Performance Tracking: Sales representatives are given a percentage of commissions on the sale that is why performance tracking is an important issue. The sale per day is tracked by using bar code readers and time punch machine.Pre specified reports: Based on the database maintained at the central office managers are allowed to access pre specified reports on the company’s employees and the key performance indicators. Company Intranet: The intranet provides managers to extract data on employees personal records and qualifications, sales performance, and past reports on sales and managerial activities using the online. Part-3 Biography of Mr. Fazle Hasan Abed Fazle Hasan Abed, Founder & Chairperson, BRAC was born in Bangladesh in 1936.He was educated at Dhaka and Glasgow Universities. The 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh had a profound effect on him, then in his thirties, a professional accountant who was holding a senior corporate executive position at Shell Oil. The war dramatically changed the direction of his life; he left his job and moved to London to devote himself to Bangladesh's War of Independence. There, he helped to initiate a campaign called â€Å"Help Bangladesh† to organise funds to raise awareness about the war in Bangladesh.When the war over, he returned to the newly independent Bangladesh, finding the economy in ruins. Millions of refugees, who had sought shelter in India during the war, s tarted returning to the country and their relief and rehabilitation called for urgent efforts. It was then that he established BRAC to rehabilitate returning refugees in a remote area in north-eastern Bangladesh. He directed his policy towards helping the poor develop their capacity to better manage their lives.Thus, BRAC's primary objectives emerged as alleviation of poverty and empowerment of the poor. Under his leadership, in the span of only three decades, BRAC grew to become the largest development organisation in the world in terms of the scale and diversity of its interventions. Sir Fazle has received numerous national and international awards for his achievements in leading BRAC, including the David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award (2008), the Inaugural Clinton Global Citizen Award (2007), the Henry R.Kravis Prize in Leadership (2007), the Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) Award for Lifetime Achievement in Social Development and Poverty Alleviation (2007), Gates Awa rd for Global Health (2004), UNDP MahbubulHaq Award for Outstanding Contribution in Human Development (2004), Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Award (2002), Olof Palme Award (2001), UNICEF's Maurice Pate Award (1992) and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership (1980). He is also recognised by Ashoka as one of the â€Å"global greats† and is a founding member of its prestigious Global Academy for Social Entrepreneurship.In 2010, he was appointed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to the Eminent Persons Group for the Least Developed Countries. Sir Fazle has received several honorary degrees including Doctor of Humane Letters from Yale University in 2007, Doctor of Laws from Columbia University in 2008, Doctor of Letters from the University of Oxford in 2009 and Doctorate of Laws from the University of Bath in 2010. In February 2010, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St.George (KCMG) by the British crown in recognition of his services to reducing poverty in Bangladesh and internationally. He was awarded WISE Prize, the world's first major international prize for education by Qatar Foundation in November 2011. Comparative analysis Illustrated profile of Fazle Hasan Abed I can imagine my to be career as an entrepreneur. I am graduating from Dhaka University in BBA and I would prefer being an entrepreneur. For this I have to be- 1. More patient as I see it is less in me 2.I am enthusiastic but in some matter I easily loose my enthusiasm for this I have to work a lot Part-4 Recommendation * Greater use of MIS, DSS and ESS for effective decision making. * Adoption of fully automated supply chain management system to ensure greater quality and flexibility. * Streamlining the Designing and approval process into one workstation. * Automation of the Demand projection and Trend analysis tasks. * Greater use of networking to carryout financial transactions with partners and suppliers.

Lecturer’s Personality

NATIONAL FORUM OF TEACHER EDUCATION JOURNAL-ELECTRONIC VOLUME 16 NUMBER 3E, 2005-2006 EFFECTIVE TEACHER STUDY Max Malikow Assistant Professor Le Moyne College ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to quantify student evaluated teacher effectiveness in order to ascertain the grade level, subject, and characteristics of exceptionally effective teachers as reported by 361 Le Moyne College students. In this study the students were provide with the following definition of exceptionally effective: showing the ability to go beyond the ordinary in producing desired results. The students were instructed that they could select one of their teachers from any grade level or subject. The distribution of selected teachers is as follows: 315 secondar5y teachers, 34 primary teachers, 11 college professors, and 1 parish priest. Subject areas of frequently selected secondary teachers are: social studies (89), English (89), mathematics (55), foreign language (33), and science (27). Personality characteristics most often cited by the students were: challenging/had reasonably high expectations (82), sense of humor (59), enthusiastic (56), creative (39), caring (39), explains complicated material well (39), and flexible instructional style (33). 1 NATIONAL FORUM OF TEACHER EDUCATION JOURNAL-ELECTRONIC 2___________________________________________________________ _______________________________ Who are exceptionally effective teachers and what are their characteristics? This is a study conducted at Le Moyne College from 1998-2004. I. Introduction A. Statement of the Research Question The purpose of this study is to quantify student evaluated teacher effectiveness in order to ascertain the grade level, subject, and characteristics of exceptionally effective teachers as reported by 361 Le Moyne College students. In this study the students were provided with the following definition of exceptionally effective: showing the ability to go beyond the ordinary in producing desired results. Teacher preparation programs, as part of their accreditation process, are increasingly attentive to any information to assist in making adjustments and modifications to improve the outcome. Formal evaluations of graduates and students are useful. I have attempted to undertake a continual form of information gathering from classes I teach that ultimately may be useful for this purpose. B. Rationale for the Research The value of this study is that the accomplishment of the research question would make a contribution to the Le Moyne College teacher education program. The goal of this department is to prepare effective teachers for tomorrow’s schools† (Le Moyne College Catalog 2004-2005, p. 91). The result of having identified the grade levels, subjects, and common characteristics of over 350 teachers assessed by their students as exceptionally effective serves to better inform the Education Department faculty of the qualities that make teachers memorable as instructors who are effective in their work. Therefore the department members will be better equipped to evaluate their own program in the light of this information. MAX MALIKOW ____________________________________________________________ ______________________________3 II. Methodology A. EDU 215 Writing Assignment EDU 215: Learning in a Sociocultural Context is a required course for Le Moyne College education majors who are preparing to teach at the secondary level (grades 7-12). â€Å"It involves students in examining, analyzing, and developing theories of how students learn within a social, cultural, and political context †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Le Moyne College Catalog 2004-2005, p. 97). One requirement of the EDU 215 classes I teach is a reflective paper. I encourage the students not to begin this writing assignment early in the course. I explain that they would find the paper easier to write if they first experience at least half of the fifteen weeks of the material. The learning outcome associated with this assignment is for students to organize and articulate their thoughts and experiences concerning the characteristics and behaviors of exceptionally effective teachers. The students are required to select one of their own teachers from any grade or subject who could be described as an exceptionally effective teacher. An in-class presentation to the students elucidates an exceptionally effective teacher as one who demonstrates extraordinary ability in the following areas of teaching: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Communication of material Motivation of students Provision of an environment conducive to learning Maintenance of student interest Classroom management (discipline) Appropriate relationships with students The following is the assignment’s specifications as they appeared in the EDU 215 syllabus. An Exceptionally Effective Teacher The instructions provided to the students is fairly standard, with the paper no less than four and no more than six pages in length, typed, double-spaced, and compositionally flawless. It must include all of the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. The teacher’s name and subject/grade level A synecdoche His/her methodologies (repertoire of instructional strategies) His/her means of testing and evaluation NATIONAL FORUM OF TEACHER EDUCATION JOURNAL-ELECTRONIC 4___________________________________________________________ _______________________________ 5. 6. . 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. His/her teaching environment (physical and psychological-emotional) His/her administration of discipline His/her personality (including a sense-of-humor) Scholarship (i. e. evaluate the selected teacher as a scholar) His/her use of relevancy in instruction His/her preparedness for class (i. e. organization) His/her ability to motivate students An interview with this teacher or someone who is familiar with this teacher (optional) I explain to the students that a synecdoche (specification number 2) is a figure of speech in which a part is used for a whole. The example I use is the phrase to break bread in which bread is used but an entire meal is understood. In the context of this assignment, the students are required to describe one incident featuring the selected teacher that would communicate a substantial understanding of the teacher’s style and philosophy of teaching. A colloquial way of expressing the rationale for the synecdoche is: it is one story that communicates what this teacher is all about. B. Description of the Sample The number of the students in the sample is 361 (n = 361). Since the sample consists of students from classes taught by me this is a convenience sample. Specifically, the students are from sixteen EDU 215 sections ranging from the fall semester of 1998 to the spring semester of 2004. As previously stated, EDU 215 students are preparing for careers in secondary teaching. With few exceptions, the students are sophomores. Also, as previously stated, the writing assignment is a course requirement. Consequently, all students who complete EDU 215 for credit accomplish the assigned paper. In the sample, all of the students addressed the assignment’s specifications sufficiently to have earned a grade of C or better. C. Procedure for Analysis of Archival Data From the fall semester of 1998 to the spring semester of 2004 a total of 361 essays were written by the students in the EDU 215 classes taught by me. This archival was organized by first categorizing teachers by grade level (if K-6) or subject (if 7-12). College teachers were grouped in one category. This distinction is made to accommodate for selected secondary and college MAX MALIKOW ____________________________________________________________ ______________________________5 teachers who students had more than once. For example, some science teachers taught the students in both biology and chemistry. The categorization of the teachers in this manner resulted in a total of 21 subcategories of teachers: seven primary grade subcategories, ten secondary subject categories, three subcategories of college professors, and one parish priest. This data answers the following research question: Of the 361 selected teachers, what is their distribution according to grade level or subject? In-class discussions with the students on the day the assignment is turned in includes the following question: From the assignment’s specifications or your own thoughts, what are the two characteristics that most contributed to your selected teacher’s effectiveness? All students are asked the question with their responses recorded by me. Nine characteristics were possibilities from the assignment. Due to 16 student absences on the days of these discussions, 690 responses were recorded rather than the 722 responses that would have resulted from perfect attendance. The record of the student responses provides the answer to the following research question: What are the characteristics of exceptionally effective teachers most frequently cited by the students in this study? III. Presentation of the Findings A. Textual Presentation The teacher category most frequently selected is an equal number of students (89) who selected either a social studies or English teacher. These two categories combined for 49. 3 percent of the exceptionally effective teachers in this study. Other secondary teachers selected are in the disciplines of mathematics (15. percent), foreign language (9. 1 percent), science (7. 5 percent), physical education (2. 4 percent), health (1. 7 percent), technology (1. 1 percent), art (. 5 percent), and music (. 3 percent). In total, elementary teachers represent 9. 4 percent of the selections. The two grade levels with the highest representation are third and fifth (8). The 11 college professors chosen constitute 3 percent of the sele ctions. The college professors are in the disciplines of English (7), history (3), and mathematics (1). One student selected a parish priest who taught a confirmation class. For a tabular presentation of the distribution of the selected teachers see Table 3. 1. The total number of characteristics cited by the sample was 36. The exceptionally effective teacher trait most frequently expressed by the students was challenging with reasonable expectations (11. 9 percent). The percentage of response was computed by dividing the number of citations for this trait (82) by the total citations in the study (690). Sense of humor is the NATIONAL FORUM OF TEACHER EDUCATION JOURNAL-ELECTRONIC 6___________________________________________________________ _______________________________ second most frequently cited characteristic (8. 5 percent). Three characteristics are tied for third place in the frequency standings: explains complicated material well, caring, and creative (each 5. 6 percent). Other frequently cited traits are: flexible instructional style (4. 8 percent), approachable, available, interested in students, and organized (each 4. 2 percent). For a tabular presentation of the selected characteristics data see Table 3. . B. Tabular Presentation Table 3. 1: Distribution of Selected Teachers Kindergarten First Grade Second Grade Third Grade Fourth Grade Fifth Grade Sixth Grade Grades 7-12 Social Studies English Mathematics Foreign Language Science Physical Education Health Technology Art Music College English History Mathematics Other Priest 5 1 1 8 4 8 7 89 89 55 33 27 9 6 4 2 1 6 3 2 1 MAX MALIKOW __________ __________________________________________________ ______________________________7 Table 3. 2: Cited Characteristics 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Challenging/Had Reasonably High Expectations Sense of Humor Enthusiastic Creative Caring Explains Complicated Material Well Flexible Instructional Style Approachable Available Interested in Students Organized Flexible to Classroom Situations Dedicated Inspiring Practical Made Material Relevant Optimistic About Students Energetic Engaging Exciting Learned/Brilliant/Scholarly Warm Humble Good Listener Patient Authentic/Real/Appropriately Autobiographical Confident Empathic Encouraging Fair Professional Honest Insightful Moral Nonjudgmental Optimistic About Life Protective 82 59 56 39 39 39 33 29 29 29 29 23 21 21 17 13 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 3 2 2 1 1 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. NATIONAL FORUM OF TEACHER EDUCATION JOURNAL-ELECTRONIC 8___________________________________________________________ _______________________________ IV. Analysis of the Findings A. Limitations of the Study and Implications for Future Research As previously stated, the sample is drawn from a course that consisted entirely of students preparing for a career in secondary teaching. If the sample had been drawn from a comparable course for prospective elementary school teachers the distribution of exceptionally effective teachers might have been different. It would be interesting to see if a sample of students preparing for teaching at the primary level would select more primary teachers as exceptionally effective. The study did not include a reckoning of the intended teaching area of the students and their selected teacher. For example, there may have been a high representation of prospective social studies and English teachers in the sample. It would require an interview with the students to determine if their intended subject influenced their teacher selection. An examination of the cited characteristics demonstrates redundancies. For example, caring is a characteristic cited 39 times and interested in students 29 times. Arguably these two traits constitute a verbal distinction without a meaningful difference. My decision to record the words and phrases actually used by the students’ accounts for perceived redundancies. As with any study that employs a convenience sample, this study’s results cannot be taken as representative of nonparticipating individuals. However, this limitation does not render this study inconsequential. The sample size is substantial and a methodology for future studies has been formulated and tested. Six students in this study stated that their selected teachers are responsible for their decision to pursue a teaching career. These statements were not solicited either as a requirement of the writing assignment or in the class discussions. This implies that there may be more than six students who were so influenced. It would be interesting to know how many students opted for a career in teaching because of a teacher. A future quantitative study could generate the data to address this curiosity. As with many studies, while this study answered questions it gave rise to others: Why were so many social studies and English teachers selected? Is there something about the content of these subjects that accounts for the perceived effectiveness of those who teach social studies and English? Do social studies and English attract individuals with personalities that are conducive to the work of teaching? Is there a gender correlation between the students and selected teachers? MAX MALIKOW ____________________________________________________________ ______________________________9 B. Value and Application of the Study A well known psycho-lexical study reveals that there are 17,953 words in an unabridged English dictionary describing personality characteristics (Allport and Odbert, 1936). Individuals involved in teacher training, hiring, and mentoring are beneficiaries of studies that document the personality traits that correlate with teacher effectiveness. These individuals are engaged in significant work. An awareness of the characteristics that correlate with and contribute to effective teaching should be nurtured in training and mentoring as well as recognized in hiring. Concerning employment, an implication of this study is the use of personality assessment instruments like the M. M. P. I. (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) as part of the employment process. REFERENCES Allport, G. W. & Odbert, H. (1936):Trait-names: A Psycho-lexical Study. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, 47, 171-220. (1, whole number 211).

Comparing The Education System in the United States And Afghanistan Research Paper

Comparing The Education System in the United States And Afghanistan - Research Paper Example Education in Afghanistan on the other hand incorporates the system of elementary, primary and high school education. After high school education, Afghan students join an institution of higher learning most of which are under the Higher Education Ministry (Gross, 2008). Since very early times Afghanistan has had an organized education system but since the Taliban took power, education has changed in Afghanistan. Education in Afghanistan has also been affected and influenced by the 2002 ouster of the Taliban. Access to Education Before the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan by the United States, access to education was very low in Afghanistan and it was mainly focused on religious education. Women and girls were completely denied an education by the Taliban government and illiteracy levels were very high among women. Since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, there have been great strides made in improving education in Afghanistan. Recent estimates put the number of learners at five point four million with girls comprising thirty five percent (Baker, 2008). Afghanistan currently boasts of an enrolment rate that is even higher than before the Taliban bans on secular education. Access to education is now provided to all Afghanis free of charge. The right to education is now enshrined in the Afghanistan up to a high school level and is free of charge. In the US, education is also a right that is enshrined in the constitution. Contrary to the Afghanistan situation the United States has always had universal access for everyone of school going age in public schools. America education system is compulsory for all learners below the age of eighteen. The US literacy rate stands at 99% with this figure being roughly equal for both men and women (Wadhwa, 2011). The United States just like Afghanistan employs the k12 system with elementary, primary and high school being compulsory and higher education being optional and privately funded and controlled. Approved home schooling p rograms are also allowed. Schooling in Afghanistan Since 2001 Since the toppling of the Taliban regime in 2001 and the setting up of the Karzai government a lot of changes have taken place with regard to education in Afghanistan. The schooling system is however facing many challenges in its quest for providing education to all Afghanis. The system is plagued by an influx of students who number approximately six million yet there are not enough teachers to teach. The problem is further compounded by the fact that the teachers available to teach are not sufficiently qualified. The ministry of education is also grappling with low standards since there is no standard curriculum which has been adopted officially by all the schools (Baker, 2008). There is a critical shortage of education infrastructure such as textbooks, and buildings in many parts of the country since most of the infrastructure was destroyed by the Taliban. One of the most pressing of concerns of the education ministry i n Afghanistan is regarding security. The Taliban have been using a campaign of terror against government run education through bombing of schools particularly girl schools. The Taliban also threaten teachers and disrupt the distribution of learning materials all over the country. Funding of Education Education in Afghanistan is mainly funded by donors since the government has a critically underfunded budget. Institutions such as UNICEF and UNESCO have been in the forefront in the provision of funding and even material support towards

American Culture Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

American Culture Analysis - Essay Example Interestingly, the American society has remained quite receptive towards all sorts of cultures. It was found in the 1990 census that racial minority groups in US were growing seven times faster than the majority (Qasawa). The freedom of expression is one quality of American culture that appeals to me the most, though their straightforwardness sometimes sounds too bitter (Kwintessential). Americans celebrate life. They hang out with friends, party and enjoy. Being a first world country, American people are much privileged than most of the other nations of the world. Partying is an important feature of the American culture. Partying is ingrained in the American ideology. People look forward to opportunities to get together. American’s don’t need special occasions to party. They may party when someone wins a match or when someone buys a new pet. There can be any reason to party. Most importantly, the parties do not have to be expensive enough to be enjoyed. Friends may get together upon a large pizza, and it can be just as enjoyable as a grand ceremony.

Ig E deficiency Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ig E deficiency - Case Study Example The immunoglobulin E (IgE) binds the environmental antigens or the parasitic infection agents, and then causes the release of substances from the mast cells, which causes inflammations. It is following the binding of the immunoglobulin E (IgE) to the mast cells that a cascade of the allergic reactions then occurs (Kim, Bouchard & Renzix, 2008). The surface of the mast cells is designed such that it contains special receptors that bind the IgE cells. Therefore, when two adjacent mast-cells that are already bound with the IgE antibodies come closer, they attract allergens and attach the allergens to both of them, thus cross-linking the IgE antibodies together (Scadding & Kariyawasam, 2009). After a critical mass of the IgEs have become cross linked, they release histamine and other related substances, thus beginning the cascading allergic reactions. The pathophysiology that results in the symptoms of sneezing, mucous production and airway constriction begins after a repeated exposure of the IgE to a particular allergen, for example a dust mite (Bourdin, Gras, Vachier & Chanez, 2009). The exposure to such allergens first produces an initial immune system reaction referred to as the early phase reaction, which is followed by another phase referred to as the late phase reaction, which is a more severe reaction (Scadding & Kariyawasam, 2009). Therefore, the pathophysiology of IgE reaction starts with the sensitization phase, where the IgE are exposed to an allergen for the first time. The sensitization phase where the IgE gets exposed to the allergen for the first time may occur through different forms such as inhalation, for example of dust mites, pollen or molds, or through ingestion of a certain type of parasite, food or medication (Kim, Bouchard & Renzix, 2008). The sensitization can also occur through touch, for example coming into contact with a poison ivy or latex, or through injection, for example under medication or through being stung by an

School's Pastoral Structure and Pupil Achievement Essay

School's Pastoral Structure and Pupil Achievement - Essay Example According to the report findings  Pastoral Care, rather than the aggregate of actions or exercises that employ its practitioners over time, in essence is the underlying impetus for the care in its implementation. Effective Pastoral Care facilitates optimal education by cultivating open communication between students and practitioners as well as carers and parents. Through discrete consultation and positive attention to the student's personal learning style, pastoral care serves to augment the greatest prospects for quality realisation of each pupil's best. When a pastoral curriculum   succeeds in promoting good relations and feedback in the academic process among all participants, it is an operative element of successful education of the whole person.From this discussion it is clear that  significant research currently indicates that academic structures operating under the auspices of pastoral care can quite easily relapse into an academic exercise less focused on aspects of st udent welfare than issues of social management and organizational expediency, carving a considerable gap between lip-service and actuality.  Distortions of pastoral care transpire when perfunctory notions of education seize control of the comprehensive discipline. The upshot is a dichotomy between pastoral care and the academic curriculum where the educational ambience, frustrated by an obsession with control, intensifies an instinctive power struggle on the part of young people who on the whole are naturally prone to test the limits of independence.   A study of student attitudes toward pastoral care shows that on average pupils mistrust its nuances basically as a further assertion of school authority over their lives (Power 75). When government mandates hold teachers accountable for pupil performance the temptation is to assert more control in the classroom. The National Literacy Strategy intervention may authoritatively approve interactive whole-class teaching but by all indications such policies drive practitioners to more autocratic styles of instruction with little occasion for student discovery and development of intellectual insights. Legislative impositions, deliberated from the inside, tend to repeat time-worn educational models from sheer precedent (Watkins 3). A survey of pastoral curricula across schools in a single London borough distinguished four diverse types: tutorial-centred, tutorial aimed at individual and communal learning, the pastoral curriculum integrated into the responsibilities of the faculties, and, finally, a pastoral curriculum strongly established as the academic culture (Best 19). In his article "Pastoral Care and the Millennium," Ron Best regrets that the 1988 Education Act ironically discourages any real progress on a pastoral outlook for the National Curriculum that might have been designed to advance the very expertise and competence that furthers individual initiative in the context of social accountability (Collins and McNiff 27). In terms of evaluating academic merit, intangible values whose worth is easily ascertained, are cast into doubt and abandoned with neglect. Instead

Coca cola Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Coca cola - Essay Example alone recorded more than US$15 billion in 2006 (Kent, para 2-3). In the same year, market consumption volumes for the same product were more than thirty billion liters. This is usually not the same story with many multinationals. Company Overview Coca-Cola Company headquartered in Atlanta Georgia and specializes in soft beverage drinks. The company has operations in more than 200 countries. The plant in Atlanta produces the concentrate and sells it to certified Coca-Cola bottlers worldwide. Bottlers hold agreements with the Coca Cola Corporation, which permit them to produce the finished products. After which bottlers distribute and sell Coca-Cola products to retail stores and vending machines, who in turn sell the products to consumers. Advantages of Coca Cola Differentiated marketing method The most noticeable positional strategy of the Coca Cola Company is differentiated marketing method. This method has enabled the organization to satisfy the needs of a wide range of markets. For instance, it has bottled water products for any of its target segments. It also has Diet Coke which is specifically targeted for the aged or elderly people and those people who are drifting towards a healthier feeding lifestyle. Product levels One of the main advantages of Coca Cola Company over its rivals is that it offers products on three distinctive levels: the core product, the actual product, and the augmented product. In general, features and even materials used make the actual products which in the end avails the core product (Petretti 2-17). Consumers are attracted by Coca Cola products because of their high quality coupled with unsurpassed company standards. As consumers take the products they also end up getting the augmented product which is the extra or additional benefits the consumer derive from the product or the company. However, given that soft beverages are consumables, there is a tendency to pose limits on the augmented level. To counter this, Coca Cola Company not only provides its products in various quantities, it also provides its products in different tastes and coloration to enable the consumer to switch products without crossing over to competitor products. A good example is Diet Coke which is offered in various quantities like the Lagasse Diet Coke, Caffeine-Free Diet Coke, and Chaser Diet Coke basing on the consumer preferences. Global brand Unlike many of its competitors, Coca Cola Company is the leading manufacturer, marketer and even distributor of nonalcoholic drinks worldwide. Presently, the organization has operations in more than 200 countries. The company is a marketplace innovation driver and a solidified investor in local economies. At present, Coca Cola Company commands the beverage industry globally with over 500 beverage brands including about four brands out of the top-five sparkling brands on the planet (Kent, para. 4-6). Coca-Cola Company market share versus other soft drink companies worldwide in 2011, based on sa les value Source: Globalization and Health, Statistica. Disadvantages of Coca Cola Positioned as a monopoly The company has established itself as a monopoly in many countries. As a monopoly, there are many things that are attributed to the company are not encouraging. For instance, the company is likely to produce products that are substance. A case in point, in 2006, in Canada and India, the company was accused on producing

Accountant in business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Accountant in business - Essay Example Identifying the organization that suits the profession or business can carry this and making a hierarchical structure that supports employee engagement and communication among the individuals (Rainey, 2009). Sole Proprietorship is the organization places all the liabilities of the business operations as well as finance on only one owner. Sole Proprietorship is not applicable for Molly, Mark and Mary as they are three individuals. In Sole Proprietorship, the risk is attached with only one person as he is tied to the business (Spadaccini, 2007). Corporation is another business organization that is equally unsuitable for the three individuals because it is chartered by the state and consists of a large enterprise where the owners are the major shareholders of the company and cannot be dissolved as in the case of Partnerships (Spadaccini, 2007). In order to recommend the right business for Molly, Mark and Mary, it is necessary to understand the concepts of the kinds of business organizations. As all three of them have an unequal amount of distribution of cash, they need to make comparisons through tax, liability and the impacts of organizational management in either a corporation or partnership to see which organization would be suitable to carry out business activities. As Sole Proprietorship and Corporation are not applicable for these three individuals, the following three are recommended for them. Partnership is the organization in which two or more than two people have the share of the ownership of the business enterprise. Unlike the Sole Proprietorship, there is a legal agreement made among the two or three owners as they will most of the decisions taking place within the organization have to be mutually shared, along with sharing profits. All partners are equally responsible to take measures in the organization regarding any discrepancy and can take effective steps to dissolve the partnerships whenever they wish to do so. At the time of

Accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 7

Accounting - Assignment Example teriality, risk oversight, & management, environmental risks & related matters, forward looking information requirements, impact of adopting IFRS, and governance. The Notice requires issuers to consider both qualitative & quantitative factors when assessing the materiality of information. It also reminds issuers that some immaterial facts in isolation often can become material in aggregate. It further proposes that those matters that are likely to become material in aggregate e.g. prospective clean technology expenditures be disclosed as early as possible. Materiality concept is very imperative when it comes to information disclosure because investors rely on the disclosed information to make decisions. Thus, it is important that any information that is likely to influence the decisions of an in investor be disclosed. The notice classifies environmental risks under such topics as litigation risks, reputational risks, business model risks, physical risks, & regulatory risks. The Notice further provides questions in a table format to help issuers in determining risks for each of the aforementioned categories. For instance if an issuer obtains raw material supplies from a region prone to hurricanes, he/she should disclose the mitigation steps taken to minimizes from chances of loss arising from such environmental physical risk. Either concerning the regulatory risks, future cost compliances should be disclosed. In situations where it is difficult to quantify risks, then it is imperative to make disclosure for such underlying risks. A consumer’s response to environmental unsustainable products comprises reputational risk. The Notice states because of this, the issuers’ costs of capital will be affected. Significantly, higher costs of energy because of upstream regulation represent busin ess model risk. Disclosure Form 51-102F1 Management’s Discussion & Analysis demands that among other things, material information, which may not be reflect by financial

Choosing University Essay Example for Free

Choosing University Essay Choosing a university is imperative to your further studies. Every course and every university is different and each student wants different things. The chance of finding a perfect match can be a challenge and you will certainly need to decide what is most important to you. It is all a matter of priorities which you feel are important to you,after all you will be the one who has to study on the course and you maybe living there for over 3 years or more. When choosing a university, there are a few general things you may want to consider before researching more specific factors. First of all, I propose a good way to start researching universities is to look at university league tables, which is the university rankings. This will allow you to see how well a particular university is doing in comparison to others. A higher placing in the table generally means facilities, grades and teaching standards are better. Remember that going to a university higher up in the league tables does not automatically mean you will achieve better grades, it is down to how well you perform during the course. According to the rankings, the choice of your subject and the type of course will narrow down the number of potential universities to just a few. Moving on to my next point, Where is the universities located? This means that whether you want to go to a universities in a big city or somewhere quieter. Studying in big town will have a lot of disturbance and distractions awaiting, thus lose your concentration in your studies. Remember that the cost of living will be higher in large cities, which may affect your budget significantly. On the other way round, studying in urban area will convenient your living there as you are closer to the shopping centre to buy living necessities and able to enjoy delicacies sometimes. Another point that I would like to emphasize is the social activites of university is a very important part of a student life, therefore it is vital to ensure the range of social, sports, and cultural activities and clubs offered by the university match your requirements. This is because taking a degree is not all studying, it is important to balance your life with some fun. This in turn can help you to find the right balance between working and socialising in the future.

Soft Drinks Industry Consumer Behavior Marketing Essay

Soft Drinks Industry Consumer Behavior Marketing Essay Soft drinks industry is one of the most thriving and flourishing industries in Pakistan. With a population close to 165 million, Pakistan is one of the largest markets in the Asia Pacific region, for various fast-moving consumer goods companies, including those manufacturing soft drinks. Consumers all over Pakistan consider soft drinks as an integral part of their lives, be it routine every day meals or festive occasions, soft drinks hold immense importance as it is the primary refreshment served all over the country. Dominated by low-cost carbonates, Pakistans soft drinks industry benefits from key demand triggers such as the notable absence of alcoholic drinks industry and a warm climate. The beverage industry has around 40 plants, and employs around 500,000 people directly or indirectly. Foreign players dominate the soft-drinks sector. Pakistan Beverages, which bottles for US-based PepsiCo, and National Beverages, the bottler for Coca-Cola (also of the US), are the key players in this segment. Together, Pepsi and Coca-Cola supply 75% of the carbonated soft-drinks market, with local companies accounting for another 15-20%. The industry has seen steady growth over the past years, and despite the current economic situation in Pakistan and the high levels of inflation, the industry is bound for growth in the coming years. The major players in this market include: Coca Cola Pepsi Mountain Dew Gourmet Cola Makah Cola Amrat Cola The market is led by Pepsi which has the maximum market share in the Pakistan soft drink industry. Coca cola acts as a challenger, which challenges the presence of its major rival coke, whereas other brands such as gourmet cola and mountain dew are followers. Gourmet cola has smartly catered to the market by providing soft drinks at a much lower price than the others and distributes it only in the city of Lahore, hence is the one acting as a niche player. It has successfully entered into the soft drink market where existing strong brand names have been competing, and is expected to maintain its position which is evident by the growing demand of its cola Market Size: Led by the core carbonate brands of Coca Cola and PepsiCo, per capita soft drinks consumption in Pakistan is estimated to stand at about 20 liters per annum, which leaves significant room for growth. Over the publishers forecast period to 2014, soft drinks sales are expected to increase 39.8% to PKR19.5 billion ($233 million), with carbonates likely to pick up most of the volume growth. MARKET SEGMENTATION: Customer segmentation in Pakistan with respect to soft drink industry is done differently by the major players operating in the industry. Segmentation is done based on the lifestyle, preferences and attitudes of customers. Particularly to this industry, there exist customer segments which prefer soft drinks that taste sweeter as compared to others. Moreover, segments in the markets exist which are price conscious, and are willing to compromise as far as quality and taste is concerned. Such segments are more inclined towards paying lower prices for a soft drink that provides a similar taste as of other renowned names and modest quality. Existing customers, who are sensitive to their calorie intake but wish not to compromise on the consumption of soft drinks, are catered by brands offering the diet version. This diet version of soft drinks is even preferred by some customers who find its taste better as compared to the regular one, although such a segment is not widely recognized. Apar t from that, customer segments exist which demand bottles of soft drinks in different sizes, such as small, large and family pack, whereas the kind of packaging done for a particular soft drink also determines and caters to a certain market segment such as bottles that are disposable and non-disposable. There are different flavors that have further segmented the market, which primarily include orange (Fanta, Miranda), Cola (Coke, Pepsi), Lemon (Sprite, 7up, Lemon up, mountain dew). Segmentation of consumers has also been done on the bases of social economic class, such as new market entrants such as gourmet cola serves SEC C whereas market leaders serve SEC A and B. The market segment that we have selected for our project is individuals belonging to SEC A and SEC B who are employed and are working in private and government organizations. Target Market: The target market that we have selected from this segment as part of our term project is the carbonated soft drinks segment, which includes companies like Pepsi, Coca cola, Seven up, Mecca cola, Amrat cola, Gourmet cola and others. Objectives of the research: The research is directed to find the attributes of consumer behavior regarding the local soft drinks in the beverages industry. The scope of the research is limited to the region of Lahore due to time constraints. The basic purpose to conduct this study is to uncover the consumer perception about the local soft drinks specifically. The research will help to find out the consumer perception about what the customers think of the local soft drinks, how they perceive it when they hear or see any of the particular local brands. The position that it has taken in the minds of the consumers are important to discover. Basically, the first objective is to find the image of local soft drinks as perceived by the consumers. The study will also focus on the product specific attributes of local soft drinks. The quality of the soft drink as compared to the rest of the international competition is one of the concerns of this research. Also, taste is an important variable which will be thoroughly studied because quality of any product is judged by its taste, and it will be tested that whether the company is successful in providing the taste which is demanded by its target market or not. Also, whether it provides the soft drinks in same or better taste as provided by the international players; Pepsi co. and Coca Cola Company, or not. Whether the content of fizz in soft drink is an important variable that matters and the impact of the amount of cooling that the drink has stored in it is important to the consumers of local soft drinks or not. Along with the tangible attributes of the product, the study will also focus on the intangible attributes such as the brand name. The size and shape of the bottles, the pa ckaging and the colors used, will also be discussed. The consumer satisfaction will be gauged in terms of the competition, and what needs to be done to improve the product. The study objectives also include the consumer specific attributes towards the local soft drinks. It will include that under what circumstances or occasions do the consumers consume local soft drink. Are they brand loyal? How do they evaluate a drink over the others? And how do they make their buying decisions. It includes the influencers that influence their decision making. Furthermore, the role of advertisement will be discussed that how do the consumers dictated by the ads, how the company can improve its visual presence and what could be done to improve the company and the product. Research Methodology: The basic idea is to design a research methodology which enables us to extract maximum useful information at the least possible cost and time, without sacrificing on its reliability. Therefore, quantitative tools will be used to achieve our research objectives. Our objective factors like brand awareness, product usage and product attributes specific insights shall be obtained through a questionnaire Quantitative Research: Questionnaire The questionnaire will be the most effective and feasible tool for our research study. Other methods like phone interviews and observation study will not only be impractical due to our resource constraints but also yield very little credible information, unless the sample size is huge. The questionnaire will be very straight forward and focused so unnecessary data is not gathered and the validity of the study is maximized. Light users or users who have not consumed local colas in the past 30 days will be screened out. Therefore, those who remain will be able to effectively assess the products and its perception in their minds. A few open ended questions will be asked, along with closed ended questions that address our research objectives. In order to keep things simple, only a Likert scale will be used. The questionnaire will be distributed amongst all individuals who have been screened on the sole basis of usage. This is because currently the soft drink industry employs a mass marke ting approach, and focusing only on one or two segments will increase the sampling error. A total of 50 questionnaires will be distributed. Data Analysis The data from the questionnaire will be tabulated on excel and analyzed using statistical options like pie charts, bar graphs, tables etc. Questionnaire Analysis: The questionnaire analysis was conducted with 50 respondents, 42 Males and 8 Females, aged between 22 to 50 years of age and all. The questionnaire was based upon the variables of importance analyzed in the focus group e.g. the price of the soft drinks, availability and quality offered by each brand of carbonated soft drinks. Detailed Analysis of Questionnaire: What type of food do you like? The respondents were asked what kind and genre of food they preferred as there drinks choices are then based upon their primary food choices, a large majority of respondents responded with homemade food, followed by fast food, this indicates the evident impact on inflation in Pakistan upon peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s spending habits, more people now opt for home made food rather than fast food from upscale restaurants What type of drinks do you consume? Majority of respondents indicated that they preferred carbonated drinks as compared to coffee and other choices available to them, this shows the high positive demand soft drinks have in Pakistan. Pick one from the above and state the brands you use? Juices brands mentioned by respondents: In order to gauge the respondents inclination towards juices the question asked them to indicate the juice brand they use, majority of respondents indicated nestle as being their favorite brand, with 23 respondents opting for Nestle, followed by Olfruit. Carbonated drinks mentioned by respondents: Tea/Coffee mentioned by respondents: How often do you consume the drink you stated above? Your purchase decisions are influenced by? Q7: Do you consume carbonated soft drinks? Majority of respondents, i.e. 40 indicated that they consumed carbonated soft drinks which points towards the high positive demand for soft drinks Q8: If yes, then how often do you consume them? (If no, please skip to question 9) Majority of the respondents who did consume soft drinks as mentioned in the previous question stated that they preferred soft drinks on a daily basis, followed by ten respondents who consumed it more than once a week. Q9: How do you feel about the following statements in relation to carbonated soft drinks? a) Carbonated soft drinks are healthy Majority of respondents were neutral regarding the question that whether they thought of carbonated drinks as healthy, followed by an equal majority of respondents who strongly agreed that carbonated drinks were healthy (10) and somewhat agreed that carbonated drinks were healthy (10) b) Cheaper alternatives of some leading companies offer same quality Respondents strongly agreed that some cheaper alternatives available in the market of top brands offer the same quality c) Price is an important factor to you Majority if the respondents agreed that price as an important factor that they considered, this again points towards the fact that inflation is an issue affecting the purchasing power of consumers in Pakistan. d) I would purchase a cheaper alternative if it offers similar quality Majority of respondents stated that they strongly agreed that they would purchase a cheaper alternative if it offers similar quality as top brands. Q10: Please rank the Cola of your preference Majority of respondents stated that among the low priced alternate colas they preferred the Gourmet cola, followed by Amrat cola. b) I have stopped purchasing other brands altogether Majority of respondents somewhat disagreed to the statement that whether they had stopped purchasing other colas altogether after opting for gourmet cola. Gender Age Group Marital Status: Education Levels: Summary The focus questionnaire analysis points to the fact that majority of the target population that we selected for our product consumes carbonated soft drinks which supports the growth trends in the soft drink industry. The findings also shed light on the fact that due to the recent upsurge in inflation in the country and the price hike in case of almost all commodities, consumers are now much more receptive towards other brands which offer cheaper colas with the similar taste, these cheaper alternatives according the respondents including, Shandy cola, Makkah cola, Amrat cola and Gourmet cola. Respondents however stressed on the fact that these alternatives appealed to them not only because of the price but also because of the fact that they offered almost the same quality as colas from other top brands like Coke and Pepsi. Out of the cheaper alternatives people indicated that they preferred Gourmet cola more. The findings also pointed to the fact that the main influences in decision r egarding the choice of soft drink came from family and friends, as these were the two main social; groups with which respondents spent most of their time and consumed drinks with. The respondents brought to attention the fact the advertising campaign of the cola companies like gourmet cola and amrat cola were not up to the mark and very rare, they suggested that a better as campaign would be able to boost awareness and recognition amongst potential customers and attract more customers to the relatively new cola.

Vasco da Gamas Exploration of India and Portuguese Voyages of Discover

Vasco da Gama's Exploration of India and Portuguese Voyages of Discovery When asked which nation contributed the most to sea exploration in the fifteenth century, the obvious answer is Spain. What if there were another nation, a nation whose contributions were far more than landing one continent? What if there was a nation that in only 100 years managed to sail in every ocean, every major sea, touched every continent except Antarctica and possibly Australia, and were the first Europeans to land in China, Korea, New Guinea, the Azores, Cape Verde and numerous other places. Well, there was such a nation, and it is Portugal. Portugal was the country that lead the greatest expansion of the known world in the history of the world. In only one hundred years they managed to be the first Europeans in nearly one half the globe, as well as be the first to push south. The accomplishments of the rest of Europe paled in comparison. The Portuguese exploration and expansion at this time is a huge subject. Here will be discussed only one of their voyages, that of Vasco d a Gama's voyage to India, as he was the first European to sail to there. Prince Henry the Navigator was most definitely a driving force in this venture, while the King during the voyage, Manuel, was the one who ordered it. Bartolmeu Dias was the first to round the Cape of Good Hope, in his 1487-88 voyage, proving that it could be done, and breaking ground for da Gama. Born in 1394, the Infante Enriques, known to the world as Prince Henry the Navigator, became the man who was most responsible for the maritime expansion of Portugal and of general marine science, as well, both of which led to the voyage to India. As a boy he was infatuated with accounts of the wild beasts, w... ...bus and Spain tried to reach India by going West, some daring, risk taking Portuguese knew it could be reached by sailing east, and unlike Spain, actually acheived what they meant to do. Works Cited: Hamilton, Genesta. In the Wake of Da Gama. London: Skeffington and Son Limited, 1951. Hart, Henry. Sea Road to the Indies. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1950. Jones, Vincent. Sail the Indian Sea. London: Gordon and Cremonesi Publishers, 1978. Pearson, M. N. The New Cambridge History of India. pt. 1, vol. 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987. 8 vols. Russell-Wood, A. J. R. A World on the Move: The Portuguese in Africa, Asia, and America 1415-1808. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1993. Wallis, Helen. "England and Portugal 1386-1986; 'Things Hidden From Other Men'; the Portuguese Voyages of Discovery." History oday June 1986: 27-33.

Yanomamo: People of the Rainforest Essay -- Culture Essays Venezuela E

Yanomamo: People of the Rainforest Located in the Amazon Basin of Southern Venezuela and Northern Brazil, the Yanomamo are an indigenous group numbering close to 23,000. They utilize slash and burn horticulture, hunting and gathering to survive within their ecosystem. Napoleon Chagnon termed the group, â€Å"fierce people†, citing their numerous disputes within non-allied villages. Aside from their periodic warfare, they have managed to build and sustain their unique culture through adaptations to their environment for generations. Family Organization Yanomamo families may live together as simply nuclear, polygnous, or extended (Ramos 1995, 188). Each house may have somewhere between one to six family compartments (Ramos 1995, 36). Alcida Rita Ramos explains that the nuclear family is very often so entangled in the web of kinship that, in order to define it, it is necessary to go through relatives who are primary neither to the husband nor to the wife (1995, 188). She states, "the wife may be the mother of a mans children, the daughter of his mothers brother, and the daughter of his fathers sister" (1995, 188). Frank A Salamone further explains the confusing kinship system they maintain by explaining that children of siblings of the opposite sex on both mothers and fathers side is the preferred marriage termed "bilateral cross-cousin marriage" (1997, 40). Apparently, another explanation for the difficulty in defining direct and indirect kin among the Yanomamo is in part due to their use of Teknonymy (Salamone 1997, 42). Ramos expl ains that Teknonymy does not allow for the use of personal names, meaning individuals are referred to, for example, as 'daughter of Suli' or 'husband of Suli' (1995, 188). In families, men do outran... ...mbridge University Press, 1985. Moore, Randy et. al. Botany; Second Edition. New York: McGraw Hill, 1998. Ramos, Alcida Rita. Sanuma Memories: Yanomami Ethnography in Times of Crisis. University of Wisconsin Press, 1995. Saffirio, Giovanni and Richard Scaglion. (1982) Hunting Efficiency Among Acculturated and Unacculturated Yanomama Villages. Journal of Anthropological Research 38: 315-327. Smoles, William J. The Yanoama Indians: a cultural geography. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1976. University of Manitoba Anthropology Homepage. http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/arts/anthropology/tutor/case_st udies/yanomamo/ Yanomamo Homepage. http://www.wugb.edu/~galta/mrr/yano/yano.htm CSAC’s Ethnographics Gallery. http://lucy.ukc.ac.uk/EthnoAtlas/Hmar/Cult_dir/Culture.7884 Yanomamo Research Group Homepage. http://www.sscf.ucsb.edu/~cejal/

George Orwell :: Writing Biography Biographies Essays

George Orwell George Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair on June 25, 1903, in Motihari, India. The Blair's were relatively prosperous civil servants, working in India on behalf of the British Empire. Blair would later describe his family?s socioeconomic status as "lower-upper middle class," on comment on the extraordinary degree to which British citizens in India depended on the Empire for their livelihood; though the Blair were able to live quite comfortably in India, they had none of the physical assets or independent investments that would have been enjoyed by their class in England proper. Despite this factor, Ida Blair moved back to England in 1904 with Eric and his older sister Marjorie so that they could be brought up in a more traditional Christian environment. In England, Blair entered the public school system, and was admitted to Eton College in 1917. For most students of this era, Eton led directly to higher education at a university, often Oxford or Cambridge. Blair shunned further formal schooling, and after leaving Eton in 1921, returned to India in 1922 to join the Indian Imperial Police. This work gave Blair his first real experiences with the poor and downtrodden whom he would later champion, and unhappy with the his position as the "hand of the oppressor," Blair resigned from the police force in 1927, returning to England that same year. Upon return to England, Blair lived in the East End district of London, which was filled with paupers and the destitute, whom he saw as the spiritual kin of the Burmese peasants he had encountered as a policeman. In 1928, Blair moved to Paris to become a writer, where he again lived among the poor, and was eventually forced to abandon his writing temporarily and become a dishwasher. He returned to England the next year (1929), and lived as a tramp before finding work as a teacher at a private school. This position gave Blair time to write, and his first book, Down and Out in Paris and London, was published in 1933, under the pseudonym George Orwell. The publication of this first work, which was an account of his years living among the poor of Paris and London, marks the beginning of a more stable period for Orwell, in which he taught, opened a bookshop, and continued to write. His first fictional work, Burmese Days, appeared in 1934. The next few years saw a steady stream of activity for Orwell, who produced A Clergyman?

Buyer and Seller Relationship in the retail industry Essay

1. Introduction For many years buyers and sellers in the clothing retail sector have been battling to answer the question as to why it is difficult to build a steady relationship with one another. This can be due to the knowledge gap that there is in a lack of understanding on the issue. We aim to thoroughly associate the concepts of Collaboration, Information Sharing, Joint Relationship Effort, Dedicated Investments, Commitment and Trust, Satisfaction and Performance with the different buyer – seller relationships that exist in the clothing retail sector. Thus the problem being investigated is the unsteady relationship that exists in the clothing retail sector between buyers and sellers. The study will be using a survey consisting of 37 questions that will be issued to buyers in the industry. A sample size of 500 clothing companies will be used in Cape Town, South Africa which was selected to answer the surveys. The research method is quantitative in nature. Thus the study aims to carefully examine how buyers and sellers interact within the supply chain relationship. Some papers have touched on supply chain relationship issues, but have not done the association with these particular concepts our study aims to use. The main objective of our research is to provide buyers and sellers with the necessary information to assist them as to why there are certain imperfections in the relationship. 2. Literature Review Some research has be done on the concepts collaboration, information sharing, joint relationship effort, dedicated investments, commitment and trust, satisfaction and performance, which gave an insight to how these variables develop, change and how they are maintained in the context of buyer-seller relationship. Therefore for the purpose of this study twelve (12) articles written in the context of buyer and seller relationship will be used to define and explain the above mentioned concepts and how it is used throughout our research study. Collaboration Collaboration can be defined as latest development in supply chain management which involves the process of working together with your suppliers, business partners or clientele in achieving a common goal that benefits all parties (McLaren, Head & Yuan, 2002). Ellinger, Daugherty & Keller (2000) observed what exactly links marketing and logistics within a company’s integration, as well as measures of performance that are both objective and subjective in nature. They found and identified collaboration as a variable that impacts a relationship in a progressive way in that it increases sharing information and ideas and leads to partners functioning together. Information sharing McLaren, Head & Yuan (2000) has identified information sharing as the exchange of important company information with your supply chain partner for purposes that would assist each partner in the future. McLaren et al. (2002) discusses how a partnership between the buyer and seller can be beneficial for both parties where information sharing is of key importance. Their findings were that, creating partnerships between buyers and sellers were beneficial for both parties and that the success of information sharing depends on the type and size of the company as well as which mechanism they used for information sharing. Joint relationship effort Joint relationship effort refers to the combined determination and drive that is put into collaboration between buyers and sellers. Monczka, Petersen, Handfield & Ragatz (1998) argued for example that when task organisation is performed between buyers and sellers, the buyer can then form a perceptive trust in their partner’s abilities which will later form a solid trust in their relationship. Dedicated investments Knemeyer, Corsi & Murphy (2003) defined dedicated investments as particular  resources and goods that are transferred to another party that is highly important towards producing services and products. They tried to prove that there are different levels of partnership development in logistics management by research done by previous researchers who have also done research on the existing topic and if there is in fact a difference between these levels. Their findings were that the more trust there is within the relationship, the more partners invest in the relationship which directly increases dedicated investment. Commitment and trust Commitment refers to buyers and sellers engaging themselves and maintaining a working relationship in a way that will benefit both their own organisation and the company they have an association with. Trust refers to the reliance, surety, confidence or ability in a person or thing. In this case, it is having the reliance, surety, confidence or ability in the working relationship of one or more organisations. Mohr and Spekman (1994) was the first to find that trust and commitment are of utmost importance in a buyer – seller relationship, and that these factors lead to the success of the relationship. Satisfaction and Performance Satisfaction can be defined as referred to Mohr & Spekman (1994) as the completion of a task by which the involved party is pleased with the quality and degree of work carried out and it meets the standard set by the partners. Performance on the other hand can be defined as the completion of a task by a degree higher than specifications set out by the individual involved. Mohr & Spekman (1994) argued that the buyer-seller relationship is a partnership which generates satisfaction when performance expectations have been achieved. A study had been conducted and showed that commitment and co-ordination are positively associated with satisfaction and an increase in profits would bring about satisfaction among those parties involved in the supply chain 3. Research Hypotheses The hypotheses are constructed with a purpose of assisting in answering the research question, which is seeks to find The Nature of Buyer-Seller Relationships in the Retail Sector. Based on the review of the relevant literature, our hypotheses are based on some of the important variables that exist in the supply chain relationships. The relationship variables focused on are: commitment and trust, performance, satisfaction, joint relationship effort and collaboration, and will be shown using the relevant hypotheses. These relationships form the basis of the research propositions that will be tested in the duration of this study. H1: Commitment and trust has a positive impact on collaboration. Since committed partners make an effort to achieve the goals of their business relationship, high levels of commitment are most likely to produce a good collaborated relationship. H2: Performance has a positive impact on collaboration. The strength of collaboration in a supply chain relationship depends on the power of the chain performance: short-term (performance within one year), medium-term (performance over one to three years) and long-term (performance over two to five years). H3: Satisfaction has a positive impact on collaboration. The extent to which the buyers and sellers in the supply chain relationship are satisfied, determines the strength of their relationship. Thus, when both parties are satisfied with the collaboration, their relationship will produce good results. H4: Joint relationship effort has a positive impact on collaboration. By engaging in a joint relationship effort that involves sharing resources and capabilities, buyers and sellers can achieve a profitable collaboration that they cannot create alone. 4. Research Methodology An exploratory-descriptive study was conducted to write this research report. The context selected for this study focused on the clothing retail sector. The unit of analysis in this study was the nature of buyer and seller relationship in the clothing retail sector. We focused on the buyer’s perceptions of the relationship as we were unable to collect data from both buyer and seller. Even though having data collected from both parties would have been more beneficial, time and finances were a constraint and had to be taken into consideration; therefore it resulted in focusing on one side of the relationship. Internet searches of various clothing companies were compiled. Each company was contacted by telephone so that we would be able to speak directly to a clothing buyer. They were notified beforehand as to the purpose of this study and that their participation would be fundamental in completing this research report. The clothing buyer had the choice as to receiving the questionnaire via email or an interview. Most questionnaires were sent via email as buyers had other commitments as well and preferred this form of communication. A sum of 500 questionnaires was sent to various companies within the clothing retail sector, of which, only 106 (response rate of 21%) responses were received that was used for analysis. This response rate was lower than we had anticipated but we had to work with the data provided and continue the process as it was a busy period for most buyers at that time. The surveys were coded and then uploaded on a spreadsheet as it was simpler to analyse the data and descriptive statistics had been implemented to construct the necessary graphs that would conclude the findings. The following chart was designed to illustrate the response rate of the survey. Figure 1: Percentage of Responses Coded 5. Data analysis and Findings In this section of the report there will be a detailed discussion on the data collected in the survey as well as a representation of the findings. There will be a detailed analysis of the hypothesis tested and also an explanation of how the findings were derived. To complete the report 500 surveys were distributed to companies across South Africa. Only 106 of the companies responded but there were a number of biases. With regards to the nature of the relationship with supplier 5 respondents didn’t answer, under the sections joint relationship effort, dedicated investments and commitment and  trust there was 1 respondent who didn’t answer the questions. Under the satisfaction section 7 answers were left blank and 2 of the questions were answered with incorrectly. Under the performance section 8 answers were left blank. The following table was designed to displaying the mean, median, mode and range. Below is the table 1 showing all the data. MEAN MEDIAN MODE RANGE 1. NO. YEARS AT COMPANY 8.738095 7 5 38 2. NO. YEARS IN CURRENT POSITION 6.629482 4 1 37 3. NO. YEARS WITH SUPPLIER 12.016 10 10 60 Table 1: Mean, median, mode, range, standard deviation The first row in the table 1 above illustrates the number of years the respondent has been with the company. This information shows that the average amount of years a respondent has been with the company is 8.738095 years, the middle frequent response was 7 years, the most frequent response was 5 years and the difference between the respondent who has been with the company the least amount of years and most amount of years is 38 years. Since the respondents have a number of years with the company it means that they are familiar with the company’s way of business, how they deal with suppliers, who all the suppliers are and also the type of relationship they have with the suppliers. The second row illustrates the number of years the respondents have been in the company. It shows that the average amount of years a respondent has been with the company is 6.629482 years, the middle frequent response was 4 years, the most frequent response was 1 year and the difference between the respondent who has been with the company the least amount of years and most amount of years is 37 years. The high number of years that some of the respondents have been in their current positions gives an indication the information given is reliable and that it will aid in answering the question at hand. The third row depicts the number of years the company has spent with the supplier. It shows that the average amount of years a respondent has been with the company is 12.016 years, the middle frequent response was 10 years, the most frequent response was 10 years and the difference between the respondent who has been with the company the least amount of years and most amount of years is 60 years. The high number of years with same supplier shows that the information collected depicts a mature relationship between the buyer and the seller. Seeing that the relationship is matured the main focus of both the buyer and the seller would then be to continue to build on the relationship so that they can be in business for even more years to come. The following chart illustrates the position of the respondents which in turn goes with the number of years the respondents have been in their current position. It shows that 5% are CEO’s, 1% COO’s, 7% directors, 10% sales manager’s or supervisors, 12% other employee’s and 48% buyer’s. The fact that such a high number of the respondents are buyers displays that the questions answered are quite accurate since they have a good understanding of the relationship with the supplier. The buyer’s best understand the relationship with the supplier and since the study at hand is looking at the collaboration of buyers and sellers, the information gathered will have a great impact in answering the given hypothesis. Figure 2: Current position Commitment and Trust Figure 3: Degree of respondents to questions about commitment and trust Description The above data represents responses pertaining to questions about commitment and trust amongst buyers and their suppliers in supply chain relationships in the clothing sector. The graph illustrates whether the buyers agree or disagree to the extent of commitment they have with their suppliers. The x-axis of the graph represents the scales between strongly disagree and strongly agree. Meanwhile, the y-axis of the graph represents the response scores of the buyers. Analysis When assessing the data, it is evident that seven hundred and forty one (741) responses were obtained in the commitment and trust section of the questionnaire. Taking a closer look at the responses, it is evident that 4% of the respondents strongly disagree that commitment and trust have a positive impact on collaboration. Meanwhile, 6% of the respondents have a neutral opinion, and 90% of the respondents strongly agree to the questions. The low 4% might have been supported by the fact that their companies are in business on a short-term basis. Thus, they do not foresee the business relationship continuing for a long time, very little investment has been injected to their relationship, thus commitment is very low. The slowly rising 6% response rate could have been due to the fact that buyers are not certain where their loyalties lie with that certain supplier. Another factor could be because they are still in early business with the supplier, so the supplier’s commitment and trust to the buyer’s company have not reached maximum levels yet. The very high response rate of 90% can be influenced by various factors. The supplier is genuinely concerned that the buyer’s company succeeds; buyers expect the business relationship to continue for a long time; the buyers are committed to their supplier; effort and investment have been made to build their relationship; they expect the relationships to strengthen over time, etc. These factors prove that these buyers support the hypotheses stated, that commitment and trust have a positive impact on collaboration. Therefore, this data proves Mohr and Spekman (1994) correct when they found that trust and commitment are of utmost importance in a buyer – seller relationship, and that these factors lead to the success of the relationship. Performance Figure 4: Degree of respondents to questions about performance Description The graph depicts the responses of clothing buyers to four questions relating to performance being a factor of a successful collaboration among buyer and seller relationships. The horizontal axis(x – axis) illustrates the Likert scale from 1 – 7 which ranges from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The vertical axis(y – axis) depicts the score, which is the cumulative responses received from the clothing buyers. The above graphical representation shows the movements of responses to a set of questions aimed at performance and just by glancing at the graph; one can already notice that most respondents (about 74%) strongly agree that performance has a positive impact on collaboration. Analysis When assessing the data it can be seen that four hundred sixteen (416) responses were received that answered this section of the questionnaire. However on a scale of 1 – 3, 12% respondents strongly disagreed with the notion of performance enhances collaboration, 14%(scale 4) were neutral and 74 %( scale 5 – 7) strongly agreed on most of the questions that had been asked. The reasons that may have led to a 12% response rate could be that the buyers never had one focal supplier or were not in a long business relationship to determine if the relationship affected the business’s overall performance. Furthermore, the 74% response rate may have led to buyers agreeing with H2: performance has a positive impact on collaboration, as their relationship with the seller may have contributed to the increased performance of the overall relationship and company. Other factors contributing to the 74% response rate might have been that the relationship, reduced cycle times, improved order processing accuracy as well as punctual delivery of goods, this in turn increased the accuracy of forecasts that may have been conducted. According to Ellinger, Daugherty &Keller (2000) performance may be conceptualized as the extent to which the firm’s goals are achieved, and as illustrated in the above graph the percentage of respondents that strongly agreed already indicates that performance aids in positive collaboration which in turn would allow firms goals to be met effectively. Joint Relationship Effort Figure 5: Degree of Respondents to questions about joint relationship effort Description The above bar graph describes the number of respondents (clothing buyers) that disagree or agree that joint relationship plays an important factor in the buyer and seller relationship in the clothing sector. Respondents had to choose between a scale of 1 till 7 by which 1 stipulates strongly disagree and 7 refers to strongly agree. Thereafter the data was grouped together according to the number of individuals that did choose between the scales of  1 till 7. Respondents were asked three questions relating to joint relationship effort. These were as follows , whether the firm and supplier has: 1) joint teams 2) conduct joint planning to anticipate and resolve operational problems and whether they make 3) joint decisions about improving overall cost efficiency. When looking at the results, one can see that 49 respondents had a neutral view regarding joint relationship and 74 of the respondents strongly agrees that joint relationship plays an important role in the buyer and seller rel ationship. Analysis When assessing the data it can be seen that 307 responses were received that answered this section of the questionnaire. However on a scale of 1-3, 25% respondents strongly disagreed with the notion of joint relationship that enhances collaboration, 16% (scale 4) were neutral and 62% (scale 5-7) strongly agrees on most of the questions that had been asked. The reason that has led to a 25% response rate can be due to buyers and suppliers does not have joint teams and thus do not plan together as a team. Therefore they do not know the benefits of having joint teams. Therefore this data show case a broad view regarding joint relationship effort as being an important variable as the graph has an upward trend. Furthermore, the response rate of 62% may have led to buyers agreeing with H4: joint relationship effort has a positive impact on collaboration, as their effort and commitment in creating joint teams and planning together might have improved collaboration between buyer and supplier. Satisfaction Figure 6: Responses to Satisfaction in the Clothing Industry Description The above graph describes the number of respondents (clothing buyers) that disagree or agree that satisfaction plays an important factor in the buyer and supplier relationship in the clothing sector. Respondents had to choose  between a scale of 1 till 7 by which 1 stipulates strongly disagree and 7 refers to strongly agree. Thereafter the data was grouped together according to the number of individuals that did choose between the scales of 1 till 7. Respondents were asked eight (8) questions relating to satisfaction. The questions were as followed: whether the buyer was satisfied with the relationship in terms of 1) coordination of activities 2) participation in decision making, 3) level of commitment 4) level of information sharing 5) management of activities 6) profitability 7) market share and 8) sales growth. When looking at the results, one can see that 153 respondents had a neutral view regarding satisfaction and 448 of the respondents strongly agrees that satisfaction plays an important role in the buyer and supplier relationship. Analysis When assessing the data it can be seen that 1508 responses were received that answered this section of the questionnaire. However on a scale of 1-3, 6% respondents strongly disagreed with the notion of satisfaction enhances collaboration, 10% (scale 4) were neutral and 84% (scale 5-7) strongly agrees on most of the questions that had been asked. The reason that led to a 6% response rate can be due to buyers and suppliers having a young business relationship and thus not reaching satisfaction levels as yet. When looking at the data, the response rate of 84% may have led buyers agreeing with H3: satisfaction has a positive impact on collaboration. This can be due to respondents identifying market share and sales growth as being two of the most important factors being satisfied by the supplier. This relates to a study done by Mohr & Spekman (1994) as they identified the completion of a task by which the involved party is pleased with the quality and degree of work carried out and it meets the standard set by the partners, market share and sales growth being the standard set by the buyer. 6. Conclusion As mentioned above the problem being researched was the knowledge gap between buyers and sellers perspective of the nature of the supply chain relationship. The research study conducted on the nature of buyer-seller  relationship in the clothing industry was a lengthy procedure that involved plentiful of consultations and analysis of the data obtained. However, we have concluded that our data findings have committed to the hypotheses mentioned in the research report. As previously mentioned time and finances were major constraints for the duration of the study hence the weak response rate of 21%. Some of the other constraints were the buyers having their own responsibilities because of the short time frame given in which to complete the survey. In addition, 50% of the buyers were reluctant to answer some of the questions as they contained confidential company information. Furthermore, the report only focused on the buyers’ perspective of the relationship. The sellers’ perspective was not taken into account therefore a future study using this report in combination with conducting a survey of the sellers’ point of view can lead to a better understanding of the buyer – seller relationship. Bibliography Cannon, J.P. Doney, P.M. 1997. An Examination of the Nature of Trust in Buyer-SellerRelationships.Journal of Marketing, April, pp.35-51. Dahlstorm, R. McNeilly, K.M. Speh, T.W. 1996. Buyer – Seller Relationships in theProcurement of Logistical Services.Journal of the Academy of MarketingScience, 24(2), pp.110–124. Disney, S., Holweg, M., Holmstrom, J. &Smaros, J. (year unkown). Supply chaincollaboration: Making sense of the strategy continuum. Ellinger, A., Daugherty, P., Keller, S., 2000. The Relationship BetweenMarketing/LogisticsInterdepartmental Integration And Performance In U.S.Manufacturing Firms: AnEmpirical Study. Journal Of Business Logistics, 21(1),pp.1-22. Handfield, R., Monczka, R., Petersen, K., &Ragatz, G., 1998. Success Factors inStrategic Supplier Alliances: The Buying Company Perspective. DecisionSciences, 29(3) pp.553-577. James, A.E. et al., 2004. An Assessment Of Supplier – Customer Relationships. JournalOf Business Logistic, 25(1), pp.25–62. Kauser, S. & Shaw, V. 2004.The influence of behavioural and organisationalcharacteristics on the success of international strategic alliances.InternationalMarketing Review.21(1): 17-52. Knemeyer, A. M., Corsi, T. M. & Murphy, P. R. 2003. Logistics outsourcing relationships:Customer perspectives. Journal of Business  Logistics.24 (1), pp.77-109. McLaren, T., Head, M. & Yuan, Y. 2002. Supply chain collaboration alternatives:Understanding the expected costs and benefits. Internet Research: Electro nicNetworking Applications and Policy. 12 (4), pp.348-364. Moberg, C. R. &Speh, T. W. 2003.Evaluating the relationship between questionablebusiness practices and the strength of supply chain relationships.Journal ofBusiness Logistics.24 (10), pp.1-19. 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