Examples in “The Brutal Business of Boxing”

â€Å"The Brutal Business of Boxing† written by author John Head, uses all three forms of examples: the extended example, the sentence length example, and the single example. The extended example lies in the form of the entire essay. The entire essay is a description of one person is specific, where physical and personality characteristics are developed paragraph by paragraph. Due to the fact that the descriptions are centered on one person, this is an extended example.However, sentence length examples are included in every paragraph. Every paragraph in the essay is quite short and centers on providing information around the central topic of the essay, Muhammad Ali. The author uses single examples most often in the essay. Some examples of this are: â€Å"confident, articulate, charismatic† (par. 2); â€Å"lightning quick jabs† (par. 4); and â€Å"slow shuffle† (par. 6). These single examples highlight the character traits that the author would like the rea der to envision.â€Å"The Brutal Business of Boxing† uses all three types of examples throughout the essay to develop it. The entire essay is an extended example; each paragraph contains sentence level examples, and each sentence contains colorful single examples. The essay is a wonderful and multi leveled model of an example essay. Reference Head, John. â€Å"The Brutal Business of Boxing. † Found in Wordsmith:A Guide to Writing. 3rd ed. by Pamela Arlov. Prentice Hall: NJ. 2006. p. 589-90.

Global and Indian Fashion Houses

Global Fashion Giants: Gucci and Louis Vuitton In order to understand the key success factors required for any fashion powerhouse to succeed in the global scenario, we decided to look at two of the world’s largest fashion conglomerates – Gucci and Louis Vuitton. We looked at the evolution of these companies and also at the different strategies these companies have employed over time to achieve the position in the world fashion market they have today. This analysis helped us in figuring out the feasibility of a similar fashion powerhouse emerging from a country like India. The complete listing of our findings from these 2 companies from the cases we analyzed is given in Exhibit 1. Shanghai Tang – the Chinese lifestyle brand After looking at the cases of the 2 global giants, we figured that the context and market in which these companies have operated are completely different from what the same would be for a company emerging from India. In order to understand the aspects of establishing a fashion powerhouse in an Indian context, we took a look at Shanghai Tang, the leading Chinese lifestyle brand. Similar to India, the Chinese market also has a niche segment in the global fashion market, and hence the learning from this company helped us better understand the issues, challenges, key success factors, etc. , for a fashion powerhouse emerging from India. Our findings from analysis of the Shanghai Tang company are given in Exhibit 2. Names in Indian Fashion Although the Indian fashion industry is projected to grow at a high rate of close to 10%, the industry is still largely fragmented with no major fashion powerhouse that provides holistic fashion solutions to its customers. There is still no single fashion house to compete with companies like Gucci or Louis Vuitton. Though there are a lot of individual designers with famous international icons in their list of clientele, none of them seem to have the potential to emerge as a global fashion powerhouse in the near future. An important noticeable trend in Indian fashion houses so far is that most of them are limited to clothes, whereas in order to emerge as a global fashion powerhouse, one needs to have a wide range of fashion goods and brands in their portfolio. In this sense, only JJ Valaya’s â€Å"House of Valaya† omes close to being called an Indian fashion powerhouse, with four brands in their portfolio offering haute couture, footwear, cuisine, furniture, tapestries, stunning fabrics and home furnishings. Some of the leading names in fashion in India today are JJ Valaya, Ritu Kumar, Ritu Beri, Rohit Bal, Manish Malhotra, Manish Arora, Rina Dhaka, Tarun Tahiliani, Abu Jani and Sandeep Kh osla and Wendell Rodricks. A brief account of these names and list of notable clientele is given in Exhibit 3. ? Exhibit 1: Global Fashion Giants: Gucci and Louis Vuitton Case Study: Rise of Gucci Gucci or House of Gucci has a rich history. Founded way back in 1923 as a family run leather saddler shop, this company’s reputation soared high right from the start because of its high quality products. After 15 years, they established their first retail outlet in Rome outside Florence. From the modest beginnings of a small family owned shop, Gucci has come a long way to become a leading name in fashion today, with over 400 stores around the world in different countries. There are also several high-end department stores that house Gucci in their shelves today. Portfolio: Premium leather products such as wallets, bags, car upholstery, clothing and also other fashion items like jewelry, watches, eyewear, ties, perfume, etc. Winning strategy: In the early 1990s, Tom Ford, the CEO of Gucci then put a strategy in place that completely turned the company around and propelled it to the global market, making it the notable fashion label it is today. Elements of the employed strategy are briefly mentioned below: Pricing: Positioning themselves in the right segment ?Lowered prices of all items at an average rate of 30%, bringing their products closer to Prada and Louis Vuitton ? Lowering prices changed Gucci’s image as a more customer oriented company Brand makeover: Coming up with the â€Å"right† product mix ?Shifted focus of products from classic to fashion, thereby changing customer’s perception towards a more glamorous edge ? Completely got rid of low-end products and maintained standard portfolio across the globe Marketing: Changing the theme of advertising ?Greatly increased expenditure on advertising and also changed focus from product to brand ? Associated product with several international personalities, thereby gaining attention from the press Distribution: full-fledged integration ?Forward Integration: Greater control of the distribution process oRemoved distribution channel and setup Directly Operating Stores (DOS) in prime areas oTook over all franchisees in North America ?Backward Integration: Greater control over sourcing oTook over Di Modolo design studio and production facilities ? Acquisitions: More products/brands oBranching out to a multi brand group oAcquired Yves Saint Laurent, Sergio Rossi, YSL Beaute and Boucheron Star Designer Strategy: ?Tom Ford made an iconic symbol for Gucci Case Study: Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton is one of the oldest French fashion houses. Established in 1854 by Louis Vuitton as a company making flat-bottom trunks with trianon canvas, LV has come a long way to build the iconic brand of Louis Vuitton that holds a huge share in the world fashion market today. Portfolio: Luggage bags, purses, wallets, jewelry, watches, footwear Winning Strategy: The Louis Vuitton strategy has more or less remained the same over the ages, with even their portfolio remaining quite similar since the days of its inception. Let us now look at the different elements of LV’s strategy that ave helped it become the global fashion powerhouse and international influencer of fashion that it is today. Pricing: Communicating high value through high price ?Pricing products very high ?Never offering any price cuts or discount sales Brand makeover: 29th most valuable brand in the world ?Showcasing at famous exhibitions ?Marketing campaigns with celebrities Product: Quality, Quality and Quali ty! ?Remarkable focus on even the smallest of details ?High focus on IPR ?No attempts at production of cheap goods ?Use of latest, state-of-the-art technology Service: ?Lets customers customize their orders ?Delivers to the doorstep Marketing: ?Publicity through word-of-mouth and PR through mass media, never uses television ? Associates brand with famous personalities ?Throws flamboyant parties to attract media attention Distribution: Limited Distribution ?Distribution channels entirely company owned, with products sold only in company owned boutiques or reputed department stores ? Maintains brand image and value through company owned channel ? Company places boutiques in prime locations, also helping in publicity Star Designer Strategy: Marc Jacobs – Face of Louis Vuitton ? Updated and refreshed the company’s image as a luggage maker to one of the most fashionable ready-to-wear and accessories. ?Recreated a brand targeted to younger customers with trendy and fashion-forward look. Exhibit 2: Learning from Shanghai Tang Background: Shanghai Tang is a leading Chinese lifestyle brand. The company was established by David Tang whose main objective was to revive the Chinese traditional fashion and introduce it to the national market, and later go on to become global. Shanghai Tang had a great advantage in the form of backing by a leading Swiss luxury fashion conglomerate – Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA. Since this conglomerate had several famous luxury fashion brands in its portfolio, it helped Shanghai Tang a lot in terms of best practices sharing. Problems faced: ?Went straight into the American/European market without gaining a foothold in the Chinese market, which saw their brand facing huge failure abroad ? Did not fare well in foreign community as brand was mostly traditional Chinese merchandize ? No proper standing in European and American markets High price not justified in the Chinese market due to lack of standing in foreign markets New Strategy: Conquer your home before going out ?Main strategy – Capture local market before going global ? Main goal – be the ambassador of the modern Chinese styles ? Main motive – Reintroduce traditional Chinese aesthetics to the new consumer audience Relevance to Indian f ashion scenario: ?Presence of a niche market for Indian fashion in global markets, similar to Chinese fashion ? Similar, much localized flavor which must be paid attention to while designing an international fashion brand Exhibit 3: An account of the Indian fashion houses JJ Valaya Often referred to as the ‘Monarch of Indian Fashion', Valaya’s house of fashion is possible the only Indian fashion house that comes close to being called a fashion powerhouse. His collection of hand embroideries and exquisite bridal trousseau are a rage in the fashion world globally. His label that was established almost three decades earlier still has strong grip of the market and excels in wedding attires and evening wears, for both men and women. Career and success: JJ Valaya was the first designer to host a solo fashion show in India. He was also the first Indian designer to showcase his collection along with prominent International Designer Todd Oldham. Hand in hand with brother, TJ Singh's entrepreneurial abilities, he launched his brand â€Å"JJ Valaya† in 1991. His brand consisted of Couture line of attire, which gained great accolades from the fashion fraternity. This was followed by â€Å"Valaya Home† in 1996 and a pret label â€Å"Studio Valaya† in 1999. In September 2006, House of Valaya entered into a licensing agreement with Genesis Color Private Ltd to design and manufacture its diffusion label â€Å"Valaya Quantum†. Valaya's novelty and his brother's entrepreneurial capabilities have made the House of Valaya a pioneer in the Indian fashion Industry. He is a founder member on the Board of Governors of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) and the Official Brand Ambassador for Swarovski, India. Brand and Clientele: House of Valaya is one of India's most respected fashion houses. It not only caters to fashion lovers, but also provides a whole lot of luxury products, such as furniture, tapestries, stunning fabrics and home furnishings, haute couture and footwear, apart from cuisine. JJ Valaya has several successful solo fashion shows in his kitty, including the ones in New York, London, Paris, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong and Johannesburg as well as in most major Indian cities. He also made an entry into Bollywood, with the film Yaadein. Ritu Kumar An icon of the Indian Fashion industry and a frontrunner in establishing a position for India in the global forum, Ritu Kumar's contribution has been impeccable to the fashion fraternity, both nationally and internationally. With almost five decades of work for display, the designer excels in both traditional and western outfits, though ethnic attires are her specialty. She was the first women to bring the boutique culture to India, under the name â€Å"Ritu†. Career and success: Starting at a smaller scale, Ritu Kumar has diversified her works of art globally. Though she excels in contemporary and classic style, she has also evolved indo-western fusion to attract the gamut of European buyers. Some of her global achievements include the wardrobes for Miss India, for participation in the International beauty pageants like Miss Universe, Miss World & Miss Asia Pacific, respectively. Brand and Clientele: The brand â€Å"Ritu† has acquired great accolades internationally. The designer has not only restrained her work to the fashion industry, but has also dived into the other sectors that offer luxury to the people. The brand also launched a fragrance by the name â€Å"the tree of life†. In April 2002, Ritu Kumar launched her new sub brand, ‘LABEL'. She has twelve outlets in India, which offer a range of products from the conventional to the contemporary. Ritu Beri Ritu Beri is one of the top Indian fashion designers who have been continuously serving Indian fashion industry with her feminine and funky designer apparels. Career and success: Fashion designer Ritu Beri has made a consistent progress in her life. She started off by designing clothes for friends and relatives. Later on in 1990 she made her first move towards establishing her own fashion studio ‘Lavanya' from where she designed her maiden collection, a couple of which were instantly sold. Influenced by India's rich cultural heritage she has come up with the most splendid designs. She has also been given the challenge of designing for Indian counterpart in the curtain Raiser ceremony of Olympics at Atlanta. Apart from being a fabulous and top fashion designer she is a very good human being. She has got the heart of gold. She is highly compassionate for animals for which she has also started a project called ‘Caring means sharing'. The funds raised through this collection would go for animal care. This collection would exhibit a wide array of products. This charming woman has the fire to make a difference in the fashion world. Brand and Clientele: She started participating in International Fashion shows under the brand name of Ritu Beri since 1998. Her notable international clients are former US President Bill Clinton, Prince Charles, Moulin Rouge, Nicole Kidman, Hollywood actress Andy McDowell, Supermodel Laetitia Casta, famous Parisian Socialite Mrs. Lagerdere, Langes Swarovski & The Swarovski family, Elizabeth Jagger and Jerry Hall. Her notable Indian clients are Madhuri Dixit, Rani Mukherji, Preity Zinta, Parmeshwar Godrej & Shobha De. Manish Malhotra Fashion designer Manish Malhotra, a passionate fashion savvy has made his special position in the Indian film Industry. He has beautified the Indian film star celebrities with his impeccable designer outfits. Indian designer Manish Malhotra entered into the Bollywood parlance by designing wardrobe for Juhi Chawla. In the list of top young celebrity fashion designers, he is the most shining star who has been successful in earning both name and fame. Career and success: Manish Malhotra is truly a master of fashion and has achieved a tremendous appreciation. His work has been honored with various awards like Filmfare Award, Showtime Opinion Poll Award, Siemens’ Viewer's Choice Award, Bollywood Award and the Lux-Zee Cine Award. He is continuously delivering quality work for fashion boutique ‘Reverie' with which he is associated since 1998. This budding star of yesterday has truly become the pride of Bollywood. Brand and Clientele: Manish has designed costumes for almost all top actresses from sensuous Sridevi, Urmila Matondkar, Shilpa Shetty, and Manisha Koirala to elegant and graceful Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukherjee and Preity Zinta. Manish has made an incredible contribution to various Blockbuster light comedy films like Rangeela to romantic movies like Dil To Pagal Hai, Kaho Na Pyar Hai and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. The highlights of Manish's career also include designs for Michael Jackson and British super model Naomi Campbell. The high-profile couture store ‘Reverie – Manish Malhotra' launched by him in 1998 was set up in association with industrialists Yash and Avati Birla which further received a tremendous response and the cream of Mumbai high society and rich non-resident Indians become his clients. Tarun Tahiliani Tarun Tahiliani is a Bollywood celebrity costume designer who is extremely inspired by ethnic styles. Tarun Tahiliani started off as a fashion retailer by establishing his own fashion boutique in Mumbai and later went on to start his own brand label called ‘Ahilian'. Career and success: Tarun Tahiliani is a Bollywood celebrity costume designer who has always been in the limelight. Extremely inspired by ethnic styles, fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani is of the opinion that Sari is the most elegant dress that has a great dazzling effect. He thinks it is the most apt apparel for sensuous look and brings out the beauty of India women in the most attractive manner. He experiments with colors and fabrics and comes up with his own unique classy designs. According to him Sari has the capability of arousing sensation. He is simply fascinated by Chikan embroidery of Lucknow and is often incorporated in his designs. He also makes use of beads and semi precious stones to embellish the ensemble. He strongly believes that fashion is all about your comfort level with a particular attire. Brand and Clientele: He has designed apparels for the Indian celebrities like Simi Garewal, Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone, Minisha Lamba, and Shilpa Shetty. The highlights of his designs are: block printing, bandhini styles, beautiful color combination and rich silhouettes. His bridal collection for both men and women is highly sought after by the rich Indian and the NRI clients. He also designs bags and also does event and interior designing for marriages Rohit Bal Style is the mantra for Rohit Bal, the fashion designer from the enduring valley of Kashmir. The â€Å"Bad Boy† of the fashion world, as Rohit Bal is popularly called, is known for his sophisticated cuts and breathing fabrics. He weaves in the best for both men and women. His creations are a reflection of his own personality- not restrained by any norms. Rohit Bal's creative mind gives a true bent of spirit in his work as well. Being christened by the Times magazine as the â€Å"Master of Fabric and Fantasy†, he purely live up to the expectations of being among the bandwagon of the Indian fashion industry leaders. Subtle in his choice of colors, Rohit prefers to use pastels and earthy tones to dress up his men and women. However, there is no one-signature style that the designer sticks to. Career and success: It was Rohit Bal's first collection which brought success to this talented designer and since then, there has been no looking back. He has made a name globally. Rohit Bal has designed outfits using almost all fabrics. Even Khadi (Indian handloom textile) has been used by the immensely talented designer, to create exclusivity for the raw product and a demand in the market. Rohit has held shows in New York, London, Dubai, Singapore and Paris, including Paris Fashion Week. Rohit Bal was also chosen by the Khadi Gram Udyog, the largest handloom textile operation in India, to work with them. Rohit bagged the ‘Designer of the Year' award at the Indian Fashion Awards in 2006. He was also made ‘Designer of the Year' at the Kingfisher Fashion Achievement Awards in 2001. His line of designer clothes has been sold at even 15000 USD. His style is innovative and inventive and he does not shy away from having popular legends, history, fantasy or folklore on the outfits. Brand and Clientele: The brand â€Å"Rohit Bal† created by the designer has been doing wonders in the fashion scenario. He has opened up a flagship store in Delhi and positioning stores at other places like Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Chennai as well. He also plans to open up stores in Middle East and Europe. After making a name for himself in the fashion fraternity, Rohit has also ventured into the designing jewellery for Kirtilals. He also plans to design and launch men's fashion accessories like cufflinks. The clientele list of this ace designer is a long one, some being celebrities like Uma Thurman, Cindy Crawford, Pamela Anderson, Naomi Campbell and Anna Kournikova. Most of his fashion shows in India, New York, Paris and Singapore are sponsored by The Swatch Group and he is also the brand ambassador for their Omega Watches, since 2001. Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla Contemporary styles and the revival of bygone works of art molded neatly into modern fashion brocade! This is what Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla are all about. The duo has made it to the fashion circuit with their sheer talent and inventive potentials of a designer. â€Å"The boys†, as the duo are famously known, have made ethnic apparels with a fresh flavor of trends that comes on year after year. To bring in a resurgence of traditional works of art, the duo has traveled to the remotest area, grasped the art and beautifully executed it in their finest of collections. Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla are among the few people who have made it big globally. The duo was the first to bring out its collection at Harrods. Career and success: Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla started with a humble beginning and launched their creative line ‘Mata Hari'. Soon, the magic of traditional and modern art captivated the interest of all and they launched themselves into the international forum. Their launch into the global forum was with a range of shawls, under the brand name of ‘Shakira Caine' mark at Harvey Nichols, Neiman Marcus and Harrods in London, along with Bergdof Goodman in New York and Knightsbridge in UK. Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla's designer label â€Å"Jashan†, launched in 1989, was previewed at the ‘Save the Children' Charity fundraising ball in London. In December 2003, they won the national award for designing some of the fabulous attires for the movie Devdas, which they had designed for Madhuri Dixit, Shahrukh Khan and Jackie Shroff. Brand and Clientele: Their clientele list includes the who's who of the film fraternity, of both Bollywood and Hollywood. Besides British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's wife, the designer duo also has dressed celebrities like Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Darcey Bussell, and Sophie Marceau, as its international clients. Apart from creating apparels, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla have also ventured into the platform of interior designing, making a mark in this aspect as well. They have designed homes of celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, Dimple Kapadia and Nikhil and Shewta Nanda. The duo has its retail flagship stores at Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi. The beautiful and stunning designs of Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla bring in a feel of traditionalism, within the realms of modernity. Wendell Roderick Wendell Roderick is among the few designers who are obsessed with Indian fashion with his art designs drawing inspiration from ancient India. One can be sure that his clothes would have no heavy embroideries and no stiff clothes. They would be easy to carry, yet give that elegant look that one aspires to have. Wendell Roderick's clothes could be worn at society at large. His aim, to create a place for Goa in the world map of fashion, has been triumphant only because of his sheer hard work and successful fashion shows. Career and success: It was in 1990 that the designer launched his own label ‘Wendell Roderick'. Three years later after launching his own label, Wendell Roderick shifted base to Goa, creating splendid collections every time, mostly inspired by Tibetan Monasteries, Tribal symbols of Shiva and Vishnu, the Harem at Istanbul, Tattoos of the Lambadi tribe and Clothing the Soul. Wendell Roderick was the first Indian who had got an opportunity to display his collection at the world's largest garment fair at IGEDO, Dusseldorf. Apart from designing, he is also concerned with other sectors of the industry, like addressing on World Costume History, lettering for the country's leading women's magazine, Chairman of the courses committee at the Board of Technical Education, appointed by the Government of Goa, and member Advisory Board of Fashion Institutes and Lakme Fashion Week. He is also a Patron of the Kasturba Gandhi Memorial Trust, Goa that promotes handspun Khadi. Wendell retails at country's best stores, including the celebrated Wendell Rodricks Design Space in Panjim. Brand and Clientele: Wendell Roderick has done a lot of work state of Goa. He has designed uniforms for the Goa State Traffic Police, the Four Seasons, the Goa Marriott Resort, the Vasco Sports Club football team and the staff of the Goa Tourism Development Corporation. Internationally, he was involved with designing advertisements for Wellspun, Delsey, SWATCH Bijoux, Breguet and Raymond Weil. He has earned a lot of recognition in the fashion circuit and has amused people with the simplicity projected in his designs. ELLE's Nirja Shah, models like Achla Sachdev and Nina Manuel keep raving at his designs. The designer has also worked with renowned Kathak dancer Daksha Sheth. Right now, he plans to launch a book on Goa's clothing tradition. Rina Dhaka he ‘Goddess of Oomph' of Indian fashion, designer Rina Dhaka styles clothes with a lot of fun. Being in the industry for quite some time, Rina feels that globalization has opened up avenues for young and dynamic women and with it, the options of women designers as well. To be in sync with demand for comfortable, yet stylish outfits for offices, designers are trying out all possibilities of being creative. Rina Dhaka emphasizes silhouette and is willing to take risks. In one collection, she mixed fur and boots with her Indian outfits, to create a unique look. Every time, Dhaka tries to give four to five looks to in her collection. Career and success: It was very early in her career when Rina got accolades for one of her design for the Miss India event from Rohit Khosla, the only ingenious designer of that time. The encouragement acted as a booster for Rina, who was all the more excited to bring out the best in her. Her first show in Singapore â€Å"The Best of Indian Haute Couture† met with a thumping success. Rina has also won a Yuva Rattan award in career, which is spread over almost three decades now. She is best known for her theme collections – sheer trousers, crochet, stretch jersey, woolens and spider web motifs. Western wear still remains an area of dominance, though she also designs ethnic and conventional attires. She prides on the fact that her pieces can be worn as separates. Attaining a lot of success nationally, Dhaka has also achieved accredits internationally. Her works were featured in magazines, such as Vogue and Elle. Brand and Clientele: Rina Dhaka has her collections, under the label ‘Rina Dhaka', in stores like Carma-Delhi, Design Studio-Mumbai, Kimaya-Mumbai, Selfridges-London, Coin-Italy and Lord and Taylor-New York. She has also opened a studio in Hauz Khaz village for Lycra in Delhi. The clientele list of this bold designer includes eminent personalities such as Naomi Campbell, Uma Thruman, Susan Fales Hill, Molly Simns, Tara Palmen Tomkison, Lara Dutta, and Diana Hayden. Her work has been featured in publications such as Marie Claire Paris, Madame Figaro Paris, Vogue London, New York Post, Vanity Fair, etc. Manish Arora Manish Arora is an Indian fashion designer based in New Delhi. In early 2011, he was appointed as creative director of the womenswear collection of the French fashion house Paco Rabanne. Born and brought up in Bombay (now Mumbai), Manish was studying to graduate in Commerce, when he decided to change his career path and applied for the National Institute of Fashion Technology in New Delhi. He graduated in 1994 after winning the Best Student Award. Career and success: In 1997 Manish Arora launched his own label â€Å"Manish Arora† and started retailing in India. Three years later, Manish participated in the first-ever India Fashion Week held in New Delhi and represented India at the Hong Kong Fashion Week. Arora launched his second label, â€Å"Fish Fry†, in 2001. This colorful, sportswear-styled line was created in association with the athletic apparel manufacturer Reebok. During 2002 Manish opened his first flagship store, Manish Arora Fish Fry, in New Delhi and in the following year opened a second store in Mumbai. Another successful showing at India Fashion Week (2003) led to a stocking deal with the fashion house Maria Luisa (Paris) and the beginning of a successful export business. He had a successful debut at the London Fashion Week in September 2005 and received an overwhelming response from the press as well as the buyers. Manish opened his first Manish Arora franchise store in Villa Moda, Kuwait and another Manish Arora Fish Fry store at Crescent, New Delhi in 2006. In 2007 the first Fish Fry for Reebok concept store opened at the Garden of Five Senses, New Delhi, and Arora teamed up with make-up and cosmetics giant MAC for designing a signature collection. He has also collaborated with Swatch for a limited edition of watches. In 2008, once again, Reebok launched the ‘RBK Fish Fry Collection 2008', an exclusive lifestyle range designed by Manish Arora. Indian by Manish Arora†, a brand designed for the growing Indian market for women's wear, is licensed to another fashion company. Manish was invited to show his collection at the â€Å"Fashion in Motion† exhibition held at Victoria and Albert Museum, London in September 2007. By 2009 Manish owned four stores in India and sold his collections to more than 80 retailers worldwide. Brand and Clientele: The three famous brands of Manish Ar ora are – Manish Arora, Fish Fry and Paco Rabanne. In terms of clientele, Manish Arora is mostly associated with pop divas like Katy Perry, Rihanna and Lady Gaga and other international A list celeb clients

Are the Differences Between Management and Leadership Essay

What are the Differences Between Management and Leadership? † Management and leadership are closely related but is not the same thing. They are both necessary and complementary to each other. In the corporate world, there are vastly different jobs that require different skills. There are similarities with the two and you can hardly become a great manager without good leadership capabilities. Being a manger does not always mean that the person has the natural ability to lead. And being a good leader does not always make for the best manager. Leaders can be found in all departments of the workplace. A person can be called a leader if he can successfully influence and encourage colleagues to work toward and objective in which the goal is beneficial to the group. The leader’s job is basically to inspire and motivate. Leadership is an ability that is difficult for some people to learn. However, they may not be able to handle difficult business related issues that a manager might have to handle. A manager is considered a leader by definition of the position. Employees are required to follow this individual as required in their job descriptions. Managers offer stability and confidence in organization. Managers are good at delegating tasks and achieving results, but may not be the first person employees look to for guidance. Management may be described as doing things right, while leadership is doing the right thing. Managers have subordinates, while leaders have followers. Employees may not feel a sense of loyalty to a manager, but will stick with the leader because they have a greater sense of belief in them. Managers who don’t have true leadership skills lack certain qualities that are attractive to followers, such as charisma. Being able to blend the styles of a leader and a manager represents a distinguished skills set. That’s why people with the ability to be leaders and mangers are found at the top of all successful companies. The most successful businesses and teams have strong leaders who know how to motivate employees and managers to the results needed to achieve success. I personally think businesses should carefully review applicants for management positions to make sure they have the abilities to lead as well as manage. If the applicant does not possess all of the qualities needed to be a great manager then perhaps they are not the right person for the job. I would not want a manager who you could not depend on in times of crisis and conflict. http://guides. wsj. com/management/developing-a-leadership-style/what -is-the-difference-between-management-and-leadership.

Answer the question Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Answer the question - Coursework Example Money also shows the theme of love where giving is far much better than receiving (185). The religious inclination of giving away the grateful self to the giver of life, therefore, giving money shows love. In general, money is a theme in itself. Money is also mentioned when the Sultan who seeks a loan summons Nathan. Saladin is impressed by the wisdom of Nathan. The merchant then offers the loan of part of his gold since he desires to use part of it to pay his debt to Templar. 3. Kohlhaa’s wife attempts to get justice for her husband by delivering a petition to the Elector of Saxony. She is struck down by a guard in the process and later dies of her injuries. Kohlhaas is not a cruel man. He is just a man who seeks the justice he deserves even though some of the means he uses are cruel. He is a persistent man and this causes him a crime when the progress through legal means fails to help him. Kohlhaas, at the beginning of the book, lived with his wife, Elizabeth and five children. He is a caring father conducting a righteous horse-dealing business to provide for his children. As he was about to be executed, in his will, he even appointed a guardian for his five children. The leaders of the society in which Kohlhaas lived considered him a public nuisance and thus the desire to publicly execute him. To some of the people in the public, he was a courageous man in pursuit of justice while others just agreed with the rulers of the land (Watanabe 900). 4. a) There are not a lot of women writers in German Literature before the 20th Century. The themes in the works change into four main currents, which include before World War II, war literature, post war and post wall. Until 1989, there were only three to four countries producing German Literature. Examples are Christa Wolf 1929- from Austria. Wrote No Place On Earth, Cassandra, and A Model Childhood. Ingeborg Bachmann 1926- 1973 from Austria

TV Journal Entry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

TV Journal Entry - Essay Example As the discussion declares the author's hard work and determination can be seen in the course of my academic journey. One of his proudest milestones was to graduate with honors in high school despite his language limitations and to gain acceptance to the University of Minnesota. While attending the University of Minnesota, he was honored by belonging to the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. he was recognized by the National Name Exchange Program based on my demonstrated academic merit. He has been honored by the Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence. During my undergraduate studies, the author has worked extensively with Dr. LaDora Thompson. This paper stresses that the author has volunteered in Vietnam over the summer. He worked in the internal medicine department at the pharmacy clinic where my relatives work. His duties included helping patients walk after a surgery and assisting them to the bathroom. He has worked at the Snyder Drug Emporium. He was able to assist my aunts while they counseled their patients about the side effects of the drugs. His direct contact with patients, pharmacists, doctors and nurses enabled me to gain valuable experience. The influences of the author's childhood, academic background, volunteer and research experience have combined to instill in him a passion for my decision to become a doctor of pharmacy. He feels that his background has made me mentally and emotionally prepared to commit to the pharmacy profession. If he is admitted to your school it will be another step in carrying out the author's dream.

Levels of Health Care for a Brain Tumor Patient Essay

Levels of Health Care for a Brain Tumor Patient - Essay Example Brain tumors can be diagnosed through various processes: physical examination, neurologic examination, a Computerised Tomography (CT) scan and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). By physical examination, general health signs are checked. Neurologic examination is where the doctor examines the patient for attentiveness, strength of the muscles and coordination, any spontaneous effect and reaction to pain. The doctor also conducts an examination of the eyes to identify any swelling of the nerve connecting the brain and the eye which might have been caused by the pressure inserted by the tumor. With CT scan, an X-ray is conducted where the results are observed from a computer connected to the x-ray machine which clearly shows the position and the size of the tumors. MRI is where a high magnetic material is connected to a computer which shows detailed and clear pictures of the body that is provided by the means of a special dye which makes different tissues distinct. The pictures can be pr inted out (Potts & Mandleco, 2012). The patient undergoing brain tumor care is named Mrs. Y for purposes of patient confidentiality as required by the nursing and medical ethic. Primary level of health care is the first step where patients are exposed to health care systems which are normally the smaller health care facilities like the dispensaries serving the local community. Mostly, this unit involves simple diagnostic measures, preventive and curative where in-patients services are rare. Nurses are mostly found in this stage that will refer the patient to a district hospital which provides better services and in-patients services. The nurse examines the general sciences and symptoms of illness from the patient who then refers the patient for further treatment from the district level because the facility has no the necessary machines and equipment to examine the patient further (Potts & Mandleco 2012). The nurse can only administer pain killers to the patient. District level hospi tals have nurses, doctors and physicians who can conduct imaging, laboratory tests, simple X-rays and theaters to conduct simple surgeries. Most of the doctors and physicians could be operating in the provincial hospitals; therefore, they are only present in the hospitals rarely. The patient is given a chance to explain herself. Snooks state that because there is lack of proper equipment to critically examine the patient’s brain, the physician will have no choice but to refer the patient to the next level (2009). The physician explains to the patient and the family members of her condition and the challenge the facility is facing, the complexity of the condition and the cost of the procedure. The physician writes a note of referral which provides the initial examinations and any medication the patient has been given during this level. Mrs. Y may have a difficult time understanding her condition; many people view that any disease of the brain may result in madness. Therefore, counseling services may be provided by the administration to the patient and the family to reduce tension and stress (Potts & Mandleco 2012). The financial services to cover Mrs. Y treatment during this stage and to the next level may subject the family members some stress. Secondary level of health care refers to a stage with more sophisticated facilities as well as specialists in a particular area. Highly trained doctors, nurses, surgeons and physicians are readily available. This may be a provincial hospita

Local Area Networking systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Local Area Networking systems - Essay Example Stair & Reynolds suggest that usually, LAN is wired into office buildings, factories, school buildings etc and are built around personal computers (PC). When a PC is connected to a LAN, a network interface card (NIC) is required which is placed in a computer's expansion slot to allow it to communicate with the network. A wire or connector from the network is then plugged directly into NIC. (Stair & Reynolds, 2001, p. 138) In order to install and configure a LAN setup in a school, first of all the topology should have to be selected. Out of the three topologies, i.e. ring, bus and star, star topology is the most feasible one, as due to the failure of a computer or a segment of wire or a node, the other network nodes would not be affected at all. For star topology the basic hardware required for connectivity are as follows: For a smaller LAN with a maximum of 10 computers Hub works fine but for a larger LAN a switch gives better efficiency compared to a hub. The reason is that the hub broadcast the data packet to every node, hence all other nodes except the destination node thereby ignoring the broadcasted data packet where as the switch store the MAC addresses of each node and would send the data packet only to the destination node. Further more in a larger LAN setup, if the distance between two switches or between switch and a terminal (computer) is more than 100 meters than we have to use a repea

Critically evaluate the benefits and disadvantages of expansion via Essay

Critically evaluate the benefits and disadvantages of expansion via organic growth versus expansion via acquisition. using real - Essay Example This global business related news is encouraging in the context of financial downturn of the year 2008, still casting its shadow on the global growth of large businesses. Luypaert & Huyghebaert (2007) attempt a statistical analysis of the expansion via acquisition strategy becoming a trend, as in 2005 only, 29,585 acquisitions got materialised. Companies prefer to grow and expand through acquisitions rather than organically because it is the quicker way of growth relatively to internal growth as the aimed company is well positioned with its production, distribution and customer base. It also minimises the risk of investing for the increasing growth of the company. Otherwise also, expansion via acquisition could prove to be cost-efficient way out relatively to organic growth, especially when the replacement cost of assets is higher than the concurrent worth of the aimed assets. Another benefit of the expansion via acquisition is that in comparison to organic growth, it can be acquired by paying through the stock as well. It can be a way-out for companies facing cash-crunch or for those companies already deficient in debt power. Literature reveals that during flourishing stock market behaviour, bidding companies prefer to pay for the acquisition through stock. Irrespective of this fact, expansion via organic growth and via acquisitions is mutually inclusive investment decision for a firm; it can be an added advantage to choose any of the expansion methods rather than selecting a single alternative. Before taking a decision to go either for internal expansion or expansion via acquisition, thorough research needs to be made to gather industry impact and aggregate market variables for opting out external expansion. There might be the possibility that firm size may artificially hold the impact of industry concentration whereas the market-to-book ratio may reveal the comfort of bidding firms to reward aimed shareholders with stock if stock markets are flourishing. Ind ustry features are crucial factors like the potential for economies of scale, industry concentration, sales growth and deregulation, and aggregate market variables, like historical volume of merger and acquisition, stock prices, GDP growth and the output spread (Luypaert & Huyghebaert, 2007). In a mutually inclusive relationship between internal growth and expansion via acquisition for making investment, a company may opt for growth via expansion additionally to organic or internal growth. Financially sound companies with enough investment possibilities would prefer to practice both options of growth for leveraging from competitive advantage as early as possible. In case, firms face cash crunch, they might prefer an alternative of the two. Strategies for both kinds of growth options need not to be necessarily related. Statistical research on the connection between external and internal growth is limited with complicated outcomes. Hay and Liu, as cited by Luypaert & Huyghebaert (2007 ) evaluate M&A in the UK across 1971–1989 and find that M&A and organic expansion are supportive to each other. On the opposite side, Dickerson et al., as cited by Luypaert & Huyghebaert (2007), employing data on UK listed companies in manufacturing during 1948–1970 and 1975–1990, note that the connection between organic growth and the possibility of expansion through acquisition is surely negative, which underscores that these growth strategies are to be used alternatively (Luypaert & Huygh

What I would do with the remaining time if found out to have only 24 Assignment

What I would do with the remaining time if found out to have only 24 hours to live - Assignment Example Despite the fact that my doctor’s pronunciation has taken me by surprise and I must die within the next 24 hours, I strongly believe that this is the time for me to focus on physical, spiritual, family and emotional issues. Knowing that I have lived my life imperfectly before my creator, I will dedicate a lot of my last moments in prayer and repentance. Although it will be difficult to praise and worship God, I will try to dedicate some moments to focus on my life and praise and worship God for the time He gave me on earth. I will also delve into scriptures for reassurance about a brighter future after death. I will as much as possible make my path straight before God so that my eternity may be spent in paradise. The reality of death is a harsh one even to the bravest of people. This being the case, I have no doubt that I feel very scared about the whole experience of dying. I imagine myself kicking and struggling to disentangle myself from the grip of death in vain. I imagine seeing my mother and close family members weeping at the news of my death. I wish I was never born in the first place so that I would not have to endure the pain of death. Stressed about having to leave my loved ones behind shortly, I will try and share my last moments in the company of my family and closest friends. I will take some time to share my goals, expectations, and concerns with them to ensure that I leave everything in order. Since most families tend to engage in a dispute over sharing of properties after their beloved ones have passed on, my first move will be to avoid such happenings by drafting a will. In the will I will direct how I would wish my property to be shared among my family members. I will also detail my debts and obligations to other people and instruct my family to repay the debts and if possible fulfill the obligations that I will not have fulfilled within the time left. In addition to the will, I will write a letter of instructions. The letter of instru ction will help my family make decisions at the end of my life, and once I am gone. In the letter of instruction, I will include a list of names and phone numbers of those I want to be contacted after my death. To ease the tension that I am feeling, I take a short walk around our garden and within town alone. As I walk about, I will focus on what life is all about and how I spent my life. I will take note of my achievements and failures and try to convince myself that I did my part in life the best I could albeit as an imperfect person. In overall, I will pray that my eternal destiny would be a good one. # 2. My Funeral Plan Funeral is one of the most important stages in a person’s â€Å"life†. Once a person is dead, the next stage is usually to organize a funeral service in accordance with the deceased’s wishes. However, in order for the funeral service to be conducted in accordance with the deceased’s desires, it is important for the deceased to live be hind a plan of funeral service, stating how he/she wants the service conducted. However, very few people normally get the chance to draft their funeral plan. I am among the lucky few who have had the opportunity to write a funeral plan. Below is a plan of how I want my funeral service conducted once I am dead and gone. I would like to be given a decent send off once I am dead. Immediately I am pronounced dead, my body should be taken to the private wing of a mortuary where my body will be well preserved. I would not wish to have my loved ones see my body in bad shape when I am gone. I wish to see my funeral attended by as many of my friends and acquaintances as possible. For this reason, I will

Evaluate the claim that German big business was willingly and Essay

Evaluate the claim that German big business was willingly and profitably cooperated with the Nazi regime in the exploitation of Europe, 1939-45 - Essay Example One of the stronger reactions is given to those companies which are discovered or confess to having links with the Nazi regime and from an examination of historical records as well as various other documents it seems clear that many companies willingly cooperated with the Nazis towards the exploitation of Europe. However, it can be shown that the companies had little interest in ideology or the motives of the Nazis; rather, they were interested in making money since that was their main objective. The economic background of the era is important in this respect because when the Nazis came into power, the economic situation of Germany was disastrous. High unemployment rates meant that the economy was under productive and under pressure. During this time, the economic reorganization of the state was made the responsibility of a respected banker, Hjalmar Schacht. Under his guidance, several changes were made to the economic policy and some of the first economic changes were the elimination of trade unions and establishment of the wage controls in German society (Wikipedia, 2006). These measures certainly helped the business community since trade unions had been able to strike as well as negotiate salaries on a collective basis. Needless to say businesses approved of these ideas and worked hand in hand with the Nazis to improve the economy as Hitler saw fit. The money supply to the economy was expanded with the aid of deficit spending with interest rates held firmly at 4.5%. Shell companies were setup such as the MEFO company which issued bonds but these were actually utilized to hide expenditure on arms which was a violation of the Versailles Treaty (Wikipedia, 2006). The creation of a black market was stopped simply because the Germans could send violators to concentration camps or shot after a summary trial. Imports were limited while exports were expanded leading to an overvalued mark. Despite all of these measures,

Etihad Airways Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Etihad Airways - Case Study Example His major aims were to increase the profitability and the yield by 2010. In order to satisfy this condition, James came up with a second bag charge to be imposed on the customers. The case also gives out certain aspects of the future plan of the airline. The airline has placed an order for 205 aircrafts for $43 billion. This will increase the fleet size to 100 in 5 years. This move will generate more revenue as the capacity of the airline will increase. The case says that Etihad Airlines gives much importance to customer value. They have a loyalty program for their customers which is called Etihad Guest. It includes features like, immediate rewards, no black-out periods, anytime availability, widest choice, miles plus cash, miles that are worth more and family membership. They had high end redemption awards. The case further says that the Indian market shows much stronger signs of improvement. Given, the current scenario, a passenger seat load factor of 76-77 percent is being expecte d. The Etihad Airlines is under a major issue of profitability and yield. James was hired to take the airline to profits by the year 2010. However, the chances seem to be slim. The International Air Transport Association has showed concern and has estimated that the global aviation industry will show a global net loss of $5.6 billion in the year 2010. To face the problem, James has ann... However, the chances seem to be slim. The International Air Transport Association has showed concern and has estimated that the global aviation industry will show a global net loss of $5.6 billion in the year 2010. To face the problem, James has announced the charging of second baggage to customers to increase revenue. However, the major question which it posses it is, whether such a move is profitable I the short run as well as the long run. And also what are the other options to achieve the target as well while maintaining the customer value or adding it. Literature Review Profitability is the term used to describe the ability of a company to earn profit (profitability definition). Passenger seat load factor is the measure of the airlines passenger carrying capacity being used. Second Baggage is the fees charged by an airline for carrying excessive baggage. Value proposition states that the functional and emotional benefits attached with a product or service is communicated in such a way that it appears higher than the cost of the product or service to the customer (Philip Kotler, 2009). A tool to identify ways to create more customer value is the value chain (Philip Kotler, 2009). The value chain shows the primary activities and the supporting activities of the business which together create value for the customer. Source: (Philip Kotler, 2009) Etihad Airways Strategy (Hogan, 2008) Etihad Airways does a lot of innovation to keep up the standards realistic to the market place. It has a clear policy of providing the customer with the best that there is. They have been using the below mentioned techniques: To reduce the costs they have been reducing space within the aircraft by maximizing the number of seats to the extent possible. They have been trying

American Nurses Association Essay Example for Free

American Nurses Association Essay

Factors that Increase Sensitivity to Nicotine Dependence

Factors that Increase Sensitivity to Nicotine Dependence Age of tobacco use initiation, concomitant tobacco use and nicotine dependence Ziyue Wu Abstract Introduction The growing use of tobacco products have strong negative effects on public health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and lung disease (MacKenzie, Bartecchi, Schrier, 1994). As the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., tobacco use has been linked to the death of approximately 5 million people annually (Jha, Chaloupka, Moore, Gajalakshmi, Gupta, Peck, Asma Zatonski, 2006). Given the addictive nature of nicotine, many tobacco users are likely to become chronic smokers and to have difficulty achieving successful cessation. Most research on tobacco use has focused on cigarette smoking. Ethnicity and gender have been found to be associated with cigarette smoking behavior (Hu et al., 2006[LD1]). Further, psychiatric disorders have been shown to contribute to the transition from daily smoking to nicotine dependence (Dierker Donny, 2007; Breslau et al., 1998). Despite the large number of studies examining cigarette smoking and nicotine dependence, risk for dependence based on other types of tobacco use have received far less research attention. Different types of tobacco use (cigarette, cigar, pipe smoking, snuff, tobacco chewing) may predict nicotine dependence differently. Such difference may be more significant between smokeless tobacco users and smokers. Moreover, little is known about combined effects of tobacco use on risk for nicotine dependence. ways of tobacco use. Different types of tobacco use (cigarette, cigar, pipe smoking, snuff, tobacco chewing) may predict nicotine dependence differently. Such difference may be more significant between smokeless tobacco users and smokers. Concomitant smokers may follow a unique pattern. Also, age of the initiation of tobacco use may be correlated with current usage amount and number of ways of tobacco use. It remains uncertain that whether individuals with earlier onsets of tobacco use have greater risk of becoming nicotine dependent and using tobacco concomitantly. [LD2] By examining the data from The National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), this study sought to (a) understand whether different ways of consuming tobacco might lead to different levels of sensitivity to nicotine dependence; (b) discover whether age of initiation of tobacco using behavior contributes to different levels of sensitivity to nicotine dependence; (c) find out whether age of initiation is associated with concomitant tobacco use, especially combined use of smokeless tobacco and smoking; (d) discover that which ways of tobacco did most concomitant users used first.[LD3] Method Sample The sample was taken from the first wave of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). NESARC, described by Grant et al. (2006publication year?)., has an unprecedented large sample size (n=43,093) to achieve stable estimates of even rare conditions. It represents the civilian, noninstitutionalized adult population of the United States, including residents of the District of Columbia, Alaska, and Hawaii. People that lived in households, military personnel that lived off base, and people that lived group quarters: boarding or rooming houses, nontransient hotels and motels, shelters, facilities for housing workers, college quarters, and group homes (Grant et al, publication year), were interviewed in a computer-assisted personal basis after consenting to participate. The present analyses were based on all the respondents. This sample was chosen to assess both current tobacco users and tobacco abstainers. Measures Use of Tobacco products use was measured by asking respondents whether they had used cigarettes/ cigars/ pipes/ snuffs/ chewing tobacco these products in past twelve month (â€Å"Had you used cigarettes/ cigars/ pipes/ snuffs/ chewing tobacco in past twelve months?†). Frequency of Ccurrent tobacco use was measured with the question ing behavior was evaluated by the frequency (â€Å"How often did you use cigarettes/ cigars/ pipes/ snuffs/ chewing tobacco in past twelve months?†) and quantity was measured with the question (â€Å"What was the usual quantity when you used them?†). Usage quantities of certain kinds of tobacco per month were estimated by multiplying midpoint of the range of each reported frequency per month and reported usual usage quantity. Age related measures selected as third variables and control variables included age, age at the onset of certain kinds of smoking behavior (â€Å"How old were you when you first used cigarettes/ cigars/ pipes/ snuffs/ chewing tobacco?†), age at the onset of using them daily use (â€Å"How old were you when you started using them daily?†), age at the onset of tobacco using behavior (â€Å"How old were you when using tobacco at the first time?†) and age at the onset of everyday tobacco useing behavior (â€Å"How old were you when starting to use tobacco daily?†). A variable reflecting number of kinds of tobacco used was created to separate concomitant tobacco users from single way users. For concomitant tobacco users, I created variables to show the current combination of ways in tobacco use and the combination of ways when the respondents started using tobacco[LD4][EW5]. A variable reflecting the number of years since the respondents started using tobacco w as also created by subtracting the age at the onset of tobacco using initiation from age at the interview. A categorical variable was also created to describe which combinations of tobacco use the respondents fell into, single way smoking, single way smokeless tobacco, concomitant use of smoking, concomitant use of smokeless tobacco, or concomitant use of smoking and smokeless tobacco. NICE!! Nicotine dependence related variable was â€Å"Nicotine dependence in past twelve month†. Data Analyses In the first question asked, Logistic regression was estimated to determinesee whether different ways of tobacco usieng predicted nicotine dependence independently. For the secondA second set of question, another logistic regression analyses were was conducted within each type of tobacco using behavior, with controlvariables for amount used usage amount, age, ethnicity and gender controlled, to verify the correlation between the age of initiation and probability in getting nicotine dependent. A two way interaction tested by Pearson Correlation Test was conducted to examinefind out association between age of initiation of tobacco using and current number of tobacco use ways. [LD6] Results Different tobacco uses and nicotine dependence More than one fourth (25.80%) of the respondents reported some forms of tobacco use in past 12 months. Among those who used tobacco in past 12 months, 89.216% (n=9,913) smoked cigarettes, 10.106% (n=1,119) smoked cigars, 1.93% (n=215) used pipes, 6.548% (n=720) used snuffs and 4.52% (N=502) chewed tobacco. Further, the number of average cigarettes smoked per month climbed towas 186.26 (SD=332.32), whereas the numbers of monthly uses of cigars, pipe smoking, snuffs and chewing tobacco are onlywere 2.108 (SD=27.61), 2.879 (SD=28.70), 4.108 (SD=38.38) and 1.94 (SD=24.71), respectively.. [EW7] Logistic regression was used to examine the association between different kinds of tobacco use and nicotine dependence, with covariatescontrolling for of age of tobacco use initiation, years using tobacco, ethnicity and gender. Cigarettes, snuffs and chewing tobacco were positively associated with nicotine dependence, while cigars and pipe smoking failed to independently predict nicotine dependence. [EW8] Age of onset, tobacco usage amount, and nicotine dependence The average age of onset of tobacco use was 16.548 (SD=5.21) years old, and the average number of years using tobacco was 32.108 (SD=17.37) years old. Of 18,943 subjects who reported ever using tobacco, 77.656% (n=14,693) started before adulthood. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between age of initiation and nicotine dependence. Covariates included years using tobacco, ethnicity, gender and tobacco use. Age of onset of tobacco use was found to be negatively related to nicotine dependence, with earlier onsets associated with higher risks for nicotine dependence. Moreover, multiple regression was used to estimate the correlation between age of initiation and current tobacco useage amount, also with variables forcontrolling for years using tobacco, ethnicity and gender controlled. For users of most popular type of tobacco use, cigarette smokingers showed strong positive relationship between age of onset of cigarette smoking and amount of current smoking amount. Earlier onsets actually elevated was associated with a higher current cigarette smoking amount. NAnd number of cigarettes consumed was found directly linkedto be positively associated with likelihood of experiencing to nicotine dependence[LD9]. This result might serve as another clue for earlier onsets probably promoted risks for nicotine dependence. [EW10] Concomitant tobacco users and single way users Among theose 11,118 respondents who reported tobacco use in past 12 months, 10.3% (n=1,149) of them were concomitant users. Also, among 1144 concomitant tobacco users (total 1149) with available data, 54.655% (n=624) hadof them started smoking cigarettes as the first way to of usinge tobacco. In total, 71.3% (n=816) of respondents started using tobacco in smoking forms (cigarettes, cigars, pipes or combined smoking). Only 20.72% (n=237) of respondents first started using tobacco in smokeless form (snuffs, tobacco chewing or combined smokeless tobacco). The rest, only 8.39% (n=96) of respondents, first used tobacco in both smoking and smokeless tobacco. Also, among 1034 daily concomitant tobacco users, 70.50% (n=729) started smoking cigarettes first. REALLY NICE!! Outcome of the Pearson correlation tests for age of tobacco use initiation and current numbers of ways used showed a small, significant negative correlation (r= -0.11, pwas associated with a larger number of ways of using tobacco. elevated the probability in becoming tobacco co-users. Moreover, tobacco users were separated into different categories, single way smoking, single way smokeless tobacco, concomitant use of smoking, concomitant use of smokeless tobacco, or concomitant use of smoking and smokeless tobacco. Chi-square test was conducted to examine each of two different categories and nicotine dependence. Single way smokeless tobacco users were found to have lower probabilities of becoming nicotine dependence than all the other groups of users, except of the concomitant use of smokeless tobacco users. Also, the group of concomitant use of smokeless tobacco users were also found to have lower probabilities of nicotine dependence than co-users of smoking and smokeless tobacco[LD11]. [EW12] Discussion The present study sought to examine whether age of onset of tobacco use was associated with nicotine dependence and numbers of kinds of tobacco used. The study also aimed to examine whether different kinds of tobacco use were differently related to nicotine dependence. Further, itToabccoTobacco use was also examined amongthe tobacco use of concomitant users. Four major findings appeared. First, different ways of tobacco use were actually associated with nicotine dependence differently. Whereas cigars and pipe smoking failed to independently predict nicotine dependence, the other three kinds of tobacco, cigarettes, pipe smoking, snuffs and chewing tobacco were independently positively related to nicotine dependence. Second, age of onset of tobacco use was associated with nicotine dependence. An earlier initiation of tobacco use enhanced the probability of getting nicotine dependence. Third, age of onset of tobacco use also had correlation with number of kinds of tobacco use. An earlie r onset also elevated the probability of becoming concomitant users. Lastly, most of the co-users of tobacco started with smoking cigarettes. The finding of different directions of association with nicotine dependence in various kinds of tobacco may be explained by discrete habits and intentions of tobacco use. Of the five kinds of tobacco, cigars and pipe smoking failed to independently predict nicotine dependence (p=0.40). Two facts may be the causes of this may explain this explainationsexplanations phenomenon. First,First, most of the cigar smokers and pipe smokers were concomitant smokers. AIt is possible that among all cigar smokers (n=1,119) and pipe smokers (n=215), 62.02% (n=694) of cigar smokers and 74.88% (n=161) of pipe smokers were concomitant tobacco users. Second, most cigar smokers and pipe smokers did not consume large amount of cigar products. 80.07% (n= 896) of cigar users smoked less than or equal to 14 cigars per month. 60.93% (n=[LD13]131) [EW14]of pipe smokers used pipe smoking 18 times or less. Such small dose of intake may not result in enough variety of nicotine dependence. To sum up, cigar users and pipe users probably consumed these products not for satisfying the desire for nicotine but simply for a hobby. The correlation between age of tobacco use initiation and nicotine dependence showed that early initiation enhanced increased the probability of nicotine dependence. In the case of a special substance, the cigarette smoking, early initiation also elevated the current useage amount. of tobacco product[LD15]. This outcome is consistent with previous literature that stated early age of onset was associated with heavy smoking in later life (Chen Millar, 1998). Although early age of onset has been evaluated with its potential to enhance tobacco use amount, difficulty in tobacco cessation (Chen Millar, 1998; Khuder et al., 1999) and tobacco use frequency (Taioli Wynder, 1991), result of the present study has initiated strong implication that age of onset may also directly influence the possibility of becoming nicotine dependent. Moreover, the relationship between age of tobacco initiation and current kinds of tobacco use indicated that early onset also promoted the probability of becoming a current polytobacco users. Previous researchers have discovered that evidence that gender, ethnicity, education and income are related to concomitant tobacco use (Bombard, Pederson, Nelson Malarcher, 2007). However, the present study has shown evidence for the association between age of tobacco use onset and concomitant tobacco users. Further, the present study showed that a significantly large proportion of concomitant users started using tobacco by smoking cigarettes, and then stepped initiated into other kinds of tobacco. The direction of shifting among different tobacco products has been studied by others, and several various results have emerged. While some have suggested that smokeless tobacco products may act as gateway substances to cigarette smoking (Hatsukami, Nelson Jensen, 1991; Haddock et al., 2001), others have also proposed that cigarette smoking initiates smokeless tobacco use (Riley et al., 1996). There are also some researchers that have claimed none of them initiates the other (Wetter et al., 2002). The outcome of the present study suggests that cigarette smoking is likely to precede smokeless tobacco use. In the pair comparisons of different combinations of tobacco use, the group that only used one kind of smokeless tobacco showed a significantly lower probability ofin becoming nicotine dependent than groups of single way smokers, concomitant smokers and co-users of smoking and smokeless tobacco. The only group that was not significantly different did not show significantce variation in sensitivity to nicotine dependence from the group of single way smokeless tobacco users was the group of concomitant smokeless [LD16]tobacco users. One of the reasonable explanation of such phenomenon is that smokeless tobacco may be less addictive than smoking (Henningfield, Fant Tomar, 1997). Another explanation is that smokeless tobacco users might use less amount of tobacco products per month. The ANOVA of the combined amount of tobacco products used per month was conducted to test whether smokeless tobacco users had smaller amount of tobacco use. The result showed that the average usage amount of single way smokeless tobacco users was 97.94, which was significantly lower than those of single way smokers, concomitant smokers and concomitant users of smoking and smokeless tobacco, which were 408.22, 460.77 and 584.38. Strengths and limitations There are several limitations in the present study. First, only frequency of use and usual use quantity were available for estimating the amount of the tobacco products used per month. Such calculation was incomplete for reflecting the actual amount of use. Moreover, there was no measure for Conclusions and implications OUTLINE Briefly summarizing what you found (Summary) Take the main sentences of the results, don’t keep changing the words Finding 1, 2, 3: linking them to previous literature When talk about literature, don’t keep writing about the results Strengths and limitations Conclusions and implications: what should future research look at References Breslau, N., Peterson, E. L., Schultz, L. R., Chilcoat, H. D., Andreski, P. (1998). Major depression and stages of smoking: a longitudinal investigation.Archives of general Psychiatry,55(2), 161-166. Chen, J., Millar, W. J. (1998). Age of smoking initiation: implications for quitting.HEALTH REPORTS-STATISTICS CANADA,9, 39-48. Dierker, L., Donny, E. (2008). The role of psychiatric disorders in the relationship between cigarette smoking and DSM-IV nicotine dependence among young adults.Nicotine Tobacco Research,10(3), 439-446. Grant, B. F., Dawson, D. A. (2006). Introduction to the national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions.Alcohol Health Research World,29(2), 74. Haddock, C. K., Weg, M. V., DeBon, M., Klesges, R. C., Talcott, G. W., Lando, H., Peterson, A. (2001). Evidence that smokeless tobacco use is a gateway for smoking initiation in young adult males.Preventive medicine,32(3), 262-267. Hatsukami, D., Nelson, R., Jensen, J. (1991). Smokeless tobacco: Current status and future directions.British Journal of Addiction,86(5), 559-563. Hatsukami, D. K., Lemmonds, C., Tomar, S. L. (2004). Smokeless tobacco use: harm reduction or induction approach?.Preventive medicine,38(3), 309-317. Henningfield, J. E., Fant, R. V., Tomar, S. L. (1997). Smokeless tobacco: an addicting drug.Advances in dental research,11(3), 330-335. Hu, M. C., Davies, M., Kandel, D. B. (2006). Epidemiology and correlates of daily smoking and nicotine dependence among young adults in the United States.American Journal of Public Health,96(2), 299-308. Jha, P., Chaloupka, F. J., Moore, J., Gajalakshmi, V., Gupta, P. C., Peck, R., Zatonski, W. (2006). Tobacco addiction. Khuder, S. A., Dayal, H. H., Mutgi, A. B. (1999). Age at smoking onset and its effect on smoking cessation.Addictive behaviors,24(5), 673-677. MacKenzie, T. D., Bartecchi, C. E., Schrier, R. W. (1994). The human costs of tobacco use. New England Journal of Medicine, 330(14), 975-980. Riley, W. T., Kaugars, G. E., Grisius, T. M., Page, D. G., Burns, J. C., Svirsky, J. A. (1996). Adult smokeless tobacco use and age of onset.Addictive behaviors,21(1), 135-138. Taioli, E., Wynder, E. L. (1991). Effect of the age at which smoking begins on frequency of smoking in adulthood.N Engl J Med,325(13), 968-969. Wetter, D. W., McClure, J. B., de Moor, C., Cofta-Gunn, L., Cummings, S., Cinciripini, P. M., Gritz, E. R. (2002). Concomitant use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco: prevalence, correlates, and predictors of tobacco cessation.Preventive medicine,34(6), 638-648. [LD1]You need to say what ethnic groups or which gender are more likely to use tobacco. It is not enough to say ethnicity and gender are associated with tobacco use. [LD2]This needs to be preceded by what the literature has shown on age of onset. In its current form, the paragraph comes a bit from left field for the reader. [LD3]You can include this in your results, but I don’t think it is on par with your other questions, so it does not need to be included here. [LD4]Not sure how to edit this, but a little less clear than earlier descriptions. [EW5]Describe the categories [LD6] We can discuss. [EW7]One decimal place for percentage and number Two decimal places for SD and SE [EW8]Add the sentence stating the likelihood, odd ratios and confidence intervals [LD9]Logistic regression? [EW10]Maybe I can delete it [LD11]Add the actual rates to this sentence. [EW12]Should I add some more details? [LD13] [EW14]Decide whether to delete it or put it in the result part [LD15] [LD16]

JP Morgan Essay -- essays papers

JP Morgan John Pierpont Morgan is considered one of the founding fathers of the modern United States economy. He was an industrial genius that is accredited with the founding of many companies including General Electric and AT&T. However, Pierpont is looked upon as a saint and demon the same. He received a honorary degree from Harvard university that read: "Public citizen, patron of literature and art, prince among merchants, who by his skill, wisdom and courage, has twice in times of stress repelled a national danger of financial panic." But Robert LaFollette, the Wisconsin progressive, saw him as "a beefy, red-faced thick-necked financial bully, drunk with wealth and power." Despite conflicting opinion on his persona, his influence and character shaped the business world more so than any other person at the turn of the century. Morgan was a banker, railroad czar, industrialist, financier, philanthropist, yachtsman, and ladies' man. He was king to a handful of millionaire barons who contro lled the country's wealth in an era of little government regulation. The wealth of the Morgan family did not begin with Pierpont but with his grandfather Joseph Morgan. Joseph prospered as a hotelkeeper in Hartford, Connecticut. He helped to organize a canal company, steamboat lines and the new railroad that connected Hartford with Springfield. Finally he became one of the founders of the Aetna Fire Insurance Company. Joseph's first son was Junius Spencer Morgan, also destined for the life of a businessman. He spent a number of years as a dry-goods merchant before moving to Boston and into the foreign trade business. Junius was invited to join the firm of George Peabody & Co. in 1854. In 1864 Junius took over the Peabody Company and changed the name to J.S. Morgan & Co. John Pierpont Morgan was born on April 17, 1837 in Hartford, Connecticut. He was nicknamed "Pip" by his childhood friends. The family prospered in Hartford until Junius moved the family to Boston where Pip began Boston English High. He did well in the prestigious high school and then in his second high school in Vevey, Switzerland. The family moved to London and John transferred to the University of Gottingen in Germany. John continued to excel in his studies and majored in mathematics. He began to become interested in business affairs as he started and investing club amongst his friends and... ...l Company, the National Tube Company and the American Bridge Company. One of Morgan's most famous business deals was the formation of the United States Steel Corporation in 1901. Morgan collaborated with Elbert Gary and John Gates to consolidate different steel companies to form a "supercombination." The U.S Steel Corporation was Bibliography: Allen, Frederick Lewis. The Great Pierpont Morgan. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1949. Grant, Peter. "The Giant J.P. Morgan and The Panic of 1907." The New York Daily News 20 Mar. 1998: 49 "J. P. Morgan". Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Charles Scribners and Sons, 1934. Vol. 7 "J. P. Morgan". International Directory of Company Histories. Chicago: St. James's Publishing, 1990. Vol. 2 Mooney, Richard. "Banker of America." The Boston Globe 4 Apr. 1999: L1 "Powerful house of Morgan Changes with the Times." The San Diego Union-Tribune 24 Feb. 1986: 18 Sinclair, Andrew. Corsair: The Life of J. Pierpont Morgan. Toronto: Little, Brown and Company, 1981. Strouse, Jean. Morgan: American Financier. New York: Random House, 1999. Winkler, John. Morgan the Magnificent. New York: Garden City Publishing, 1930. www.jpmorgan.com

Very Short Wedding Toasts :: Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeches

Very Short Wedding Toasts The Light that Shines There is a light that shines beyond the heavens; this is the light that shines in your heart when you are in love. "May you have warmth in your igloo, oil in your lamp and peace in your heart!" ~Eskimo Proverb The Days of your Life May you live all the days of your life. — Jonathan Swift From this Day Forward May the face of every good news, And the back of every bad news, Be toward you, From this day forward. No Sorrow May the goblets of life hold no dregs of sorrow. Happy Endings I love weddings. They are where strange tales begin and happy endings are possible. Your Grandchildren’s Hair May I see you grey And combing your grandchildren’s hair. Your Right Hand May your right hand always Be stretched out in friendship And never in want. Luck Always remember, if you’re enough lucky to be married to _______, then you’re lucky enough! Misfortune May misfortune follow you the rest of your life, but never catch up. Mountain Girl Marry a mountain girl and you marry the whole mountain. The Bannister of Life As you and your wife slide down the bannister of life, May the splinters never point the wrong way. Your Laugh May your laugh, your love and your wine be plenty, thus your happiness will be nothing less. Your Enemies, Enemies. May God bless and keep in good health your enemies, enemies.

Hamlet †What Makes Polonius Indispensable? :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Hamlet – What Makes Polonius Indispensable?      Ã‚  Ã‚   Polonius, father to Laertes and Ophelia in the Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet, is vitally important to this play. Without his involvement there would be something seriously lacking. Let us dwell on the lord chamberlain in this essay.    In â€Å"Tragic Alphabet† Lawrence Danson explains Polonius’ use of â€Å"lie-detector† acting:    For the lie-detector use of acting is one we see much of in Hamlet, and though it shares certain characteristics with Hamlet’s use of acting, it is decisively not the same. Polonius is the great master of it – of using, that is, the indirection or downright falseness of acting to discover a truth. Polonius was in his time an amateur actor himself; appropriately, he played Caesar and was killed in the capitol. But we now see Polonius either as a theater critic (and it is a flat sort of criticism he practices, multiplying rigid categories while demanding that he be kept entertained), or as a director – of Laertes, Reynaldo, Ophelia, Gertrude. To each he recommends the use of seeming: in the case of Laertes it is to be nothing short of a life-style, but with the others it is specifically a means for getting at a hidden truth. (83)    In the Introduction to Twentieth Century Interpretations of Hamlet, David Bevington presents Polonius as similar to Hamlet in various ways:    Polonius, his [Hamlet’s] seeming opposite in so many ways, is, like Hamlet, an inveterate punster. To whom else but Polonius should Hamlet direct the taunt of â€Å"Words, words, words†? The aged counselor recalls that in his youth he â€Å"suffered much extremity for love, very near this,† and he has been an actor at the university. Polonius too has advice for the players: â€Å"Seneca cannot be too heavy, nor Plautus too light.† When Hamlet jibes at â€Å"so capital a calf† enacting Julius Caesar, killed in the Capitol, he reinforces the parallel to his own playacting and anticipates the slaying of Polonius behind the arras. (4)    Polonius’ entry into the play occurs at the social get-together of the royal court. Claudius has already been crowned; Queen Gertrude is there; Hamlet is present in the black clothes of mourning. When Laertes approaches Claudius to give his farewell before returning to school, the king asks Polonius: â€Å"Have you your father's leave? What says Polonius?† And the father dutifully answers:   

Essay on video games violence Essay

The gaming industry greatly impacts how people, from young children to adults, spend their time. According to Health Magazine (2009), â€Å"90 percent of kids aged 8 to 16 play video games, and they spend about 13 hours per week doing so (more if you’re a boy). † Whether its educational, or just plain fun and entertainment video games have evolved greatly in the last 40 years. Today’s sophisticated games are in a class of it’s own with it’s realism and impressive graphics. With this ever advancing technology, comes better games with realistic situations. There’s no harm in playing video games for recreation. However, the problem lies within the violent video games and the aggression that these video games cause in children. For years researchers and experts have issued studies linking video games to aggressive behavior. It’s a controversial subject, nonetheless, it shows just how powerful the affect the games have on children. To illustrate, CBSnews. com reports a story of a 17 year who bought the popular game, â€Å"Grand Theft Auto†. In this game, the player is encouraged to do as much illegal activity and engage in as much violent behavior as they can to be rewarded with accolades and higher points. The more heinous the act, the higher you move up in the game. After playing this game for nine months, the 17 year old gunned down three men, two police officers and a dispatcher in a county jail, in the same style he was trained from the video game. In the kids statement to police, he said : â€Å"Life is like a video game. Everybody’s got to die sometime. † This is just one example of aggressive behavior as a result of violent video games, but there are many more cases. Children’s minds are very impressionable, and violent video games are harmful to their minds because of how interactive and realistic these games can be. According to research by child psychologist David Walsh, as further reported in the article, violent video games can be linked to physical aggressive behavior in children because of the brain. His study revealed that the teenage brain is not fully developed. Violent video games have a deeper impact on a teenage brain versus an adult brain. Walsh further states, it’s â€Å"largely because the teenage brain is different from the adult brain. The impulse control center of the brain, the part of the brain that enables us to think ahead, consider consequences, manage urges — that’s the part of the brain right behind our forehead called the prefrontal cortex. That’s under construction during the teenage years. In fact, the wiring of that is not completed until the early 20s. † Therefore, since children’s mind are still underdeveloped, violent video games have a negative effect and cause children to believe aggression is appropriate. From the National Institute on Media and Family, six medical groups issue warnings as to the effects that violence has on children: (1) â€Å"Children will increase anti-social and aggressive behavior. (2)Children may become less sensitive to violence and those who suffer from violence. (3) Children may view the world as violent and mean, becoming more fearful of being a victim of violence. (4) Children will desire to see more violence in entertainment and real life. (5) Children will view violence as an acceptable way to settle conflicts. † From studies to real life examples of violent behavior, video games has shown to have an influence on children’s behavior. Violent video games will not be going away anytime soon. The only solution to combat the issue of violent video games is for parents to be actively involved in their children’s free time and take an interest in what their children play. Once parents are informed on their decisions to allow their children to play violent video games, they will know that if choosing violence, it will have an effect on the impressionable child mind.Parents beware. References Harding, A. (2008). Violent video games linked to child aggression. Health Magazine. Retrieved from http://www. cnn. com/2008/HEALTH/family/11/03/healthmag. violent. video. kids/ Bradley, E. (2005). Can a video game train someone to kill? Retrieved from http://www. cbsnews. com/stories/2005/03/04/60minutes/main678261. shtml 2010. Fact Sheet. National Institute on Media and the Family. Retrieved from http://www. mediafamily. org/facts/facts_vlent. shtml.

Role of Human Capital in New Ventures

ROLE OF HUMAN CAPITAL IN NEW VENTURES 1. INTRODUCTION With the increase in the rise of entrepreneurial ventures, it is necessary to understand the factors that determine success or failure of these ventures. One of such factors that have been considered by researchers is human capital (Bruderl, Preisendorfer and Ziegler, 1992). This report considers the function of the human capital element in a startup business.Based on a collation and analysis of previous research works on human capital in the entrepreneurial field, it was discovered that the various aspects of founder’s human capital have a role to play in attracting venture capital and improving the performance of the venture. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 2. 1 Human Capital Human capital refers to the skills, abilities, knowledge acquired through work and educational experiences (Baron and Shane, 2008).The concept of human capital has been underpinned by several theories among which the theory of entrepreneurship, resource-based t heory and human capital theory and these theories would be discussed. The theory of entrepreneurship places emphasis on the fact that the entrepreneur has the responsibility of decision making (Casson, 2005). Thus, the entrepreneur is to analyse relevant information which would be used in making business decisions (Ganotakis, 2012). The recognition of markets for the products and services are part of the decisions to be made and would therefore determine a firm’s progress and accomplishment.Casson (2005) further argues that entrepreneurs need to have the right professional skills and work experience as it is these competencies would impact upon performance. The resource based theory (RBT) places value on resources which is argued to be a source of competitive advantage for the firm (Barney, 1991). Human capital is identified as one of such resources. In particular, Barney (1991) argues that a firm’s management team can be indispensable, rare and imperfectly imitable an d has the capacity for producing a perpetual competitive advantage.Alvarez and Busenitz (2001) examine the relationship between RBT and entrepreneurship. They suggest that entrepreneurship necessitates the founder’s cognizance of opportunities, the ability to obtain the resources to utilize the opportunities and the ability of the firm to fuse homogenous inputs into heterogeneous outputs. They further identified that entrepreneurial awareness, perception, knowledge and the ability to organise resources as resources in their own right. These two theories therefore place significance on the capabilities and resources of the entrepreneur.A theoretical foundation of how these capabilities can be measured is provided by human capital theory which was pioneered by Becker in 1964. The theory implies that an individual’s human capital is the skills and knowledge that can be of use to an organization and as such, employees’ salaries/wages was viewed as a return on the in vestment in human capital. The theory provides claims that the entrepreneurial team who have more experience tend to perform much better than those with less experience (Shrader and Siegel, 2007).This theory categorises the characteristics of an entrepreneur into general and specific human capital. 2. 1. 1 General Human Capital General human capital refers to skills acquired through formal education, training and work experience which can be transferred to other jobs in the market. The educational level of founders has been considered to be vital for a firm’s performance (Ganotakis, 2012). Education can provide the entrepreneur with a professional foundation and greater self-assurance as it is supposed to provide scenarios which encourage creativity and problem-solving ability.However, other results showed a negative relationship with growth and performance (Haber and Reichel, 2007; Bosma et al, 2004 ; Dichon, Menzies and Gasse, 2008). According to Deakins (2005), education d oes not influence growth but it may assist in making critical decisions. As such, education could be assumed to be more important for younger entrepreneurs who may not have a lot of experience. It is argued by Shrader and Siegel (2007) that the experience of the founders would aid them in making informed choices. Experience is also seen to influence business ideas and increase efficiency (Deakins, 2005).In contrast, some research works have also found negative relationships between work experience and firm formation and also performance (Ganotakis, 2012; Diochon, Menzies and Gasse, 2008). Ganotakis (2012), claims that this could be as a result of an over-confidence of the founders in their knowledge restraining them from gathering more information. 2. 1. 2 Specific Human Capital These are those skills which are specific to a particular work context and thus it might not be transferred to other professions. As such, these skills can assist the entrepreneur directly with managing the new venture (Ganotakis, 2012).These include entrepreneurial experience, industry-specific experience, managerial capabilities and technical experience. Industry specific experience has been found to have a positive effect on performance and the development of new ventures (Bosma et al, 2004; Dimov, 2010; Gimmon and Levie, 2009). Capelleras et al (2010), claim that this experience positively impacts the creation of ventures, but has little influence on their growth. It is believed that founders with the same sector experience would have a better knowledge of the opportunities and can benefit from past business ties.Entrepreneurship specific experience implies that the entrepreneur should have a previous experience in starting a business, running a company or having membership of an entrepreneurial association (Bosma et al, 2004; Baron and Shane, 2008). This experience does not have a direct effect on new venture growth but can aid in the pursuit of opportunities (Dimov, 2010). Manage rial experience is usually linked with the ability to organise resources and make strategic decisions (Ganotakis, 2012). It has been found that there is a positive relationship between managerial experience and performance (Ganotakis, 2012; Gimmon and Levie, 2009).However, Deakins (2005) believes that those with prior managerial experience may have a higher level of income they desire and may be unlikely to set up their own business as there is an uncertainty of a constant income flow especially at the gestation stages of the venture. Technical experience is gained in a specialised field or profession. Though Shrader and Siegel (2007) placed emphasis on this experience as useful in strategy implementation, research carried out by Ganotakis (2012) revealed that technical experience did not have a positive effect on performance.Thus, such experience should be accompanied by managerial experience. 2. 2 Human Capital and the Entrepreneurial Venture The theoretical background and explana tion of key concepts above has provided an insight into the subject of human capital. From literature, the importance of human capital is highlighted and three roles of human capital in an entrepreneurial venture can be identified and these would be explored for this purpose of this paper. Firstly, human capital can enhance in making and executing strategic decisions.Secondly, human capital can improve the performance of the new venture. Bruderl, Preisendorfer and Ziegler (1992) argue that better human capital increases the ability of the firm to attract customers and capital. From this, a third role can be identified which is human capital can enhance venture financing. These would be discussed in relation to past research and relevant theories. 3. METHODOLOGY The research was carried out by reviewing and analysing past research works on the topic of human capital as it relates to entrepreneurial ventures.The selection criteria for the resource materials used were peer-reviewed sch olarly journal articles. The time frame selected was from 2000 to 2012. This criterion was used so as to get reliable and up-to date information on the subject matter. 4. DISCUSSION This section explores the three factors identified in the foregoing. Decision making is very vital to a new venture. The success of a firm depends on the decisions made. The strategies adopted by a firm would reflect its competencies and would determine its competitive advantage which is line with resource-based and theory of entrepreneurship.Industry specific and technical experience of the founding team is argued to be valuable in the formulation and implementation of strategies and as such, they can make more informed decisions (Shrader and Siegel, 2007). These aspects of human capital could enhance decision making as knowledge of the market and industry would imply that the founder(s) is conversant with the process of gathering the relevant information. This experience is likely to lead to faster dec ision making (Forbes, 2005). Managerial capabilities could also be said to influence decision making as the entrepreneur would have experience n managing a firm and identifying appropriate markets (Ganotakis, 2012). It is crucial for new ventures to acquire financing for their operations at the start of the business. A higher human capital has been believed to attract capital (Bruderl, Preisendorfer and Ziegler, 1992; Baum and Silverman, 2004). In particular high educational qualifications can give signals to venture capital investors (Behrens et al, 2012). The reason for this may be that the investors believe that the founders can use their educational knowledge in managing the company and therefore they judge that their prospects are better.Seghers, Manigart and Vanacker (2012) also found out that business education and prior experience in accounting and finance increases a founder’s knowledge of financing alternatives. As such, the founder is able to access different sourc es of funding based on such knowledge. Another factor that affects venture financing is the social network ties the founder has (Zhang et al, 2012). Such networks would enable the founding team encounter people who could give them the required funding. Industry-specific experience is also vital in developing broad networks.Investments in human capital are widely believed to impact performance (Unger et al, 2011; Bosma et al, 2004; Rauch, Frese and Utsch, 2011; Bruderl, Preisendorfer and Ziegler, 1992). An investment in industry specific and entrepreneurial experience increases the chances of success for a new venture. Entrepreneurship specific experience positively affects the profitability of the firm as the founder has acquired skills from previously owning a business and would be able to use these skills effectively in the new venture (Bosma et al, 2004).However, the research carried out by Haber and Reichel (2007) on high tech industries, highlights that education and previous e xperience had no effect on performance. As such, it may be argued that technical experience is more relevant to industries which use a more advanced technology as they require a high level of expertise and technical knowledge but as Ganotakis (2012) highlighted, technical experience should be complemented with managerial skills. Business education and management capability is thus very significant for the sustainability and survival of new ventures (Gimmon and Levies, 2009).Drawing on all that has been discussed, human capital characteristics especially industry specific and business skills would help in making more efficient strategic decisions which would also influence the venture performance. Business and finance skills could increase access to finance and good management of finance is crucial to profitability. Also, the social networks the founder has would enable him access finance and tap into knowledge of others which could affect the firm’s prospects. 5. CONCLUSION T his report examines the importance of human capital to the new venture.The contribution of this study is that it explored the effect of general and specific human capital attributes on the performance of new ventures, venture financing and strategic decision making based on review of past research works. An interesting finding is that industry-specific experience as opposed to general experience and managerial experience are found to play a major role in all three areas while education seems to be least relevant to decision making and performance but quite vital in attracting investors.The implications to prospective entrepreneurs are that they should enhance their business, managerial and commercial skills as this is vital to the survival of new ventures. Also, it is necessary for them to use their present organisation positions to build network ties as this can enable them tap into knowledge and gain access to finance. This study is limited as it focused on a narrow range of past research works and not only all human capital characteristics were considered. Future research should focus more on the impact of the all aspects of human capital most especially on strategic decision making.A meta-analysis of a wide range of research works could also be carried out. PERSONAL REFLECTION STATEMENT Entrepreneurship is an interesting subject and the reason for this is that at the core of entrepreneurship is the fact that something new is involved. It could be a new market or a new product. It generally involves starting a new business venture. I understood that in starting a new business venture, one of the first things to consider is the opportunities available. Opportunities arise from the environment and in this age, quite a number of them arise from advances in technology.It is necessary to consider the market for the product or service as for a product to sell in the market; it has to meet individual, societal or business needs. It is useful to take into considera tion the competitors that are currently there. Some ventures can be pushed out of the market by other stronger companies such as monopolies particularly in a mature market. One of the concepts I have come to appreciate is the personality of the entrepreneur. Firstly, entrepreneurs are risk takers.They are very determined and spontaneous individuals who are passion and vision driven. They require intelligence both practical and social. They should be social beings and have the ability to persuade others to commit to the venture. If a team of entrepreneurs wish to come together to create a new venture, they must have complementary skills and must be compatible. An entrepreneur would have to consider if there is a need to hire a few staff. They can take advantage of the opportunities that social networking presents in getting useful personnel and contacts.I learnt that finance is also a very important factor as one could start a business out of a brilliant opportunity and experience fi nancial shortages. An entrepreneur would need to consider if he has enough funding from the planning stage and actually taking the product to the market through to the product development. Also, there is the need to consider if the business would be profitable because many people start new ventures based on great ideas and inventions with delusions of grandeur without seeing the â€Å"business† in the ideas.There are some concepts that are particularly fascinating. One of which is the concept of effectual reasoning which opposes the usual entrepreneurship process and implies that entrepreneurs do not always have a predetermined goal but the goals are dependent on the resources available to them. This course was enlightening and transcends beyond just starting a new ventures. There are implications for me as a future manager because I am motivated to find new ways of solving problems and exploring opportunities that surround my organization.The concepts of business strategies and maintaining a competitive advantage are important not only in entrepreneurial startups but in other areas of business. Now I appreciate people as a crucial resource for both entrepreneur ventures and a rich source for identifying new markets, new processes, new ideas, new opportunities, new product that will lead to new and improved levels of productivity. References: Alvarez, S. A. and Busenitz, L. W. (2001) â€Å"The entrepreneurship of resource-based theory†, Journal of Management, vol. 7, no. 6, pp. 755. Barney, J. (1991) â€Å"Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage†, Journal of Management, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 99. Baron, A. and Shane, S. (2008) Entrepreneurship A Process Perspective 2nd edn. South-Western Cengage Learning. Baum, J. A. C. and Silverman, B. S. (2004) â€Å"Picking winners or building them? Alliance, intellectual, and human capital as selection criteria in venture financing and performance of biotechnology startups†, Journal of Business Venturing, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 411. Behrens, J. Patzelt, H. , Schweizer, L. and Burger, R. (2012) â€Å"Specific managerial human capital, firm age, and venture capital financing of biopharmaceutical ventures: A contingency approach†, Journal of High Technology Management Research, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 112-121. Bosma, N. , van Praag, M. , Thurik, R. and de Wit, G. (2004) â€Å"The Value of Human and Social Capital Investments for the Business Performance of Startups†, Small Business Economics, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 227-236. Bruderl, J. , Preisendorfer, P. and Ziegler, R. 1992) â€Å"Survival Chances of Newly Founded Business Organizations†, American Sociological Review, vol. 57, no. 2, pp. 227-242. Capelleras, J. , Greene, F. J. , Kantis, H. and Rabetino, R. (2010) â€Å"Venture Creation Speed and Subsequent Growth: Evidence from South America†, Journal of Small Business Management, vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 302-324. Casson, M. (2005) â€Å"Entrepreneurs hip and the theory of the firm†, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, vol. 58, no. 2, pp. 327-348. Deakins, D. (2005) Entrepreneurship and small firms 4th edn. McGraw-Hill Education.Dimov, D. (2010) â€Å"Nascent Entrepreneurs and Venture Emergence: Opportunity Confidence, Human Capital, and Early Planning†, Journal of Management Studies, vol. 47, no. 6, pp. 1123-1153. Diochon, M. , Menzies, T. V. and Gasse, Y. (2008) â€Å"Exploring the Nature and Impact of Gestation-Specific Human Capital among Nascent Entrepreneurs†, Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 151-165. Forbes, D. P. (2005) â€Å"Managerial Determinants of Decision Speed in New Ventures†, Strategic Management Journal, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 355-366.Ganotakis, P. (2012) â€Å"Founders' human capital and the performance of UK new technology based firms†, Small Business Economics, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 495-515. Gimmon, E. and Levie, J. (2009) â€Å"Instrumental Value Theory and the Human Capital of Entrepreneurs†, Journal of Economic Issues (M. E. Sharpe Inc. ), vol. 43, no. 3, pp. 715-732. Haber, S. and Reichel, A. (2007) â€Å"The cumulative nature of the entrepreneurial process: The contribution of human capital, planning and environment resources to small venture performance†, Journal of Business Venturing, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 119-145. Rauch, A. , Frese, M. and Utsch, A. (2005) â€Å"Effects of Human Capital and Long-Term Human Resources Development and Utilization on Employment Growth of Small-Scale Businesses: A Causal Analysis†, Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice, vol. 29, no. 6, pp. 681-698. Seghers, A. , Manigart, S. and Vanacker, T. (2012) â€Å"The Impact of Human and Social Capital on Entrepreneurs' Knowledge of Finance Alternatives†, Journal of Small Business Management, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 63-86. Shrader, R. and Siegel, D. S. 2007) â€Å"Assessing the Relationship between Human Capital and Firm Pe rformance: Evidence from Technology-Based New Ventures†, Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice, vol. 31, no. 6, pp. 893-908. Unger, J. M. , Rauch, A. , Frese, M. and Rosenbusch, N. 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