Automotive Industry and Porsche Production Line

Shona L. Thomas- Porsche Case Study 1. ) General Environment Factors for Porsche: A. ) Demographic segment for Porsche is Age and Income distribution. Porsche target age is group is consumers is male over the age of 40 in addition to an average income of 180k a year. That has a positive effect on this segment because they have defined their niche audience that best responds to their line of cars. B. ) Political and Legal segment directly affects the future production of Porsche vehicles with regulatory gas mileage requirements and EPA guidelines.If the 2020 CAFE plan is implemented in North America Porsche will not be able to sell cars in North America. Political issues and governmental decisions affect the development of the local economy as for example the increase of oil prices during the Iraq war and the drop of the dollar compared to other currencies, they can also have an influence on sales in the automotive industry. This is a negative effect as the VW sales group has laid a p lan to exceed GM and Toyota in sells by 2018 but with pending EPA guidelines this may create a definite challenge.C. ) Technological segment for Porsche is leading in product innovation, factory applications and knowledge. Porsche production line has the ability to manufacture two cars seamlessly at the same time without losing any production time or driving cost up. Their technology is a positive and is evident because they offer consulting services to competitive and noncompetitive automobile companies. 2. ) Porsche brand is so strong and unique that the only two forces I can thoroughly support are Threat of new entrants and bargaining power of Buyers. A. Porsche has a threat of new entrants due to automobile manufacturers such as BMW, Nissan and GM. However Porsche has product differentiation and Capital Investments. Porsche is also known for prestige, variety of Porsche emblems and its full line up. Consequently BMW, Nissan and GM have all produced one or two comparable cars. B. ) Bargaining power of Buyers is relevant because due to recent economic recessions internationally the price point of Porsches automobiles they followed suit of other competing luxury brands and released more affordable automobiles such as the Cayenne.The production of the Cayenne set record sales for Porsche. Therefore this is a high force. 3. ) The two major competitors of Porsche are BWW and Audi. BMW as designed models such the Z4 and Audi has designed models such as the R8 to compete with Porsche's Cayman and Boxter. Prices points on both models are within the same range as the aforementioned Porsche brands. These two models (BMW and Audi) both have competitive points in regards to engineering, exclusivity and service.The future actions of BMW and Audi that show evidence competitive activity is both automobile companies are creating a more modern design which is attracting more consumers, more drive power options for an economical price and puts luxury and comfort versus Porsc he sports then luxury. 4. ) The most important Value Chain areas for Porsche are: A. ) Management Information Systems- Joint venture with MHO has led to awards such as Silver Partner service and SAP Channel Partner Gold. The performance and oriented approach allows Porsche to consistently implement new design, technologies and functionalities.Porsche at purchased ownership in MHP and later purchased a controlling share which lead to new business techniques and technologies. The MIS has created sustainable competitive advantage through superior operating performances and the ability to respond with flexibility and quickly to changes in technology. They are superior to each competitor as they do not patent their technological gains but allows others to copy. B. ) Supply Chain Management: Porsche SAP technology Leipzig has created a seamless distribution in logistics. Within the same plant, the two models, Panamera and Cayenne can be built simultaneously.Each model requires a high degr ee of integration and cooperation with other Porsche plants. As parts are delivered every hour, the flows of goods are real-time. No inventories, any waiting times, but the highest degree of precision and flexibility. Even if faced with a change on short notice, production will be able to stay in synch. Porsche is the leading manufacturer in the world and is superior to all other competitors for the aforementioned reasons. C. ) Marketing and Sales: In 2011 VW group inclusive of Porsche and other brands ranked number 3 in the world trailing Toyota and GM.However in Europe the VW group leads sales amongst competitors. Porsche relates their increase in marketing and sales to the CRM processes in SAP. All systems are originated in German but the data is also shared North America as well as Canada. North America and Canada represents the biggest market for the car manufacturer almost 40 percent of all luxury cars are sold there. The second reason is that the orientation of the pilot proj ect toward a non-German market prevented a focus that can be considered too German influenced. 5. The most significant financial and nonfinancial factors for Porsche are: Return on investments. Three Porsche product lines – the 911, the Boxster, and the Cayenne has had high operating margins compared to nearly any other major automobile manufacturer. The two newer product lines, the Boxster and Cayenne, had both been launched with the capital and technology from its other lines of cars. The Porsche Boxster was manufactured by Valmet of Finland under a licensed manufacturing agreement allowed Porsche to use means of financial support.Valmet owns its own factory and tools, and builds the Boxster for Porsche. This reduces the capital Porsche needs to support its own business significantly. The Porsche Cayenne was co-manufactured with Volkswagen. The Cayenne was assembled on the same production line as the Volkswagen Touareg therefore reducing the required capital to support Pors che’s business. 6. ) The strength is that Porsche has a high brand presence and reputation across the globe. Porsche preferred consumers are wage earners in excess of 250k. Few car models are available but it has a wide range of variants.They have built a trust worthy brand that has international recognition in the domestic as well as racing industry. A weakness of Porsche is that it lacks presence in the middle income segment which is the fastest growing of all classes. The cars have very high maintenance and running cost in an extremely luxury car market. The opportunities that Porsche has it that they can capitalize on its exclusivity and increase sales. They also have a sector of the company that has first class technology that will give them a competitive edge on future generation and concept cars.In addition to increased manufacturing facilities and distribution as well as a servicing network. The threats that face Porsche are the Governmental policies in some countries especially North America. The looming recession this may decrease purchasing power and the intense competition from automobile leaders. The top three competitors are BMW, Audi and Mercedes Benz. 7. ) The major competitive advantages of Porsche using VRIN are The most valuable capital this company has is its loyal customers with their sense of Porsche responsibility. The most aluable support for this company is its work force, technology and its tradition of outstanding performance. (Parity producing because other companies can re-evaluate their customer relations and change the scope of employees to gain the loyalty and recognition that Porsche has. ) Porsche is rare because the cars have a virtually untarnished reputation and are considered among the finest performance vehicles in the world. (Temporary competitive advantage because they BMW and Audi have models that compete with Porsche vehicles. ) Porsche technology is costly to imitate.Porsche has become a leader in automobile m anufacturing and advanced technology that has led to winning Performance awards. Therefore allowing Porsche to consistently implement new design, technologies and functionalities. (Sustainable competitive advantage because Porsche provides consulting to automobile manufacturers and have not patent protected their technological advances; therefore companies rely on them for the most up to date technology) Porsche is nonsubstitutable because lineup is quite broad for a specialty automaker and now even includes a luxury super sport sedan, the Panamera.Throughout its history, Porsche has exhibited amazing resilience, weathering changes in consumer tastes and the economic climate. (Competitive Advantage is the brand name. ) 8. ) Porsche uses Corporate Strategy. The overall scope and direction is to diversify business operations, further advance technology and work together to achieve particular goals. As part of its corporate strategy for 2018, Porsche wants to double its vehicle sales a nd increase its presence in the individual markets. This growth strategy is to increase the workforce by 50 % from its present level of 14,000 worldwide.Porsche is creating wide-ranging electric mobility vehicles in Germany and has launched the roll-out of three electric-powered Boxter cars. Electro mobility is one of the central challenges of the coming years. The engineers at Porsche want to contribute something in their usual high-performance way to meet the challenge. 9. ) 7s Implementation factors that are the most important is: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Strategy: plan to gain a sustainable advantage over the competition (BMW and Audi) 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Structure: how people and tasks are rganized (Consulting and Automobile division) 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Systems: processes and procedures that are currently in place (Manufacturing plants) 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Style: leadership style (Brand imaging) 5)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Staff: employees and their gener al capabilities (ongoing training) 6)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Skills: competencies and skills of the employees (ongoing training) 7)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shared Values: culture, beliefs, values and traditions (Mission statement) 10. ) Two questions:Do you think Porsche will meet the CAFE requirements for 2018 or will they actually stop selling cars in North America? How will that affect the American Porsche consumer? Cadillac has now developed and launched a car that has a Ferrari engine how will that compare or will it compete with the Porsche Panamera? How will new entrants such as American based cars that is adding technology comparable to Porsche affect future market opportunity and ,undecided target consumers?

Pancreatitis Medical Report Essay

Mr. Tabouya was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis and Pancreas Divisum at birth. These diseases have caused the patient to have Gallstones which were found and removed by ERCP 2 years ago. During the administering of the procedure the physician discovered the patient to have a pancreatic pseudocyst. The treatment for this condition was drainage with an endoscope. The onset of Hypertension (high blood pressure) was detected in the patient 5 years ago and he has been taking Furosemide (lasix) since the detection. He has also been taking Azathioprine for help with his weak immune system and to aid his rheumatoid arthritis. The patient’s history also shows low levels of triglyceride and was diagnosed with Hypertriglyceridemia, and has a severe case of pancreatitis. The patient may have a history of alcoholism. Due to the patient being obese, blood tests were ordered and the findings of elevated levels of lipids and too much calcium were noticed. Therefore the diagnosis of hyperlipidemia and a reasonable recognition of hypercalcemia were established. Because of the new and pre-existing conditions another blood test was ordered to check the insulin levels. We determined there was a decreased level of insulin, along with a small increased level of blood amylase which is parallel to the lipase prognosis. This led us to the conclusion that the patient is suffering from severe pancreatitis. While using a Stethoscope to listen to the abdomen, the physician noticed no bowel sounds. After an abdominal CT scan was performed the patient was diagnosed with critical pancreatitis. Feasible complications involve infection in the pancreas and the onset of type II diabetes. Physician recommended a low fat diet, and prescribed oral pancreatic enzymes to help with the digestion process as well as insulin to regulate his blood sugar along with abstinence of alcohol. Surgery was mentioned to return the drainage of the pancreatic discharges.

The Syntel Success Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Syntel Success - Case Study Example It makes continuous efforts to reap the benefits of new delivery models. Their objective is equally stressed upon in every single Syntel branches in the US as well as in offshore locations. Collaborative environments, excellent use of technologies in business intelligence and warehousing of data, skilled workforce, the strong network of sales and marketing has contributed to success quotient of Syntel for years in international markets. But Syntel could have been far more successful if it had not depended so much on North America for labor arbitrages and vendors. Moreover, in recent times, Syntel has focused more on specific groups or pockets of customers, which is not a wise decision keeping in mind the level of competition in present times. The success of Syntel is due to its development and expansion in IT and healthcare industries as well as worldwide IT- spending. The cultural outlook of US has further helped in the expansion of Syntel. The economic system of Syntel supports an integrated research environment. Besides being one the most developed countries US is also one of the leading countries which have strong IT systems. Thus, being an organization of US, Syntel was blessed with an added advantage over its other competitors across the world. Syntel gets full support of good infrastructure that is used in all parts of US. Its partners include Microsoft, Numerix, SAP, TriZetto, and Global Analytics. Its clients include Pharmaceutical Organizations like CRO, CMO, etc. Syntel is known for providing quality service to more than 2000 customers across the globe on a daily basis. To satisfy its customers, it makes use of latest innovations and technologies which are provided distinctness by experts and professionals of S yntel. What has made Syntel a success, is its comparatively flexible and custom-made procedure of IT and KPO.  

Consumer Protection Sale of Goods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Consumer Protection Sale of Goods - Essay Example Upon seeing the advertisement in the Old Castle newspaper regarding the racquet, which read: " This is a fantastic new tennis racquet specially designed for beginners. Its unique anti-scratch finish means that however many times you knock it, scratch it, drop it, the scratches will not show. Your racquet will look as good as a new after many years of use. are implied in a contract of sale: the goods much match the description; the condition of the goods must be satisfactory; there must be satisfactory quality; and lastly, the good must be 'reasonably fit' for the purpose for which the consumer is buying them.1 Each of these terms must conform to the contract of sale. In this case Jim had, upon joining the Old Castle Racquets Club (hereafter, ORC) and seeing the advertisement, decided to purchase the SS after paying his yearly fee of 200 to ORC and signing up for a sex week period of tennis lessons at a price of 120. Completing his transactions at ORC Jim immediately went to Old Castle Sports and Leisure (hereafter, OSL) and purchased a SS racquet for 250, paying in cash. Jim's dissatisfaction arose when after only several weeks of using the SS, contrary to the advertisement's assertions and the warranty which came with the SS the surface had become very scratched and by week three the racquet was totally unusable when the handle came off. In determining the remedies available to Jim it is necessary to show that there was a breach of contract which leads us back to the four terms of a contract: description, condition, quality and fitness. In Harlingdon & Leinster Enterprises v Christopher Hull Fine Art Ltd [1991] 1 QB 5642 the court found that "for the sale to be 'by' description the description had to be influential in the sale so as to become an essential term or condition of the contract." In Jim's the case the description (i.e. the advertisement) was an essential reason he purchased the SS as evidenced by his actions and speed with which he viewed the advertisement and the immediately proceeded to OSR to purchase the SS. Also, in Beale v Taylor [1967] 3 All ER 2533 the court found that "the buyer was entitled to damages because, although the description of the goods were not false to the knowledge of either the seller or the buyer, yet fundamentally the seller was selling goods of the description advertised." As i n Jim's case even if the seller (OSL) was unaware that the advertising of the SS was wrong, Jim had purchased the SS based on that description. Satisfactory condition4 is the next term to consider which relates to satisfactory condition.5 Rogers v Parish (Scarborough) Ltd [1987] QB 9336 found that the court upheld that goods unfit7 for use purchased are unmerchantable. As in Jim's case, he purchased an expensive racquet for the sole purpose of taking lesson and playing tennis. The inherent quality issues rendered the SS unmerchantable. In Stevenson v Rogers [1999] 1 All ER 6138 on appeal the court held that

Compare and contrast the values, institutions and actions of the Essay

Compare and contrast the values, institutions and actions of the city-states of Sparta and Athens - Essay Example Athenian citizens had enjoyed strong constitutional rights in political and legal aspects. This made them strong, materially and psychologically, which was envied by many non-citizens and these aspects were not compromised upon for anything else. At the Funeral Oration of Pericles, it was declared that the Greek Constitution was unique in its laws and is an example for others. It is meant for all people of the State and hence is democracy. The laws provide equal justice to all in their private differences; no form of discrimination is allowed based on social status or race and creed and not even by economic status. Any citizen serving the State will not be hindered by the obscurity of his position. This freedom extends from government to ordinary life (Butler, K; 18). Political organizations in Athens and the surrounding cities differed in specific instance conflict, as well as cooperation among groups. Athens was always in a better position than other States and tend to dictate to t he smaller states with which it was in league. Failure to meet Athenian expectations, whether reasonable or unreasonable, sometimes resulted in harsh treatment and other sorts of vindications announced. The impact of Greek concepts spread extensively through the Roman jurisprudence and philosophy, particularly the idea of ‘rights’ that the Greek government had announced. On the other side, Sparta was also admired by the Ancient World for different reasons. It was a military prowess and had a stable political system. Military, in Sparta, was different in that it was strengthened to cause repression of the majority of the internal population instead of defense against external aggression. This is treated as an early example of the conscious creation of state institutions for massive, ongoing repression of the kind Hobbes’ absolutist governor would have to have. Contrast to the Athenian ideology,

The Minoan Cultures Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Minoan Cultures - Assignment Example This evidence shows they had numerous celebrations, ceremonies, rituals to mark a specific event in their religion and festivals. They also suggest that Athena and Aphrodite of the Greeks also stem from the Minoan religion. However, the problem of interpreting such evidence is bound to mislead due to language barriers and meaning are given to specific religious belief. The Minoans and Mycenaeans relate to one another in many ways even though they had certain disparities in their ways of lives, they constantly fought each other rather than uniting but had similarities in that they had spent most of their time sailing in waters, traded around Aegean Sea and were the first few two cultures to sprout in Greece, they had similar poetry and religion since they worshiped in one goddess. In terms of their palaces, the layout and rules regarding them were similar. They also differed in a number of ways such as the Mycenaeans were more focused on weapon making and their military and war-loving who did little for themselves while the Minoans were more artistry, painted, made pots and build boats for trading. The collapse of this two civilization has perplex many and it can be attributed to the natural disasters (climate change) that wreak havoc at around 1600, B. C, during this time an earthquake (tsunami) occurred that is believed to have swept away majority of the Minoans leaving them prone to attack by the Greek soldiers and subsequent defeat. The Persian war in 490-480 was integral to the rise of Athens to be powerful and brought changes in the political climate of Greece. The unity of Sparta and Athens was also greatly influenced by these invasions starting in the time of fear of the Persians while these city-states were constantly against each other, the repulsion of the Persians’ attack by the Athenians gave them a sense of self-worth and prestige, as a result, there were new audacity and political change.

Tourism Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Tourism Development - Essay Example Different languages are spoken. Municipalities also register an inevitable growth and they have to provide transportable roads lighting the roads, similarly and should be committed to provide amenities of international standard to tourism and also for its sustenance. Keeping this aspect in mind the government has to take care of the tourism activities and support all the states of the country. The role of the government is very vast in the case of the tourism since no other private or the third part has the rights or the authority to involve itself into the tourism. Tourism can be developed only when government takes care of the national heritage and the tourist spots. The tourists who visit the country will have faith and will come again only when government takes care of the tourists. Tourism is actually a bilateral and diplomatic relationship between the countries. Tourism can bring success and good future to the country and the role of the government is extensively needed both by the tourists and the people depending on tourists. Large number of tourists bring large foreign currency to the country and there by leveling the import and export. Tourism represents a single economy. Because of tourism there is conspicuous change with the social life industries. One shall meat and come across different rest of different nationals represent at one place. Different sets of different nationals represent diversified cultures; different languages are spoken at one and the same place, and at one and the same time. They come to know each other from a closer proximity. The intimacies develop; relationships pave way for greater understanding. The social pavilion of life is set to rolling. Broader outlook develop into more knowledgeable and understanding environment. There will be a great impact on the urban sociology patterns of life. This can be done only when the government initiates the tourism and takes complete responsibility and responsibility. The world becomes a small place respectively inevitable economical growth, a pleasant knowledge based environment. The world is no bigger, thoughts of seeing the world; the globe on a huge unknown has become so small so much can be felt immensely. T third world, joyous frivolous, sensible, knowledgeable, cultured by urban socialites will cherish. The development may fold big colonies. A lot of big industries and big companies will enter into the market to cater to the needs of the conglomeration. The development shall develop many folds. The economy of the country, government organizations and private sectors will make a rudimental change. Mainly the cities will develop into a small globe with multi faced development in industries and corporate. May be the chief architect of the tourism is to take enormous pairs to create and design the super structure of the third world. Tourism has its own effects on every aspects of technology. Tourism has changed the way urban socialist use to link and express their thoughts. Of course wealth is also acting as a catalyst for the change in the thinking and living of the urban

Markting 3000 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Markting 3000 - Essay Example This paper analyses the different aspects of brand image on the development and implementation of a new product. Branding should be unique and attractive in order to catch the attraction of the customers. Logos or trademarks are important in developing a brand. Logos must reflect the theme of the product we are going to develop. It should not be confusing to the customers. It is not possible to convince the customers by selling high quality products for cheaper rates alone. Low prices, superior quality, great advertising, stunning packaging etc are part of brand development. All these things develop a psychological attraction among customers towards the brand, not the product. Market is overcrowded with millions of products of same and different natures which made the customer’s task more difficult in selecting a suitable product for them. In such circumstances they will put their trust on brands rather than the products. New product developers must keep all the above points in their mind when they planning to develop a product. New product development is a difficult and complex thing for entrepreneurs. The entrepreneur must research thoroughly in the market in order to realize the needs of the customers which were unmet by other suppliers in order to conceptualize the new product development process. In other words, realization of opportunity is the first step in the development of a new product. These opportunities must be analysed thoroughly in order to learn more about the possible success and failure factors of the new product which is going to be developed. If the entrepreneur was confident about the success of the product, then he can start the idea generation process. During this period, he must evaluate different ideas about the production, packaging delivery and marketing of the products which will help him to fix

LANGUAGE, POWER & IDENTITY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

LANGUAGE, POWER & IDENTITY - Essay Example However, countries having English as their first language, owe to protect and preserve it from foreign influences, displaying minor differences at large. Since the dominancy of English with the British World dominance in the 19th Century, the English Language not only progressed but became the language of International Business, Diplomacy and Science. Being the official Language of United Nations and International Olympics Committee, English seems to be the common medium of communication between countries, owing to its effectiveness as a global language. It is estimated to be spoken by 750 million people around the world as their first language. However, the public debate about the English Language’s notion of standards has come into view since the 1980’s. The concern had resulted in the devising of a National Curriculum for English. But the drive for national individuality and integrity has failed to achieve the target as arthrography of every language is dependent on its context, pronunciation and structure. Standard English is notoriously hard to define. The concept and notion of Standard English lacks reference and base. Standard English is associated with authority, discipline and traditional, moral and social order (THOMAS & WAREING, 1999).   It is a form of a dialect, with no local base of reference as to where it is from. Historically, English emerged from the combination of Celtic Language of the Britain inhabitants, which was mixed with the language of the emigrating Angles, Saxons and the Jutes. Hence, it is often taken as the different combinations of the linguistic features. In correct or more conceptual sense, it is taken as a written per formative. Orthography, grammar and vocabulary are chiefly what matter, or they in fact can be the definition of Standard English as different countries where English is chiefly used like U.S, U.K, New Zealand,

Different Types of Credit Cards Essay Example for Free

Different Types of Credit Cards Essay INTRODUCTION In this assignment, I am doing a particular study about the different types of credit cards. A credit card is a payment card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows the cardholder to pay for goods and services based on the holders promise to pay for them. The issuer of the card creates a revolving account and grants a line of credit to the consumer (or the user) from which the user can borrow money for payment to a merchant or as a cash advance to the user. A credit card is different from a charge card: a charge card requires the balance to be paid in full each month. In contrast, credit cards allow the consumers a continuing balance of debt, subject to interest being charged. A credit card also differs from a cash card, which can be used like currency by the owner of the card. A credit card differs from a charge card also in that a credit card typically involves a third-party entity that pays the seller and is reimbursed by the buyer, whereas a charge card simply defers payment by the buyer until a later date. The size of most credit cards is 85.60 Ãâ€" 53.98 mm (33/8 Ãâ€" 21/8 in), conforming to the ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 standard. Credit cards have an embossed bank card number complying with the ISO/IEC 7812 numbering standard. Credit cards Credit cards now are of various types with different fees, interest rates and rewarding programs. When applying for a credit card, it is important to learn of their diverse types to know the one best suited to their lifestyle and financial status. Different types of credit cards available by banks and other companies/organizations are briefly described below. Standard Credit Card: This is the most commonly used. One is allowed to use money up to a certain limit. The account holder has to top up the amount once the level of the balance goes down. An outstanding balance gets a penalty charge. Premium Credit Card: This has a much higher bank account and fees. Incentives are offered in this over and above that in a standard card. Credit card holders are offered travel incentives, reward points, cask back and other rewards on the use of this card. This is also called the Reward Credit Card. Some examples are: airlines frequent flier credit card, cash back credit card, automobile manufacturers rewards credit card. Platinum and Gold, MasterCard and Visa card fall into this category . Secured Credit Card: People without credit history or with tarnished credit can avail this card. A security deposit is required amounting to the same as the credit limit. Revolving balance is required according to the buying and selling done. The cardholder of a secured credit card is still expected to make regular payments, as with a regular credit card, but should they default on a payment, the card issuer has the option of recovering the cost of the purchases paid to the merchants out of the deposit. The advantage of the secured card for an individual with negative or no credit history is that most companies report regularly to the major credit bureaus. This allows building a positive credit history. Although the deposit is in the hands of the credit card issuer as security in the event of default by the consumer, the deposit will not be debited simply for missing one or two payments. Usually the deposit is only used as an offset when the account is closed, either at the request of the customer or due to severe delinquency (150 to 180 days). This means that an account which is less than 150 days delinquent will continue to accrue interest and fees, and could result in a balance which is much higher than the actual credit limit on the card. Limited Purpose Credit Card: There is limitation to its use and is to be used only for particular applications. This is used for establishing small credits such as gas credits and credit at departmental stores. Minimal charges are levied. Charge Credit Card: This requires the card holder to make full payment of the balance every month and therefore there is no limit to credit. Because of the spending flexibility, the card holder is expected to have a higher income level and high credit score. Penalty is incurred if full payment of the balance is not done in time. Specialty Credit Card: It is used for business purposes enabling businessmen to keep their businesses transactions separately in a convenient way. Charge cards and standard cards are available for this. Also, students enrolled in an accredited 4-year college/university course can avail this benefit. Prepaid Credit Card: Here, money is loaded by the card holder on to the card. It is like a debit card except that it is not tied up with a bank account. This is directly connected to savings account. The payments from this card can be made until there is balance in the account. Low Interest Rate Credit Cards: This credit card is highly useful as they will have low interest rates. Business Credit Cards Credit cards that are specifically for business use only. They give the privilege for business owners to have an easy method of keeping and separating personal and business transaction. This credit card is available for businessmen who have large scale, small scale or medium scale business to look after. This card is highly useful for facilitating businessman’s training programs, travel and entertainment programs. Gold Credit Card: Gold credit cards are made for higher income groups who also have higher credit rating. It is a status symbol and is considered prestigious. The features of gold credit cards are: Cash withdrawal limit is higher Credit limit is higher Provides one Add-on card which can be given to either, spouse, children or parents of the credit card holder Provides many privileges such as travel insurance, reward points, cash back offers etc. Platinum or Titanium Card: P latinum or Titanium cards are similar to gold credit cards but they have few more additional benefits. The additional features may differ from bank to bank. Few common features are listed below: Protection against credit card loss and theft. Protection against online fraud transactions Protection against sickness and injury by an accident. There is no yearly fee Silver Credit Card: Silver credit cards are the standard credit cards available and most of the employed people with 4 or 5 years’ experience can own this type of card. The features of silver cards are: Lower membership fees The applicant need not be a high- salaried person to buy silver card. The interest rate is 0% initially between 6-9 months when transferring account balance from one credit provider to another one. If the credit history of the card holder is good, the credit limit provided will be the same as provided to other credit cards. There are many other types of credit cards sold in India. Few are mentioned below: Rewards Credit Card: This card has rewards attached to it on based on usage of the card, for e.g. A card may offer 5% discount on fuel, if it is used to buy fuel and gas, or a card may offer cash back facility if a certain amount is spent through it. Balance Transfer Credit Card: This card is bought to pay outstanding amount of one card with the other. In this too there are cards that offer interest-free time period. List of credit cards provided by the various banks: Indian Overseas Bank Visa International Credit card Axis Platinum card Bank of Indias India Card Gold International Card Citibank Dinners Club International card ICICI Bank Online card Syndicate Global Gold Credit Card CorpBank Gold card Vijaya Bank Visa Gold Credit Card HSBC Platinum card CorpBank Classic card Vijaya Bank VISA Classic International Card HDFC Silver credit card Conclusion Here we discussed about various types credit cards that using for the simplicity in transactions. Many credit cards can also be used in an ATM to withdraw money against the credit limit extended to the card, but many card issuers charge interest on cash advances before they do so on purchases. As well as convenient, accessible credit, credit cards offer consumers an easy way to track expenses, which is necessary for both monitoring personal expenditures and the tracking of work-related expenses for taxation and reimbursement purposes. Credit cards are accepted worldwide, and are available with a large variety of credit limits, repayment arrangement, and other perks (such as insurance protection, rewards schemes in which points earned by purchasing goods with the card can be redeemed for further goods and services or cashback). Some countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, limit the amount for which a consumer can be held liable due to fraudulent transactions as a result of a consumers credit card being lost or stolen.

The Idea Of Liberation In Hindu Philosophy Theology Religion Essay

The Idea Of Liberation In Hindu Philosophy Theology Religion Essay

The Hippopotamus: Endangered Species Report :: essays research papers fc

The Hippopotamus: Endangered Species Report Jason Wapiennik Mr. Trippeer, Biology January 6th, 1997 The ban on elephant ivory trading has slowed down the poaching of elephants, but now poachers are getting their ivory from another creature, the hippopotamus. For the poacher, the hippo is an easy target. They stay together for long hours in muddy water pools, as many as eighty-one can be found in a single square mile. This concentration is so big it's only second to that of the elephant. Poachers kill the animal, then pick out the teeth and sell them for as much as seventy dollars per kilo. This is a very cheap price. Elephant ivory sells for as much as five-hundred dollars per kilo. The reason the price-per-kilo is so slow is because hippo ivory is very brittle compared to the much stronger elephant ivory. Elephant ivory is no longer at the biggest risk for poaching; hippo ivory is. Eastern Zaire once had one of the largest hippo populations in the world, around 23,000 hippos. According to a count done in 1994, this number has now dropped to 11,000. The 1989 ban on elephant ivory is the main cause attributed to the exponential rise to hippo ivory trade. "European and African activists are petitioning advocacy groups, including last week's annual Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Florida, for a ban on hippo poaching. But they say they're a long way from putting an end to the slaughter." (Howard & Koehl) The hippopotamus is an enormous amphibious animal with smooth, hairless skin. Hippos can be found in Liberia, the Ivory Coast, and a few can also be found in Sierra Leone and Guinea. Hippos used to be found anywhere south of the Sahara Desert where they could find enough water and plenty of room to graze. Now, due to poachers and predation they are confined to protected areas, but they can still sometimes be seen in many major rivers and swamps. Hippos need water that is deep enough to cover them, but it also has to be very close to a pasture. They must wallow in the water because their thin, hairless skin is vulnerable to overheating and dehydration. Hippos were once thought to sweat blood. Actually, hippos secrete a pinkish colored oil that helps them keep their skin moist in the hot African climate. Hippos are herbivores. They prefer the short grass of African plains to any other possible food. They normally eat up to eighty-eight pounds of this grass nightly, which they mow away a large patch at a time with their twenty-inch

A Defense Of Individualism Based On Foydor Dostoevskys Novel:notes F E

Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel, NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND, has held many labels, such as being a case history of nuerosis or a specimen of modern tragedy. The most popular label it has obtained however, is being the author's defense of individualism. The novel is writen as a performance, part triad, part memoir, by a nameless personage who claims to be writing for hiomself but consistently maipulates the reader--of whom he is morbidly aware-- to the point where there seems to be no judgement the reader can make which has not already been made by the writer himself. The underground man is represenative as a product of individaul pathology or a biographical accident. He is "one of the characters of our recent past," part of a generation that is living out its days among us. Internal eveidence makes it clear that his generation is of the 1840s. He shows the fate of the isolated petty clerk and Dostoevkian dreamer twenty years after, surveying his wasted life in the new spiritual climate of the 1860s and at the same time finding justification for his own grotesque being in the simplistic views of the human nature now current. IN the first part of the novel, the underground man describes himself and his views, and attempts, as it were, to clarify the reasons why he appeared and is bound in our midst. The mention of his self and his views raise thequestion of how the two are related. Are we to understand his views as the product of his wasted life or independently? There...

King Henry The IV :: Biography Biographies Bio

From king Henry's reign from 1399 to 1413 he had to deal with a lot tragedies. During his reign he foiled many assassination attempts, rebellions, and plots to restore King Richard to the throne. He was must successful at foiling these potential tragedies because of his well trained and loyal military (wikipedia). King Henry was born April 3, 1367(wikipedia), at Bolingbroke castle as a result of he is later nicknamed "henry of bolingbroke"(wekipedia). He was born to John of Gaunt the duke of Lancast , and Blanche of Lancaster(Britannia). As a child Henry would play with his cousin Richard the Future king of England who Henry would eventually over throw(Wekipedia). They were both admitted to the Order of the Garter in 1377. Later on in Henry's life he would participate in the Lords Appellant's Rebellion. After Richard regained his power he sentenced most of the rebels to be executed or exiled, but he spared the life of his cousin henry which would later come back to haunt him. In 1389 Henry and Richard had a second conflict when Richard exiled Henry with his fathers approval. Henry was banished to prevent a bloody confrontation with Thomas de Mowbray the 1st Duke of Norfolk who was exiled for life. The next year Henry's father John of Gaunt died, and king Richard decided to drop the legal documents so that Henry would be able to return. Henry inherited all of Guant's land(wikipedia), because he was the oldest son. While king Richard was in Ireland on a military campaign, Henry was on his own military campaign to kick Richard off the throne.

FACTORS AFFECTING DEVELOPMENT: EARLY LANGUAGE STIMULATION, LITERATE COMMUNITIES AND ENVIRONMENT Essay

FACTORS AFFECTING DEVELOPMENT: EARLY LANGUAGE STIMULATION, LITERATE COMMUNITIES AND ENVIRONMENT; STORY READING QUOTES â€Å"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.† ― Nelson Mandela â€Å"Your children can be around you all day, but if you don’t spend quality time with them and you don’t pay attention to them and talk to them and listen to them, it doesn’t matter that they’re just around you.† ―Brandy Norwood â€Å"The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.† ― Mark Twain INTRODUCTION Language and literacy development does not begin in the first day a child attends school. Human beings develop language, even before actual words are formed in spoken language. From the time of birth, children’s literacy is influenced significantly by their family and environment. Their teachers serve as only one influence on the road to developing adequate literacy skills. This term paper is about the factors affecting development: early language stimulation, literate communities and environment; story reading that helps you to know how children acquire language and become literate. It enables you to understand how children learn language, the role of others in supporting this learning, and how a child becomes a reader and writer. Learning language and becoming literate are shown to be social, interactive processes. []In some cases, it also appoints people who live and work with very young children to interact with them in an appropriate way and to provide developmentally appropriate experience to support their development. Therefore, the vital role of others in supporting children’s learning is emphasized throughout this term paper. OBJECTIVES * To be ableto acknowledgeand understand these factors affect the language and literacy development of a child. * To be aware of how these factors affect the feelings of the child. * To be able to know how these factors affect the actions of a child as it grow and learn. Children likely to develop literacy skills when the day they born. However, there are several factors that affect a child to develop and master the language and literacy; these some factors are in the following: 1. Children living in poverty One of the most significant factors affecting children’s learning and development is growing up in an area of social deprivation. Deprivation has a negative impact on educational attainment. In the long term children who grow up in poverty leave school with fewer qualifications and skills, which in turn affects jobs and employment. Poverty is linked to poorer health and has been shown to have a negative impact on engagement with society; for example, an increased likelihood that an individual will engage in criminal activity.[] 2. Income and material deprivation A low income has been shown to mean a lack access to books, computers, and other reading materials and space to study quietly. It affects the quality of the home environment and neighborhood as low income restricts where families can live. There may be no quiet spaces in which to work to or sleep and this has an impact on emotional well-being. Children’s diets may be  inadequate because of lack of money, and poor nutrition can lead to physical changes that affect cognitive ability and performance of the brain. [] 3. Health Low birth weight is more likely in children from lower socioeconomic groups and this is associated with risks to cognitive and physical development throughout childhood. Poorer children are likely to suffer poorer health throughout their childhood, including chronic illness. [] 4. Cultural and social capital, and the experience of schooling Some research has suggested that a lack of social and cultural capital leads to low attainment for children living in poverty. I am suggested that children from lower socioeconomic groups have different background knowledge skills and interests that aren’t reflected in the school curriculum. The differences in cultural capital mean that the curriculum is more difficult for these children to access. The Social Exclusion Task Force reported that young people in deprived communities often lack social capital: access to sources of inspiration, role models, support and opportunity and even those children with high aspirations were found to lack the understanding about what to do to achieve their goals. [] 5. Deficiencies from Inadequate Diets A common problem for young children who do not eat enough meats and green vegetables is lack of iron, which results in chronic fatigue. Serious iron deficiencies lead to iron-deficiency anemia, a common nutrient deficiency. Some children may be malnourished even though they consume enough calories. These children fill up on â€Å"empty† non-nutritional calories (such as those found in cookies, and potato chips) and fail to eat enough healthful foods. Undernourished children tend to have stunted growth and delayed motor development. They are also are at risk for cognitive disabilities such as  low levels of attention, learning impairments, and poor academic school-related performance.[] 6. Functional Isolation Functional isolation results from direct and indirect effects of poor environment and inadequate nutrition. Diminished brain from stimulation–influences children’s behavior. The children may become more wary, easily tires, less attentive, and less playful, and they rarely show delight and pleasure. Because these children are not very responsive, caregivers do not interact with them much.[] 7. Parents as Teachers Probably the most important one is spending time with children. Although most parents are aware of the importance of reading to their children, not all parents routinely provide this type of experience. Many children are read to very little or not at all, and how often children are read to varies by income level and the race/ethnicity of the family.[] 8. Parent-child relationship This is concerns with social-emotional and interpersonal aspects that relate to literacy practices. The absence of such relationships can be a detrimental factor in a child’s emergent literacy development.[] 9. Parental Characteristics There are two characteristics, the culture, ethnicity and parental beliefs. Culture and ethnicity affects areas such as the expectations for education, the patterns for language use in bilingual families (e.g., primary language used at home, language of the community, bilingual education).Parental beliefs include the family’s beliefs about the importance and role of the educational system in the literacy development of their children.[] 10. Child Characteristics It include the child’s level of engagement and social interaction in literacy-related activities, as well as language proficiency, cognitive abilities, developmental achievements, motivation, attention, and health conditions that might affect language and literacy development. Each of the child characteristics can influence the extent to which a child can use the support that the environment provides for early literacy learning. For example, the substantial body of research demonstrating that preschool children with language delays are at a significant risk for later difficulties in learning to read indicates that factors within the child can influence emergent literacy development.[] 11. Home LiteracyEnvironment It includes such aspects as book sharing between parents and children, parents reading aloud with their children, print materials being available to the children, and parents’ positive attitudes towards literacy activities. The home literacy environment is comprised of both direct and indirect literacy-related events. Direct literacy related events are those in which the child engages, such as book sharing with a parent or labeling the printed letters of the alphabet. Indirect literacy-related events are those about which the child learns through the observation of individuals as they engage in those activities (e.g., reading the newspaper, writing notes). [] 12. Teenage Mother Teenage mothers generally have less knowledge of child development than mothers who postpone childbearing. The teenage mother’s lack of general knowledge in child development can affect the child’s cognitive achievement and behavioral adjustment in school. The lack of understanding of development knowledge behavior can affect the language and literacy of the child that may lead to physical and emotional harm. [] 13. Sex Boys are faster than the girls in learning to talk. Compared to girls the mean length of sentence uttered by boys is less. The comprehension vocabulary is also small in case of boys. Boys commit more grammatical errors and their pronunciation is less accurate. Sex differences in favor of girls remain and become quite pounced with every increase in age.[] 14. Intelligence Intelligence plays a vital role in language development. Babbling at an early age is better predictor of child of child’s intelligence. Children of high intelligence show better linguistic competence both in vocabulary, length of sentences uttered and correctness of sentence structure.[] 15. Twins Twins and triplets are slower to learn the language than the single child. Their vocabulary skill is so faster than the twins.[] 16. Bilingual Homes In bilingual homes the child face several problems to the language because the learn more than two languages at a time so it is very difficult to child to remember the two or three languages at a time.[] 17. Language of Deaf and Hearing-Impaired Children Children with hearing impairments often do not develop oral language skills as fully as other children do, but they are quite capable of acquiring a language of gestures called American Sign Language.[] But as these factors affect the language and literacy development of a child however there are ways to avoid this if people will apply some circumstances like as the following: 1. Teacher & Parents Parents should promote cognitive development by constructing an optimal learning environment in the home-they provide materials, experiences, and encouragement that help children to become curious explorers of their worlds. When children are exposed to a large variety of learning materials in a safe environment and when they receive encouragement for learning, they score higher on tests of language development and cognitive development than do children with less stimulating environments.[] 2. Story Telling -storytelling to children, exposing the child to different play things, naming the object describing the object.[] 3. Family Support – parent(s) and/or primary caregiver(s) provide the child with high levels of consistent and predictable love, physical care, and positive attention in ways that are responsive to the child’s individuality.[] 4. Positive Family Communication – parent(s) and/or primary caregiver(s) express themselves positively and respectfully, engaging young children in conversations that invite their input.[] 5. Caring Climate in Child Care and Educational Settings – caregivers and teachers create environments that are nurturing, accepting, encouraging, and secure.[] 6. Time at Home – the child spends most of her or his time at home participating in family activities and playing constructively with parent(s) guiding TV and electronic game use.[] 7. Early Literacy – the child enjoys a variety pre-reading activities including adults reading to her or him daily, looking at and handling books, playing with a variety of media, and showing interest in pictures, letters, and numbers.[] SUMMARY Developing language and literacy in early childhood can be affect by several factors; it can be a barrier or a key to early childhood from successful development in language and literacy. Those factors as barriers that affect the language and literacy development of children are children living in poverty, income and material deprivation, health, cultural and social capital, and the experience of schooling, deficiencies from inadequate diets, functional isolation, parents as teachers, parent-child relationship, parental characteristics, child characteristics, home literacy environment, teenage mother, sex, intelligence, twins, bilingual homes and language of deaf and hearing-impaired but if you sum up these factors the general outcome are family and environment. The family is the first one who will expose the child in language and literacy by teaching them before entering the school and before to interact in other human being while the environment will enhance what information they get from home and will also improve their understanding. But these hindrances can be prevented if the family of the child willing to give them a quality time in spite of many obstructions they has besides it is their responsibility to their children, they should give them a positive communication by talking to them often, reading them a story or giving them an activities that will help to develop their language and literacy. While when the children interact in the surroundings, family should guide them and know the limitation of their child on who they will interact with. This term paper can helps the parents how they will develop the language and literacy of their children and it also helps to guide them in the right way while growing and learning new things. REFERENCES Neaum, S. (2010).Child Development for Early Childhood Studies.Southernhay East, Britain: Learning Matters Ltd. Fabes, R.& Martin, C. L. (2011).Discovering Child Development.USA: Houghton MifflinCompany. 3rded. Wasik, B. H. (Ed.) (2012). Handbook of Family Literacy.Third Avenue, New York: Routledge.2nd ed. Rhyner, P. M. (Ed.) (2011). Emergent literacy and language development: promoting learning in early childhood. Spring Street, NY: The Guilford Press. 2nd ed. Neaum, S. (2012).Language and Literacy for the Early Years.London: Learning Matters. Brown, A. I. (2010). Children of Teenage Mothers: school readiness outcomes and predictors of school success. United States: ProQuest LLC. Nisha, M. (2009).Milestone of Child Development.India: Kalpaz Publication. VanderVen, K. (2011). Promoting Positive Development in Early Childhood: Building Blocks for a Successful Start. NY: Springer. 2nded. ACTIVITY A. Answer DA if that factors Does Affect the language and literacy development of a child and DNA if it is a factor that Does Not Affect the development of language and literacy of a child. ____ 1. Poverty ____ 2. Ball ____ 3. Parents ____ 4. Doll ____ 5. Income ____ 6. Health ____ 7. Culture ____ 8. Quality Time ____ 9. Teacher ____ 10. Material Deprivation B. Multiple Choice. Encircle the best answer for the following. 1. This factor is concerned with social-emotional and interpersonal aspects that relate to literacy practices. The absence of such relationships can be a detrimental factor in a child’s emergent literacy development. a. Parent-child relationship b. Parent and Teachers relationship c. None of the above 2. In this factor, the low birth weight is more likely in children from lower socioeconomic groups and this is associated with risks to cognitive and physical development throughout childhood. a. Spiritual Aspect b. Poverty c. Health 3. This factor is linked to poorer health and has been shown to have a negative impact on engagement with society; for example, an increased likelihood that an individual will engage in criminal activity. a. Health b. Deficiency c. Poverty 4. This factor has been shown to mean a lacked access to books, computers, and other reading materials and space to study quietly. a. Child b. Low Income c. Health 5. This factor is the child face several problems to the language because the learn more than two languages at a time so it is very difficult to child to remember the two or three languages at a time. a. Functional Isolation b. Low Income c. Bilingual Homes Answer Key: A. Answer DA if that factors Does Affect the language and literacy development of a child and DNA if it is a factor that Does Not Affect the development of language and literacy of a child. 1. DA 2. DNA 3. DA 4. DNA 5. DA 6. DA 7. DA 8. DA 9. DA 10. DA B. Multiple Choice. Encircle the best answer for the following. 1. a 2. b 3. a 4. b 5. c ——————————————– [ 2 ]. Rhyner, P. M. (Ed.) Emergent literacy and language development: promoting learning in early childhood. Spring Street, NY: The Guilford Press. 2011. p24. 2nd ed. [ 3 ]. Neaum, S. Child Development for Early Childhood Studies. Southernhay East, Britain: Learning Matters Ltd. 2010. p132. [ 4 ]. Ibd p132. [ 5 ]. Ibd p132. [ 6 ]. Ibd p132. [ 7 ]. Fabes, R. & Martin, C. L. Discovering Child Development. USA: Houghton: Mifflin Company. 2011. 3rd ed [ 8 ]. Ibd [ 9 ]. Ibd [ 10 ]. Wasik, B. H. (Ed.) Handbook of Family Literacy. Third Avenue, New York: Routledge. 2012. 2nd ed. [ 11 ]. Rhyner, P. M. (Ed.) Emergent literacy and language development: promoting learning in early childhood. Spring Street, NY: The Guilford Press. 2011. p24-25. 2nd ed. [ 12 ]. Ibd p25. [ 13 ]. Ibd p25. [ 14 ]. Brown, A. I. Children of Teenage Mothers: school readiness outcomes and predictors of school success. United States: ProQuest LLC. 2009. p38. [ 15 ]. Nisha, M. Milestone of Child Development. (India: Kalpaz Publication. 2010. p196. [ 16 ]. Ibd p196. [ 17 ]. Ibd p196. [ 18 ]. Ibd p196. [ 19 ]. Neaum, S. Language and Literacy for the Early Years.London: Learning Matters. 2012. [ 20 ]. Fabes, R. & Martin, C. L. Discovering Child Development.USA: Houghton: Mifflin Company.2011. 3rd ed [ 21 ]. Nisha, M. Milestone of Child Development. India: Kalpaz Publication. 2009. p196. [ 22 ]. VanderVen, K. Promoting Positive Development in Early Childhood: Building Blocks for a Successful Start. NY: Springer. 2011. p8. 2nd ed. [ 23 ]. Ibd p8. [ 24 ]. Ibd p9. [ 25 ]. Ibd p10. [ 26 ]. Ibd p11.

Ontella Picdeck Case Essay

Customer persona is a conceptual and fictive character of who could be the typical customer. Shorter, it gives us a â€Å"realistic† kind of customer (with socioprofessional situation, sex, age, etc †¦). Of course it’s possible to have several customer persona (like in the Ontela case study). A user persona is a representation of the goals and behavior of a hypothesized group of users. 2-Which segment(s) should Ontela target? We are comfortable choosing the young professional, I also consider the parent a viable segment. The young professional will definitely utilize the service in their business and will see the value to carry over use for personal photos thus increases their usage and dependency of the service (or vice versa). We think given the age group of this persona they will be quick to adapt to the new technology once they commit to using it. Once they commit to using it we believe it will be something that will be difficult for them to give up so they will be a regular customer. However, we are concerned about the number of potential customer in this persona. We wonder how many 27 year olds are like Steve when he mentions he was â€Å"the last of his friends to get up on the latest technology†. 3-Based on feature/benefit analysis, what positing statements are likely to be appropriate for each of the customers? SarahSteveRegina How much do customers in the segment want/need the product/service ?2/53.5/55/5 Most attractive ontela featureeasyUseful-easyFast-easy Most attractive benefit for the consumerSave precious momentDoing business faster from everywhere to every placeShow pictures Value to Ontela and partners Segment size This kind of people is outdated about technologies, especially in phone domain. They prefer to stay with their habits because they finally learned how to use it. If they change, the old phone has to be broke (and often, they try to find the same phone or a similar one) or it has to be really easy. Ontele promise their software is easy but we can not say the same about the support (the framework). USA : 10 millionSteve is not a user of new tech but he knows it. Today, we can assume that a young professional of 27yo has to have new tech because it’s really useful for their work (especially for estate agent) and because to have a smartphone gives entertainment. USA : 10% of 153 million = 15.3 million (actif)Regina is the typical girl of Z generation. The girl who has its own iphone, from a middle class. She is always connected thanks to internet and mobile internet. She is able to better know all new tech that can serve her easier, faster, more usefull. USA : 20 million Willingness to payWill think about the family budget before the allWill have the ability to pay easilyPocket money Note: As we can see, Sarah is not this kind of target who will go on internet to search information (because she doesn’t know really how to use it), and as she has no smartphone with appstore, it’s impossible to target her by this. About specialized magazine, she will be not interested as much. And about specialized TV/radio program, she cans be targeting but it will be a pure hazardous. So it will cost a lot if we decide to touch her, even if the product currently gives a response to her demand. Steve has knowledge in IT and is ready to change its mobile phone. So he will access to appstore, search information on internet, his colluagues already use their cellphones to send pictures. So he will be easy to touch. 4-Identify the key themes that should be emphasized in the messaging for the PicDeck service to your chosen target. Chosen target : Steve, the Young Professional After the segmentation market, Ontela Pickdeck target will be Steve, the Young Professional. The Ontela Pickdeck’s offer and the Steve’s profile are linked. For us, Steve is the best target. Steve is 27 years old, he is â€Å"cool† and a young active adult desiring to connect with friends. Steve is a â€Å"hardworker† who knows the new technology and who uses very often the new technologic communication for his work. It is a easy target to approach because he needs this type of application to simplify his lifestyle and his work. For Steve, the essential key themes should be â€Å"professional† and â€Å"easy to use†. Professional : -You can use their phones to take pictures of houses to save and send instantly to clients. -You can be linked all the time with clients and colleagues with cellphone. -â€Å"He uses email at work, but prefers the phone†. Now with our product, he will can use only the phone for his work and to be attentive to his clients everytime even on the road. Easy to use : -If your phone is lost or stolen, your pictures are safe. -Every picture you take on your camera phone is emailed to you, automatically. -Sets up on your phone in about one minute. -There is nothing to learn or remember†¦ just take photos and pic sender delivers them automatically. -Easy delivery to your email, your PC, and your Photobucket, Yahoo! Flickr, Snapfish or Google Blogger accounts. To approach better Steve, we have chosen some promotion supports. Application Store : – It is needed for us, to have an application on the Apple Store and Android to download the product and to promote more efficienly thanks to a famous site. Internet : -Ontela PicDeck’s Site -Ontela PicDeck’s Facebook (connected with people of social networks) -Technologic sites about new technologies -Blogs Specialized magazine : -Magazine Immobilier -La vie immobilià ¨re -Immoxia -Phone press, application magazine WOM : With all his colleagues and the real estate world. This type of product can change the real estate agent work. 5-What are the risks of using qualitative personas to select target customer segments? The main risk by using it is that customer personas are just a representation of a typically customer and only linked with the product or the company. It doesn’t care about the geography, sociocultural differences, etc †¦ The other problem is that qualitative personas don’t show the quantity of customer and so the real potential of a group of customer. We cannot know how much â€Å"Regina† are in the segment targeted. Shorter, the problem of using qualitative is that it’s just an assumption without quantitative evidences and no descriptives. The firm risks to target their customers only linked with their personas â€Å"There’s no quantitative evidence. The most common pitfall in persona creation occurs when someone asks, â€Å"How can you be sure all our users are like the few you talked to?† Qualitative personas are based on the idea that you can talk to a small number of users and see patterns that apply to all of your users. In other words, the risk of being wrong is higher compared to having a large sample size to back you up. If your stakeholders need quantitative evidence to buy into your process, they’ll disregard your personas as a creative but ultimately unreliable tool. Some people simply need the â€Å"proof† of hard data. And who can blame them? If you’re going to be making critical business decisions based on these personas, you better be as certain as possible of their accuracy—and be able to persuade others. Existing assumptions don’t tend to be questioned. You know your business, and you have assumptions about who the users are and what they need. When any person interviews users, he or she inevitably brings those assumptions to the research. The result: People find what they’re looking for. Subconsciously, people look for the things that backup their own assumptions, so that instead of discovering surprises, they simply validate an existing worldview. Too often, their segmentation will look exactly like their original assumptions instead of being affected by the research. It won’t always happen this way, but it’s a serious risk when doing qualitative segmentation.†

Dancing with the White Rabbit

Carly Turner English 102 Polliard May 5th, 2011 Dancing With The White Rabbit People go under sedation all the time. They jump into the rabbit hole to receive colonoscopies, plastic surgery, dental work and other various medical procedures. Today’s world has become accustomed to regular use of sedation drugs however they do not realize just how dangerous they can be. There are many factors to be taken into account when someone is put under. Proprofol (Diprivan), a drug that is used to induce sedation, which is the cause of many medical malpractices and deaths, is not supervised enough in the medical community.Propofol is one of the most widely used forms of anesthesia (Nytimes. com). It was invented 20 to 25 years ago (News Week). It has multiple benefits over general anesthesia. Unlike general anesthesia, propofol has rapid onsets. â€Å"If you try to count backward from 100 after it's injected, you don't get to 97,† says Dr. Wischmeyer, a University of Colorado Anesth esiologist (Wall Street Journal). It also allows patients to recover and return to baseline activities such as eating and breathing on their own faster. In addition, it can result in less nausea and vomiting in patients (Ismp. rg). Because of this many practioners feel a false sense of security when using propofol. It can be harmful and even deadly if the person who is administering it is not trained in drugs that cause deep sedation and general anesthesia. On the labeling of Diprivan (Propofol), it is intended â€Å"for general anesthesia or monitored anesthesia care sedation†, meaning that that drug should only be administered by people trained in general anesthesia and not involved in the procedure being done. Propofol is an exact science. Dosing needs to be based on the patient’s tolerance to the drug.A number of factors including the age, weight, and how hydrated the person is factors into the efficiency of the drug (News Week). The tolerance can vary and can chan ge easily. Also, for a patient who uses it the first time, it’ll be much more potent but for a patient who uses it often it stays in the tissues and creates a tolerance to the drug (Inside Surgery). The possible side effects, are changes in moods and emotions, dizziness, drowsiness, and a lack of coordination (Drugs. com). The harsher effect is that a patient can go from breathing normally to being in respiratory arrest in seconds, even at what seems like a low dose.There are also no reversal agents to propofol, which means that the drug’s adverse effects have to be treated while the drug is being metabolized in the body (Inside Surgery). Considering all of these variables this makes working with propofol difficult and somewhat unpredictable, even for a trained professional. If a patient isn’t monitored closely enough by a person trained in sedation while on propofol then they can quickly go into respiratory arrest and thus get brain damage or die from not enoug h oxygen to the organs and brain (Ismp. rg). During a procedure, a nurse who was trained in moderate sedation, assisted a gastroenterologist in surgery by giving the patient propofol. The nurse gave too high of a dosage of propofol to the patient and the patient started experiencing respiratory arrest. In another case, a physician thought it would be safe to administer propofol himself while performing a breast augmentation surgery. According to a poll, eighty-three percent of people thought it was wrong for a surgeon to administer the propofol himself (Survey. com).The young patient died from not getting enough oxygen to the brain because there was no one there to supervise her. Nurses have been asked to give â€Å"a little more† of the propofol if a patient moved. Anesthesiologists have been known to leave the room and leave the syringe filled with propofol and a needle in the IV port so that the nurses can monitor the patient alone themselves. This has been brought to the attention of some hospital’s leaders however no laws have been enacted about this. Additionally, money is an issue when deciding the safety of the patient.There is sometimes an unwillingness of insurers to reimburse anesthesiologists for their care and thus nurse-administered propofol happens quite often and untrained nurses may be caught in the middle of such a debate and feel pressures to administer the propofol themselves. States in the U. S. all have different views on propofol and whether or not it needs to be administered by a trained anesthesiologist or if a nurse should be allowed to do it (Kathy Dix). On an online survey seventy-eight percent of people believe that a trained anesthesiologist should be in control of the propofol and not a nurse (Survey. om). It usually comes down to that health care facilities board and is not decided by the state. In a recent survey, it stated that ninety-six percent of the people thought that every hospital and healthcare facility s hould have set rules on the matter (Survey. com). In addition, American Society of Anesthesiologists, American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, and American A ssociation for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities believe that the only persons trained in administering general anesthesia should administer propofol to non-ventilated patients.The American Society of Anesthesiologists suggests that if that is not possible then non-anesthesia staff who do administer the drug should be qualified to rescue the patients if their level of sedations becomes deeper than intended (Ismp. org). Along with the issue of propofol not being safely administered, it is also abused in the medical community itself. This can be done easily because it is not listed as a â€Å"controlled substance† by the Food and Drug Administration.The drug is likely to be liked by abusers because it induces relaxation or sleep and can cause euphoria and also leaves the bloodstream so fast that it is diffi cult to detect (Nytimes). Anesthetists and abusers of propofol say that it can bring a brief but captivating high as the sedation wears off. It has been referred to as â€Å"dancing with the white rabbit† (referring to the white color of the drug) and â€Å"pronapping† because the drug induces a short sleep that many practioners and medical personnel use between their long shifts (Wall Street Journal). Many practioners do not feel that propofol should be a more controlled substance.However, according to a poll, eighty-seven percent of people think that propofol should be listed as a controlled substance (Survey. com). Naming propofol a controlled substance under the Drug Enforcement Agency’s rules would require the hospitals to track their inventory, account for all the propofol vials, list all of it’s users, and lock it up with the hospital’s narcotics. If these actions were taken doctors and nurses seeking rehabilitation for their abuse of propof ol might cost them their licenses and lead to them having criminal charges because they would have been abusing a Drug Enforcement Agency controlled drug.Michael Jackson’s young death is the most well-known case of propofol abuse and has rekindled the propofol controversy the last two years. Detectives found large quantities of propofol and oxygen tanks in his home. Along with this they found that he had a personal physician that allegedly admitted to administering the drug to Jackson the day the singer died. Jackson reportedly had insomnia and was seeking aid from the drug. It seemed that his dance with the white rabbit caused his death, and may be the cause of many others if not taken into control. ’It enters your bloodstream fast, and even highly trained anesthesiologists can't control it, and die. They don't even have seconds to pull out the needle,’ said Art Zwerling, a registered nurse anesthetist and counselor with the Association of Nurse Anesthetistsâ⠂¬  (Wall Street Journal). When the drug is being used properly there should be strict procedures enforced regarding the supervision of vital signs and oxygen saturation to assure that the patient is safe. Health care facilities should inform all the staff working around propofol how dangerous it is.Today’s standards on the administration of Diprivan (Propofol) are too lenient and need to be reformed. In conclusion, the distribution and handling of this drug needs to be strictly supervised. Work’s Cited â€Å"What the Heck is Proprofol? More Info On the Drug That May Have Killed Michael Jackson† News Week. Web. 29 Jul. 2009. <http://www. newsweek. com/blogs/the-human-condition/2009/07/29/what-the-heck-is-propofol-more-info-on-the-drug-that-may-have-killed-michael-jackson. html> â€Å"How to use Diprivan† Drugs. com. Web. 18 Mar. 2011. <http://www. drugs. om/diprivan. html > â€Å"Propofol (Drug)† Web. 7 Aug. 2009. <http://topics. ny times. com/topics/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/propofol/index. html> â€Å"Michael Jackson’s Death From Propofol† Inside Surgery. Web. 24 Aug. 2009. <http://insidesurgery. com/tag/diprivan/> â€Å"Practical Guide to Moderate Sedation/Analgesia† Odom-forren. Donna Watson. 2005. Mosby Inc. â€Å"Propofol (A Drug Used For Sedation)† Carly Turner. Survey ages 18-50, 23 surveyors. Web. 4 May. 2011. Survey. com <http://www. survey. com/cgi-bin/pollxt. pl? poll=PM2U1AR9U9G8>

Financial Assessment and Analysis Essay

Introduction Financial Assessment Investment is something that is important in the life of any human being and should therefore be taken very seriously (Downes, & Goodman, 2003). To make an investment means that one is looking for a better future and also to receive returns form that particular investment. It is important when an individual wants to make any form of investment that they consider a lot of factors which will affect the full operation and conducting of the investment (Downes, & Goodman, 2003). It is also important that an individual who wants to make an investment must ensure that they have sufficient information that will help in making the relevant decisions with regard to the investment that they have in mind. Without prior and clear information, making decisions about an investment is difficult and may result in disaster where one may lose all the amount of cash or funds and waste efforts put up in the business investment (Downes, & Goodman, 2003). In the case of Pierre, having a clear financial assessment of the investment that he wants to engage in will help him in making the relevant decisions which will ensure that he does not operate the business   at a loss in the long run. This financial assessment will make use of assumptions in the establishment of whether the investment Pierre is interested in is relevant and will be profitable. In making an appropriate investment decision, there are various issues to be considered by Pierre which involves the analysis of the financial situation which the investment will require as well as the returns on investment which will be achieved by the business (Gibson, 2012). The first step that Pierre will need to do is to make a consideration of the financial investment which will be need to make the business fully functional. Financial appraisal of projects or investments is important since it helps in making the relevant decisions on what to invest in or not to invest in. When conducting a financial analysis, there are various methods which can be used in appraising a project which involves finances (Gibson, 2012). The method that would be used in apprai8sing the investment by Pierre is the Discounted Cash flow analysis which will help to establish whether the investment which Pierre is interested in is worth the efforts or it should be abandoned (Larrabee, Voss, & John Wiley & Sons, 2013). Financial appraisal is also important to any individual or organization which wants to make an investment since it helps in establishing the amount of returns to expect. This is done through the analysis of the expenses which the investment will incur and the revenues which the investment will be able to raise within a certain period of time (Larrabee, Voss & John Wiley & Sons, 2013). Factors affecting the success of an investment When wanting to make an investment decision, there are various factors which need to be considered so that the decision to be made can be considered to viable. The various factors which Pierre will need to consider will include issues such as: Availability of finances Any investment that an individual or even an organization wants to get involved in always requires finances. The finances which will be put up in the business must be readily available so that one can be able to know whether they can take up the investment or not (Shim, & Siegel, 2007). There must e enough finances which will cater for every put of the start up of the investment since every operation in the investment or business will require sufficient funds (Downes, & Goodman, 2003). In the case of Pierre, he is retired and has an amount of CAD 500,000, whereby he has already paid all the taxes which are involved in the retirement benefits. This is quite a good amount which needs to be invested considering that he is no longer in active employment hence he will need something to generate finances for him, in terms of investment (Shim, & Siegel, 2007). Considering the amount which Pierre has available for investment, it can be considered that he is ready to take up any investment of his choice since he already has available funds which he can put up in business (Cherunilam, 2010). Human capital There is no business investment which can take place if there is no available human capital which will operate the whole investment and make it bring good returns. Human capital is necessary and its availability is important for the success of any investment (Cherunilam, 2010). It is important to ensure that there is readily available human capital which will be able to handle the whole operations of the investment to be undertaken. The cost of human capital should also be considered when wanting to make an investment since human capital that is not affordable will mean that the investment will incur large amounts of costs in terms of the salaries which will be paid out to the employees of the business (Horiguchi, & International Monetary Fund, 1992). In the case of Pierre, he will run the business on his own which is quite good since he will be able to set an affordable amount of cash for the remuneration which he will pay himself. As a sole owner and operator of the business makes it more convenient for him to make the relevant decisions concerning human capital since he does not have to consult anyone on any matter concerning the number of people to have working in the business (Reilly, & Brown, 2012). In addition, Pierre will only have one assistant in the business that will assist in conducting and carrying out the operations of the business. This means that he will not have a lot of expenses with regard to the human capital that he will employ in the business (Downes, & Goodman, 2003). In addition, the human capital is readily available and can be considered affordable hence this is an encouraging factor towards the establishment of the business investment which Pierre is interested in (Kruschwitz, 2006). Government regulations and policies In every country, there are always regulations and policies which are laid down concerning the operation of business and investments. These policies range from the taxes which businesses need to pay, the regulation policies which each business needs to follow as a way of conducting the business within that country among many other policies (Kruschwitz, 2006). The government policies and regulations gives the direction which business investments needs to follow and every business must be able to comply with those regulations and policies within the countries where they operate (Downes, & Goodman, 2003). In the case of Pierre, government regulations that he needs to consider are the taxes which are charged on the kind of business that he wants to establish, the tariffs involved in the importation, especially of chocolate from Switzerland (Horiguchi, & International Monetary Fund, 1992). It will be important that Pierre ensures that he complies with all the government regulations and polices if he wants the investment that he has in mind to succeed. In some instances, the government regulations may prohibit the prosperity of a business investment due to the stringent rules that the business investment is required to accomplish in the long run and the tax rates also may have a negative effect on the business (Downes, & Goodman, 2003). Availability of market Every business investment needs a market where it can be able to operate in and earn good returns. Without there being a ready market available for the products to be sold by the investor will mean that the business will not be able to progress in any way (Horiguchi, & International Monetary Fund, 1992). To know whether there is an available market which the business can be able to obtain good returns, conducting a market research is necessary. Market research is important because it helps in various ways. One, when an investor conducts a market research, they are able to establish the kind of customers available and their purchasing behaviors. This helps in formulating the operations of the business in such a way that it is able to meet the exact needs of the customers and hence obtain a greater market share (Cherunilam, 2010). Market research is important because it also helps the business investor to establish whether there is sufficient demand for the products that he/she wants to offer to the market. From the case study of Pierre, it can be noted that Pierre has taken the initiative to conduct a market research for the business that he wants to establish (Cherunilam, 2010). This has given him the information regarding the kind of revenue that he will be able to make for a certain period. For example, from the market research results, Pierre knows that he will have a demand of 600kg per month while for the first month he knows that he will have a demand of 100kg per month. This information obtained from market research helps in making a sound investment decision, whereby Pierre can choose whether to continue with the investment idea or simply drop it depending on this information obtained from the market research conducted (Cherunilam, 2010). The market research is also important since it helps in establishing the demand and the supply of the product the investor wants to offer in the market. In addition, market research also helps in establishing the kind of competition the business investment is likely to face. Knowing the kind of competition to be faced helps an investor to formulate a strategic plan that will be applied in overcoming the competition when the business investment is established (Shim, & Siegel, 2007). Returns on investment The main reason that influences business investors to engage in any form of business investment is simply to obtain good returns on the finances that they have invested. An investment that is not capable of bring any form of good returns to the business investor cannot be considered to be viable in the long run and hence should not be considered (Shim, & Siegel, 2007). The main objective that business investors have is to make profits and also to expand their businesses. The returns which an investor is able to obtain from his/her investment must be able to provide the investor with profits and also leave him/her with funds that can be used in the expansion of the business (Downes, & Goodman, 2003). In carrying out this investment of importing chocolate from Switzerland and selling in North America, Pierre needs to know what amount of returns will he be able to obtain after all the deductions from the business have been made (Shim, & Siegel, 2007). If the business will not be able to bring god returns, then there will be no need of Pierre getting involved in this kind of investment since he will just be wasting his resources. This can only be determined through the financial analysis of the whole investment that Pierre wants to undertake, which will enable him to make well informed decisions concerning the investment (Gibson, 2012). Costs of investment Business investments always involve a lot of costs which an investor must be able to cater for so that the business can be fully operational. Considering the costs to be incurred when undertaking any business investment is of great importance and any investor must be able to do so (Gibson, 2012). Determining and considering the costs will enable the investor to know whether the finances that the investor has are sufficient to cater for all the costs which the business investment will incur (Downes, & Goodman, 2003). When the cost of investment is too high, the investor will not be able to realize higher returns hence the investment cannot be considered to be viable to be undertaken. A viable investment must have low cost of operation involved so that the business investor can be able to remain with some finances which can be considered as profits (Gibson, 2012). Therefore, in making this investment decision, Pierre must be able to determine and consider the costs involved in the whole business through a financial analysis so as to ascertain whether the investment is viable or worth the risk or it is something that should be abandoned. The above analyzed factors are important to be considered by any business investor who wants to put up their money or finances and efforts into a certain business investment. Pierre needs to make a consideration of all the above mentioned and discussed factors if at all he wants to establish a well operating business investment (Gibson, 2012). As mentioned above, most of those factors can only be determined using real time data and information generated through a financial analysis and assessment of the kind of investment that Pierre wants to undertake. By conducting the financial analysis, it will be possible to identify the returns that the investment is likely to attract, the costs which the investor, Mr. Pierre is likely to incur in the process of opening and operating the business (Manufacturing and investment around the world: An international survey of factors affecting growth and performance, 2002). Valuation The financial analysis that will be conducted in the case of Pierre will involve the formulation of a monthly cash flow for the whole business investment, and the formulation of an annual cash flow for the whole year. The best method of conducting this financial analysis is through the method of discounted cash flow (Kruschwitz, 2006). Discounted cash flow method is simply used to make a valuation and an estimation of the attractiveness of a certain investment opportunity that is available. This method of discounted cash flow (DCF) always makes use of the future free cash flow which has been projected and is discounted at a certain rate but mostly the weighted average cost of capital is used in this method (Damodaran, 2012). This is done so as to obtain the present value which is in turn is used in the evaluation of a particular investment to find out if it is viable. After the calculation of the discounted cash flow, if the value obtained through this method is found to be higher than that of the current value or cost of investment, then the investment opportunity can be said to be a viable one (Schön, 2007). Monthly Cash Flow The monthly cash flow that Pierre is expecting or will experience from the first, month of the investment is that, in the first month, he will be able to have a net cash flow of about CAD 29,193 while for the subsequent months starting from the second month, it is assumed that he will have a constant cash flow of about CAD 102,243. This is expected to occur throughout the year until the end of the first year. The cash flow in the first month is expected to be less because from the market research conducted, it was observed that the amount of stock that he will be able to sell will be about 100kg which is the reason why the cash flow for the first month is lower as compared to the subsequent months. In the second month and the ones that follow, the unit sales increase due to the increase in the stock from 100kg for the first month to about 600kg from the second month. It is also assumed from the calculation of the monthly cash flow that the interest rates will be uniform throughout the year and no inflation will affect the interest rates. Furthermore, it is assumed that the demand for the products will be constant from the second month and there will be no any form of decline or an increase in the demand throughout the first year. Yearly Cash flow The yearly cash flow that Pierre will experience when he starts the investment of selling the chocolates in Americas, the first year is expected to have a cash flow of about CAD 1,204,866 in total. This is the same amount which is expected to be the cash flow for the company or the investment that Pierre is expecting to start. This net yearly cash flow from the first year for a period of five years is assumed to be constant just as the case of the monthly cash flow in the second month of operation. The assumptions made in this case are that: The interest rates will remain constant throughout the five years and there will be no inflation that will take place throughout that period of time. The demand for the products will remain the same throughout the five year period with no change in the prices which will be charged for the products. It is also assumed that the costs involved in the running of the business will remain constant throughout the five years with no increase or decrease on the expenses of the business investment which Pierre is expecting to undertake. The other assumptions which have been made in the calculation of both the monthly cash flow of the business investment and the yearly cash flow of the business is that the investment or business with luxurygifts.com will be undertaken and also Pierre will employ an assistant for the job. It is the assumption of this report and the calculations made that the exchange rate that is to be used to convert the CHF to CAD is taken to be at the rate of 1 CAD is equivalent to about CHF 0.83. This is the rate which has been used to make a conversion of the purchasing price and air transport costs which Pierre is to incur when importing the products from Switzerland. The amount of cash that Pierre could be able to offer to EigerChoc SA as the upfront payment for the exclusive rights of having to sell the products for the period of five years and still leave him no better off or worse if he made the investment decision of engaging EigerChoc in this kind of business would be a total of about CAD 200,000. The reason why he will be able to offer this amount in an easy way is that within a period of half a year, he will be able to obtain good returns which will help bring back his money and make the business fully operational on its own. This amount of about CAD 200,000 will leave Mr. Pierre with an amount of CAD 300,000, assuming that he used his total lump sum amount to start the business. Considering the expenses which he will incur, the amount of CAD 300,000 will leave him more capable of handling all the expenses even if he offers a sum of CAD 200,000 to EigerChoc as an upfront fee. Conclusion Business decision making, especially with regard to making an investment decision sometimes is quite challenging and to some extent a task that requires a lot of information and keenness. It is important that a business investor must be able to obtain all the relevant information that will enable in making the most appropriate decision of investment. Pierre provided sufficient information about the business investment that he wants to get involved in and from the financial analysis on the annual and the monthly cash flow of the business venture, it can be said that the business investment looks attractive for MR. Pierre to undertake. Pierre is in a better position to make this investment because he has all the resources which are needed for the business. The only thing that may inhibit him from undertaking this kind of business is the regulations and government policies which may make it more expensive in terms of the licenses and may be the trade relations between North America and Switzerland. Recommendations The recommendations which Pierre should consider are that: Conduct further research on government policies and regulations regarding the kind of business investment that he wants to undertake He should make use of the lump sum funds that he has instead of borrowing a loon of about CAD 100,000 at an interest rate of 8%. This will increase the expenses of the business hence should not be undertaken at the start of the business. Do not engage luxurygifts.com at the moment. This should be done when the business is fully established to ensure that the expenses involved are not increased. Offer an amount of about CAD 200,000 to EigerChoc as an upfront payment for the business investment. This will leave him with sufficient amount to operate the business. From the analysis of the factors that affecting or determine whether to undertake a business or not and from the calculations of the cash flow that is expected in the business for the period of five years, it would be more advisable for Pierre to undertake the business considering that he already has the knowledge about the market and the kind of demand that his products will command. In addition, through the help of his wife, the business is expected to perform well in the long run and hence it is a viable investment to undertake. References Cherunilam, F. (2010). International business: Text and cases. New Delhi: PHI Learning Private   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Limited. Damodaran, A. (2012). Investment valuation: Tools and techniques for determining the value of any asset. (Investment valuation.) Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Gibson, Charles H. (2012). 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