TRIMS

The elimination of market interventions and more liberalization has a positive effect on FDI inflows. According to Zhang &Yang (2016) the importance of WTO with regard to FDI has been overlooked by the previous researchers and until now its effect on FDI and that On Trade related investment measures (TRIMS) has not been examined. Sane (2015) study suggests that it is important for national governments and for those firms that are involved in formulating investment, business and trade policies to know the effect of TRIMS on the foreign investment. It is the responsibility of WTO member to remove tariffs and other barriers that can affect the foreign as well as local investors. In order to attract more FDI in various sectors, locations and activities the overseas investors are offered with incentives. These incentives can in the form of tax credits, concessions, holidays, export subsidies, export subsidies and accelerated depreciation on machinery and plants. (Shah & Khan, 2016). Milner (2014) states that the most common feature that have been affecting the maneuvers of multinational firms in the host country are the rewards and punishment approach. Furthermore, the main purpose of Trade related investment measures is to abolish such kind of approach. In case of any dispute between two-member countries the WTO has dispute settlement mechanism from one state to other. (Shah, 2010). The decisions related to settlement of dispute does not require harmony among the members. (Shah, 2011a).According to Barry et al. (2016) previous studies indicate that multinational overseas investment is affected by high tariff barriers.Shah(2017a) found that rapid reduction of tariff duties in the late eighties that in early nineties and eventually due to the agreement of WTO in1995 led to tariff jumping FDI. This kind of investment is not present in free market economies. (Medvedev, 2012) With The internationalization of multinational productions competition for FDI has become more business friendly economic atmosphere which is in accordance with the objectives of W TO. (Paul, 2015). By observing the Present & the likely future factors that can affect the FDI movements this will help to create a market that is free of any interventions which would in turn attract more investment (Sutyrin, Efinova & Trofimenko, 2016). This study aims to determine the effect of TRIMs on overseas investment in 38 Sub-Saharan African countries from years1988 to 2015 i.e. 28 years .The variables used are market size, economic development, infrastructure, macro-economic stability. The results indicate that TRIMS have positive impact on FDI inflows. The conventional determinants of FDI consists of Market size, Trade openness, Economic Development, Macroeconomic stability and Infrastructure ability and Quality. These are considered as the main factors that have major influence on inward FDI.Balasubramanyam ( 1991) defined TRIMS as both collection of incentives & restrictive measures that are designed by a developing country in order to influence of FDI.To control the use of performance requirements that are imposed on foreign investors by means of WTO TRIMS. (Collins,2016). These agreements are a combination of both new and existing investments and includes both native & foreign firms. (Shah,2011b).The member states of WTO are required to notify about the procedures that do not comply with the TRIM agreement in 3 months' time period. To eliminate all kind of distortions the members of developed countries are granted two years' time, the developing countries five years and the low developed countries up to seven years. The developing countries that are unable to implement TRIM within the given time frame can get more time by applying for extension within seven years for Pakistan and few months for Chile. (UNCTAD, 2012).The amount of trade agreements that are signed by a developing country are taken as proxy for TRIMS. Moreover, these agreements involve two or few partner economies they focus more to tariff and service liberalization. TRIMS is very crucial for FDI due to removal of non-tariff barriers in trade. It allows overseas investors to freely export, import goods and generate profits. It gives all the investors equal treatment irrespective of their nationality. Impartial investment policies are more favorable for enticing foreign investors and tend to have a positive relationship between TRIMS & FDI inflows. (Shah, 2012a).ESTIMATION METHODShah(2017) used equation one for determining the effect of TRIMs implementation under WTO on inward FDI in 38 Sub-Saharan African countries.FDI it=f(Market size, economic development, openness, Macroeconomic stability, Infrastructure, TRIMS) †¦..Equation 1†³In equation one subscript i represents a Sub-Saharan African country from 1 to 38. Subscript t denotes the time period from 1988 to 2015 varying from 1 to 28which is equal to a total of 1064 (28*38) observations per variable. FDIit is used for the dependent variable representing the yearly stock of FDI in each of the host economy i.† Equation two is derived from equation 1 by using log and by putting the proxies for dependent and independent variables. Where, ln is used for natural log, which also reduces the likely heteroscedasticity (Resmini, 2000). For market size Gross domestic product is used. The gross fixed capital formation proxy is used for development level, aggregate trade represents the extent of openness of the economy, exchange rate is used for macroeconomic stability and for infrastructure availability telephone density is used. The WTO membership and the trade agreements proxy represents TRIMs implementation.Empirical Estimation MethodShah, (2012b) used longitudinal panel for data from 38 countries for 28 years. Hausman (1978) specification test was carried out to select between fixed and random effect and the use of fixed effect model was found more appropriate. (Nonnenberg & Mendonca, 2004).RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONThe market size variable (GDP) is positive and was found to have significant effect on FDI. Shah (2016) found the results to be in accordance with the theory since economies of scale, opportunities for diversification and more possibilities of making an optimal use of the imported technology are usually offered by bigger markets. Economic development (GFCF) is positive but insignificant.Trade openness was positively significant which indicate that multinationals prefer open economies. Macroeconomic stability is found by the exchange rate. The result reveals that FDI in the Sub Saharan Africa is based more on exports due to depreciation of currency. Infrastructure and quality are positively significant as these are considered more important for the production and trade related activities. The proxy for TRIMS is the no of trade agreements and that of WTO membership is positive and significant which indicates that the amount of trade agreements signed by the host results in increase in inward FDI.CONCLUSIONThe main aim of this research is to determine the effect of TRIMs implementation on FDI inflows in Sub-Saharan African Developing countries. The technique used for data analysis was fixed estimation for the years 1988 to 2015 which shows that presence of larger domestic market attracts multinationals (Shah & Afridi, 2015). Trade liberalization enables the multinationals to sell their products in other countries.The important factors affecting FDI are Infrastructure, trade liberalisation and exchange rate. These factors tend to influence the overseas investors' investment decision because they empower the multinationals. Reduction in TRIMs related market distortions positively affects multinationals due to the resultant liberalisation of the trade and investment environment adding to a country's prospects of hosting additional FDI. Economy development was found to be insignificant due to the relative backwardness of the economies under investigation. These results are applicable to the 38 Sub-Saharan African countries only and shall not be widespread universally to other countries.

Costco Wiki

Costco From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Not to be confused with COSCO, a Chinese shipping company. Costco Wholesale Corporation| | Type| Public| Traded as| NASDAQ:  COST| Industry| Retailing| Founded| 1983 (Kirkland, Washington)| Founder(s)| James D. Sinegal Jeffrey H. Brotman| Headquarters| Issaquah, Washington, U. S. | Area served| Worldwide| Key people| Jeffrey H. Brotman (Chairman) W. Craig Jelinek (President, CEO & COO)| Products| Discount stores, Merchandise, Cash & Carry/Warehouse club| Revenue| US$ 88. 15  billion (2011)[1]| Operating income| US$ 2. 439  billion (2011)[1]| Net income| US$ 1. 462  billion (2011)[1]| Total assets| US$ 26. 761  billion (2011)[1]| Total equity| US$ 12. 002  billion (2011)[1]| Employees| 92,000 (2012)[1]| Website| Costco. com| Costco Wholesale Corporation is the seventh largest retailer in the world. As of July 2012, it was the fifth largest retailer in the United States, and the largest membership ware house club chain in the United States. [2][3] As of October 2007, Costco is the largest retailer of wine in the world. 4] Contents * 1 Location * 2 History * 3 Costco today * 4 Sales model * 5 Membership * 6 Policies * 6. 1 Return policy * 6. 2 Food stamps in the U. S. * 6. 3 Cash Cards * 7 Products * 7. 1 Kirkland Signature * 8 Services * 8. 1 Online shopping * 8. 2 Costco Travel * 8. 3 Costco Connection * 8. 4 Food service * 9 Animal Welfare Concerns * 10 Labor relations * 11 International * 12 Locations * 13 Other wholesale formats * 13. 1 Costco Business Center * 13. 2 Costco Home * 14 See also * 15 References * 16 External links| LocationCostco is headquartered in Issaquah, Washington, United States[5] and was founded in 1983 in Kirkland, Washington[citation needed] with its first warehouse in nearby Seattle. [6] Today Costco has locations in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and the United States. [7] History Logo used until the early 1 990s. Founded by James (Jim) Sinegal and Jeffrey H. Brotman,[8] Costco opened its first warehouse in Seattle, Washington, on September 15, 1983. [9] Sinegal had started in wholesale distribution by working for Sol Price at both FedMart and Price Club.Brotman, an attorney from an old Seattle retailing family, had also been involved in retail distribution from an early age. [citation needed] Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton had plans to merge Sam's Club with Price Club. [10] In 1993, however, Costco merged with Price Club (called Club Price in the Canadian province of Quebec). Costco's business model and size were similar to those of Price Club, which was founded by Sol and Robert Price in 1976 in San Diego, California. [6] Thus, the combined company, PriceCostco, was effectively double the size of each of its parents.Just after the merger, PriceCostco had 206 locations generating $16  billion in annual sales. [11] PriceCostco was initially led by executives from both companies, but then Sol and his son Robert Price founded Price Enterprises and left Costco in December 1994. [6] The Costco in Moncton, New Brunswick Entrance in Henderson, Nevada In 1993, when growing competition threatened both Price Club and Costco Wholesale, they entered into a partial merger just after Price’s earnings dropped to 40%. The new company, named PriceCostco, Inc. , focused heavily on international expansion, opening stores in Mexico, South Korea, and England.Despite best efforts to recover losses, sales continued to drop. Disagreement between the two leaders, Robert Price and Jim Sinegal, regarding company direction and recovery policies soon left the merger in tatters. In 1994, the breakup was formally announced. Sinegal continued to manage PriceCostco while Price’s breakaway company was named as Price Enterprises. In 1997, the name of Sinegal’s company was changed from PriceCostco to Costco Wholesale. The first Price Club location was opened in 1976 in an old ai rplane hangar,[6][11] previously owned by Howard Hughes, and is still in operation today (Warehouse No. 01, located on Morena Boulevard in San Diego). In 1997, the company changed its name to Costco Wholesale and all Price Club locations were rebranded Costco. [6][11] CNBC premiered its documentary â€Å"The Costco Craze: Inside the Warehouse Giant† on April 26, 2012. [12] Costco today In the United States, the main competitors operating membership warehouses are Sam's Club and BJ's Wholesale Club. [13] Although Sam's Club has more warehouses[14] than Costco, Costco has higher total sales volume. [15] Costco employs about 142,000  full and part-time employees,[7] including seasonal workers.As of September 2009, Costco had 55 million members. [16] Costco was the first company to grow from zero to $3  billion in sales in less than six years. [11] For the fiscal year ending on August 31, 2011, the company's sales totaled $88. 915  billion,[7] with $1. 462  billion net pr ofit. [17] Costco is 24th on the 2012 Fortune 500. [17] The ACSI (The American Customer Satisfaction Index) named Costco number one in the specialty retail store industry with a score of 83 in Q4 2008. [18] As of September 2010,[19][dated info] Costco's board of directors is chaired by co-founder Jeffrey H.Brotman and includes three officers of the company: CEO/co-founder James D. Sinegal, President/COO W. Craig Jelinek, and CFO Richard A. Galanti. There are also eleven independent directors: Hamilton E. James (the â€Å"Lead Independent Director†), Benjamin S. Carson, Sr. , Susan Decker, Richard D. DiCerchio, Daniel J. Evans, William H. Gates, Sr. , Richard M. Libenson, John W. Meisenbach, Charles T. Munger, Jeff Raikes, and Jill Ruckelshaus. In the United States, Costco is closed on seven holidays: New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.Sales model Typical Costco warehouse interior Costco focuses on selling products at low prices, often at very high volume. These goods are usually bulk-packaged and marketed primarily to large families and businesses. Furthermore, Costco does not carry multiple brands or varieties where the item is essentially the same except when it has a house brand to sell, typically under the Kirkland Signature label. This results in a high volume of sales from a single vendor, allowing further reductions in price, and reducing marketing costs.If Costco management feels the wholesale price of a product is too high, they will refuse to stock the product. For example, on November 16, 2009, Costco announced that it would stop selling Coca-Cola products due to the soft drink maker refusing to lower its wholesale prices. [20] Costco resumed selling Coca-Cola products on December 14, 2009. [21][22] Costco also saves money by not stocking extra bags or packing materials; to carry out their goods, customers must bring their own bags or use the merchandise shipping boxes from the compa ny's outside vendors.Lighting costs are reduced on sunny days, as most Costco locations have several skylights. During the day, electronic light meters measure how much light is coming in the skylights and turn off an appropriate percentage of the interior lights. During a typical sunny day, it is very common for the center section of the warehouse to have no interior lights powered on. [23] Most products are delivered to the warehouse on shipping pallets and these pallets are used to display products for sale on the warehouse floor. This contrasts with retail stores that break down pallets and stock individual products on shelves.Costco limits its price markup on items to 15%. [24] Membership Costco in Tlalpan, Mexico City Costco is only open to members and their guests, except for purchases of liquor and gasoline in some US states because of state law; and prescription drugs because of federal law. [25] Memberships must be purchased in advance for one year. Purchases made at Costc o's website do not require a membership; however, a 5% surcharge is added to purchases made by non-members. Purchases made with Costco Cash Cards also do not require a membership, and there is no surcharge.Canadian and United States Costco locations only accept American Express, PIN-based debit cards (Interac in Canada), Costco credit cards, Costco Cash Cards, cash, checks, and EBT cards (food stamps). While Costco welcomes members to bring up to two guests, only the members may pay for items. American Express is the only accepted credit card (in the United States, Canada, and Japan) because they charge Costco very low interchange fees (a percentage of revenue from total sales made); as Costco's margins are low in comparison to other retailers[citation needed].Costco accepts Flexible Spending Account (FSA) debit cards for qualifying purchases at the pharmacy and optical departments in the US. Costco. com accepts the American Express, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover cards. The website also accepts Bill Me Later accounts for payment. [26] As of November 2011, membership fees at Costco are $55 per year for a Gold Star (individual) or Business membership (older memberships are grandfathered in at $50 per year), which can be upgraded to Executive membership for an additional $55 per year. [27] Along with the additional benefits the executive membership offers (e. . home loans, car insurance, check printing services) Executive members also receive an annual â€Å"2% Rewards Check† of up to $750. 00 from Costco on all purchases made, excluding select items such as gasoline, tobacco, stamps and in some states, alcohol. [28] In Canada, membership is CDN $55. 00 a year for a Gold Star membership and includes a card for a spouse, or CDN $110. 00 a year for an Executive membership. [29] In the United Kingdom, membership is restricted to certain groups only. Trade membership is available to the owners or managers of businesses for ? 20. 00 (plus VAT).Trade members re ceive a complimentary spouse/partner card, and can purchase additional cards (at a cost of ? 12+VAT each) for employees. Qualified professionals such as solicitors, magistrates, accountants and engineers, as well as employees in certain specific sectors (such as medical services, education, local government, the civil service, airlines and banking) may apply for individual membership, which costs ? 25 including a spouse/partner card. [30] A Costco card issued in another country is valid in the U. K. ,[31] and as such, it would be possible for a U. K. esident to sign up elsewhere and use their card at home without meeting U. K. membership requirements. [citation needed] In Australia, membership is A$55. 00 a year for a business membership, or A$60. 00 a year for a Gold Star membership. [32] In Mexico, membership is MXN $450. 00 a year for a Gold Star membership, or MXN $1000. 00 a year for an Executive membership. [33] Costco is only open to members for all services and purchases. Me xican locations only accept cash and Visa Electron debit cards; purchases with MasterCard or Visa credit cards have a surcharge of approximately 4%.Purchases with the Mexican Costco credit card keep cash prices. Policies Australia's first Costco outlet, at Docklands, Victoria Return policy Costco memberships can be refunded in full at any time before they expire. [34] Costco guarantees almost all of their products with a full refund within a reasonable amount of time. Exceptions include televisions, projectors, computers, cameras, camcorders, digital audio players, and cellular phones; these may be returned within 90 days of purchase for any reason for a refund.After 90 days those returns must be done through the manufacturer according to the terms of the warranty. Also excepted are tires (which are covered by their manufacturer's separate defects and treadware warranties) and batteries (which are covered by a 36/100-month warranty, where they may be replaced for free in the first 3 6 months and are covered under a pro-rated warranty for months 37-100). Costco has negotiated with manufacturers to extend the manufacturers warranty to two years for new TVs and computers (five years on TV's sold by Costco in the UK).Costco also offers a free â€Å"concierge† service to members who purchase electronics, to help answer questions regarding setup and use and avoid potential returns due to not understanding how to use the products. [34] Food stamps in the U. S. Until 2009, Costco did not accept food stamps. As of March 14, 2009, an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette quoted Jim Sinegal, co-founder and president of the company, as saying, â€Å"Generally we don't have customers who use food stamps. [35] In response to the poor economy, as well as competitor BJ's Wholesale Club's decision in April to accept electronic food-stamp benefits chainwide,[36] Costco announced in May 2009 that it will accept food stamps on a trial basis in two New York City stores sta rting in June 2009 and depending on its success, might expand it to all New York City stores. [37] The company subsequently announced plans to expand the program beyond New York City, targeting first the â€Å"hard-hit areas likeMichigan, Indiana, and the central valley of California†, expanding to â€Å"half its roughly 410 U. S. stores by Thanksgiving†, and then going nationwide. [38] Cash Cards Costco Cash Cards can be purchased in the warehouse and members can load them with money to make non-cash purchases at all Costco warehouses in the United States and Australia. Because Costco gas stations take only Costco Cash, debit cards, American Express, and Costco credit cards, people who can only pay for gas by check or cash must purchase a Costco Cash Card inside the building before filling up.A Costco Membership is not required to make purchases with a Costco Cash Card. A non-member may not purchase or re-load a Costco Cash Card; however, they may spend more than the total value of their cash card in-store provided they pay in cash or approved debit cards for the remaining balance. [39] Products Over the years, Costco has gradually expanded its range of products and services. Initially it preferred to sell only boxed products that could be dispensed by simply tearing the stretch wrap off a pallet. It now[when? sells many other products that are more difficult to handle, such as fresh produce, meat, dairy, seafood, fresh baked goods, flowers, clothing, books, computer software, vacuums, home appliances, home electronics, solar panels, jewelry, tires, art, fine wine, hot tubs, furniture and caskets. Many warehouses have tire garages, pharmacies, hearing aid centers, optometrists, photo processors, and gas stations. Optometrists working at Costco locations will see patients without Costco memberships. Costco Optical ranks as the fourth-largest optical company in the US. [40] A membership is required to fill a prescription at the optical department. Some locations have liquor stores, often kept separate from the main warehouse in order to comply with liquor license restrictions. In some states (such as Texas), the liquor store must be owned and operated by a separate company with separate employees. [41] In 2006, Costco lost a lawsuit against the state of Washington in which it was seeking to purchase wine directly from the producer, bypassing the state retail monopoly. [42] In Australia, Costco has to comply with regulations set by each state they choose trade in; their first store in the state of Victoria benefits from some of the most liberal lcohol licensing laws in the country, with retailers permitted to sell alcohol on shelves within the store, in a manner similar to most European countries, yet they have chosen to have a separate checkout within the liquor section. [citation needed] Kirkland Signature Kirkland Signature logo Kirkland Signature branded bottled water Kirkland Signature is Costco's store brand, otherwise k nown in the retail industry as an â€Å"own-brand,† â€Å"house brand† or â€Å"private label. † It is found exclusively at Costco's website and Costco warehouses and is trademarked by the company.The name derives from the fact that Costco's corporate headquarters was located in the city of Kirkland, Washington between 1987 and 1996. [43] Costco introduced Kirkland Signature as its house brand in 1995. The idea was to identify categories in which a private label product could provide brand name quality at discounted prices. [44] To counteract the consumer confidence problem common in store branding, Kirkland Signature sometimes relies on co-branding. According to Costco, while consumers may be wary of same-store-branding, they are less likely to be wary of brands that they are familiar with and trust. 45] Services | This section does not cite any references or sources. (October 2009)| Costco acts as an investment broker and travel agent. Costco has an agreement with Ameriprise for auto and home insurance. In 2004 Costco offered an original artwork by artist Pablo Picasso on their online store; more recently[when? ] a highly regarded 1982 Mouton Rothschild wine was offered as well as other rare wines in rotation. [citation needed] Costco Photo Center is a multi-functional photography printing lab offering services at the warehouses as well as through their web site, costcophotocenter. com.The website provides free unlimited digital file storage with a current membership. Previous to May or June 2010, Costco had an agreement with Mypublisher. com for custom book and calendar publishing. Now,[when? ] they print the photobooks and calendars themselves. Online shopping The domain costco. com attracted at least 58 million visitors in 2008 according to a Compete. com survey. [46] Costco Travel Costco Travel is a wholly owned subsidiary of Costco Wholesale, and offers leisure travel to Costco members of the United States. [47] The program was esta blished in 2000 as a service to Costco members.Costco Travel's offices are located in Issaquah, Washington, adjacent to Costco's corporate headquarters. Costco Travel employs 290 travel professionals, all of whom are Costco employees. The program offers vacation packages to Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, Orlando, the South Pacific, the Desert Southwest and Las Vegas. [citation needed] Other products include cruises, guided vacations, theme park packages, houseboat rentals, hotel-only lodging and luxury vacation rentals. [citation needed] Select products feature additional benefits for Costco Executive Members. citation needed] The program is marketed directly to Costco members through various Costco avenues, including the Travel Guide to Savings (found in all U. S. Costco warehouses), online in the Travel section of Costco. com. [citation needed] Costco Connection | This section does not cite any references or sources. (September 2012)| The Costco Connection is a magazine se nt free to members of the warehouse club Costco and includes articles which regularly tie into the corporation along with business, health and social articles. Food serviceA food concession stand at the Costco warehouse in Overland Park, Kansas Most Costco locations have a food court, offering a quarter-pound 100% beef hot dog or polish sausage and 20  oz drink (with refill) for $1. 50, the same price since 1985. [48] In Australia the hot dog is made of pork and is sold at A$2. 49 with large soda. In Canada the price for a hot dog and 20 oz pop drink with refill is 1. 50 CAD. [49] In Mexico, the hot dog is made of pork, and includes a drink (with refill) for $25 MXN. In the UK, the hot dog is also made from beef and you also get a drink (with refill) for ? 1. 50.Costco sold more than 82 million quarter-pound hot dogs in its food courts in 2008. [49] Pizza is also available in most locations as cheese, pepperoni, veggie, or combo, and can be ordered to go at many locations. Frozen yogurt is also served in chocolate, vanilla, or swirled together. Also offered are berry smoothies, mocha latte freezes, chicken bake, turkey provalogne sandwiches, twisted churros, chicken Caesar salads, and in some locations, gelato. French fries are also offered in some locations. Due to slow sales, the pretzel was replaced by the churro. [50] The nutrition data for the Costco Food Court items is posted online. 51] In April 2010, certain Costco warehouses in the U. S. and Canada replaced their Coca-Cola drink fountain selections with Pepsi, accompanied with a change in labels on the disposable cups. [citation needed] Animal Welfare Concerns In 2010, Mercy for Animals conducted an undercover investigation at Buckeye Veal Farm, a veal supplier to Costco. [52] Immediately following the investigative release, Costco adopted a policy against purchasing veal from producers that use the crate-and-chain production method. [53] The case prompted Ohio decision-makers to vote in favor of a veal crate phase-out in the state. 54] In 2012, Mercy for Animals conducted an undercover investigation at a pork supplier to Costco, Walmart, Safeway, Kroger, and Kmart. [55] Before the public release of the investigation, Costco announced they would begin requiring their pork suppliers to phase out gestation crates. [56] [57] Labor relations While some former Price Club locations in California and the northeastern United States are staffed by Teamsters,[58] the majority of Costco locations are not unionized although there seems to be a move in 2012 to unionize some locations in Canada. 59] The non-union locations have revisions to their Costco Employee Agreement every three years concurrent with union contract ratifications in locations with collective bargaining agreements. Only remotely similar to a union contract, the Employee Agreement sets forth such things as benefits, compensations, wages, disciplinary procedures, paid holidays, bonuses, and seniority. The employee ‘a greement' is subject to change by Costco at any time and offers no absolute protection to the workers. As of March 2011, non-supervisory hourly wages ranged from $11. 00 to $21. 0 in the United States, $11. 00 to $22. 15 in Canada, and ? 6. 28 to ? 10. 50 in the United Kingdom. In the US, eighty-five percent of Costco's workers have health insurance, compared with less than fifty percent at Walmart and Target. [60] Product-demonstration (e. g. , food samples) employees work for an outside company. In the western U. S. , the company is called Warehouse Demo Services, Kirkland, Washington. [61] Costco also uses Club Demonstration Services, based in San Diego, California. [62] In Canada, demonstrations are done exclusively by Professional Warehouse Demonstrations. 63] Demonstration employees receive a pay and benefit package that is less than that of Costco employees. [64][unreliable source? ] International Warehouses outside the US are similar to those in the US. Layout, signage, and even parking lot markings are generally identical to warehouses in the US. [citation needed] Food court menus are tailored to international tastes, with poutine on offer in Canada, seafood-topped pizza available in Asian and Mexican locations, clam chowder in Japan, Taiwan ; South Korea, jacket potatoes in the UK and meat pies in Australia. 65] The merchandise mix available in warehouses is also tailored to local tastes, with a mix of both American and local products available. Map of Costco warehouses in the US. Locations As of October 26, 2012, Costco has 611 warehouses:[66] * 442 in the United States (including 4 in Puerto Rico) * 82 in Canada * 32 in Mexico * 22 in the United Kingdom. The latest to open is in Coventry. * 13 in Japan. The latest to open is in Kobe * 9 in South Korea. The latest to open is in Gwangmyeong * 8 in Taiwan * 3 in Australia The latest to open is in Sydney In 2005 the world's largest Costco was located in Hillsboro, Oregon, U.S. [67][68] Other wholesale formats Costco has experimented with other formats. Plans for Costco Fresh, a gourmet supermarket, were abandoned in February 2003. The membership-based format was to include a pharmacy, bakery, olive bar, deli, cafe, garden center and photo and optical departments, with products packaged in smaller quantities. [69] Costco Business Center Costco Business Centers carry restaurant, hospitality, janitorial, convenience store, and professional office supplies; items are offered in bulk or in smaller quantities, and selection for a given category of product is much broader. 70] Delivery is available. Unlike traditional Costcos, products such as clothing, sporting goods, jewelry, tires, hearing aids, and optical products are not available. [70] A limited assortment of over-the-counter drugs and toiletries are sold, though there is no pharmacy. Some locations have a gas station and/or food court. All except San Diego have a Print & Copy Center. As of October 2012, there are ten Costco Busi ness Centers, located in California (Commerce, Hawthorne, Hayward, and San Diego), Washington (Lynnwood, Fife), Morrow and Tukwila, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Phoenix, Arizona. [66] Costco HomeThe first Costco Home warehouse debuted in 2002 in Kirkland, Washington. The warehouse's concept was to combine the value, setting and members-only elements of Costco's warehouse clubs with the product array one would find at an upscale home store, such as Fortunoff or Crate & Barrel. The Costco Home warehouses sold furniture, housewares, kitchen products and accessories from higher-end brands such as Lexington, Ralph Lauren and Waterford[71] in a warehouse-club setting. Costco claimed that, similar to its main warehouses, it accepted lower margins in return for greater volume with minimal overhead.Over time, the concept was adjusted to include home electronics, some major appliances, office furniture, and a large selection of outdoor furniture and window treatments. Costco also partners with Glen tel subsidiary WIRELESS etc. to sell mobile phones and plans in Canada and Wireless Advocates in the US. On April 2, 2009, the company announced that it would be abandoning its Costco Home concept, closing the two existing stores in Kirkland, Washington and Tempe, Arizona on July 3, 2009, and abandoning plans for a third store on the West Coast. 72] The company cited cutbacks in consumer spending on home products and its interest in focusing on its core business as the main reasons. See also | Seattle portal| | Companies portal| * BJ's Wholesale Club * Bulk foods * Sams Club * Walmart * Privacy policy * About Wikipedia * Disclaimers * Mobile view * * The world’s fifth largest retailer by sales, Costco Wholesale Corp (Costco) known for its warehouse club model is also interested in coming to India and waiting for the right opportunity. [

Computer aided design package Essay

A company called Engineering ? Us have employed me to find out the cost, benefits and the drawbacks of upgrading from their current method of hand made technical drawing to using an up-to-date Computer Aided Design (CAD) package. This company designs and constructs office furniture to order; because of this work only begins on an item once the exact details of the item have been calculated and have the clients’ approval. The current method which is used to gather the information that the designers need to make the drawings for the office is to send over a person to measure the location where the item or items of furniture will be located and how they will get the item into the building. After this has happened and the measurements have been given to the designers the designers will draw the blueprints by pen and paper. After they have drawn the design they will send the blueprint via one of the company’s employee’s to the client for him/her to look at and decide if it is what they wanted. If the client decided they liked the design the blueprint would be sent down to the workshop where they would start construction of the design. If the client didn’t like the blueprint that the designers had made Engineering ? Us would find out from the client what was incorrect with the blueprints, then the designers would redesign the blueprints with the client’s inputs in mind. After this it is shown to the client again to see if it is to their liking. The reason the company is upgrading to a CAD based system from their hand drawn method is that up until now they have only had to make items on a smaller scale with a lot of time allowed for each project. Currently they allow the designer to make the drawings on the A0 paper taking their time which would take a few months, then have it sent to the manufacturing department to be constructed. Now they have managed to negotiate a contract with another company who will require Engineering ? Us to make the items faster, this means that they will need the technical drawings drawn faster so they can construct the items sooner. To allow this to happen they have decided to change from their current system to a computer based system using a CAD package appropriate to their needs. Engineering ? Us is a small company; they have one office and a workshop which are situated in separate places. The office block is where the items are designed and the workshop is where they are constructed using the designs from the office block. To transport the drawings from the office block to the workshop they walk over from the office block to the workshop with them, the reason they do this rather than any other method is that the two locations are very close together. Engineering ? Us has ten people working in the workshop where they are constructing the designs that are made and they have two designers drawing the blueprints in the office. There are also seven people who take blueprints out to clients to make sure that they like the drawing before Engineering ? Us constructs the design. These five people also take orders and measurements of the areas where the clients want the items to be placed and deliver the items to the client using a company van. The company has three supervisors, one is in charge of the technical drawing department, one is in charge of the workshop and one is in charge of the five people who communicate directly with the clients. One manager is in charge of all three of the supervisors and then the director of Engineering ? Us is above him. In total this brings the number of employees working for Engineering ? Us to twenty and two of these twenty employees will be using the system I am to justify. The company has recently won a new contract from a client and now has to construct a lot more furniture over a shorter period of time. For the company to meet these demands they have decided to upgrade their workshop to use a CAM machine that will speed up construction. The CAM machine has already been chosen by the company and the training plus everything else that is required for the CAM machine to operate. Engineering ? Us only require me to analysis the designing part of the company and make this more efficient to keep up with the new contract they have acquired. Engineering ? Us wants me to come up with a system that will run a CAD package that I justify for the company to use. This system will have to output a file format compatible with the CAM machine so that they integrate with each other easily. The contract will provide the company with i 60,000 at the end of the year once all of the items have been constructed and delivered to the client. This will be paid in instalments at the end of each month of i5,000. This contract will also be renewed with the client providing that Engineering ? Us can adequately provide the items they required within the allotted time frame. The system that I have been asked to come up with will have two users; these two users are currently working with Engineering ? Us and they will need to be trained in using the new system as they have not had any training or experience with any CAD application. They also need to have the capability to back up their drawings daily so that if something did happen to their hard drive they wouldn’t have lost everything. They also want all three computers linked up to their own network separate to any others that the company already have. It also needs to be connected to the internet so they can download updates for their CAD package as updates become available over the internet. The company has given me a budget of i 15,000 to come up with a costing to make or to buy two PCs capable of running a CAD package that I justify and anything else that is needed to run this application. With this budget I will also need to buy an A0 plotter, two graphics tablets, networking equipment and training for the employees on using the CAD package. P2 The company currently has two computers in their office block; these computers are very old and are only used for word processing for administration tasks. The current specification of their computers is shown in the table below: Component Specification Processor Intel Pentium 166 MHz (Random Access Memory) RAM 30MB Optical drive CD-ROM x8 speed Hard drive 9GB Modem 56K The computers they currently have can’t be upgraded to use any of the new CAD packages because everything in the current computers would all need to be replaced to make it compatible with any new CAD packages. This would effectively mean making a new computer rather than upgrading it, so just constructing a new computer would be a more cost effective way of proceeding. For that reason it would be better to keep these computers for administration purposes they are currently being used for, this would allow the company to still use them and not have to throw them away as they do their current task perfectly. DeltaCAD, MiniCAD, TurboCAD and AutoCAD are four different CAD packages that I have found that could do the job required by Engineering ? Us. The reason I have chosen these four is because the CAM machine in the workshop will only accept . DWG files for reading and if the CAD package didn’t output . DWG files it would not be able to integrate with the CAM machine. These files must be contained on a floppy disk as the CAM machine has only a floppy drive input and then it will read the data from it and construct to the specified design. I have chosen to further investigate three separate CAD packages out of the ones listed above; these three are DeltaCAD, TurboCAD and AutoCAD. The reason I have decided to investigate these further is that DeltaCAD is the cheapest, TurboCAD is the mid range and AutoCAD is the most expensive out of the packages. Using these three will give me a wide band of different costs for the different CAD applications which will allow me to come up with cheap systems, mid ranged and expensive an system for the company. This will help me not only stick to the budget I have been allocated but may also save the company money depending on the over all costs of the CAD package that is used. After finding out more on DeltaCAD, TurboCAD and AutoCAD I have found out that the latest versions of these three CAD packages are DeltaCAD 5. 0, TurboCAD 10 and AutoCAD 2005. DeltaCAD is made by a company called Midnight Software, TurboCAD is made by a company called IMSI and AutoCAD is made by a company called Autodesk, both IMSI and AutoCAD sell other products that are like CAD, but they will not be suitable for the tasks that Engineering ? Us require of it. Upon further investigation I have discovered one problem with TurboCAD that DeltaCAD and AutoCAD don’t have is that the CAM machine might not read the files it outputs perfectly. TurboCAD 10 outputs a different type of file but they state that this type of file is perfectly compatible with any CAM machine that reads . DWG files. Although they say this I think that from past experiences there could be problems from time to time with this type of file on Engineering ? Us’s CAM machine, when these problems arise it will slow the construction process down. P3/M2 I will have to either buy a new PC from a store or make the computers myself; whichever approach is adopted the hardware that will have to be in the machine will be the same and is listed below: Motherboard which will support all other hardware required for the computer   Video card to output a display on the monitor for the user to see what they are doing   CD-ROM drive to install the software applications which will be needed for the task the company requires of it   Floppy Drive to move the . DWG files to the CAM machine in the workshop to construct the items, this can also be very useful for fixing a broken computer or to help analyse its fault   Case for all of the components that will make up the computer to go into. RAM for the computer to open up applications and to keep data that is being used at the present times Hard drive to install the software applications on and store the CAD files created   Keyboard for the users to enter in alphanumeric data and other characters   Mouse or other pointing device for the user to move the curser on the screen   Processor to be able to process all of the data that needs to be processed   Processor heat sink to take heat off of the processor and disperse it into the air. Fans to keep the components inside the computer cool enough to work correctly, e. g. processor fan, case fans and video card fan   DVD/CD reader rewriter drive to back up the drawings that they produce during the day   Monitor for the user to view what they are doing while using the computer Other hardware that will be needed that is not part of the computer and is not needed to get the computer working, but will be required by the company to enable it to do all the work required is the A0 plotter and graphics tablets. An A0 sized plotter will be used to print off the CAD drawings on A0 paper and used to show the blueprints to the clients, they then decide if they like it or not from these blueprints. The reason that they will need to be printed out on A0 size paper is because due to the size of the items they are designing and the amount of information that needs to be shown to the clients it can only be easily displayed on an A0 sized piece of paper. One advantage of the system for the plotters is that there would only need to be one cheap plotter that prints off the drawings in low quality.

Management Information System, Recommendations Assignment

Management Information System, Recommendations - Assignment Example It will then seek to identify the areas that need to be changed, the reasons why they need to be changed, who needs to participate, the resources required and the expected results. It will show the necessary recommendation for organization change and decision making. The study of the processes and changes in the organization will enable the decision makers to identify the possible risks expected and how to mitigate them. Of course, each change process has a certain amount of exposure to risks and losses, but the management of Newark Ophthalmic Centre has to assess and measure the amount of exposure the company can withstand, based on the recommendations (Ward & Peppard, 2000). In the study of processes, the study will describe the meaning of processes and the purpose of processes. It will explore the organization culture of Newark Ophthalmic Centre and its main characteristics. It will study the different types of cultures that exist in the case study. The study will continue to investigate the model of project management in Newark Ophthalmic Centre including the life cycle of project management that Newark Ophthalmic Centre uses. It will conduct a research process using both primary and secondary data to measure various parameters before arrivin g at recommendations and eventual conclusion. The study does a summary of the tasks that are involved in the operation of Newark Ophthalmic Centre. The company background exhibits the nature of the organization structure and the tasks that every entity performs. It checks the levels of the organization where decisions are made. It also considers the tasks that are performed by the system. There is a subdivision of major tasks into subtasks that the organization has to take into consideration. In Newark Ophthalmic Centre, there are major tasks such as System Acquisition and system search. System acquisition is, for example, split into subtasks such as system requirement study, preliminary study, feasibility search, conceptual design, logical design, functional design and development, testing and documentation tasks.  

Phase 4 Discussion Board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Phase 4 Discussion Board - Essay Example Also, the beverage industry is one in which brand loyalty is an important factor. For example, many people are hard core loyals to brands such as Coke or Pepsi, and it would take time to steal market share away from these established brands. As more and more time lapses after the launch, more people would become aware of the product and more trial would be generated. Optimistically speaking, if consumers like the new product, there would be more repeat purchase as time goes by. Satisfied consumers market the new product even more through the word of mouth as they encourage their friends and family to try it out. Hence, as more time goes by, more and more sales can be generated. Generally, for new products, the initial hype created by promotion campaigns is what leads to trial purchase. Even after the launch, the level of advertisement and other promotional activities has a considerable effect on the sales level. Advertisements can be in the print or electronic media. Other promotional activities can include Below The Line (BTL) activities such as free trial purchases offered to consumers, or free gifts with every purchase of the new product. For a new product, there has to be large scale advertisement and promotional activity to create awareness about the brand, and to steal the market share away from already established brands. It has already been mentioned that the beverage industry is usually dominated by a few players which have a strong, brand loyal customer base. A unique brand image needs to be created to appeal to the target audience, so that those loyal to other brands will be attracted towards the new one. This unique brand image can only be done through effective advertisement and promotional campaigns. If we were to take the combined effect of time and advertisement/promotion, it would give us an even clearer picture of the success or

Death Penalty in Texas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Death Penalty in Texas - Essay Example In array for a killing to be a "capital murder," it have to meet one of the condition explain beneath under the Capital assault. There are a multiplicity of projected lawful and cultural enlightenment because to why Texas has additional executions as compare to several other state of U.S. The furthermost explanation is, of course, that statistically Texas has the second- biggest inhabitants of any state, sprawling only California. On the other hand, Texas also has the second- excessive rate of executions for every capita, sprawling Oklahoma, so that at the same time as the inquiry is legitimately increase, it could better be inquire of that state previously so as to of Texas. Texas's appellate panels of adjudicators are selected by the ancestors of the state, not allotted by an alternative authority. As Texas's political attitude is in general conventional, judges could find it beneficial to take a hard point of view on crime to guarantee reelection; evaluator also declare that the excellence of these designated jurists is not as high-level as those select in other states. On the other hand, according to a learning by Cornell University staff members, Texas is amongst the states that allocate the death penalty only to accurate kinds of murder, for example individuals of a police official or witness, and to the same extent a result have minor death judgment rates than those make use of further subjective standards, such as the evil nature of a crime, the learning noted. The states among the added objective laws allocate the death penalty fewer (with reference to 1.9 percent during 1977-99) as to those with the additional subjective laws (which allocate it about 2.7 percent throughout that period). A 2002 Houston History census of Texans originate that when question "Do you encourage the death penalty'" 69.1% answer back that they did, 21.9% did not encourage to backing and 9.1% were not sure thing or give away no answer. This is to some extent high ranking than the bear witness to of 68% originate by a Scripps Howard News Census in March 1998. Backing has drop down from 86% during 1994. First of all, I would like to say that in other states of U.S or in Texas. Second of all, Third of all, I would like to say that I am against the use of the death penalty in the United States. I will remain against the death penalty If the individual was find guilty as a party, a supplementary "anti-parties" charge is certain asking whether the defendant in reality bring about the passing away of the deceased otherwise did not in fact origin the passing away of the deceased however intended to kill the deceased or " projected " that a human existence would be there taken. If this question mark is answered 'yes' in adding up to the yes-no model As a result of the special issues in death penalty cases, there are also different rules of evidence that apply in capital cases in the punishment phase than for a non-capital case. In a non-capital case, the State may introduce evidence of

The Story of Wall-Mart Success Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Story of Wall-Mart Success - Research Paper Example The company in order to position itself as the lowest cost retailer had to adopt many strategies that even include effectively managing their operating costs so that they do not have to compromise on the profit margins. The company is not only the largest retailer across the globe but is also the biggest employer and has a large base of employees.  The company in order to position itself as the lowest cost retailer had to adopt many strategies that even include effectively managing their operating costs so that they do not have to compromise on the profit margins. The company is not only the largest retailer across the globe but is also the biggest employer and has a large base of employees.  Reasons behind Wal-Mart behind the best in the retail industry   Wal-Mart has been able to prove itself as one of the largest retailers across the globe. The company has been able to maintain an image of a retailer that offers the best of cheapest products in comparison to all the other pl ayers in the retail industry. The company has set its mark as the only retail chain that has not only been successful in the home country but has also been able to set high standards in the international markets. The company achieves the rank of being best retailer not only through its low-cost products but also through the customer service that it offers to its customers. The company maintains a team of well-trained professionals and they are divided into various departments so that there is a smooth flow of operations. The company has also achieved the image of being the most attractive employer in the retail industry. To be best in a particular industry can be analyzed through the revenue margins and the profit levels that are achieved by a company in comparison to other players in the market. Wal-Mart is known to be the best in the retail sector as its revenue margins have always grown down the line. The company is the topmost retailer across the globe in terms of revenue (Fishm an 113).The other factor that states that the company is the best in the retail sector is that it has been able to maintain a steady growth down the years and unlike other competitors has not seen any kind of turmoil in its business operations. Also, the company operates across various regions and offers a wide range of products, and the company even imports different kinds of consumer goods and electronics in the United States. The wide range of activities that the company performs also has been well supported by its association with all the local communities which has proved that the company is socially responsible. The company performs all kinds of activities may that be getting associated with all form of environmental concern issue or may that be extending their support and help to the weaker sections of the company.  

Environmental health Epidemiology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Environmental health Epidemiology - Assignment Example Certain chronic illnesses tend to be common only among elderly women and rarely affects the young ladies (Brown, 2007). Addiction, substance abuse and treatment are dependent psychosocial variables. Alcohol and drug are big contributors to the development of chronic illnesses such as liver cirrhosis. Continuous use of alcohol results in increased cases of chronic illnesses and development of complexity during care provision for the sick. Alcohol is a dependent variable of chronic illnesses as in certain instances; alcohol disorders are associated with complex services for chronic illnesses and inconsistent attendance to treatment. Chronic illness can act as a functional limitation to an addict’s ability to access health care services for the treatment of addiction. On other cases there is increased interaction with the health care facilities and access of treatment. (Gordis, 2004) Social control is an independent variable of chronic illnesses. The degree of social control between married and unmarried men varies. The married are the most affected. Social control causes health behavioral change of the recipient. It tends to lead to an improved health behavior though one is at risk of suffering from psychological distress ( Hurtig,

Design and Operation of Logistics Systems Assignment

Design and Operation of Logistics Systems - Assignment Example Savings in logistics cost accrue from reduced inventory levels, making it possible to close facilities, thus, promoting centralisation of distribution. It further reduces the need to keep stock at many warehouses, thus, bringing a shift in the role of such facilities from stock keeping to distribution (Higginson & Bookbinder 2005). Management of Gerrard Laboratories was also thinking on the same lines by planning to close Cologne facility not just because it could serve the Cologne warehouse customers from the Brussels plant at Belgium but because the competitor company was serving the European market with fewer warehouses than Gerrard Laboratories. Serving the Cologne customer base from the Brussels plant, the largest and the oldest one, from the management and manufacturing perspective seemed more pertinent as the Brussels manufacturing plant had been producing 25 items out of the total 35 products. The given situation indicates that it is more practical to serve the Cologne area f rom the Brussels plant. From sales operations perspective also, Gerrard’s 90% customers had been retailers; only 10% formed the industrial customers. Further, there was no seasonal change in the demand of the company products. Hence, it is expected that Gerrard should manage distribution to hospital customers satisfactorily from the Brussels plant. Another aim of distribution centres has been to attend to customer needs, which a great number of researchers have analysed. Increased communication and transportation have further minimised the requirement of warehouses and distribution centres (Higginson & Bookbinder 2005). Examining Gerrard on the communication and transportation parameters for client servicing, Gerrard has been handling its logistics functions on traditional practices. Other than its own 4 plants and 14 warehouses, it had been sharing warehousing space of 23 other grocery products and services companies, not wholly occupying the total offered space. So far the practice of one-shot billing system with variable cost of manufacturing coming to 80% of the total cost could be a reasonable ratio but annual or maximum period of 2 years for contract renewal with the warehousing service providers could be the deterrent; it carried the impending risk of increased inventory cost annually. That’s why Gerrard senior management had been focussing more on closing the Cologne facility (Case Study). Financially, it would be a good decision to close the Cologne warehouse as shipments from Netherland to Brussels would not be charged with any additional freight rate. The new weighted-average rates for taking the goods from Brussels plant to the Cologne customers through another trucking company are quite competitive as the trucking company has expressed its desire for reducing the rates for less-than truck loads (LTL). It has offered 100 square meters of its Cologne terminal space for transit storage without charging extra, which is a big plus-point. The local delivery rates for TL per case would come to â‚ ¬0.58 and for LTL only marginally higher. Rate for at least 40% shipped goods would be highly competitive. Gerrard would be in a position to save revenue on this count and also by getting goods delivered via the Netherland without incurring extra cost in comparison to goods delivered v

Week 5discusiions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 5discusiions - Essay Example An active that will lead to weight loss is a treatment procedure. Therefore, an expense incurred during the weight loss process becomes a permitted deduction. However, the deductions must be more than 10% of the Annual Gross Income of the taxpayer (U.S Department of the Treasury, 2015). Furthermore, the taxpayer should not appear as a dependent on another person’s tax returns. A client who owns stocks can fund qualified organizations through appreciated securities in the stock market. The decision to sell the appreciated shares means that the client will forego the capital gains associated with them. The client will forego the capital gains and tax liabilities, but will include them as potential deductions. Furthermore, the deduction will be on the prevailing market value. However, when the qualified group is receiving the stock and wants value for money, they will have to cash the shares. Since the organization is non-profit, it would not be liable to tax liability associated with capital gains. For instance, consider a client with appreciated securities of 10,000 with a market value of $45. The client decides to offer the stock (10,000) to a qualified organization. They can deduct $45,000 as part of the potential deductions. They will have contributed the appreciated shares, and realized gains through the

Hardware and software Essay Example for Free

Hardware and software Essay Angela and David need to buy a computer. They plan to use it to produce letters and newsletters, to create a website, to keep the club accounts, to record members of the club, and to detail stockists of tandems in their area. They have never bought a computer before and have around i 1800 to spend on both hardware and software. Hardware Main Processing Unit The work they will be doing on the computer is not the most demanding for a computer, so the specification of it will not need to extremely high. I would recommend a fast, budget processor, like a Celeron or Duron. These are cheaper than Pentiums and Athlons and for the tasks Angela and David are carrying out, they will not notice much difference in performance. A clock speed of 1000-1500Mhz would be sufficient for their needs. On the memory front, I would recommend 256Mb of memory, as it is an amount that would make Microsoft Windows XP and Office XP run smoothly, and it is also the standard requirement for most modern software programs. The memory will also be useful as it will allow a large number of files, in this case web pages and graphics, to be open at one time. A motherboard will be needed, and it will need to be compatible with the processor and memory chosen. There will need to be a sound card and a video card, and as they will not be using these to use graphics intensive programs, such as games, I would suggest that they chose a motherboard with these already built in. into the motherboard to keep costs down. It will need to contain several different types of ports. There will need to be around 4 USB ports (for various peripherals, e. g.digital camera, scanner, printer), a parallel port (for the printer or scanner), two PS2 ports (one each for the keyboard and mouse), and a serial port (some digital cameras still connect his way). This will give them a choice of connection options and extra peripherals. A modem will be needed to connect to the Internet. I would recommend an internal modem as it takes up less room and does not require plugging into the mains. The modem will need to be a normal dial-up modem, not ADSL or cable, as they do not require broadband. The modem will need to be a 56K modem to increase speeds. I would also recommend the V92 standard of 56k modem, which has a faster upload speed than previous standards, so they spend less time uploading their website. An ISP will also be needed. There are many different ones, but I would advocate the use of a free ISP, where you only pay for the calls, as it does not appear that they will be using the Internet to such an extent where a subscription-based unlimited service would work out cheaper. The ISP also needs to have web space for the users, so the Tandem Club website can be uploaded. Freeserve is an example of an ISP that does this. Input Devices The keyboard and mouse are standard for any Windows computer. In this case, both will need to be connected to the PC via the PS2 port. I would recommend an ergonomic mouse with a scroll wheel, as this aids computer usage a great deal. The keyboard should be comfortable to use for Angela and David, but a normal keyboard should be recommended for them, rather than the peculiarly shaped ergonomic ones, which would be a little awkward to understand for a beginner. I would also recommend a scanner. This will aid them in creating their newsletters and web pages. Photographs of their cycle rides and social gatherings could be scanned and inserted into their documents. Signatures can also be scanned in. For their usage, I would recommend a plain, low-priced flatbed scanner, as these are very simple to use and will do what they need it to. It does not need to be high definition, just around 600dpi, and it does not need a high colour depth. This is because images on the web are compressed and lose quality, and the images in the newsletters will be small. A digital camera would also be a good idea as it will allow them to quickly get images into the computer, without going through the trouble of scanning them. They would only require basic functionality from it, so one costing around i 100 would be adequate. Output Devices The monitor is a very important part of the computer set-up as it is the way the user knows what the computer is doing. As Angela and David will be spending quite a while looking at the monitor, I would recommend a fairly large 17-inch model, as this will make computing easier as it is easier on the eyes and reduced the need for scrolling up and down. Angela and David will need a printer in order to produce hard copies of their documents. I would recommend an inkjet printer, with a fairly high resolution (around 1200dpi) so that they can change between the different resolutions they need. They also need one that is economical to run, which have replacement cartridges that are inexpensive to replace. Speakers would also be a good idea, as they will open up other uses of the computer in the future, such as digital music, internet browsing, controlling Windows, and multimedia applications. Storage The computer will need a hard drive, to store all of the data from the various programs on it. For the needs of David and Angela, I would advocate the use of a 40Gb hard drive. This will allow plenty of room for them to store their programs, documents and images. As they are novices, this size of hard drive will take an extremely long time to fill up, if ever, which is good for them as it means they do not have to worry about technical matters inside the computer. In order to install the software that they will need, a CD drive is obligatory. They are quite cheap and I would recommend a 52-speed drive, which means that data is read from it extremely quickly, reducing the time needed. The couple have no need for a DVD drive, as they do not require viewing of DVD Video discs or DVD software. Although floppy disk drives are an old technology, I think that the Williams computer will need one. This will allow them to create backups of their files, providing they are not too large, and it will also allow them to distribute images to other members of the Tandem Club. Software Operating System. All computers require an operating system and usually comes pre-installed, and in this instance, I would recommend Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition. This new version is more stable than previous versions, and offers a lot help to the user, which will aid them in getting to grips with computing. It also comes with a number of built in applications, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, Outlook Express 6, FrontPage Express (needed for web pages), a number of utilities, such as Disk Defragmenter, and inbuilt games, like Minesweepers. It is also compatible with a large amount of software, equipment and utilities. This costs i 164 alone, but it costs a lot less when pre-installed. Office Suite The Williams need to create several different types of document with their computer, such as letters, newsletters and accounts. Several different types of programmes would be needed to create these, such as word processing and DTP, but these are often bundled together into an office suite. There are several different ones, such as StarOffice and Lotus SmartSuite, but the one I would recommend is Microsoft Office, in particular, Office XP Standard Edition. This suite contains most of the software David and Angela need; Word, a word-processing program, for letters, Excel, a spreadsheet package, for the accounts, and Outlook, a contact management and e-mail program, for keeping the details of club members and tandem stockists. It also contains a good help system, and as it is widely used, there is a lot of documentation in shops and many computer magazines give advice on it, which is helpful if you are having difficulty. Microsoft Office XP Standard costs around i 300, but if either David or Angela were teachers, or had children in education, they would qualify for the discounted Student and Teacher price. Other Applications In order for David and Angela to create their web pages, they will need to use a web page editing program, such as FrontPage Express, which is bundled with Internet Explorer for free. On the subject of web pages, they will need a program to create graphics, and to process the images received from the scanner or digital camera. I would recommend the purchase of Paint Shop Pro, an image-editing program, which is bundled with Animation Shop, which creates animated graphics for the Internet. Paint Shop Pro can work with scanners, which would be useful in this case, and contains image enhancement, optimisation for the web. This costs i 65 for the version 7, the latest, but I would recommend an older version, such as 6, which will be a little simpler to use, and will carry out most of the functions that the newer version does for less money. Version 5 of Paint Shop Pro, although extremely functional, is often given away on the covers of computing magazines for around i 5, so this would be a useful way to save money. In order to create newsletters, a desktop publishing program is needed. There are many different programs of this type, such as Microsoft Publisher, Adobe PageMaker and Greenstreet Publisher. In this case, I would advise the Williams to purchase Microsoft Publisher 2002. It contains wizards and templates to aid in the creation of newsletters, as well as other documents like posters. As it is part of the Microsoft Office XP family, the interface is very similar, so it will be easy to get to grips with if they understand other Office products. This costs around i 100. Health and Safety Angela and David will need to be aware of health and safety issues before using their computer. Set-up Do not force cables into ports   Keep cables tidy, neat, and out of the way   Do not turn on the electricity before all the cables are in. Usage Organise an electrical safety check at least once a year Use an adjustable chair with backrest   Use a wrist support   Take regular breaks from the computer. Position the computer correctly   Do not consume food or drink near a computer. Adjust position in seat so arms are horizontal, mouse is in easy reach and eyes are level with top of VDU.   Follow instructions on consumables like printer ink and dispose of them correctly.   Install a screen filter to protect from eye strain   Keep the screen clean with anti-static screen cleaning solution, not polish to reduce glare   Adjust position of computer and monitor to reduce glare from lighting Upgrading   When upgrading the computer, always turn the power off, be gentle, and take anti-static precautions, e. g. anti-static mat William Neale 11MC.

Sleep essay Essay Example for Free

Sleep essay Essay Instructions: After logging all data into your sleep diary (including documenting the level of alertness twice a day using the Stanford Sleepiness Scale) write an essay including all of the following topics: Summarize in essay form the amount of sleep you get each night (compare weekdays, weekends, holidays, etc.) and the quality of sleep you get nightly. Discuss in your essay how you are impacted by the amount of sleep you get each night (mood, personality, productiveness, peak performance, academically, socially, etc. ). Explain what times of day you are most alert and how you feel when you are wide awake. How does this impact you daily life? When you were forced to document your sleep cycles, did you find any surprises or interesting facts related to you and your sleep that may impact your friendships, work, academics, career or relationships? Analyze the trends you see in your sleep data (and other information you know about your sleep habits) and discuss any possible changes you would like to make in your sleep habits. You must state a conclusion to your findings and explain why they are significant. Format: All essays must be typed and double spaced in font no larger than 12 pica. Each essay must have a name, period and title (no title pages or covers please). Each essay must be accompanied by at least one illustration relating to your essay. If you use any other resources for information regarding sleep or any other topics in your paper, you must site them using APA format (see e-mail from Mrs. Womble with web site resources). All papers must be stapled I the top left corner and turned in on time.

The Red Badge Of Courage Analysis English Literature Essay

The Red Badge Of Courage Analysis English Literature Essay The Red Badge of Courage is a classic Civil War novel that was written by Stephen Crane in 1895. Being a soldier in the Civil War was dangerous, with a death toll of over 600,000. Becoming one of those numbers was an obvious fear for most soldiers. The question is, are you willing to fight for your side or are you a coward? This question plays an important role throughout the story, as it is the key factor in Henry Flemings mind. This question helps Fleming and his fellow soldiers in their transition from boys to men. Crane creates three major characters that develop into mature soldiers after going through a dramatic psychological change while they learn through the events and hardships they face in their first days of war. Henry Fleming is the protagonist of the story and the story is told through his eyes and his thoughts. He is young and immature, so he enlists for all the wrong reasons. The only reason he joins the army is for the glory. He is not enlisting because of what he believes in. The duty of being a soldier is not important to him. He enjoys the attention he receives shortly before leaving home and he hopes to earn more glory in battle. Henry only thinks of the glory in the short run. He looks forward to coming home to tell all his stories of heroism before he even fights. Once he is actually in the situation of having to fight, Henry questions his courage. He wonders if he is a hero or if he is just a coward. In the beginning of the war, Henry fears fighting at the expense of his own life. In Henrys first skirmish, he quickly reveals himself to be a coward. He began to exaggerate the endurance, the skill, and the valor of those who were coming. Himself reeling from exhaustion, he was aston ished beyond measure at such persistency. They must be machines of steel. It was very gloomy struggling against such affairs, wound up perhaps to fight until sundown (Crane 41). Henry cannot believe that the soldiers are coming for a second charge. He could barely accomplish holding them back once. Once Henry flees the battle scene, he is angry at his fellow soldiers. He resents the men for not being as intelligent as him. He claims that they are stupid to stay and fight against an inevitable death, just because they did hold the enemy. Henry is so immature that he tries to make himself feel superior with these feelings of jealousy. Henry wanted the glory of winning a battle but his lack of courage prevented him from earning it. He assures himself that he is right and that running is better for the army because he preserved his life. As he begins to wander and find his regiment that he had abandoned, Henry notices all the wounded soldiers and becomes jealous of their injuries, as he wishes he had a wound the show off to his comrades. Without a wound, Henry had no proof that he had fought alongside his regiment. Henry is an immature kid that only desires a wound to avoid being titled a coward. His fear becomes extreme when he leaves the tattered man to die, even though he knows that by abandoning him, the man has no chance of survival. If Henry was not so concerned with the mans constant questioning, he could have saved his life. Henry believes that being labeled as a coward is worse than the man dying. Henry is vain and does not care about anyone but himself. His fear of being exposed takes over him and he loses all of his morals. He drops to the point to where he even hopes his side loses the battle just so he can have the satisfaction of knowing he predicted the right outcome by fleeing. Once confronted about his head wound he received from his own sides soldier, he lies and claims it is a bullet wound. His regiment believing that he was grazed by a bullet g ives Henry a false sense of accomplishment. Henrys main fear at this point shifts from death to being discovered to be nothing but a fraud. After Wilson retrieves his letter back from Henry, he feels superior to Wilson. His friend at his side seemed suffering great shame. As he contemplated him, the youth felt his heart grow more strong and stout. He had never been compelled to blush in such manner for his acts; he was an individual of extraordinary virtues (Crane 91). Henrys sense of pride over Wilson is ironic; Henry has done nothing but flee, while Wilson fought bravely and stood his ground. He had performed his mistakes in the dark, so he was still a man (Crane 90). Henry convinces himself that he is a man and has nothing to be ashamed of because only he knows the truth of his cowardice acts. Henry is so full of false accomplishment that he blinds himself from the truth. Henry becomes so afraid of being discovered that he loses his sense of thought in his next battle and blindly fires at the enemy, even after the battle ended. He begins to worry so much about his reputation to the point where all he thinks about is looking like a soldier, and then he finally appears to be one. Although Henry is fighting for the wrong reasons in the battle, it is his turning point in his development as a man. He made the transition to a hero but did not even realize it. He finally realizes that becoming a hero is nothing like the stories that he hears from other soldiers, but the title comes from following orders and standing your ground. It is not as amazing and interesting as he had planned on it, so he becomes less fascinated with creating war stories to go home and share with his town. The glory does not control his actions anymore. He transforms from a selfish soldier who cares about no one but himself to a soldier in the 304th regiment. He becomes one with his regiment and his pride shifts from himself to the reputation of his entire regiment. When he overhears the li eutenant calling his regiment mule drivers, he becomes offended and makes his new goal proving his officer wrong. Although he could have told his regiment about the insult, Henry finally keeps it to himself. This is the first time that Henry did not take an opportunity to insult his officers. He knows that this was the mature and obedient move that a real soldier would make. He did not want to hurt the pride of his comrades, which before he would have taken the opportunity in an instant just to make himself feel superior. When the regiments color sergeant was slain, he unhesitatingly seized the colors and thereafter kept them steadily to the front, showing again his fearlessness (Lentz 259). Henry leads his army ahead and is not afraid of being killed or even thinking about his reputation. He grabs the flag without thinking because he does whatever he can to insure victory for his regiment. Henry started the war as immature, vain, and arrogant. Although the events only took place ov er two days, Henry matured quickly into a soldier who was proud of not only himself, but all his comrades. He evolved into a leader for his regiment and was willing to die for his army, just to make the battle more difficult for the enemy. Jim Conklin is the perfect example of an obedient, respectful soldier. Jim is Henrys childhood friend. Jim follows orders with no difficulty and maintains his dedication to the union. His duty as a soldier is fulfilling enough for Jim, as he does not care about any type of fame or glory. He spreads rumors that the regiment will move the next day because he tries to get them excited about their first march in months. Jim acts as close to an officer as you can get. He stops arguments, gives advice to his comrades, and attempts to raise morale throughout the camp and the regiments marches. Jim has no fear of death and does not worry about being called a coward. He claims if his comrades fight, he will fight. If they run, he will run. He will follow his regiment and support whatever decision they make. Although Jim is passionate about what he does, he is quiet when he needs to be. He does not criticize his superiors or complain in battle, but he complies with everything that is demanded of him. Whenever Jim is later found by Henry, he seems to be quieter than usual, keeping to himself. Jim knows he is dying and does not crave the attention of others to give him a dramatic death. He does not seek the Greek tradition of being laid upon his shield like Henry desires. He actually prefers the thought of dying alone with nothing there to bother him as he tries to go peacefully. He does not curse the gods or the war he is fighting in, he dies as a fine soldier does. Wilson is a loud, arrogant soldier that is similar to Henry Fleming. Because we only have access to Henrys thoughts, we do not know if Wilson fears the title of a coward. When questioned by Henry if he would flee, Wilson becomes angry and walks off in a rage. It is safe to assume that Wilson fears the title but uses his anger as a protective barrier from the subject. Wilson is confident in himself that he will succeed in war, but deep down he knows that it is possible that he could run. The question does not control Wilson like it does Henry, but he puts on the front of the tough guy to convince himself that he will be a force on the battlefield. Wilson shows his vulnerability early by giving the letter to Henry, showing he is terrified of fighting and he loses all confidence in himself. Wilson does not believe he will survive and that brings out his true character. Although it appears that he does not flee, he undergoes a drastic change in personality. When reunited with Henry, he n urses his friend back to his feet. Ironically, pride and arrogance is now completely lacking in Wilson, who had only shortly before been supremely cocky (Johnson 8). He transforms into a quiet, obedient soldier. Although he loses his overwhelming personality, he keeps the same confidence. He no longer speaks as if he is a god, but he is confident in himself and he does not need anyone else to know it. It is almost as if he takes over Jims personality after Jim had died. He shows this by keeping quiet and even breaking up a fight that starts inside the camp he is watching. He no longer lets his pride control him. When he asks Henry for the letter to his family back he faces a great amount of embarrassment, even making him blush, but he does not care about his reputation or if he is called a coward. He later forms into his regiment and leaves the individualism he used to seek behind. These three soldiers all have three different personalities to start the story, but by the end of the novel they all have their personalities altered into the ideal soldier. Henry and Wilson both begin the story as soldiers terrified to die, but they eventually evolve into soldiers willing to die for their side, almost a mirror of Jim. It just shows that a young inexperienced soldier needs a mature mentor resembling Jim to teach them the right attitude in war.

Timelessness of Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Essay -- Shakespeare, Ro

The classic play Romeo and Juliet by the famous playwright William Shakespeare is one of the most beautiful love stories of all time and has captured and inspired readers everywhere. Regardless of the fact that it was written in the 1500’s, it is still being performed and extolled today. There is a multitude of reasons for such continuance of the play. First of all, its everlasting themes of love and hate enable people to deeply relate to the story. Secondly, its memorable characters deeply imprint on the minds of readers. And lastly, above all, is its magnificent language which many writers today regard in awe. These three elements make the acclaimed play, Romeo and Juliet, one of the most timeless stories of our lives. First of all, the themes of Romeo and Juliet such as love and hate are essentially the same in all its facets and colours whether it is in the 1500’s or the present time. The play is still accepted universally because people can closely relate to themes such as love and hate, and life and death, and these themes are the basis of the play. For example, there is the i...

Brain Development :: Child Development, Neurons

Child development is crucial throughout the early years, during this time the development of the brain occurs. The development of the brain contributes to the functioning of the body. The anatomy of the brain is made up of neurons and divided into four different lobes. The temporal, frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes control a variety of cognitive functions. The brain controls simple functions such as fine and gross motor skills, vision, and memory. According to Meadows (1993, p.263), at all sorts of levels in the brain there are programs for functions such as breathing, sleeping, and producing coherent language. Brain development in children is vital during the early years. During the early years, children brains are active enabling children to learn a variety of information. Many studies have been conducted and they have concluded a healthy lifestyle, physical activity, and exposing young children to a variety of education material assist with child development. The first few y ears of a child’s life is crucial as far as his intellectual as well as socio-emotional abilities are concerned (Bose, 2000). Brain Development Brains and the more nonessential parts of the nervous system are made up of neurons (Meadows, 1993 p. 266). The brain is made up of neurons, axons, dendrites, and synapse. They all have their individual job that contributes to the functioning of the body. The weight of the brain increases as a child develops into adulthood. According to Siegler & Alibali (2005, p13), the changes in the size of the brain make it possible for advanced thinking. The neurons are the functioning core of the brain (Brotherson, 2005). The brain begins to develop in the mother’s womb and continue to develop as the child develops. The neuron has branches protruding from the cell sending signals to the synapse and axon. The synapse and axon shapes the brain which allows connections to be made. Young children learn new information when they follow the same routine on a regular base. If a parent repeatedly calls a child a certain name, then connections form that allow the child to recognize that name ove r time and he or she will begin to respond to that name (Brotherson, 2005). Through repetitive experiences the axons and synapse strengthen causing learning to take place. The brain is divided into four major lobes: the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, and the temporal lobe. Each lobe contributes to cognitive development in young children.

Comparing Love and Marriage in Canterbury Tales, Lanval, Faerie Queene,

Love and Marriage in Canterbury Tales, Lanval, Faerie Queene, and Monsieur's Departure Medieval and Renaissance literature develops the concepts of love and marriage and records the evolution of the relation between them. In Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Christian love clashes with courtly love, as men and women grapple with such issues as which partner should rule in marriage, the proper, acceptable role of sex in marriage, and the importance of love as a basis for a successful marriage. Works by earlier writers portray the medieval literary notion of courtly love, the sexual attraction between a chivalric knight and his lady, often the knight's lord's wife. The woman, who generally held mastery in these relationships based on physical desire and consummation, dictated the terms of the knight's duties and obligations, much like a feudal lord over a vassal. This microcosm of romance between man and woman was anchored by the macrocosm of the bonds among men and their fealty to their lord. The dominance of women and fealty to the leader in courtly love contrasts with the d ominance ...

Clothing and Boutique Business

http://www. geo-slope. com/res/price%20list. pdf A boutique is a small retail store which focuses on selling unique items, or items targeted at a niche market. Boutiques are established to sell a wide range of things, although products like clothing, food, or jewelry are common offerings. Many people associate boutiques with elite, special products, and they may pay a premium for goods purchased in a boutique. Many resort towns and areas which cater to wealthy populations have a high concentration of boutiques in their shopping districts. At one point, any small shop was considered a boutique, and most stores were in fact boutiques since merchants usually focused on a single product, like fabric, produce, fish, and so on. The word is French in origin, and derived from the Old French word botica, for apothecary. Around the 1950s, people starting referring to specialized, elite fashion shops as â€Å"boutiques. † This meaning of the word quickly obscured previous usages, and spread to include any highly specialized or fashionable store. Many people think of a boutique as a standalone shop with a single owner. However, some high-end shopping chains actually own multiple boutiques; these stores may be scattered in wealthy areas all over the world. Chain boutiques sell specialized products and target a very specific market, just like their standalone counterparts. These stores may have very well marketed and recognized brands; Tiffany's is a good example of a boutique with international branches, with its distinctive little blue boxes and their contents being prized and coveted objects for some people. Types of Boutiques and their Classification A boutique store is a small retail shop that specializes in merchandise for a particular market segment. These department stores focus on fashionable products such as clothing, accessories, jewelry, and other miscellaneous items. Boutique stores are uniquely positioned to serve a well-defined category of consumers, and are equipped to cater to these niches and themes. As you can see below, there are many different niches that boutique stores can specialize in, and a diverse range of markets to choose from. Boutiques can be classified by their demographic target: Maternity Boutiques Some very successful boutiques target expecting mothers and the unique set of challenges that pregnancy brings to women; one of these challenges is to have clothing that is both stylish and comfortable. Given the dynamic nature of expectancy, dress sizes and how they are managed are extremely important to future moms who want dresses that they can use through the lifecycle of their pregnancy. Boutiques for Children A common way to segment a market is through targeting those of a particular age. If you love kids, then a boutique store for toddlers is calling for you. A boutique for children would carry children clothing, but may also contain toys and games. You can further define this category for just: †¢ Baby: An example is Baby Gap †¢ Toddler: Gap Kids for toddlers is in this category †¢ Pre-teens Casual Teen Boutiques Teenagers are a volatile bunch, and their casual boutiques are a reflection of this. These retail shops can cater to the â€Å"skater† crowd as PacSun does with grungier clothing and pointier jewelry. In contrast, they may cater to the â€Å"sporty† teens like Foot Locker does with sweat pants, shorts, and jerseys. Casual College Boutiques Another strong market is the college crowd seeking casual wear. Examples of such stores are American Eagle, Hollister, and Old Navy. Jeans and t-shirts dominate the shelves of these boutiques, along with the occasional accessories rack. Business Casual Boutiques Retailers like Banana Republic, Gap, and Club Monaco fit this category. Business casual boutiques mainly consist of dress shirts, polo shirts, and dress pants. Accessories that you might find in these stores are belts, cuff links, and ties. Boutiques for Women These might be the most common type of boutiques, and they specialize in the clothing and style needs of women; within this classification there are such specialities as Lingerine with the most known example being Victoria's Secret. Within this type of boutique you will also find boutiques for Mature Women that cater to their specific needs. Boutiques for Mature Men These boutique stores are the Tommy Bahamas that look great on the Pierce Brosnans and George Clooneys. They specialize in casual wear like polo shirts, shorts and sweaters, but also sell sunglasses, watches, and fragrances. These shops are a blend between professional and completely casual, resulting in a fashion line that accommodates men who are near or in retirement. Boutiques by Lifestyle and Theme Boutique stores can also be target markets that go beyond age and function. Thematic boutiques exist that sell tourist souvenirs or religious items. Boutiques can also cater to pets or special occasions like parties or bar mitzvahs. Examples of these lifestyle and thematic boutiques are: Beach Lifestlyle: An example is PacSun, which also caters to the extreme sport crowd Sports Boutiques: Such as Soccer Baseball, Football, or Lacrosse Gothic: Gothic boutiques carry specialized items that target the gothic lifestyle, are usually found in partying sites of town. Music Lifestyle: Rap, Reggaeton and Reggae fans have special dressing needs that boutiques answer. Pet Boutiques: Who said pets didn’t deserve to be stylish? As people devote more time to their pets, they also feel the need for a little style on their pet’s life. Pet sweaters are very popular in parts of the country that are subjected to hard winters. Touristic place Boutiques: A touristic place without a boutique which sells typical items is not as touristic as it should be. Patriotic and festivity date: People like to dress for occasions, and boutiques that cater in a timely matter to these occasions usually become successful. Religious: Think of the religious items and religious dates that are popular with each religion A boutique business is one that is always success and profitable as people need clothes to wear to work, parties at home and dress up. Starting a boutique is as professional as any other business whether you design your own line of clothes or stock some other designers’ clothes. If you are fond of designing clothes, have a creative mind and can design clothes that people love, it is a very profitable business to start. As a boutique owner you get to choose the products you will stock and set the prices and open your doors to eager customers who want to buy your latest creations and show them off. To start your boutique business, you need to be aware of the fashion sense, have a creative streak that enables you to match colors and fabrics together to design heavenly creations and also a substantial sum of money to invest in a shop, clothes and advertising. Read out articles for more information on how to start your own boutique business for a rewarding and satisfying career. Steps to starting a boutique business How to make your boutique a success How to run a profitable boutique business Establishing your boutique business Important factors for opening a boutique business From sportswear to beachwear, t-shorts to lingerie, shoes and sandals to causal dresses and evening wear, there is a large variety that you can offer in your boutique. You can also offer matching accessories like bangles and earning to match with the dresses and attract more clients. From clothes for women to men and children to teenagers, there is a large market you can work on for a successful boutique business. Starting a boutique business is a solid venture with constant demand for new clothing and apparels also there. Boutiques are very in these days and people value the personalized service and attention they receive, the cozy ambience and the unique products they get even if they are at slightly higher prices. You really don’t have to be a fashion designer to start your boutique business, you can sign up with some clothing line that provides you good quality readymade clothes to sell or you can design your own clothes and get them stitched by tailors to sell. You can also make clothes on order on customers’ demand. You can pursue your dreams and become a boutique owner by designing clothes or getting them designed exclusively for your shop and sell them with your brand name. It is very easy to become a part of the lucrative growing fashion industry with your creative designed line of clothes that are trendy, comfortable and durable. While you will not become country’s biggest chain of clothes, yet you will be able to earn a decent living for with a fulfilling lifestyle with a successful boutique business. Steps to Starting a Boutique Business Starting a boutique business is an exciting and fun experience and take planning, a good eye for fashion and ability to talk well. These days owning a boutique is probably one of the easiest businesses to start and makes you a part of the lucrative and even thriving and growing fashion industry. The demand and need of both online and offline boutiques is on the rise and makes it a very selling trade. You can start your own boutique and become a business owner by selling clothing such as evening gowns, formal and casual wear for men and women and even children. People love buying clothes that fit them as if they were custom designed for them. From a small town to a big city, boutiques are a popular place to buy clothes from. Regardless of your education and experience, you can start a boutique business, offer exclusive services to customers and earn a rewarding and fulfilling lifestyle. Fashion boutiques are hip, cutting edge and fresh and can sell anything from children clothing to maternity wear and even men’s fashion. Here are some steps on starting a successful and thriving boutique business. Step 1 First of all, decide on what type of boutique you want to open. From accessories to vacation wear, sportswear to formal or casual clothing to consignment clothing there is a wide variety of things you can sell. You can also sell specialty clothing such as evening gowns or maternity wear. It is important to decide what kind of clothing items you want to sell as it will become your signature and you will be known by the type of clothing you sell. Step 2 When starting a business especially one such as a boutique, it is necessary to get a business licenses. Check out with your local city or county department and ask them about any other requirements for opening a business. You will need to pick up a business name and complete all the necessary paperwork such as opening and account and getting a tax number before you can start. Step 3 You will need to find a nice place to open your boutique. You will need a storefront that has good street visibility and easy access so that customers can find and reach you easily or see the clothes in the window when passing by. A boutique doesn’t need to have very big space and it can have any arrangement or setting you want. However, having a good location is very important for a good business. Find a space that is attractive, located in a clean and respectable area and caters to the type of people who are likely to buy from you. Step 4 Find suppliers who will supply you with the clothing you need for your boutique. Go to trade shows and join organizations to get a list of suppliers who will provide you with the kind of products you want to sell in your shop. You can also contact suppliers who can make clothes according to the designs or styles you give them. While it might be an expensive and lengthy process, it will ensure that you sell clothes that are exclusively your designs and customers will be getting designed clothing. All these steps are very important and play a very crucial role in starting your boutique business. Running a boutique is fun and exciting if you enjoy your work, love fashion and advising others on what to buy that will suit them. With a good clothing line, excelling customer service and communication skills and good location, you can start a boutique business very successfully. How to Make Your Boutique a Success People who are fashion conscious and want to be recognized for their special way of dressing prefer buying their clothes from boutiques that sell something superior and different both in design and quality. Boutiques sell clothes that have their own personality, style and flare and which becomes very popular and trendy. If you are a boutique owner, it is important to sell not only just fashionable clothing but clothing that is at the same tie trendy, comfortable and speaks of class and design. Only these traits can make your boutique business a successful and profitable one. Starting a boutique business needs more than matching shoes with a dress or finding the right belt to go with the purse; it needs the perfect blend of colors and ideas that can make even two odd things look good and make them popular. To make your boutique a success, it is necessary to be well versed in fashion, choosing the best things to sell and an eye for details to help customers select the best thing to suit them. Here are some tips to managing and making a boutique a success. Tips for a Successful Boutique Decide on the type of items that you will sell in your boutique. It is necessary to determine what will be the highlights of your store such as hats, flashy tops or sunglasses. This is something where your personal style as a boutique owner must shine to give a distinctive aura and individual touch to the business. It is important to serve clothes that are at the same time individuals, will look good on everyone and leave a lasting impression others. Customers will only buy your clothes if they are comfortable, look good on them and offer them a chance to look different from others. If you provide all these things, you will definitely have a successful boutique. It is now necessary to have both online as well as offline stores to sell your clothes. While in the past, only a brick and mortar location served well, the rise in buying and selling products and services online has increased the need for an online store and more and more customers are now moving to buying clothes online. Get a website that is attractive, easy to navigate and offers the complete range of variety that you sell. A successful boutique has to remain in the good books of the government by paying all the taxes on time and maintaining a good reputation. Get a tax id number as it will allow you to track expanses paid for employees and remain in compliance with federal government rules. It doesn’t leave a good impression if your boutique name is associated for evading taxes and not following government policies. You will have to carry on schemes and advertising campaigns that keep you in the limelight and attract customers to your boutique to make it a success. From having a great opening event and inviting celebrities to wear your creations, there are many ways to attract attention and make sure people visit your shop regularly. You can also hold a fashion show, a charity function or a barbecue annually to make sure you draw crowds and bring attention to your boutique. This goes a long way in making a business successful and memorable. It is important to be customer oriented and serve customers the best way possible to make them come again. The main goal of having a boutique is to focus on the customers and keep them satisfied with your clothes. Be passionate about your clothes, serve them the best way, offer them great prices and you will see them coming back for more. You can start your boutique business on a small scale if you don’t have much to invest. Start on a scale that is equal to availability of funds or apply for a small loan and expand the business once it gets established and start making customers. Hard work, customer satisfaction and selling good clothing will go a long way in making your boutique a success and profit. How to Run a Profitable Boutique Business How to Make Your Boutique a Success, tips for a successful boutique, offering the best clothing to customers, pay government taxes Running a boutique business is as professional as any other business. From getting the best products to sell to effective marketing campaigns and from a good business plan to serving customers the best way, there is a lot needed to run a profitable boutique. Tips to Run a Profitable Business Here are a few tips to help you run a profitable boutique business: Sell Quality Clothing – The clothes and accessories that you sell should be cost effective. Even if they are expensive, the customers should feel that the clothes you sell are worth their money with the comfortable fitting, trendy designs and styles and their durability. This is one thing that will make your boutique business profitable even if you are a bit expensive than your competitors. Sell at Good Price – While quality is something that surpasses even the cost of products, make sure the cost of your clothing is inline or has an edge over your competitors. Too expensive clothing will only be affordable by rich people and it is important to create your market in all circles so it is better to sell at a good price that gives you a nice profit and customers a chance to wear boutique wear. Excellent Customer Services – Offering excelling customer services is very important as it can make or break a client. A customer might come back next time just because you gave them your full attention and advised them on what would suit them best. Customers prefer going to friendly shops where they are served with a smile. It is necessary to select and train your staff in offering best customer service for customer satisfaction and a profitable business. Offer Seasonal Stock – Every season has its own market and people buy clothes according to the seasons and fashions. Identity them and stock your boutique accordingly for a profitable business. Vacations and festival seasons mean more sales such as summers, Christmas and winters. Make sure you are adequately equipped with proper clothing to for the seasons and fashions to satisfy customers. Avoid Over Stocking – While it is best to be prepared with the seasonal stock to make good sales, it is very important to avoid over stocking as excessive stock means imminent loss. Estimate your future sales from past records and buy your stock accordingly. Proper amount of stock is very essential for the smooth and profitable running of a boutique. Along with all these above mentioned tips to help you run a profitable business, effective and targeted marketing campaign is absolutely necessary for running a boutique business. Plan your advertising to meet the requirements of your potential clients to attract them and offer them great deals they cannot resist. Professional account maintenance will help you to cover the financial aspects of making your business profitable and help you expand the business wisely. Proper account handling plays a very crucial role in avoiding financial pitfalls and ensures a profitable business. From buying stock to paying your employees and setting aside money for rent are not included in the profit. Profit is they left over amount of money that you get after covering all expenditures and it can vary depending upon how you sell your clothes, how you serve the clients and what methods you use to make your boutique business a profitable and successful one. Establishing Your Boutique Business Establishing a boutique needs lots of planning and preparation from selection of a great line of clothing to be sold to finding a great storefront that will attract customers and profit margins to be earned. However, only selling trendy and stylish clothes or having the best location for your shop is something that will not work every time. How to Establish Your Boutique Business the Right Way First of all, make your boutique as inviting and cozy as possible. Remember, it is a deviation from store or supermarket clothing so it has to look personal and give a very inviting look to the customers where the feel comfortable in choosing their clothing. Decorate your boutique and give it a distinct theme or feel that will set it apart from other shops. Make your boutique memorable by adding special little touches to personalize the store and merchandise and to give customers a unique shopping experience. Windows play a very crucial role in advertising and promoting your shop and your line of clothing. It is necessary to put out and display your special items in the windows to entice customers as before entering the shop, every customer takes a look at the window and if they like what they see, they will definitely come inside. Try new variations on clothing to satisfy every customer. You don’t have to stock everything in large quantities but it is best to try everything out and see customers’ response. This way you will be able to judge what sells most and make more profits based on this calculation. Purchase your merchandise from a variety of places such as fashion markets, local designers and even eBay or garage sales. You will find some wonderful items in the most unusual places that customers are going to love. In some cases, creating a specialty store makes it easier to target your marketing campaign such as men’s clothing or sportswear or maternity wear. This limits your clientele to a certain section of society and you can target them only. However, it doesn’t work all the time and in most of the cases, business owners prefer having a large variety to cater to different clients. It is very important to listen to customers’ feedback and try to fulfill their needs. It will help you two ways. First of all, it will give them the feeling that you care and they will come to your boutique for more, secondly, it will increase your profits and your clientele once people come to know about the personalized services you offer. Marketing your boutique is the best way to make it known and popular among customers. Put ads in local newspapers, yellow pages and whatever you can afford. You can also offer special sales or discounts and you will see people flocking to get a look at what you are selling. All these tips to establish your boutique are meant to guide you in making your business a success. However, don’t expect immediate profits as it will take some time to establish your business, earn customers trust and start making money. Explore your options and see what you can do to set your boutique business apart from others to make it a profitable and thriving venture. Important Factors for Opening a Boutique Business Breaking into and succeeding as a boutique owner, running a boutique and selling fashion clothing is a demanding but also a rewarding business. You can pursue your dream of owning a boutique and sell beautiful clothes to women, men, children and even teenagers and become a part of lucrative fashion industry There are all sorts of fashion boutiques ranging from selling everyday items to haute couture evening gowns. It is for you to decide what you want to specialize in and make your mark in. However, whichever form of boutique you choose to start, you will have to work hard, pay attention to and plan meticulously to make your place in the market and beat your competition. From expensive and designer label to low cost items with high turn around, you can start the kind of boutique business you can run successfully. There are numerous important factors that play a very crucial role in opening and running a boutique successfully and help to make it a big name. There are numerous things to do before you can even open your doors to the customers. This article discusses some of the most important factors that can help you open and run a boutique business. Money for Investment The most important factors that play a very vital role in opening a boutique is money for investment. Renting a place, buying stock, decoration of the shop and advertising it, all need substantial amount of money. You will either need to come up with lots of money or need credit. Loans and grants are another way to arrange for money to open your boutique. Calculate how much money you will need for investing into the business before applying for it. Deciding on the Type of Boutique There are many types of boutique from men’s wear to women wear and children wear to specialty boutiques that sell sportswear, maternity wear or evening wear. You will have to decide which type of boutique you want to open. You can also specialize in second hand clothing, wedding or formal wear, clothing accessories or something completely different. Find out your competition and choose a genre that is not very common so you can make your place in the market easily. Go for something that makes your stand apart from the crowd and get noticed. Finding the Right Manufactures and Suppliers Another important factor that can help to open and run a boutique is finding the right manufactures and suppliers who will supply clothing for your boutique. The best way to find them is to search online or attend trade shows and select the best ones. It is necessary to talk to different suppliers and check their merchandise and decide on their cost before actually signing up with them. It is important to ensure that the clothes you are getting are of superior quality, durable and look good as your reputation as a boutique owner depends on them. Advertising and Marketing Advertising and marketing is something that starts even before the store is opened. Put up banners on the shop announcing what you are going to do, give ads in the newspapers, organize a small show or offer discounts on first few days of openings. These are all effective and valuable advertising and marketing tips that help to promote a business and help it get noticed. Opening and running a boutique is as professional as any other business and need careful planning and preparation before you open your doors to the customers. It is important to give due consideration to all the factors that are necessary and play a crucial role in setting up and running a business to make sure your boutique venture becomes successful and gets good returns on investment. Managing A Boutique Business Running your own Boutique Business can be undermined by the very simplest of problems: your ability to manage! Having the product, resource and cash to start a Boutique Business is important but without an ability to get the best from those around you, and of course yourself. then you may be looking at a failure; a costly failure. If you are a business owner and you accept your weaknesses then it is very simply to plan a simpler way for you to manage your Boutique Business. A business plan will help you set out exactly what you need from your customers our suppliers your financiers your staff, and most importantly, you! The first thing a great manager understands is that people are impossible to manage! To try and take a hands-on approach to every single aspect of managing a Boutique Business is impossible; the key to a great business is that it will run without hands-on management. Your systems should run your business; you should write your Boutique Business Plan to clearly set out how you want your business to run. The type of customers you are looking for and how you want to present your xyz business to them. The suppliers you need to help you and how you want those relationships to work. The right level of long-term secure finance and how you will return their money and what they can expect by way of information from you. A clear set of instructions for your staff. A very clear set of instructions to yourself. Great businesses do not rely on people having to make decisions every minute of every day; they are built with a clear system so that everyone knows what is expected. Great Boutique Businesses have a great Boutique Business Plan. The following are several common mistakes that decrease the effectiveness of your management: Depending on unqualified friends or family in key management positions. Assuming that previous success in other industries applies to your current industry. Presenting a â€Å"one-man-team† management philosophy. We all know that it is difficult to wear every hat and successfully run and grow a company. Attempting to attract top managers without sharing ownership. Failing to ensure every person that comes into contact with your Boutique company knows exactly what your business does! Imagine this scenario: You are a private investor searching for that next exciting investment opportunity. A business plan lands on your desk, right next to the sixteen others you have received recently and are in the process of reviewing. Half of the plans present solid business concepts. Some of the plans seem to offer exceptional long-term growth possibilities. But in your opinion, only two of the plans present management teams capable of turning ideas into reality. As you consider your investment options, you eventually eliminate all the business plans except for those with the strong management teams.