Accent Discrimination on the Job Essay

The topic scenario that I chose was on accent discrimination. In this scenario an employee named Maria has had her job threatened due to tardiness, attendance, and language problems. Specifically her rapid speech patterns and heavy accent had lead to communication issues within her workplace. This topic is important for the study of cultural diversity because many people who move to the United States have accents. I would like to discover whether language issues such as having an accent are sufficient grounds for termination. To me this would seem to be an act of discrimination that conflicts with the Civil Rights Act (L.A. NOW, 2012). Therefore I would need to check the language of the bill to see if Maria’s case applies. I plan to research the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2002; EEOC Press Release, 2011) as well as publications on workplace fairness and discrimination from government websites. Pertinent cases to explore would be other language discrimination suits, especially any filed against Employers for wrongful termination due to an accent. However situations could exist where the ability to be understood in plain English would be imperative to one’s employment, depending on the necessary responsibilities of a particular job. Any other cases where a precedent has already been set would be helpful to establish discrimination in Maria’s situation or possible wrongful termination (Workplace Fairness, 2009). References EEOC Press Release. (2011). Employees Fired For Speaking Spanish On The Job, Saying ‘Good Morning’ in Native Language. Retrieved from www.eeoc.gov. L.A. NOW. (2012). State Senate approves bill banning language discrimination. Retrieved from http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/04/english-only.html The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2002). Language uses: Accent discrimination. Retrieved from http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/national-origin.html Workplace Fairness. (2009). Language discrimination. Retrieved from http://www.workplacefairness.org/language

Software Applications and Information Systems

Software Applications and Information Systems A software application and an information system is vital for any company to manage its business. An unbelieveable amount of information and procedures that is made within a company, both the application and system relieves a company of a huge amount of paperwork. By aquiring a software application the accounting, marketing, and human resources department can keep track of many different areas within their department. The information system helps to manage all information coming in and going out. An excellent software application is the Formtran application. This application works in all departments, accounting, human resources, and marketing. This application is known for being the fastest data collector. For accounting the application offers compliance, consistency, and effciency. This provides help with purchase orders, credit memos, invoices, physical inventor forms, fixed asset forms, capital expenditure requests, and check requests (Formtran, 2010). The software provides a system that helps with certification testing, applicant tracking, charitable fund drives, emplyee satisfaction, pre-emplyment testing, time sheets, training, and pay roll forms (Formtran, 2010). The marketing and sales part of the application gives a company easy acess to the data needed. This includes contest enrollments, customer comment cards, award claim forms, expense reports, focus group surveys, product registration, sales call reports, sales force testing, and warranty cards (Fortran, 2010). Information systems help accounting departments by maintaining records that control the movement of funds within the company and produces finanical statements. Information systems for accounting will manage cash flow, loans, securities trading, and check processing. Human resources information systems help with placement, recruitment, compensation, career development, and evaluations of the employees within a company. The different examples is applicant tracking, training and skills, positions, benefits, and personnel record keeping. Marketing and sales use the system for marketing functions and sales support with keeping track of all movement with goods and services between producers and customers. Target points are telemarketing, point-of-sale, order processing, and slaes support. Basically the system for marketing and sales covers the improvement of customer service, maintaining customer data, total and record purchase transactions with the required packing list (Kelly, 2008). Software applications and information systems are a vital part to running a business today. These applications and systems help a company run smoother and more organized. In today’s world most all company’s use computers to run their business. Customers and employees expect to have answers in a reasonable time, and the applications and systems provide everyone with the information in a respectful time frame. The employees of the different departments (accounting, human resources, and marketing) tasks are made easier with the capability of the applications and systems.

Warfarin Vs dabigatran Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Warfarin Vs dabigatran - Essay Example Any discrepancy in diet mediated intensity of vitamin K, directly influences the efficacy and dose dependency of Warfarin for the patient. It is essential to determine appropriate therapeutic dosages on individual basis by means of standardized clotting test (international normalized ratio [INR]). Although, Warfarin potentially diminishes the risk of stroke in AF patients by ~ 68%, patient compliance with treatment (time in therapeutic range [TTR]) is a noteworthy predicament because of the essential periodic supervision of dose efficacy and the risk of major bleeding events (Ezekowitz, 2007). On the contrary, Dabigatran does not entail labor and time intensive monitoring and therefore expected to provide enhanced patient compliance over Warfarin. Atrial fibrillation is asymptomatic and generally not life-threatening. It augments the risk of stroke as well as systemic embolisms as the upper chambers of the heart begin to beat irregularly, impairing the efficiency of blood flow. Sympt oms found to be associated encompass rapid heart rate, palpitation, shortness of breath, dizziness, faint or fatigue. Reduced flow of blood results in blood pooling in the heart chambers which may culminate into clot formation. When such clots enter the brain it results in stroke, it is therefore essential for physicians to prescribe anticoagulants to prevent formation of clots. The prevalence of AF in the United States display augmentation from 10% for individuals above 80 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2003). Deaths associated to AF affect 1 in 4000 cases per year, of these, 84% cases are reported to be above 75. Warfarin was drug of choice for past decades as an effective oral anticoagulant to prevent and treat thromboembolism. Over the years researchers were constantly trying to relieve patients from troubles related to diet and drug interactions. Three randomized, controlled trials are available on the safety and efficacy of Dabigatran, they are summarized b elow- Atrial fibrillation patients frequently suffer from coronary artery disease, which is the focus of a Dabigatran phase II clinical trial, to establish its safety in combination with aspirin (Ezekowitz et al., 2007). Three Dabigatran doses (50, 150, and 300 mg) were administered twice daily to patients for 12 weeks, unaided or in combination with 81 or 325 mg aspirin, thereby generating nine experimental groups. The patients treated with Warfarin (INR = 2.0-3.0) were used as a control. The primary outcome of concern was bleeding events encompassing major (6% increase, p < 0.02) or all sorts of bleeding events (26% increase, p = 0.0003), that was reported in patients treated with 300 mg Dabigatran twice a day along with aspirin. On the other hand, 50 mg Dabigatran was less likely to cause bleeding as compared to other conditions (15% increase vs. 300 mg p = 0.0002; 11% increase vs. 150 mg p = 0.01; 11% increase vs. Warfarin, p = 0.044). On the contrary, two embolisms reported in the study were from the cases taking 50 mg Dabigatran twice daily, unaided or accompanied by 81 mg aspirin. On the other hand result indicates that 50 mg Dabigatran, with or without 81 mg aspirin, does not accomplish successful shielding against stroke or systemic embolisms. This possibility was sustained by finding

The oppression of Victorian women and expressing feminist sentiment, Dissertation

The oppression of Victorian women and expressing feminist sentiment, concerning hysteria, in The Awakening in terms of the gothi - Dissertation Example Victorian women faced multi-faceted oppression by society; however, this was perceived as the only appropriate mode of life for them. Any woman, who dared to defy conventional norms by indulging in an illicit relation, expressed sensual desires, and mouthed discomfort against masochistic behaviours, was socially condemned and regarded as hysterical (Austin & Boyd, 2010, p.496). Utter disregard for womanly penchants and suppression of feminist sentiments produced negative impacts on female psyche which by the end of 19th century was understood as a medical disorder by the likes of Sigmund Freud. It was due to the efforts on Freud’s behalf and the literary masterpieces from the late 19th century that put forth the logic that hysteria was a natural phenomenon resulting from feelings of oppression and belittling of humanly yearnings (Sulloway, 1992, p.47). Feminism which before 19th century was largely encapsulated as the freedom to give birth and enjoy motherhood, was propagated as an urge for attaining social equality, privilege for preferred sensual orientation, and independence for selecting a way of life. Gothic literature primarily focused on enlightening people about the actuality of hysteria and the dislike towards biased moral/cultural norms was voiced strongly (Toohey, 2012, p.242). It expressed feminist sentiments and described the impact of stereotypical gender roles from a female’s perspective. Kate Chopin's â€Å"The Awakening† (1899), Charlotte Perkins Gilman's â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† (1892) and Henry James â€Å"The Turn of the Screw† (1898), etc. displayed feminist sentiments concerning hysteria profoundly (Serafin & Bendixen, 2005, p.362). The Awakening, the centre of discussion here, displays a Victorian era society in Louisiana during 1899, and underlines tabooed themes of feminine biological desires and pursuance of self-identity through the protagonist Edna Pontellier. Revealing hysteria as a repercussion of pursuing self-identity in The Awakening: The Awakening is one of those few literary masterpieces that covered the theme of oppression and depression comprehensively. In this novel, forced social obligations and suppressed female emotions were shown as the cause of bringing them to the verge of insanity. It did not deal with any single aspect of oppression but provided an in-depth analysis of how feminist pursuance of self-identity and female individuality was totally crushed in a male-dominated society. Edna was not just searching for freedom to entertain her unfulfilled sensual urges that was an outcome of unhappy and excessively authoritative marital relation, but she wanted to gain freedom for self-discovery. Here it is important to pay attention to the fact the Victorian era men played a significant role in the outbreak of maddening behaviours among women. Danahay explains that in Victorian era, biased gender role distinction primarily on the biological basis was the â€Å" most extreme form of segregation yet seen in an industrialised nation† (2005, p.2). Women had no particular rights upon their body or mind whatsoever, hence; it was paramount that there was no acceptance for â€Å"permissible sexual activities,† and â€Å"range of role choices†

Selling Poor Steven Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Selling Poor Steven - Essay Example Many others, however, bought slaves for the same reason that white men did, which was to make a profit. This was done as a form of assimilation in a mistrustful social atmosphere (186). Slavery for freed black men was a different affair from the slavery invoked by white men. Black slaveowners bought family members as slaves to protect them and to free them a few years later. Similarly, black slaveowners would marry a slave, start a family, and then offer to purchase them from the original slaveowner. After the black slaveowner bought his family, he would free them. However, being able to buy and sell family members also had its downsides, being used as more of a threat if a family member were to get out of line or misbehave. All the same, freed black men were able to use their power to own slaves for humanitarian purposes, bringing an end to slavery for many others. Then there were the black slaveowners that treated their slaves no differently than white slaveowners treated their own . Black slaveowners still exploited the people that were lesser than them, regardless of having the same skin color. This caused great mistrust between slaves and freed black men alike. It was assumed that these prior slaves would understand what it felt like to be slaves to cruel and vicious people, which would prompt them to treat their own slaves with kindness and respect. This, however, was not always the case, and not all of the slaves were treated with compassion (192). A journal left by black slaveowner William Johnson revealed a resentment towards white slaveowners, but also revealed the need to fit in among them, which is why slaves were treated as they were by black slaveowners. â€Å"The story of black slaveowners gives powerful evidence that slavery was just as complex an institution for them [...] as it was for whites (192).† When the Civil War approached, life became difficult for slaveowners of all color. When the Emancipation Proclamation was signed and implem ented in 1863, which freed all slaves, every slaveowner had something bad to say about it. Even the black slaveowners who bought their families for protection were unhappy at the thought of losing their servants despite the reason they had boughten them to begin with. Though the concept of black slaveowners was short lived, it still caused a great impact on the institution of slavery while it lasted. The purpose of Philip Burnham’s article is to show the many reasons that black slaveowners kept slaves in comparison to the reasons that white men kept slaves, all of which were previously stated. Burnham uses historical evidence, such as journals kept by black slaveowners and records about which slaveowners bought which slaves, to support his thesis. Also included were snippets from some of the wills of these slaveowners, which often mentioned the freeing of their slaves after the death of the owner. Or, if slaves were to be passed on to family, some of the wills declared that t he slaves must be treated kindly and released after a certain amount of years. Some of the information provided by Burnham may have been simply assumptions, but they were still backed up by the historical facts and documents that were left by others. Burnham proved his theory to my satisfaction, and I agree with his statements as to the conditions and reasons that black slaveowners bought slaves. Newly made black slaveowners

BAE Systems-EADS Merger Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

BAE Systems-EADS Merger Plan - Essay Example However, unification of two struggling companies may not always guarantee their resurrection. This paper will specifically discuss whether or not mergers make economic sense with particular focus given to the reaction of UK, French, and German governments to the BAE/EADS merger. BAE Systems-EADS merger plan In the last year, Britain’s BAE Systems planned a â‚ ¬38bn (?30.4bn) merger with its rival European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co (Franco-German maker of Airbus civilian jets). According to a Telegraph report by Ebrahimi and Monaghan (2012), the planned merger would have formed the world’s second biggest aerospace and defence company after Boeing. If the merger had become successful, the merged entity would have achieved combined sales of ?60bn and employed 220,000 people worldwide (ibid). In addition, the planned venture would have contributed to Europe’s military efforts, developed British nuclear submarines and own airbus, and attained the status of bigg est plane manufacturer in the world (ibid). Many industry analysts supported this deal as they believed that the planned merger would provide the companies with the synergies of combined operations. Proponents of this strategic plan pointed out that BAE systems have strong presence in the US market where the government is one of the largest and potential customers. Hence, EADS can take advantage of this potential strength of BAE Systems. At the same time, the planned deal might also benefit BAE Systems to improve its earnings by spreading its operational area to commercial aircraft and space satellites. The shrinking Western Defence market was also cited to justify the planned merger. The 60/40 split in favour of EADS was a major controversial term of this merger. From another view point, â€Å"the mathematical flipside for BAE shareholders is that the merger is a no-brainer at 60/40† (Boland & Kirk 2012). Anyhow, the talks over the BAE-EADS merger did not reach a mutual agre ement and hence the initiative was called off later. Reaction of UK, French, and German governments UK and French governments took a favourable stand toward the BAE Systems-EADS merger whereas the German government opposed this strategic move. According to a BBC report (2012), while evaluating the approach of Britain toward this merger deal, the country particularly wanted its counterparts to restrict their influence in the new company so as to keep the strong relations with the US government. Hence, the British government needed to obtain a dominant position in the merged company. However, it must be noted that Britain’s officials took huge efforts to make this deal a reality. In a close observation, it seems that the British government emphasised more on its personal interests rather than the continent-wide interests. To illustrate, the British government particularly wanted to maintain BAE’s strong position in the huge US market and the country was never willing to spoil its good relationship with the US. The British government believed that obtaining a strategic control over the merged company would assist the country to continue its strong business relationship with US. In sum, Britain tried to decrease other countries’ political influence over the new venture. While analyzing the stance of France in the BAE-EADS merger, it seems that France was interested to make this deal

Aspects of Visual Images Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Aspects of Visual Images - Essay Example As the discussion declares representational art is not only fascinating but also thrilling given the fact that it started back in history. Besides, representational artwork presents the biggest amount of artwork done over the years. Notably, representational art majorly deals with ideas, styles, reality and impression hence distinguishes actual subjects from reality. The ease with which people identify representational artworks makes them like the aspect. Some of the representational artwork determined from the provided pieces of artwork includes Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by Pablo Picasso, and the rocky Mountains by Albert Bierstadt.This study stresses that  abstract artwork concentrates more on geometry and shapes hence it is not easy to recognize objects depicted by the artwork. Artists who embrace abstract artwork argue that the aesthetic value of a painting is more attracting than representational characteristics. They support their arguments by stating that use of geome try for instance figures, color, shapes, and circles make a piece of work more attractive. Abstraction gained momentum in the 19th century when artists started to view artwork in a more intellectual manner.  Abstraction artists see artwork as a profession just like any other hence, the application of aesthetics enhances quality work. However, due to many similarities between abstract and non-objectivity many people usually fail to distinguish the two.

Rene Descartes Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Rene Descartes - Assignment Example France was becoming one of the main players in the European arena, a unitary state with strong monarchical power. Absolutism didn’t only provide favorable conditions for the domestic market, but also broadened the gap between social strata. Whereas Catholicism strengthened its position in French spiritual and cultural life, scientific progress driven by the development of productive capacities was the key factor that sparked Descarte’s worldview formation. In his pursuit of new philosophical methods Descartes was initially motivated by the need to find a way of defining certain knowledge and the way of acquiring it for he thought knowledge acquired with help of sense perception to be inaccurate. Moreover, he was fond of science which wasn’t well organized system in that period, thus he wanted to find a solution that would systematize scientific knowledge. In fact, Descartes laid the basics of science in its modern meaning and inquiry, made an immense contribution to development of algebra, geometry, philosophy, physics and reflexology. Considering philosophy to be the source of all natural sciences’ development, Descartes tried to find a firm set of rules that would help one to acquire certain knowledge. The basic work dealing with the foundations of Cartesian methodology is Discourse on Method focusing on the application of the main Descartes’ method, hyperbolical doubt or methodological skepticism. At the same time, the philosopher preferred to neglect empirical method in constructing knowledge, and thus used a method of deduction and argumentation. Thinking was considered by him to be the source of cognition, not senses. Along with that, Descartes philosophical doctrine was dualistic as he admitted existence of two entities that, mind and body, that are in the relations of mutual dependence and interconnection. To illustrate the unreliability and limitation of

Health Care Delivery System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health Care Delivery System - Essay Example What I find most compelling about this website is that it also provides information on Health Professions and Clinician Recruitment & Services. The mission statement under the icon Health Profession states  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Increase the populations access to health care by providing national leadership in the development, distribution and retention of a diverse, culturally competent health workforce that can adapt to the populations changing health care needs and provide the highest quality of care for all† This statement along with other provided information (such as Grants, Student Assistance Program, information on Health Professional Shortage Areas) leads me to conclude that the site also aims to attract people to enter the health care industry. There are many web sites on the internet that provide information, and the purpose of this web site is no different. What makes this web site different and more superior, and therefore, of more value to the information-seeking public is the way that the information on the site is structured and presented. The information that is most sought out after is presented clearly on the home page, making it easily accessible for anyone who seeks information ranging from health care systems to grants and other programs. The latest information concerning the US health care system, as well as the location of individual health care centers, are also easily accessible, and even though I agree with my colleague’s analysis, I must state that what I find most compelling for this web site is designed by the HRSA to represent a vital link of its goal to provide better access to health care for the population, in the modern age of technology, utilizing its maximum capacity. The FDA regulates all advertising, promotional and labeling materials as part of their effort to protect the health of the public. There are many guidelines that provide the Biotech and

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Leadership - Essay Example – and realize the important link between leadership and success/failure in the chosen path. Hence, I believe that training in the theoretical aspects of personal leadership development would enhance the chances of my success in post-academic life. I define success as a continuing phenomenon of setting goals and achieving them, with each succeeding goal being higher or nobler than the preceding one. Success is a relative term as well, in the sense that it is as much a feeling of self-satisfaction as the recognition that one gains in an organization or society at large. I place great importance on personal probity, teamwork, participation in peripheral fields of activities etc. as the means to achieve success and recognition. Ideally, I wish to work for any organization that reflects my personal beliefs in order that I contribute to it with full sense of participation, and grow along with it. This means that the (your last name) 2 organization must have a good track record of co rporate responsibility, well-respected by the society and enable its employees to blossom to their fullest capabilities. My profession as a retail manager should see me gaining hands-on experience in the initial years, followed by managing teams of juniors in three to five years time and ultimately setting up and running my own business unit in about 8 to 10 years after graduation. Assessing my leadership qualities Without assigning any priority, I consider the following self-assessment assignments as being very useful and revealing: Motivation to lead, Emotional intelligence, Participatory leadership attitude, Leader-member exchange, Self-confidence and Generalized self-efficacy. It is not that I have scored above average in my self-assessment exercises in these fields – rather, the exercises revealed to me my strengths as well as weaknesses. Knowing one’s weaknesses is the first step in learning ways to overcome them. My goals and aspirations as mentioned earlier wou ld demand that I learn to work in a team as a member, build a team and provide leadership to it in due course, handle difficult situations with a balanced approach, and be self-confident and efficient. These are the reasons for me to consider the six selected factors as the most helpful and relevant to my situation. Motivation to lead: I have scored †¦ , taken as the average on the individual dimensions of this exercise like identity-based motivation, noncalculative-based motivation and social normative-based motivation. The exercise helped me to appreciate the vital link between my ambitions and the practical world of dealing with people and their own motivations. Individual scores reflect the gap between what it takes to be a good leader and my present state of (your last name) 3 preparedness to assume leadership role in the real world. My medium-term and long-term goals provide the motivation for me to lead. If I have to realize the aspiration of owning a business in the l ong-term and achieve a measure of success, I should be a good leader to motivate those working for me to contribute their best. Emotional intelligence: I have scored †¦ , taken as the average on the individual dimensions of this exercise, comprising expression, thinking, knowledge and regulation. Having a different level of intelligence from team members, whether higher or lower, is immaterial so long as one can exercise intelligence with prudent emotion. I am certain to

Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay Example for Free

Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay Transcendentalism is the power to be an individual. Thoreau once said â€Å"Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind. † In this he meant that the individual didn’t need superfluities in order to happy or be one’s true self. In today’s society, this philosophy is not evident. When looking to the world around him, the individual constantly has things thrust at him telling him what he has to believe in to be liked, and what he has to look like to be accepted, and what he â€Å"needs† to be â€Å"happy†. What the individual truly needs is the ability to be an individual, the ability to be transcendental. Transcendentalism should be applied to aspects of everyday life. The ability to be independent is a driving force in the world. Self-empowerment of the individual is critical in today’s society. â€Å"Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. † (Emerson). Society conspires to make one like the masses and takes away one’s ability to be independent. An individual should not give into things like media to tell them how to live and live life on his own terms. One’s belief in self allows the empowerment of the individual. â€Å"Speak what you think in hard words and tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict everything you day today. † (Emerson). If one thinks something he should believe in it even if he believes in something different tomorrow. When one is an individual, he does not have to explain himself to society. The individual must be independent in order to be transcendental. â€Å"Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist. † (Emerson). Society tells individuals who to be, but in order to be individuals they must not give in to societal pressures. They must be unique and have their quirks. Humanity must become a society of individuals to progress forward toward a brighter future. Society inhibits man’s ability to be independent. Society puts man at the mercy of other men. â€Å"Society is a joint-stock company in which every one if its members agree for the better of securing of his bread to each shareholder to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater. † (Emerson) One should not allow others to let his fate be at the mercy of others. If one does so, he loses his individual freedom. Society should solely be a mechanism for man. â€Å"But lo! Men have become tools of their tools! † (Thoreau). Society has transformed from being a mere apparatus of the individual to something that the individual â€Å"needs†. One need not be rich in order to be happy. â€Å"Superfluous wealth can but superfluities only. Money is not required to buy one necessary of the soul†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Thoreau). The individual is told by society that in order to be happy one must have these luxuries, but truly all one needs is simplicity. Individuals must not cave into society and instead create their own standards to live by. Transcendentalism should be utilized in all aspects of life. Humanity should follow the path of its own creation. â€Å"†¦ if one advances confidently on the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. † (Thoreau). If the individual follows his own path, he will be successful and be able to find success even when surrounded by a sea of gray. Opportunity opposes no one. â€Å"The setting sun is reflected from the windows of the almshouse as brightly as from the rich man’s adobe; the snow melts before its door as early in the spring. † (Thoreau). The opportunities of the world come equal for all despite superfluities or situation, so the individual should accept his life and progress from there. Man should look inward for his peace of mind. â€Å"Yet it is certain that the power to produce this delight does not reside in nature, but in man, or in a harmony of both. † (Emerson). To happy one cannot solely depend on the world around him. The individual must also depend on himself. Equilibrium between nature and man must be found to transform our way of life and look towards a brighter future. If society were to remain as it is now, the future for humanity looks grave. Unless humanity does something to alter its future, society will end up similar to the one in Fahrenheit 451. Humanity will ultimately become a society of ignorance and dependence. To combat this, man must take these transcendentalist theories and apply its aspects to everyday life. If every man and woman did this and pasted it on to their children, society could be transformed into something magnificent and beneficial for both the current generation and the generations to come.

Research Study Quantitative

Research Study Quantitative Question # 1 Purposes and benefits of sections of Independent study My independent study is related to quantitative research model. Purpose of the quantitative research is to do numerical summaries, generalizations across populations and comparisons between populations. It includes few variables (Delay time, work order, number of different products) and many cases (Five sets of data with each set consisting of 500 products). These quantitative research methods use experimental designs. The various experimental methodologies are: Quasi Experimental Designs RCT: Randomized Controlled Trials Baseline Data Posttest Only Design Longitudinal Design Out of these experimental methodologies, my study falls under randomized controlled trails, where I generate a random data of five sets each set consisting of 500 different kinds of products. Introduction Purpose: The purpose of my study introduction is to provide background information for the readers for the research reported in the study. It establishes a framework for the research, so that readers can understand how it is related to other research (Creswell, 2003 p.73). It also establishes the issue or concern leading to the research by conveying information about a research problem (Creswell, 2003 p.74). In this, the problem is best addressed by understanding the factors or variables which are the process time, product order that influence an outcome delay time (Creswell, 2003 p.75). It provides the understanding of the problem that explains or relates to an outcome delay time and helps the researcher best understand and explain the problem why the delay time is to be minimized (Creswell, 2003 p. 76). The research problem in the study Guiding research questions Reviewed studies addressing the problem Deficiencies in past literature and limitations Importance of a study for an audience Benefits: By writing an effective introduction chapter, a reader can figure out the problem leading to the study i.e., how the delay time is optimized by arranging the production work order, reviewing the literature about the problem to find whether there are any related theories that is done by other investigators, identifying deficiencies in the literature about the problem, targeting audiences and notifying the significance of the problem for this audience (Creswell, 2003 p.73). Literature Review Purpose: The purpose of the literature review is to share with the reader the results of other studies that are closely related to the study being reported (Creswell, 2003 p.29). It relates a study to the larger ongoing dialogue in the literature about a topic, filling in gaps and extending prior studies (Cooper, 1984; Marshall Rossman, 1999). It provides a framework for establishing the importance of the study as well as a benchmark for comparing the results of a study with other findings. All or some of these reasons may be the foundation for writing the scholarly literature into a study (Miller, 1991). Benefits: The literature review helps to substantiate the problem and also suggests possible questions or hypotheses that need to be addressed (Creswell, 2003 p.46). Methodology Purpose: The purpose of methodology chapter is to bring focus on survey and experimental modes of inquiry. You will also explain the methodology you are using, why you chose that methodology and why you chose not to use other methods. The method that was used to collect data is explained in detail like how did I generated random data of five sets with each set consisting of 500 products using Microsoft Excel ad procedure I followed to find the real-time delay time. The reader will exactly know what was done with the collected data, to the point that he or she can replicate the study to get similar results. Benefits: With the help of methodology chapter, audiences can recognize the variation that exists in the qualitative, quantitative and mixed method studies, why I chose a quantitative study for the research problem I defined then it advances general guideline for procedures of the study. These guidelines include a discussion about the general characteristics of the study if the audiences are not familiar with the approach to research. (Source: Classroom material by Dr. Lynda Kenney) Results Purpose: The purpose of results chapter is to make a well-organized and objective presentation of the results by examining the collected data and application of either the descriptive or inferential statistical methods. Then the tables, graphs and figures of the analyzed data are also presented for sufficient support description to permit the reader to interpret them quickly and accurately (Leedy Ormrod, 2005). Benefits: The benefits of the results chapter is for readers to quickly interpret the conclusions and significance with the help of the tables, graphs, charts and figures obtained from the interpretation and analysis of the data. Flow Chart Purpose: The purpose of the flow chart is to explain the process of optimization of the production work order in a step-by-step process that is described in the study. Benefits: It makes the readers understand easily at a glance what has done in the entire study. It also helps the researcher to make and follow the created flow chart while analyzing the data. Discussion Purpose: The purpose of the discussion chapter is to highlight the main theories and conclusion used in the research study so that a reader can easily figure out what theories the researcher used in implementing and analyzing the data. Each major conclusion is clearly explained and compared with the results of the similar work by other investigators. Then, the researcher continually connects her findings with the theoretical frameworks. Any new or unusual results are also explained(Leedy Ormrod, 2005). If the researcher is not sure about the significance of the results or could not understand the phenomenon of the data, it is sometimes worthwhile to present a speculative discussion outlining several possible outcomes by alerting the readers that such a discussion is speculative. Benefits: The benefits of the discussion chapter are to make grand conclusions which support the subsequent paragraphs. Here, the entire conclusions, implications or the effects due to each conclusion including the minor and major effects are presented. The discussion also includes the method of computation or derivation of the study. Such situation arises when one figure is derived from preceding figures. If the application or method is involved, then a complete example with the method is to be explained for complete understanding to the reader. Finally, explained the significance and outcomes of the study. Conclusions Purpose: The purpose of the conclusions chapter is to make a summary of the conclusions that are presented in previous chapter. The researcher also points out both what are found and what are not found. It is also the section examined by the prospective reader with limited available time (Leedy Ormrod, 2005). Benefits: Although the researcher has previously presented each of the conclusions, conclusions chapter tell us the reader the ultimate effect or the benefit of the study. In my study, I have explained how the delay time is minimized or optimized by arranging the production work order so that it is quite helpful to readers, who might easily lose track of some important conclusions as they read earlier portions of a study(Leedy Ormrod, 2005). In addition to this, a prospective reader will able to quickly examine the research in limited time. I explained the benefits of my study that findings of this research will aid industries, retails stores by demonstrating how the algorithm is currently used, and how retail stores can assist customers to implement universal algorithm. Industries may benefit from models of evaluating arrangement of parts of a product on an assembly line. Question # 2 Framework Elements of Research: For every research proposal, a definite framework exists to follow a certain pattern. Creswell (2003) suggested that from lots of different types and terms in the literature, he focused on three approaches: quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approach. The first two has been available for decades, and the last is new and still developing in form and substance. To understand them, we need to consider three framework elements: philosophical assumption about what constitute knowledge claims, general procedures of research called strategies of inquiry, and detailed procedure of data collection, analysis and writing, called methods. For that Creswell (2003) proposed (which was developed by Crotty) three questions to the design of research: What knowledge claims are being made by the researcher? What strategies of inquiry will inform the procedures? What methods of data collection and analysis will be used? Framework Elements of Quantitative Research Knowledge claims: Stating a knowledge claim means that researcher start with a project with certain assumptions about how we will learn and what we will learn during their inquiry. These are called as paradigms. Philosophically, researchers make claims about what is knowledge (ontology), how we know it (epistemology), what values go into it (axiology), how we write about it (rhetoric), and the process for studying it (methodology). There are four schools for knowledge claims as what follow. Those are post positive knowledge claims, socially constructed knowledge claims, advocacy or participatory knowledge claims and finally pragmatic knowledge claims. For quantitative research, the knowledge claims are post positivism which includes determination, reductionism, empirical observation and measurement, and theory verification. Post positivism refers the thinking after positivism; challenging the absolute truth and recognizing that we can not be â€Å"positive† about claims of knowledge when studying the behaviors and action of human. Traditionally, the post positivist assumptions have cited claims about what evidences knowledge. Post positivism reflects in determining the effects or outcomes, examining the causes that reflect the outcomes by doing experiments, reducing the ideas into a small, set of ideas to test such as variables that constitute hypothesis and research questions, developing numeric measures of observations and studying the behavior of individuals. The problem studied by post positivist reflects a need to examine causes that influence outcomes. It is also reductionism; testing selected variables that constitut e hypothesis and research questions, so it is based on careful observation and measurement of the objective reality in the world. Researching is for test or refining the existing laws or theories. Strategies of inquiry: A stage of inquiry in quantitative research includes numerical summaries, generalizations across populations and comparisons between populations. Strategies of inquiry provide specific designs for procedures in the research design. Like knowledge claims, strategies have multiplied over the years as the computer technology has pushed forward data analysis and the ability to analyze complex models. Strategies associated with quantitative research were those that invoked the post positivist perspectives. These include true experiments and less vigorous experiments called quasi-experiments and correlational studies (Campbell Stanley, 1963), and specific single-subject experiments (Cooper, heron, Heward, 1987). But, these days, quantitative research strategies involved complex experiments with many variables and treatments like factorial designs and repeated measure designs. Strategies associated with quantitative approach are: Experiment: It is about random assignment of subject to treatment conditions and includes quasi-experiment with nonrandomized design. My study used experimental strategy for generating the randomized data and analyzing the data with Microsoft office tools. Non-experimental designs, such as Surveys: it is studying by using questionnaires or structured interviews with the intent of generalizing from sample to a population. These include cross-sectional and longitudinal studies using questionnaires or structured interviews for data collection, with the intent of generalizing from a sample to a population (Babbie, 1990) Research methods: The third major element that goes into a research approach is the specific methods of data collection and analysis. For quantitative research, the research methods I used are predetermined instrument based questions such as performance data, attitude data, observational data and census statistical data using Microsoft Excel. I considered full range of possibilities for data collection in the study by organizing these research methods with the use of closed-ended versus pen-ended questions and their focus on numeric versus non-numeric data analysis. Question # 5 Validity and generalizability aspects of quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research: Qualitative research validity The degree to which the interpretations of the data accurately describe the phenomenon under investigation is known as validity. Validity is seen as a strength of the qualitative study which is used in determining whether the findings are accurate from the standpoint of the researcher, the participant, or the readers (Creswell Miller, 2000).In addition to validity, the terms used are trustworthiness, authenticity, and credibility. There are eight primary strategies, organized from most frequently used and easy to implement to those occasionally used to and difficult to implement. Various qualitative procedures should be used to make a research validate. Some of the procedures are qualitative research paradigm and ethnographic research design. Methods for establishing the validity are: Negative case analysis Presenting the negative or discrepant information that runs counter to the themes Audit trail Clarifying the bias the researcher brings to the study Prolonged field experience Spending prolonged time in the field to develop an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon under study Data triangulation triangulate different data sources of information by examining evidence from the sources and using it to build a coherent justification Member checking to determine the accuracy of the qualitative findings Rich, thick description Quantitative research validity The degree to which the evidence supports that the interpretations of the data are correct and that the manner in which the interpretations are used is appropriate. Threats to validity: There are several threats to the validity that raise the potential issues about the researcher ability to conclude the intervention affects of an outcome. They are internal threats, external threats, statistical conclusion threats, and construct validity threats. Internal validity threats are experimental procedures, treatments, or experiences of the participants that threaten the researchers ability to draw correct inferences from the data in an experiment. These involve due to inadequate procedures like changing the instrument or a tool during an experiment, changing the control group participants under study etc. External validity threats arise when the researcher draws incorrect inferences from the sample data to other persons, other settings, and past or future situations. Statistical conclusion validity arises when experimenters draw inaccurate inferences from the data because of inadequate statistical power or the violation of the assumptions. Construct validity threat arises when investigators use inadequate definitions and measure of variables. Methods of establishing validity Experiment review Data triangulation Participant feedback Regression analysis Statistical analysis Types of validity evidence Content Construct Criterion Consequential Procedure: A researcher need to describe in detain the procedure for conducting the experiments ad the reader should be able to see the design being used, the observation, the treatment, and the timeliness of activities. Typical steps used for the procedure are follows. Administering the measures of the dependent variable or a variable that closely correlated with the dependent variable to the research participants. Assign participants to the matched pairs on the basis of their scores Randomization. Randomly assign one member of each pair to the experimental group and other member to the control group Expose experimental group to experimental treatment and alternative treatment to control group. Administer measures of the dependent variables to the experimental and control groups Compare the performance of the experimental and control groups. Statistical analysis: A reader should be able to identify clearly the statistical analyses that are used in the experiment. Various statistical analyses that can be performed during the study are: Descriptive analysis reporting the means, standard deviations and ranges. Inferential analysis- performing the hypothesis tests using ‘t tests, analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, or multivariate analysis of variance. A researcher can also use the factorial designs, both interaction and main effects of ANOVA. Mixed methods research: Examine potential sources of error and ask: Chance: Random error in sampling from a population. 1. Type I (alpha) error: The probability of falsely saying that there is a difference between two populations. 2. Type II (beta) error: The probability of falsely saying that there is no difference between two populations. How (in what direction) would the threats to validity affect the findings? Bias: Systematic distortion 1. Selection bias Systematic slant in how subjects are assembled or retained for study 2. Information bias Systematic distortion from inaccuracy in measurement or classification of study variables Were potential sources of error adequately controlled in the design and analysis? Confounding: Misattribution of cause and effect How do validity concerns affect your interpretation or application of the data? In the Design Study design appropriate for the question B,C Adequate power A Complete accounting of eligible patients B1 Verification of information and Blinding B2 Multiple control groups B,C Randomization, Restriction and matching C In the Analysis Best case / worst case scenario and Sensitivity analysis B,C Adjustment B1,C Mathematical modeling C A Reduces the role of chance; B1 Reduces selection bias ; B2 Reduces information bias; C Reduces confounding References Creswell, J. W. 2003. Research Design: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. SAGE. Thousand Oaks. USA. Leedy, P. D., Ormrod, J. E., (2005). Practical Research: Planning and Design. PEARSON. Columbus. Ohio. Olds, B., Moskal, B. Miller, R. â€Å"Assessment in Engineering Education†, Journal of Engineering Education , to appear Jan. 2005. Moskal, B., Leydens, J. Pavelich, M. Validity, reliability and the assessment of engineering education. Journal of Engineering Education , Vol. 91, No. 3, 351-354, 2002.

Understanding Young Adult Footwear Shoppers in India

Understanding Young Adult Footwear Shoppers in India Executive Summary ‘A man can be judged by the shoes he wears. Footwear today is much more than just an integral part of ones attire; it helps the modern day consumer make his or her unique lifestyle statement. This study was done to understand the footwear preferences was various categories of footwear and to understand the footwear shopping behaviour. The objective of the study was to segment young adult footwear shoppers into unique footwear shopping orientation groups and to develop a profile for each segment with respect to footwear benefits sought, importance of store attributes, patronage behavior and demographics. To start with, a secondary research was done to gain a broad understanding of the footwear industry in India, in particular footwear retail, and the modern Indian consumer. In-depth interviews of 10 young adults from metros, both males and females, were conducted to arrive at the parameters used in the evaluation of footwear, footwear retail stores and also to understand general footwear usage and buying behavior. This understanding and the parameters arrived at were then used in formulating a questionnaire consisting of 60 line items which was administered through online surveys. A total of 100 responses were achieved of which 85 were complete responses. The data of the complete responses was then analyzed through frequency distributions, factor analysis and cluster analysis. Factor analysis helped to reduce the number of variables to 8 factors. On the basis of these 8 factors, the 85 respondents were classified into 3 clusters with unique shopping orientations. The result of this study can be helpful to footwear retailers in customizing their merchandising, display, and other store attributes like space and availability of mirrors to gain maximum store loyalty and patronage. Introduction Footwear is much more than just an integral part of ones attire: while on the one extreme, it helps the modern day consumer make his or her unique lifestyle statement, it also helps enhances the performance of athletes and sportsmen at the other extreme. A brief history of footwear One of the first things made by our primitive ancestors was foot covering. It was primarily used to protect themselves from burning sand, rocks and rugged terrain. Records show that different civilizations like Egyptian, Chinese and other early civilizations, all contained reference to shoes. It is also mentioned in the Bible. The Hebrews also used it in binding a bargain (Shoe History, 2009). The first form of shoe consisted of a simple piece of plaited grass or rawhide which was strapped to the feet. During early times, sandals were the most common type of footwear. In Mesopotamia, during 1600 1200 BC, a particular type of shoes were used. They were soft and made of wraparound leather. Up to almost 1850, the method of making shoes was the same as that in 14th century B.C. in Egypt. Hand tools were used. Shoes were absolutely straight. There was no difference between the right and left shoe (Shoe History, 2009). In 1845, the first machine that found a permanent place in the shoe manufacturing industry was invented- the Rolling machine. In 1846, a sewing machine was invented. In 1875, a machine was developed which later came to be known the Goodyear Welt Sewing Machine (Shoe History, 2009). Rubber heels for shoes were patented in on January 24, 1895 by Humphrey OSullivan. These rubber heels on shoes outlasted the leather heels then in use (The History of Shoes, 2009). Keds were first mass-marketed in 1917 (The History of Shoes, 2009). They were positioned as canvas-top sneakers. These were officially the first sneakers. The word sneaker was coined by Henry Nelson McKinney, an advertising agent. This was because the rubber sole made the shoe stealthy. All other shoes, barring a few exceptions like moccasins, made noise when a person walked. Hence you could ‘sneak on anyone wearing Keds. Since the mid-20th century, the type of shoes being created has changed considerably compared to the traditional crafting techniques. This is due to advances in plastics, rubber, synthetic cloth, plastics and industrial adhesives. Leather, even though is still used in expensive dress shoes is no longer really used in athletic shoes. Soles, which were once hand stitched, are now machine stitched or simply glued on. A century ago, if a lot of effort was put in, a person might have been able to produce a few pairs of shoes. Today, automatic Toe Laster for Goodyear Welt shoes can produce 1200 pairs in an 8-hour day (Shoe History, 2009). Footwear industry in India Industry overview The Indian footwear and leather industry is amongst the top-10 foreign exchange earners. It is also amongst the top-12 focus manufacturing sectors in the country if we consider it in terms of competitiveness and untapped potential. The worlds largest footwear manufacturer is China. Next is India. India producs 16 billion pairs accounting for 13% of global footwear production. India produces 2065 million pairs of different categories of footwear (leather shoe uppers 100 million pairs, non-leather footwear 1056 million pairs and leather footwear 909 million pairs). India exports just 115 million pairs of footwear. Almost 95% of the production goes into meeting the domestic demand. Nearly 15 percent of Europes leading brands outsource their footwear, apparel and fashion accessories purchases from India. Indias domestic footwear market is better than others around the world primarily because of abundant raw materials, low cost of production and a huge consumption market. Indias major importers for Indian leather products: Country Share (%) Germany 14.12 Italy 12.82 UK 11.48 USA 9.98 Hong Kong 6.61 Spain 6.09 France 6.14 Netherlands 4.13 UAE 2.38 Australia 1.55 Total 75.30 The 10 countries mentioned above account for nearly 75.30% of Indias total leather products export. More than half of the Indian footwear market comprises of gents footwear. This is contrary to the world wide trend. The worlds major production is in ladies footwear. Hence, in India there is immense scope in the womens segment. In the unorganized sector, more than 80 percent of the sales happen in the mens segment. However this is might change soon. The footwear industry is extremely labor intensive- 90% of its production comes from SMEs (small and medium enterprises). There are in excess of 42,000 such SME units, there are primarily concentrated in two provinces in Uttar Pradesh up north and in Tamil Nadu down south. They are also present in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Punjab. Agra, Ranipet, Kanpur, Ambur, Jodhpur and Kolhapur are also traditionally renowned centers of excellence in the production of leather and footwear. In the last five years, footwear production in the country has increased by nearly 60%. Out of this, the rural areas consume 75% of the footwear production. It has become a necessity product there since till now, they have been majorly deprived of its usage. The Footwear sector has now been de-licensed and de-reserved. This has paved the way for expansion of capacities on modern lines using state-of-the-art machinery. In order to assist this process further, the Government has permitted 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) through automatic route for footwear sector. Categorization or classification of footwear The Indian footwear market, in terms of quality offerings, has four main segments: 1. The super premium end- comprises the best of global luxury brands 2. The high-end or premium 3. The mid/economy ranges- comprises of formals, functional, casuals and party wear 4. The low-priced mass range- includes leather and plastic strapped slippers, as utility wear Apart from this, the genuine active sportswear segment with different price ranges also exists. The volume share of the economy/mid range has reduced. It was 61% in 2006-07. It has come down to 53%. The active sports-wear segment has increased its share from 7% to 9.6%. Premium leather and premium non-leather segments have both seen a rise from 7% and 3% in 2006-07 to 7.3% and 3.5% respectively in 2007-08. The super premium luxury segment has a 0.08% market share. In terms of sales value, this is a very significant number. Also there are four major categories of footwear: 1. Sports footwear 2. Semi-formal or casual footwear 3. Formalwear 4. Utility footwear The Indian footwear market mainly consists of casual wear. It occupies nearly two-thirds of the total footwear retail market. The other sub-segment that is doing well is the branded sportswear segment. It is estimated to be about Rs. 1,000 crore. The main players in this space consist of reebok, Adidas and Lotto. Compared to other segments, this segment is growing fast in terms of the number of outlets. Apart from footwear, these outlets also sell apparel. Major players in Indian footwear industry The top domestic and premium brands in India consist of: 1. Action It has a pan Indian presence. It consists of multiple branded outlets (MBOs), 135 exclusive branded outlets (EBOs). It commands a total of 175,000 square feet retail space. 2. Bata It is a household name in India. It was the brand that made branded footwear popular. Bata India Limited manufactures and markets various types of footwear, leather and footwear components. Apart from these, the company markets products related to footwear, garments, accessories, sports goods and other merchandise. Batas sub-brands consist of Dr Scholls, Hush puppies, Bubblegummer and Power. Till the first quarter of 2009, Bata India had 1,293 outlets. Bata India is currently looking to expand towards Tier I Tier II cities. 3. Khadims Currently, it has over 329 outlets. The area under it is approximately 148,000 square feet retail space. It is present in 22 cities across India. 4. Liberty After Bata, it is arguably the most popular domestic brand. It is the only Indian company among the worlds top 5 leather footwear manufacturers. It has EBOs as Revolutions and Liberty. Revolutions provides footwear, travel accessories, watches, leather accessories, sun-glasses and jewellery Its sub-brands consist of Footfun, Force 10, Senorita, Gliders, Tiptopp, Windsor, Coolers, June, Warrior and Perfect. Liberty has 360 EBOs, 40 Shop-in-shops and 150 distributors. It services 6000 MBOs. The total retail space under it is 1.26 million square feet. 5. Metro, Mochi These are two brands from Metro Shoes Ltd. They were launched in 1977 and 2000 respectively. It consists of over 85 EBOs and 76 MBOs. The retail space under it is 131,000 square feet. It is present in 32 cities. 6. Pavers England It stated in India in early 2008. It was launched in Reliance stores. It is a Chennai based brand. It operates 40 MBOs. 7. Red Tape This brand belongs to Mirza International. It was launched in 1996 in the domestic market. It started its exclusive retail operations in 2006. By end-2008 it had 10 company-owned EBOs, 50 franchise-owned EBOs and also 135 Shops-in-shops. 8. Sreeleathers It was established in 1950. It is a very strong brand in Easten India. It has 5 company-owned EBOs and 28 franchise-owned EBOs. 9. Woodland It is looking to enter the junior and kidswear segment. It is also looking at apparels business very optimistically. It hopes that this business will contribute to half of its total sales in India. It operates 250 EBOs in India. 10. Lilliput It is a leading brand in kids footwear. By the end of 2008, it had 250 EBOs and also 100 shop-in shops. 11. MB Footwear It has 2 in-house brands, viz ID and Mercell. It has been operating for more than 21 years. It has tie-ups with brands like Lee Cooper. By the end of 2008, it had 32 EBOs and also 11 shop-in-shops. International brands in India 1. Adidas It is one of the biggest companies in the sports goods category. This nramd has acquired Reebok. It now consists of 3 brand divisions: Adidas, Taylormade-Adidas golf and Reebok. Adidas brand focuses on sports. It offers footwear, apparel and hardware in three divisions which include sport heritage, sport performance, and sport style. The sport performance division focuses on the hardcore sports player. The sport heritage division focuses on the casual sports man. The sport style division focuses the fashion-conscious consumers. The Reebok brand focuses more on style. Adidas entered India in 1977. It operates more than 450 EBOs. It has 340,000 square feet retail space. It claims a 20% market share in the active sports segment. 2. Lotto It currently has 10 flagship EBOs in India. It has plans to increase it to 100 by the end of 2010. It is present in 30 Indian cities. 3. Nike It has 107 EBOs in India 4. Guess (Premium) It was launched in 2005 by Planet Retail in India. It operates 19 EBOs and one shop-in-shop. 5. Carlton London (Premium) It currently operates 10 EBOs. It has 50,000 square feet retail space in India. It is concentrated in North India. It has plans to open up new stores in metros and in Tier I cities. MBO Retailers 1. Planet Sports It has 39 outlets and a retail space of 73,000 square feet. It is present in 21 cities across India. 2. Provogue It was launched in 2005. It consists of 55 EBOs and also 15 shop-in-shops. 3. Reliance Footprints It is a division of Reliance Retail Ltd. It started its operations in 2007. It currently operates 14 MBOs. It offers global brands like Ecco, Geox, Josef Siebel, Rockport, Florsheim, Hush Puppies, Lee Cooper and Clarks, Piccadilly, Dr. Scholls, Levis, Crocs, Disney among others. Apart from these, it sells handbags as well as accessories. 4. Shoe Factory It is a value format. It offers huge variety of footwear for a wide age groups. It started its operations in Ahmedabad in 2006. It is present in 16 locations and has a retails space of 48,000 square feet across 8 cities. 5. The Blues It is an exclusive licensee of major global brands like Corneliani (2006), Versace Collection (2005), VJC Versace Jeans Couture (2008), Cadini (2005), Versace (2008). By the end of 2008, it had 6 franchised EBOs, 3 shop-in-shops and also one MBO. Emergence of modern Indian retail Introduction In 2007, the Indian retail sector stood at $350 billion. It was predicted to increase to $427 billion by 2010 and $635 billion by 2015 (Morierty, 2007). Many Indian business houses are entering or have already entered this sector. The food and grocery sector is turning out to be a major contributer to this field. Even though it started slowly, it is now growing at a feverish pace. The other forms of retail have also evolved consistently. With the huge business houses entering into this business, the field has become extremely competitive between them. This is one sector that is looking to explode in the near future. Today, mega Indian business houses and corporate like the Future Group of Kishore Biyani (Food Bazaar), Reliance Group of Mukesh Ambani (Reliance Fresh Reliance Hyper), ITC Ltd (Choupal Fresh Choupal Saagar), Wadhawan Holdings (Spinach), RPG Group (Spencers Retail), the Aditya Birla Group (More), Subhiksha, the Godrej group (Natures Basket Godrej Aadhar), J Raheja group (Hypercity), etc. are driving the forays into retail through different models like single-format, multi-format or integrated urban-rural model. (Sengupta, 2007) However, the growth of the Indian retail space has been a long and ardous journey. Let us have a brief look at how the sector as a whole has evolved over the years. History It is popularly assumed that with the opening of the Indian economy in the early 1990s, the retail sector started opening up. This is when all the supermarkets and hypermarkets came into existence. However, the types of retail formats have existed in India since 1970s. In 1971, Nilgiris was set up in Bangalore. It was what one could popularly refer to as the ‘face of modern Indian retail. It was a supermarket. Since then, a lot of other business houses/ entrepreneurs have entered this sector. A few went national while a majority of them were restricted to a local scale. Popular among them were Trinetra from Hyderabad (now part of the Aditya Birla Group), Foodworld from Chennai, Margin Free from Kerala among others. A few others like Stop Shop from the TVS group in South India and Nanz in North India have shut down. In 1947, when India got independence, the per capita income was very low. People could not really afford any type of luxuries. Majority of them managed to live by getting their basic necessities. The main type of retail format prominent during those days was the mom-and-pop (kirana stores). They were run by individuals. The other format was the Bazaar. This trend continued up to the 1960s. Even post that, when supermarkets like Nilgiris opened up, the trend continued (Sengupta, 2007). It was during the 1990s and 2000s that this trend gradually changed. The growth story of the modern retail format in India is the early part of this millennium can be divided into 4 phases. Phase 1: This phase is characterised between 2002 and 2004. Lots of new entrants into the market were driving the top line growth. Phase 2: This phase is characterised between 2004 and 2006. The consumers were getting more and more aware of the possibilities that this retail growth could mean for them. They started demanding more and more variety in the organized retail formats. Phase 3: Post 2006, the retailers realized that in order to distinguish themselves, they would have to strengthen their back-end activities. The front end of almost all retail outlets were more or less the same. The thing that distinguished them from the rest were activities like inventory control, turnover time etc. Phase 4: This phase has been in progress since 2007. The retail players are in the process of consolidating their operations. (Srivastava, 2009) Organized retail is moving from being a ‘novel experiment to an expected back-end innovation and scale build up (Srivastava, 2009). Indian retail story First some facts (Srivastava, 2009): * The retail industry employs almost 21 million people * The Kearney study undertaken in 2006, ranked India 5th among 30 developing countries in the Global Retail Development Index * The study projects that India will overtake Russia and China to become the number one destination for foreign direct investment in retail India has over 12 million retail outlets. Out of this, about 95% of the outlets are less than 500 square feet (Srivastava, 2009). If we compare Indian retail with other countries, we see that the number of traditional retail outlets is still very huge. In 2005, US had about 15% traditional retail outlets and 85% organized retail outlets. India had 97% traditional outlets and only 3% organized retail outlets (Srivastava, 2009). (Srivastava, 2009) The organized retail in India is still at a very nascent stage. The opportunity for growth is enormous. Even though speciality stores in India are gaining prominence, almost 90% of all future retail development is predicted to be malls. The Indian consumer wants everything in the same place. One more trend that is being seeing is the marriage of retail and entertainment. Lots of multiplexes are opening up at malls. In fact, this seems to be the future trend. Sand alone places might not attract the crowd that such mergers could. Also, facilities like book stores, coffee shops, food courts etc. are being developed at these places. The major distinguishing factor of malls in India is that they have a mix of high-value items as well as mass branded items at the same place. In comparison, other countries have speciality malls. They either are of the high-value kind boutiques or the mass category. India has the highest shop density in the world. It has about 11 shops per 1000 people. This adds to one shop per 20-25 families (Srivastava, 2009). However in cities, this density is much higher. If we look at the money spent on various facilities, the urban-rural difference becomes very evident. About 33% of entertainment spends come from rural areas as opposed to 67% from urban areas. As opposed to this, when we talk about more basic necessities like food, clothing and footwear, over 60% comes from rural areas. (Srivastava, 2009) If we look at the share of the various things that are sold in the organized retail, we find that apparels and accessories is the maximum at 38%, footwear is at 9%, while others like mobile phones, books etc. are at 3% each (Srivastava, 2009). (Srivastava, 2009) Retail formats Both traditional as well regional retails constitute footwear retail market space. Along with these, new players like The Loft and factory outlets also constitute this space. These are category killers. The Loft offers over 130 brands, all under the same roof. It has completely revolutionarized the industry. In Mumbai, The Loft store has an area of 18,000 sq feet and also offers other services to the customers enhancing their experience. Factory outlets have also changed the industry. Pantaloon Retails Brand Factory, Reliance Footprints, Max Retail of the Landmark Group, and The Loot, are all offering a multiple footwear brands. 1) Hypermarket This format of stores has seen a huge growth in India. Most of the stores in this format are making money. The costumers find it very comfortable as they can get almost all their daily necessities like food, clothing, shoes, utensils, home appliances, durables etc. under one roof. It is like a one stop shop for all necessities. 2) Departmental Store Similar to hypermarkets, these shops also offer all the requirements under one roof. The difference is that these outlets have a more luxurious setting. The Indian consumer likes the idea of shopping in a better way with entertainment, novelty, variety and an international setting, all under one roof. 3) Single brand/ Stand Alone Outlet As the name suggests, these outlets consist of only one brand. They are generally run by the brand itself or are run as franchisee. The consumers do not have much choice here in terms of the number of brands but, generally, most of the variety of items, even the rare ones, of the brand are present here. 4) Multi-Branded Outlet A huge variety of brands are present here. The consumer has a wide array of brands to choose from. The only drawback of such outlets is that only the popular items of a brand are present here. So if a consumer has a very specific requirement, he/ she might not be able to find the item here. 5) Factory Outlet A factory outlet is a retail store where the manufacturer sells his brand directly to the customer. The store might have a warehouse attached to it. The biggest advantage of such stores is that there are no middle men. Hence the end customers get the brands at a very low cost. They are also called ‘Best Saving Outlets. Footwear retail AT Kearneys eigth annual GRDI (Global Retail Development Index) in 2009 ranked the Indian retail sector as the ‘most attractive emerging market for investment. Indian retail market is the fifth largest retail destination globally. In the footwear retail market, only 5.9 percent of Indias total retail market is organized. This comes to Rs. 13,300 billion. The total footwear retail market stands at Rs. 160 billion. Out of this, 48.4% of the footwear retail market is organized and is dominated by brands. The Indian Retail report of the year 2009 maps the growth of the organized retail since 2004. The findings indicate that compared to the other retail categories, footwear category has grown at a much faster pace. In 2004-05, only 25% of the footwear retail sector was organized. In 2009, it grew to 48.4%. The overall retail market share in the organized sector has only increased from 3% to 5.9% in the corresponding time frame. Emerging trends The performance of the footwear market is forecasted to accelerate with an anticipated CAGR of 10.2% for the five-year period 2008-2013. This is expected to drive the market to a value of $5,791.4 million by the end of 2013. Comparatively, the Chinese market will increase with a CAGR of 8.3%. (Singh, 2009) The organized retail sector is also seeing many changes. This sector occupies about 5% of Indian retail market. Large format stores and branded retail stores are coming up. This trend was first seen in South India and now in North India, West India and East India in the next couple of years. The retail sector is also opening its operations in Tier II cities like Gurgaon, Noida, Kochi etc. A market research report ‘Booming Retail Sector in India predicts that Indian organoized retail sector will reach US$ 50 billion by 2011. This study was carried out by RNCOS. The number of shopping malls is also set to increase between 2007 and 2015 by a CAGR of 18.9%. The Indian consumer On the World Map, India is placed 5th in the list of consumer markets of the world. Improved communication systems and the exposure to popular international brands has brought about a huge difference in the cities. People have become more indulgent. They want to acquire more and have also become very ambitious. According to a McKinsey report, the size of the Indian consumer market is expected to grow 4 times by 2025. This report is aptly titled ‘The rise of Indian Consumer Market. The youth population in India is huge. 33% are below 15 years of age. The consumer spending has increased as the disposable income among the youth has increased. The consumer spending in India has increased by 75% in the last 4 years. The share of wallet for products like footwear, clothes, transport, entertainment, education, medical services, housing and renting etc. has increased significantly. In fact, the Indian middle class has also started consuming luxury goods like air-conditioners and cars. The Indian demographic profile is changing rapidly. The upper class is growing much quicker than the lower class. The ‘deprived class is shrinking. The middle class is expected to touch 28 million by 2010. One third of the total middle class population will be from the rural areas. Lifestyle category goods are expected to be the future. With the increasing number of working women and fashion conscious males, they will look for a better quality of life. The Nielsen Retail Index 2007 reveled that consumers are switching to branded products. Also due to impulse buying by young consumers with disposable income, brands like Reebok and Adidas saw their semi-urban and rural sales increase by more than 70%. According to Kishore Biyani (Biyani, 2007), the typical Indian consumer can be classified as follows: The serving class consists of 55% of the population. This indicates that the retail outlets should target this group as well instead of mainly targeting the consumer class, which consists of only 14% of the population, as it currently does (Tripathi). Literature Review Indian footwear consumer The basic understanding of fashion and change in consumer perceptions has given a huge boost to the footwear industry. There is more exposure for Indians due to global travel and media penetration. The new retailing formats and distribution systems have capitalized on this. Branded footwear from overseas has become popular. Of course, the cost for the consumer is still a concern, due to which even the international brands have had to bring down their prices drastically in order to achieve break-even sales. Comfort is very essential for the Indian footwear consumer. The branded and organized sector has taken advantage of this. However, the awareness about more specialized products like performance enhancing and fitness assisting is still very low in India compared to other South East Asian countries. This could increase with time. Also, the young working population is seeing a shift in preference to international trends and lifestyles. One more fact is that women buyers buy more frequently compared to their male counterparts. About 29% women go shopping at least once every quarter. Men account for about 19% of the total purchases of that segment (Indian Retail Report, 2009). As per a study on how consumers divide their wallet spends, about 44% of the urban Nupscale (short for Nielsen Upscale, based on the usage of 12 consumer durable products by the consumers households) buy mens footwear. 41% buy womens footwear. The average annual spend on the products is Rs. 2318 and Rs. 1336 respectively. This study was conducted by Images- AC Neilsen. Women had a role to play in the purchase of mens footwear (26% women to 56% men). Men had a bigger role to play in purchase of womens footwear (34% males to 51% females). Men spent more lavishly on footwear irrespective of whether they were buying for themselves or others or gifting. Males spend on an average Rs 2,459 in a typical year on purchase of mens footwear and Rs 1,428 on purchase of womens footwear. Comparatively, women spend on an average Rs 1,875 on mens footwear and Rs 1,265 on womens footwear in a typical year (Indian Retail Report, 2009). Research articles ‘Shopping Orientation in the Evolving Indian Market, a research article by Piyush Kumar Sinha, attempted to understand shoppers from their disposition towards shopping. This was very useful because it has been noted that the differences between retailers are not really significant in terms of the value they deliver. The study managed to bring out the shopping orientation of the Indian shoppers. It said that emotional value matters more than the functional value while shopping. They are also more oriented towards the entertainment value. Based on this orientation, 300 shoppers were divided into 2 segments: Fun shoppers and Work shoppers. These two segments had different demographic and behavioral profile. This orientation was primarily affected by the frequency of buying, type of store, and to some extent by the SEC (socio-economic classification). These findings were finally used in order to draw implications for store format, merchandising and pricing (Sinha, 2003). ‘A Typology of Apparel Shopping Orientation Segments among Female Consumers, segmented female apparel shoppers into unique apparel shopping orientation groups. It then developed a profile for each segment by taking into consideration the information sources, lifestyle activities, importance of store attributes, demographics and patronage behavior. Then by using cluster analysis of apparel shopping orientation factors, three groups were identified: 1) Highly Involved Apparel Shopper 2) Apathetic Apparel Shopper 3) Convenience-Oriented Catalog Shopper They were further compared through MANOVA (multivariate analysis of variance) and chi-square statistics. The results indicated that shopping orientations are a base for segmenting female apparel shoppers. These groups are unique in consumer buying characteristics. They include: * 3 factors of information sources (Fashion Publications, Store Fashion Service/Promotion and Mass Media) * 5 factors of importance of store attrib

Endings and Beginnings :: Personal Narrative Essays

Endings and Beginnings Death, while in many respects an "end," actually serves as more of a beginning for all but the most pessimistic of religions or philosophies. Even Socrates, at one time near the end of his life, at least, felt this sort of hopefulness. According to Plato, on his deathbed after having drunk the hemlock, Socrates mumbled these last words to Crito: "I owe a cock to Asclepius; do not forget it." In his time it was customary to offer a cock to Asclepius, the God of Healing, upon recovering from a sickness, so at a time of impending death Socrates was actually thinking of healing in one way or another and beginning anew. When he confronts the idea of his own death earlier, however, in Plato's Apology, he says: "If I were to claim to be wiser than my neighbor in any respect, it would be this: that not possessing any real knowledge of what comes after death, I am also conscious that I do not possess it." On his deathbed, then, Socrates seems to be offering the cock just in case, a common rea son for religion for many dying people. All religions have death rituals or hopeful ideas of where they will end up after their death: Hindus seek to escape repeated reincarnation by practicing yoga, by adhering to Vedic scriptures, and by devotion to a personal guru; Buddhists seek a state of living Nirvana by following the path of righteousness--if they are not perfectly righteous then they repeat another lifetime that is either good or bad depending upon their actions (karma) in their previous life; Christians believe that if they take Jesus Christ as their savior they may gain access to heaven after their life on earth. Joseph Campbell believed that all of the world's religions are tied together by the similarity of their myths. Stories of creation, holy trinities, resurrections, deaths, and heavens repeat over and over again in slightly different forms. He believed, then, that all the world's religions are the same, but they're cloaked in different masks that betray the prejudices of the culture. One thing all religio ns have in common, however, is this: When we die, we all go somewhere else in one form or another. The beginning of a thing is its birth. The end of that thing is its death. Within the broad framework of our lives--the coordinate system that begins at age zero and completes some sort of cycle when our bodies stop breathing--we experience an infinite number of

President Woodrow Wilson :: essays research papers

Woodrow Wilson The name of the person I read about is Woodrow Wilson,but when he was young people called him Tommy.When Tommy was only a year old his father [Dr.Wilson]moved his family and him from Virginia to Augusta,Georgia.He moved in 1857.Tommy's father became pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Augusta,Georgia. Woodrow came from a strict,caring household.Dr.Wilson liked to take Woodrow places like cotton mills,iron and steel foundries,and other local industries.He did that to teach Woodrow the manufacturing processes.Dr.Wilson also taught Woodrow respect for other people.His mother[Jessie Wilson] was shy and reserved,but looked and acted like Woodrow. Woodrow's life was different from mine by the way he went to school.His father taught him till he was nine,and then he went to school. Woodrow spent some of his spare time with his gang, called the Lightfoot Club.Also when Woodrow was fourteen,his education was continued at a private school with fifty boys enrolled that cost seven dollars an hour. One of the parts of the book that I liked was when Woodrow Wilson won the Presidency.One of the things that helped him win was when he made two alliances.One alliance was made with Colonel Edward M. House.The other was made with William McCombs. Both of these alliances profound effect on his future. A sad incident that happened in this story was when Woodrow suffered his paralytic stroke.Rumors spread that Woodrow was incapable of handling even the smallest duties.Wilson kept succeeding though. There was still many people that believed in him. If I could choose one thing that Wilson did that I could do it would be a lawyer.First of all most lawyers make a good living.Another thing is that people depend on you.Finally it would be challenging for me. The main thing that Wilson is remembered for is being President.He really put a lot of effort into being President.He worked hard,he acted in control,and he acted mature about the situations he was in.The main thing is that he

Essay --

The Rise of the Seahawks Section 1: Pre-game The Seattle Seahawks located in Seattle Washington, is one of the top teams in the NFL. The Seahawks were founded in 1976 and are owned by Paul Allen. The Seattle Seahawks haven't had it easy, it's been rough ride throughout the years. There have been many coaches and many players have passed through the Seattle team. There are some very special people that the Seahawks truly treasure that aren’t players or coaches out on the field. They treasure the 12th man. This allusive 12th man isnt a player out on the field, it's the fans. Even though the 12th man spirit didn't start in Seattle they are loud and proud about it. Seattle has some of the loudest fans in the league. They are so loud that they get earthquake readings at Century Link Stadium, they call the earthquake reading "Beast Mode." This season(2013-2014) they have a very tough lineup, they have "Beast Mode"aka Marshawn Lynch, Richard Sherman, Russell Wilson, Golden Tate and the amazing coach Pete Carroll. The Seattle Seahawks have been a very successful team in the 2013-2014 season. The Seahawks have a strong defense which has been a key part in their success this year. The Seahawk’s offense hasn’t been bad this year either. They have some very strong player that contribute to their success. Their offense includes: #3 quarterback Russell Wilson, #24 running back â€Å"beast mode† Marshawn Lynch, #89 wide reciever 1 Doug Baldwin and #81 wide reciever 2 Golden â€Å"Showtime† Tate. Without this strong offense and strong defense the Seahawks wouldn’t be where they are today. There are many questions I would like to answer throughout the paper. How has Seattle recently become so successful in the past year?. Is it their ... ...hquake readings. The magnitude of the earthquakes are ranging in the 1-2 range. When fans can get that loud to have earthquake readings you know that they are truly dedicated to be a Seahawks fan. I have learned so much about football in general and the Seahawks from doing this paper. Its amazing on when I pick a topic that I really like on how I can into the paper and make it the best that I can. While I was doing my research I really started to understand the game better. When you understand the game the more fun it is to watch the game and more intense the game is. I really enjoyed getting to research such a cool topic that has been in the news a lot recently for winning the super bowl. But it was kinda hard trying to find the rich history from when the team started. It was still awesome to be able to write about this topic while they won their first Super Bowl!

Issue of Kashmir and Role of Pakistan

The Quaid was not given to making rhetorical pronouncements. He was a realist; not an idealist. As a pragmatist and a jurist, he chose his words with care before uttering them; and he was a man of his word. The jugular vein and the body are mutually inter-dependant. Pakistan’s life-blood – water – passes through Kashmir. Kashmir’s life force – its commerce, its people’s very livelihood, its cultural heritage – all lay through its contacts with what is now Pakistan. Both Kashmir and Pakistan have suffered all these years because of artificial man-made barriers between the two. Regrettably, the Quaid-e-Azam did not live long enough to influence the events that followed. The question that presents itself begging for an answer is: if he had lived for a few more years would he have allowed this issue to linger on for so long? We may do well to give this aspect some thought. Regrettably, the leadership that followed the Quaid singularly failed to live up to his ideals. Several issues – the Kashmir issue among them – that should have been tackled betimes and were not are a testimony to this. This is neither the time nor the occasion to go into the history of this issue. Suffice it to state that after the Quaid, successive leadership appear to have missed the bus. The struggle of the people of the State predates the partition of what was then British India. Even before the British left, the people of the State had already asserted, through a valiant struggle, their inalienable right to decide their own future. When the matter landed in the Security Council of the United Nations, the World Body went on to put its stamp of approval on this fundamental right of the people of the Jammu and Kashmir. The right of self-determination of the people of the State of Jammu and Kashmir was guaranteed by the United Nations. As a result of the resolutions of the world body, four parties to the dispute were explicitly recognized: 1) The government of India; 2) The government of Pakistan; 3) The people of the State; and, by implication, 4) The international community, through the United Nations. Any movement towards a final settlement of the issue should, therefore, need to be endorsed by all the four parties. No one party has the right to unilaterally impose a settlement nor, in deed, to move the goal posts. This remains the internationally recognized position. In 1947, British rule in India ended with the creation of two new nations: the Union of India and the Dominion of Pakistan, while British suzerainty over the 562 Indian princely statesended. According to the Indian Independence Act 1947, â€Å"the suzerainty of His Majesty over the Indian States lapses, and with it, all treaties and agreements in force at the date of the passing of this Act between His Majesty and the rulers of Indian States†,so the states were left to choose whether to join India or Pakistan or to remain independent. Jammu and Kashmir, the largest of the princely states, had a predominantly Muslim population, while having a Hindu ruler (Maharaja Hari Singh. ) On partition Pakistan expected Kashmir to be annexed to it. In October 1947, Muslim revolutionaries in western Kashmir and Pakistani tribals from Dir entered Kashmir, intending to liberate it from Dogra rule. Unable to withstand the invasion, the Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession that was accepted by the government of India on 27 October 1947. The resulting war over Kashmir, the First Kashmir War, lasted until 1948, when India moved the issue to the UN Security Council. Sheikh Abdullah was not in favour of India seeking UN intervention because he was sure the Indian Army could free the entire State of invaders. The UN had previously passed resolutions for setting up monitoring of the conflict in Kashmir. Following the set-up of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNCIP), the UN Security Council passed Resolution 47 on 21 April 1948. The resolution imposed an immediate cease-fire and called on Pakistan to withdraw all military presence. The resolution stated that Pakistan would have no say in Jammu and Kashmir politics. India would retain a minimum military presence and â€Å"the final disposition of the State of Jammu and Kashmir will be made in accordance with the will of the people expressed through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the United Nations. † The ceasefire was enacted on 31 December 1948. The Indian and Pakistani governments agreed to hold the plebiscite, but Pakistan did not withdraw its troops from Kashmir, thus violating the conditions for holding the plebiscite Over the next several years, the UN Security Council passed four new resolutions, revising the terms of Resolution 47 to include a synchronous withdrawal of both Indian and Pakistani troops from the region, To this end, UN arbitrators put forward 11 different proposals for the demilitarization of the region. All of these were accepted by Pakistan, but rejected by the Indian government. Resolutions passed under the UN charter are considered non-binding and have no mandatory enforceability, as opposed to the resolutions passed under Chapter VII. In 1965 and 1971, heavy fighting broke out again between India and Pakistan. The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 resulted in the defeat of Pakistan and the Pakistani military's surrender in East Pakistan. The Simla Agreement was signed in 1972 between India and Pakistan. By this treaty, both countries agreed to settle all issues by peaceful means using mutual discussion in the framework of the UN Charter. In 1989, a widespread popular and armed insurgency started in Kashmir. After the 1987 State legislative assembly election, some of the results were disputed. This resulted in the formation militant wings after the election and was the beginning of the Mujahadeen insurgency, which continues to this day. India contends that the insurgency was largely started by Afghan mujahadeen who entered the Kashmir valley following the end of the Soviet-Afghan War. Pakistani and Kashmiri nationalists argue that Afghan mujahideen did not leave Afghanistan in large numbers until 1992, three years after the insurgency began. Yasin Malik, a leader of one faction of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, was one of the Kashmiris to organize militancy in Kashmir, Since 1995, Malik has renounced the use of violence and calls for strictly peaceful methods to resolve the dispute. He developed differences with one of the senior leaders, for shunning the demand for an independent Kashmir and trying to cut a deal with the Indian Prime Minister. Pakistan claims these insurgents are Jammu and Kashmir citizens, and are rising up against the Indian army in an independence movement. Pakistan accuses the Indian army of committing serious human rights violations in Kashmir. Pakistan denies that it has or currently is supplying weapons and ammunition to the insurgents. India claims these insurgents are Islamic terrorist groups from Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Afghanistan, fighting to make Jammu and Kashmir part of Pakistan. They claim Pakistan is supplying munitions to the terrorists and training them in Pakistan. India states that the terrorists have been killing many citizens in Kashmir and committing human rights violations. They deny that their own armed forces are responsible for human rights abuses. On a visit to Pakistan in 2006 current Chief Minister of Kashmir Omar Abdullah remarked that foreign militants were engaged in reckless killings and mayhem in the name of religion. Indian government has said militancy is now on the decline. The Pakistani government calls these insurgents â€Å"Kashmiri freedom fighters†, and claims that it gives only moral and diplomatic support to these insurgents, though Indiabelieves they are Pakistan-supported terrorists from Pakistan Administered Kashmir. In October 2008, President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan called the Kashmir separatists terrorists in an interview . these comments by Zardari sparked outrage amongs many Kashmiris, some of whom defied a curfew by the Indian army to burn him in effigy. There has been a â€Å"purely indigenous, purely Kashmiri†peaceful protest movement alongside the insurgency in Indian-administered Kashmir since 1989. The movement was created for the same reason as the insurgency; it began with the disputed rigged elections of 1987. The Kashmiris have grievances with the Indian government, specifically the Indian Military, which has committed human rights violations, according to the United Nations. In mid-1999, insurgents and Pakistani soldiers from Pakistani Kashmir infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir. During the winter season, Indian forces regularly move down to lower altitudes, as severe climatic conditions makes it almost impossible for them to guard the high peaks near the Line of Control. The insurgents took advantage of this and occupied vacant mountain peaks of the Kargil range overlooking the highway in Indian Kashmir that connect sarinagars and Leh. By blocking the highway, they wanted to cut off the only link between the Kashmir Valley . This resulted in a high-scale conflict between the Indian Army and the Pakistan Army. Fears of the Kargil War turning into a nuclear war provoked the then-United States President Bill Clinton to pressure Pakistan to retreat. Faced with mounting losses of personnel and posts, the Pakistan Army withdrew their remaining troops from the area, ending the conflict. India reclaimed control of the peaks, which they now patrol and monitor all year long. Pakistan's claims to the disputed region are based on the rejection of Indian claims to Kashmir, namely the Instrument of Accession. Pakistan insists that the Maharaja was not a popular leader, and was regarded as a tyrant by most Kashmiris. Pakistan maintains that the Maharaja used brute force to suppress the population. Pakistan accuses India of hypocrisy, as it refused to recognize the accession of Junagadh to Pakistan and Hyderabad's independence, on the grounds that those two states had Hindu majorities. Since he had fled Kashmir due to Pakistani invasion,Pakistan argues that even if the Maharaja had any authority in determining the plight of Kashmir, Pakistan claims that Indian forces were in Kashmir before the Instrument of Accession was signed with India, and that therefore Indian troops were in Kashmir in violation of the Standstill Agreement, which was designed to maintain the status quo in Kashmir From 1990 to 1999, some organizations reported that the Indian Armed Forces, its paramilitary groups, and counter-insurgent militias were responsible for the deaths 4,501 Kashmiri civilians.  Also from 1990 to 1999, there were records of 4,242 women between the ages of 7–70 being raped.