Saturday, November 9, 2019
Michael Jordan & Basketball
When someone says the name Michael Jordan, the first thing that comes to mind is basketball, The Chicago Bulls and Nike shoes. Through the years, Michael Jordan has proved time and time again that he is the greatest basketball player ever, and by performing in this rapidly expanding sporting field, he has gained tremendous popularity throughout the world. People of all ages and from all nationalities have gathered to watch him play. A journalist states ââ¬Ëeven your Aunt Matilda might not know nothing about basketball, liked watching him playâ⬠(Jonathon 1999:58). Jordan has become more than just an entertainer. He is a hero and a role model amongst basketball spectators. Johnson claims that ââ¬Ëhe is the most famous American in the worldâ⬠(ibid.). Perhaps he was born to be the best. Even though he is a star, Michaelâ⬠s childhood had been very distressing. In fact, Michael Jordan was nearly miscarried by his mother. His nose bled from birth till he was five, he nearly suffocated when he fell behind the bed as a baby and nearly killed himself when an electrocution threw him three feet. In Jordanâ⬠s own words, he exclaims I mean my girlfriend got swept in a flood and drowned when we were in college. Another time, I was swimming with a friend when both of us got pulled into the ocean by a strong undertow. I was able to get free and make it back to land. He never made it back (Jordan 1998:96). Additionally, after going through so many traumatic and distressing times, not many people would have been able to live their dreams. But Jordan performed the task of living his dream exceptionally well. Despite a somewhat desperate childhood, Michael Jordan enjoyed his time at school. He did his first years of schooling at D.C. Virgo Junior High School and later graduated to Lanley High School where he began practicing intensively on his basketball skills. He was accepted in the University of North Carolina through a basketball scholarship. At the university, Michael took on the challenge of driving his teammates to a level of performance that they might never have achieved on their own. He scored the winning basket in the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship game in 1982. A sportswriter describes ââ¬Ëthe relentlessness with which Michael Jordan prodded and cajoled the other players in leading them to championship season after championship seasonâ⬠(Lazenby 1996:37). The glorious moments achieved by Michael Jordan were soon vaporised by a permanent shadow. In 1993, an agonising incident shattered Jordanâ⬠s excitement after winning his third championship. Moments after the game, Michaelâ⬠s father, James Jordan, was brutally murdered by two ruthless teenagers. This was a severe tragedy in Michaelâ⬠s life; his father was gone. For this reason, Michael decided to retire from Basketball and play Baseball in memory of his father. This was because James Jordan adored Baseball (Jordan 1998:112). He signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox, but was unsuccessful (Encarta 1999). Hence Jordan returned to his favorable professional sport of basketball. Allison exclaims ââ¬Ëat a press conference, Michael only said two words, Iâ⬠m back!â⬠(Samuels 1999). The ball started to roll again. But the anxiety of the spectators only lasted till the end of 1997. By far, the Chicago Bulls had been hit the hardest with the news of Jordanâ⬠s retirement. The breakup arose when the management refused to pay Phil Jackson, coach of the Chicago Bulls, what he deserved after bringing six NBA championships to the Bulls. When Jackson abandoned the team, Jordan refused to play for a new coach. After Jordan officially announced his retirement, basketball great, Scottie Pippen was traded to the Houston Rockets. Only four players of the previous yearâ⬠s team still remained on the Chicago Bulls. Stein considers ââ¬Ëmany have made the prediction that the bulls will lose mare games in this shortened season than they did all last yearâ⬠(Stein 1999). The die-hard Chicago Bulls fans will always hold a special place in their heart for Michael Jordan. They will tell their sons and daughters about him, they will get out the old VHS tapes of games that they have recorded and they will pass along basketball cards that will be worth hundreds of dollars. Those of us who have seen him play will always remember him and what he has done for the game of basketball. For those who havenâ⬠t will have to settle for the endless highlight reels and Nike commercials to keep his memory alive.
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Group Example
Group Example Group ââ¬â Coursework Example Group Dynamics According to sociologists a group is defined as an interaction process between two or more individual who share the same features and have a collective sense of unity with each other. Individuals within a group are able to gain an identity and a sense of belonging. In addition, a group is mainly characterized by a common goal and objectives, cultural values and accepted norms and a similar interest. Sociologists have further established two types of groups that are based on their features; a primary group and a secondary group. Examples of a primary group include family groups, church groups, and love relations among others. Examples of secondary groups involve community and help groups. Therefore a family as a primary group will be highlighted in the essay (Forsyth, 2-6). The functionalist perspective in understanding groups was based on the works of Herbert Spencer and Emile Durkheim. Functionalism holds that society involves an interconnection of various parts that work in harmony for the purposes of enhancing the social balance. A family contributes essential functions of socialization, nurturing and reproduction in the society. The conflict theory is mainly based on the works of Karl Marx. In relation to existence of groups in the society conflict theorists argue that society is composed into different groups as a result of competition for power and resources. Hence, a family as a exercises its own power and benefit from the existing social arrangement. Symbolic interactionism largely the works of George Simmel argues that the sense of identity is fashioned through the process of social interaction. Thus, self-concept is developed through the interaction process that a family as a group facilitates (Mooney et.al. 1-3).Forsyth, Donelson. Group Dynamics. Introduction to Group Dynamics. Fourth Edition. Thomson Learning Academic Centre. 2006.Mooney, Knox and Schacht. The Three main Sociological Perspectives. Understanding Social Problems, 5th edition. 2007.
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
FAFSA App Your Ultimate 2016 Guide to Max Scholarships
FAFSA App Your Ultimate 2016 Guide to Max Scholarships SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is the one application youââ¬â¢ll need to submit in order to be considered for all forms of federal aid. If youââ¬â¢re interested in financial aid at all (even if youââ¬â¢re thinking about private funding sources or school-based aid), itââ¬â¢s of the utmost importance you submit one of these applications. The application itself seems daunting at first, but with a little bit of forethought and a few hours of your time, youââ¬â¢ll be able to complete it successfully! I'll start off this post with some info about the FASFA, before moving on to step-by-step instructions on how to apply for FAFSA. Finally, I'll give you some tips on what you should be doing after your submit your FAFSA. Ready to get some financial aid? We'll present everything you must know in order to apply most successfully. Why Is the FAFSA Important? As I'm sure you already know, attending college in the US is pretty expensive. Prohibitively so, actually, for a lot of students - in fact, most US college students have some sort of financial aid. When you submit a FAFSA, you're taking a step in mitigating some of these expenses. This application will open up opportunities for both federal and non-federal aid. The aid programs you're automatically considered for include: The Pell Grant Stafford loans Perkins loans Direct Unsubsidized loans Direct Subsidized loans Non-federal aid opportunities come mostly in the form of institutional aid. Schools use information generatedby the FAFSA to award college-specific grants and scholarships. Private need-based scholarship programs also often require applicants to complete a FAFSA (for example, the Gates Millennium Scholarship). All in all, it's a really versatile application, and one of the most important parts of applying for financial aid for college. Now that you're excited about your own FAFSA let's talk about how to submit one! How Do You Submit a FAFSA? Follow these step-by-step instructions to successfully submit a FAFSA. Step 1: Check Your Deadlines There are different deadlines you should be aware of: federal and state.The deadline for federal funding for the 2015-2016 school year is June 30, 2016, whereas the deadline for 2016-2017 is June 30, 2017.You may be able to get federal aid even after youââ¬â¢ve finished your year at school (if youââ¬â¢re a current college student), so it could be worth your while to apply later on if youââ¬â¢ve already missed the state application window. Different states (if you also want to be considered for state funding) have different deadlines for applying for student aid. You can check the deadline for your state here. In general, though, it's better to apply well in advance of these deadlines. Someaid programs run out of funding earlier rather than later - like the Perkins Loan program - so try to get your FAFSA in as early as possible. The application openedJanuary 1 for the 2015-2016 academic year; schools won't use the information from your FAFSA until after you're admitted. You won't lose out on any opportunities if you don't submit your FAFSA on January 1, but try toget it in by early spring. Step 2: Gather All the Information You'll Need Perhaps the most tedious part of completing a FAFSA is hunting down all the relevant financial information you need for the application. If you gather this information ahead of time, though, sitting down to complete the actual app should be a cinch. Here's everything you need in order to fill out a complete FAFSA. From your own personal records, you'll need: Social Security Number Alien Registration Number (if you're not a US citizen) Most recent federal tax returns, W-2s, and other records of income Bank statements and investment records (if applicable) Records of untaxed income (if applicable) A FSA ID to sign electronically (if you're submitting the application online). You can create a FSA ID. Your parents' financial information is also considered when determining your aid eligibility, even if they won't be helping you pay for school. Because of this, you'll also need to gather all of the above information from your parents as well. Here'sexactly what you'll need from parents or guardians: If your parents are married, gather information for both of them. If your parent is widowed or single, you'll just need information from that one parent. If your widowed parent is currently remarried, you'll need information from your parent and your parent's spouse. If your parents are divorced or separated, you'll need information from your custodial parent (the parent you've lived with the most within the past year). If your parents have joint custody, and you spendtime between them equally, you need information from the parent who's supported you the most financially. Some FAFSA applicants qualify for what's called a dependency override - this is when parents' financial information is not taken into account when determining federal aid eligibility. Most of the time, this means that applicants are eligible for more aid. If you think you might qualify for a dependency override, you should gather any supporting documentation around those circumstances as well as any relevant financial information. Common override situations include being married, having kids, being in foster care, and being legally emancipated.Just answer questions about these circumstances honestly on your FAFSA - the application will process as incomplete, and youââ¬â¢ll need to follow up with the financial aid office of the school youââ¬â¢re seeking an aid package from. One last thing -If youââ¬â¢re a male between the ages of 18-25 and living in the US, you'll need to be registered for Selective Service in order to submit a FAFSA. Selective Service is essentially a registry of all men eligible to be called for a military draft in an emergency. You can registerin just a few minutes. Step 3: Choose Your Submission Method Got all that paperwork ready? Now comes the easy part - choosing how you'll submit your FAFSA. You have a couple of different options: electronic submission and paper submission. I'll discuss the pros and cons of both. Electronic Submission It's generally easier to submit your FAFSA online than it is to send in a paper copy. Just be aware that if you have a tight submission timeline, you should apply for a FSA ID for you and your parents ahead of time - you need a FSA ID to sign the FAFSA electronically, and it can take about threedays to come in. The electronic version of the app tends to guide you through the application process pretty well, and can even catch minor errors as you complete it. You'll also get fast results with this submission method - you'll receive a SAR (student aid report) containing the results of your FAFSA in about 3 days. Paper Submission Nothing against snails, but snail mail is not a good option if you're rushing to submit your FAFSA. Paper FAFSAs are a bit more cumbersome than the electronic version, take the longer to file, and are more prone to error - all of these factors will delay your application process. This is not a good option if you're tight on time. If you do want to submit a paper FAFSA, you can find copies at high school guidance offices, college financial aid offices, or at local libraries. You can also download and print the application yourself. Step 4: Set a Time to Complete the Application This is one application you don't want to procrastinate completing. As I mentioned earlier, you'll likely need a lot of information from your parents or guardians to properly fill out the application.The form will be much easier to complete if you can sit down with them, completing each section together. The electronic FAFSA should take about 1-2 hours, and the paper FAFSA a bit longer than that.You donââ¬â¢t need an accountant or financial aid consultant in order to fill out the FAFSA, but if you do have access to these resources, they should be able to assist you with any questions. Strategies for a Winning FAFSA Application From a wide variety of students, we've gathered a few tips that will max your reward. You absolutely must do these, or at least be aware for them. First, you should file earlybecause certain scholarships are first-come-first-serve. Applications become available much sooner than they're due, and you're well off using last years application as a mock up to submit as soon as possible. Second, it's important that you file even if you're not surewhether you'll get the aid. The amount of money is hugein comparison to the amount of time it'll take you. Some families earning up to even $200K/year will qualify for aid. Also, as with all forms, you must do your best to fill out the form completely. Technical glitches will delay or even stop your application. Double check every line, every blank for precision. This is a lot of money on the line here folks it's well worth your time. Finally, for many need base calculations, you'll do well to have as little savings in the child's name as possible. The child is expected to put a larger fraction of his/her savings into education versus the parents assets. Move money out of children's banks accounts. Likewise, parents will do well to reduce the savings amount that shows up on the file. Parents can do things like paying down debt to reduce their assets. Of course, be sure not to be penny-wise pound-foolish don't just go wasting money, but do understand the optics of where your money is will affect the aid given! What Do You Do After You Submit the FAFSA? The hard stuff is done - you've done the tedious work of gathering intel from financial records and answered each question on the application. There's not much left to do, but it's important to stay on top of tracking the status of your application. If there are any problems with the processing of your FAFSA, these next steps will help you get back on track in no time. Within 3-5 days, you will receive an email with directions to access your SAR, or Student Aid Report. The colleges you listed on your FAFSA will have access to your SAR shortly after you do.If your application were complete, your SAR would include an EFC, or Expected Family Contribution. The EFC is a number used by your school to calculate the amount of federal aid you are eligible to receive, not necessarily the amount of money your family will have to pay. If you're interested in learning more about the EFC and how it affects financial aid awards, check out our Pell Grant guide. You can check the status of your application (if there are any delays) by calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center (1.800.433.3243), or by logging in to the FAFSA website with your FSA ID. Your Financial Aid Package Your school will use the information generated from your FAFSA to generate a financial aid offer, which can include grants, loans, and scholarships.Youââ¬â¢ll then make a decision about what aid to accept. If youââ¬â¢re offered grants, you should accept in pretty much all cases (itââ¬â¢s free money). It might be prudent to discuss with family about what loan offers youââ¬â¢d like to accept. For example, you should discuss whether you're happy with the loan terms and interest rates and if it's important that you take out those loans in order to afford college.The financial aid office at your school will explain how and when youââ¬â¢ll get any money awarded to you, and whether you will need to take any further steps. What's Next? The FAFSA is a particularly useful application - in submitting it, you'll be considered for the Pell Grant, Perkins loan, Direct Subsidized loan, and Direct Unsubsidized loan. Read more about each program by clicking the link. If you want to learn more about how much money you'll actually need for college (after you get any federal financial aid), read our guide on what college really costs. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Air pollution around the i710(Long Beach) Freeway Term Paper
Air pollution around the i710(Long Beach) Freeway - Term Paper Example Infect, they are not aware of the biggest danger, which is going to affect them in the forth coming years. According to Robert Hotz of the Wall Street Journal, "Congested cities are fast becoming test tubes for scientists studying the impact of traffic fumes on the brain" (Coker para. 1). The experience with air pollution can be associated to brain damage, fretfulness, gloominess, dementia and autism and also probably intensify the threat of Alzheimer's disease and fasten the outcome of Parkinson's disease. The latest report of the public-health management and the laboratory studies suggests that, overexposure to impure air has extensively been connected with asthma and elevated rates of cardiac syndrome, malignancy and respiration problems. The West Long Beach Site: à à à à à à The west long beach, which is identified as an important gift of nature, is a residence to the main drivers of air pollution in southern California. About 29,000 inhabitants and 8 public schools are operating with more than 9,000 students; they are compressed among the 710 freeway to the east. The Long Beach/Los Angeles port compound, the 103 freeways and main oil plant to the west; the 405 freeway to the north; the port and a main engineering to the south. A major producer of air pollution is the harbor compound, which include ships, trains, and trucks. As the basis for more than 40% of the nationââ¬â¢s import, above forty thousand trucks trips a day are required for the movements of the goods from the docks and terminals. ââ¬Å"Some trucks head for the massive truck-to-train ââ¬Ëintermodalââ¬â¢ facility adjacent to Westside area schools, where the containers are transferred to trains running north to the rail yards east of Los Angeles. Other trucks make their way to the I-710 and rail corridor, what residents call ââ¬Å"cancer alley,â⬠before hooking into the regionââ¬â¢s vast transportation matrix. The research site is highlighted in the map to the rig htâ⬠(Hytrek 5). Air Pollution around the 710 Freeway: à à à à à à The port of Long Beach are the lone prevalent source of air pollution in southern California leading to increased asthma rates for kids existing in port-adjacent community such as Long Beach, to be approximately twofold as elevated as the rest of the U.S. Pollution associated to the ports and movements of goods in California causes more than 2,500 early deaths per annum and malignancy threat rates up to 20 times superior to central clean air standards. The inhabitants are basically economically backward class. In a current economic study of school absence and ozone stage in Southern California, the researchers identified that $68 million a time can be secured if ozone altitudes in the south Coastal Basins been further minimized, so as to get better with the health matters of the children. Health Impacts of Air Pollution among Children: Air Pollution is found to have an inconsistent effect on inhabit ants near the coastal areas, where they belong to the economically weaker class of the society. Children are identified to have census problem and the regular headache and tiredness are the consequences as the result of the same. Children in those areas are prone to be identified with asthma, and other bronchial infections. The children are also found to have diagnosed with the risk of cancer and the risk of experiencing poisonous air contaminants. Various studies
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Analysis of the attempted merger of AT&T and T- Mobile Research Paper
Analysis of the attempted merger of AT&T and T- Mobile - Research Paper Example Both the organizations contended that the proposed merger lacks the capability to affect the wireless service competition. They stated that other wireless service providers can easily replace the competition lost because of merger and the merger would dwarf the effects of anti-competition. AT&T hoped to buy T-mobile from Deutsche Telecom with the deal amounting to 39 billion dollars. With the effect of the deal AT&T became the largest mobile phone service provider in United States as the deal came with more than 33 million subscribers. If the deal would have been accepted AT&T would have enjoyed a market share of 43% widening the gap with the competitors further (Communications Workers of America, 2011). Research questions Whether the attempted merger between AT&T and T-mobile good or not. Literature Review and Analysis Some researchers posed the thought that the merger would contribute to enhance the market power. The wireless market as well as the post paid market is highly concent rated at the national level using the brink of guidelines of Horizontal Merger. The concentration falls in the range where DOJ and FTC conclude. The guidelines provide that concentration and market shares are measured on revenue basis. The revenues are attributable to the facilities based carriers in the wireless market. Using Herfindahl-Hirschman index they showed that the approach will contribute to enhance market power. It was found that T-mobile continued to be the significant competitor within the market structure (The New York Times. 2011). The other competitors did not have the capability to deal with the slack that resulted from the elimination of T-mobile from the framework of competition. The efficiency claims of AT&T were overstated and the efficiencies resulted from the merger was not good enough to overcome the effects of anti-competition. It was also found that the merger was likely to increase the competitive disadvantages for the other players in the market (Besen, K letter, Moresi, Salop and Woodbury, 2012). The costs got higher while the quality standard got reduced. The effect was also felt on roaming services by limiting the access of the players on leading edge handsets. The competitive significance of the players would have suffered and would have led to recreation of wireless duopoly. The prices of wireless services fell and reversion to effective duopoly would reverse the gains from wireless competition. The merging companies were not offering differentiated products at different local prices on the basis of local conditions of competition. Therefore it was necessary to evaluate the competitive effects of national market as well as the separate conditions in different local markets (The Centre of Media Justice, 2012). If concerns are found at the national level then it would not be possible for the concerns to take care of the localized markets. At one time the Guidelines of merger stated that only small antitrust markets would be analyz ed but the approach is ignored by antitrust agencies policies. If the deal would have really taken place the consumers would have been harmed by two waves. The current customers of T-mobile will now have to opt for AT&Tââ¬â¢s expensive phones and data plans rather than the value priced smart phones and cheap data plans. The main aim of AT&T in the merger was to create a
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Assignment 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
Assignment 5 - Essay Example These terms are known to be objective and not subjective. From this, what it means is that the doctor knows more about what the patient is feeling than the patient themselves (Norman, 2004). According to Norman, the world today needs to consider the subjective points of view and not depend so much on the expert opinions. This is ironical since most of the subjective views always come from those affected. E.g. a computer scientist would not know the kind of interface that various groups of people may want without getting their opinion on such. We have to get a more subjective point of view so as to adapt to the explorations that are available today in terms of usability. For example, computer scientist cannot completely ignore userââ¬â¢s subjective views as they are the final people who will use their product. For example if a computer engineer wants to come up with a new hardware, they have to study the needs of the common man and understand what they need. If computer engineers n ever thought subjectively then they would end up building products that are complex and few users would be able to use the products (Norman, 2004). Norman also believes that we have different points of observation. Every user has a way in which they see different things; a professional might see something in a more complicated way as opposed to the non technical manner that a less experienced user might see it. It is for this reason that people can have their own observation and opinions on different matters. Scientist therefore needs to leave the positivism idea and learn to accept some of the subjective opinions. From this observation, it is evident that even though scientist only believe in the objective tone, much of the subjective tone is necessary if they want to understand what people want. Otherwise they would be making products for themselves. 2 Philosophy is described as the study of reality, knowledge and existence. Most people tend to associate philosophy with books and theories that try to explain fundamental laws in physics and nothing that touch our daily lives. Philosophy has been there for thousands of years and various philosophers have existed and have been able to explain the various things that touch our lives. Just like philosophy has touched and influenced a lot of people and life, the IPod has been a great tool in influencing the lives of millions of people. The iPod is transforming the lives of millions of people every day and making them get new ideas within a click. People are listening to music of their taste and others reading social links and contributing a lot to the economy. However, have we ever taken time t o try and link philosophy with an iPod? An iPod can define an individual, the contents of a person determines the kind of things that the person likes as well as the information that is useful to their lives. Since philosophy is concerned with the social lives of people as well, it is ironic that most people would try to ev ade this important field yet it touches them in almost every angle. Most scholars have tried to link various current cultures with philosophy; computer science has however brought this even closer linking people with most philosophical issues such as graphical user interface. It is due to philosophy that a computer scientist is able to determine the type of service that people need. With the right study and understanding of peopleââ¬â¢
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Business Plan For Nike Products Business Essay
Business Plan For Nike Products Business Essay Nike Inc. is one of the renowned and largest manufacturers and importers of footwear and apparel. The present study aims at introducing the Nike products in a country where there are some restrictions upon women to select items that are not matched according to their religious ideology. For this a detailed market plan ahs been prepared and write up has been made for initial feasibility of necessary funds for cost allocation and advertisement. The study also made a SWOT analysis in such countries and view whether there are certain implications for the introduction of NIKE products or not. Introduction to NIKE Business: NIKE Inc. is renowned as worldwide importer of Japanese shoes and has proved it t to be the largest dealer in footwear and apparel. The estimation for the likeness of the NIKE products can be sketched from the overview that Nike products are sold on almost 20,000 retail accounts in USA only and about in 110 different countries. Apart from the athletic footwear, the company also sells Nike and Bauer brand sporty tools brand by Cole Haan and informal footwear and the Sports etc. The company is directly involved in the designing, development and marketing of its products while manufacturers are located in overseas. The company has a strategy to made consistent innovation in design of its products and heavy promotion in order to excel growth all over the world. Nike products were introduced by Philip H. Knight in 1962, who with an idea to eliminate the monopoly of German products on American market, started to import its products to USA on small scale. Along with the introduction of large range of products (Blue Ribbon sports shoes, Boston Shoes, soccer shoes) to satisfy customers demand, the firm ultimately shaped into Nike, Inc. By the end of the decade, the company has opened many retail stores within the region but the main problem faced by Knight was the lack of capital that has been financed by Japanese trading company Nissho Iwai Corporation. The availability of external financing enables Knight to arrange the manufacturing of its products overseas with the help of independent contractors. In order to import its products overseas, the company has introduced its brand name Nike in the whole world. The Company has tried to introduce new line of products in athletic shoes range but the growth of the company truly begun to take-off with the introduction of jogging shoes that were sold in United States in late 1970s. Nikes revenues turned to be tripled within two years in 1976 and then became doubled in just one year in 1977. To satisfy demand, the company opened new manufacture outlet, in Taiwan and Korea. An acceleration of sales was expanded with the introduction of NIKE products in Asian and South American markets in 1977. By 1982, in the companys line of products, more than 200 different kinds of footwear has been introduced by the company including the Air Force, basketball footwear, and shoe for racquet sports, the Air Ace, the newest models of innovative shoe designs that had pressed Nikes earnings to annually increment of almost 100 percent. In addition, 200 different types of clothing have been introduced by the company. Nike Mission Statement: The Mission statement of Nike introduced the concept *To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world *If you have a body, *you are an athlete*. The main aim of the Nike Inc. is to facilitate the athlete all over the world regarding the comfort of shoe and make every one to feel like an athlete if he has potential to use Nike products. Secondly, they want to bridge the gap between the provisions of goods overseas for this they started importing their products in order to boost growth and break down the monopoly of German products that have captured the United States market at that time. . Today, Nike always tries to find new and innovative style to make a competitive athletic goods and innovative methods to get a feedback directly from their consumers. Business Idea in Conservative Country: A conservative country may be defined as a place where the resources are scarce but people still believe to achieve most through hard work and dedication. In the pursue of introducing the products of NIKE in any conservative country, we have decided to use Pakistani women as sample filed because now a days Pakistan is economically conservative and women are specially restricted to wear dresses that represent their Islamic ideology. Per capital Income of average person is declining and conditions are getting even more worse still people in Pakistan believe that the conditions can be overcome. Low per capital Income is the basic for the savings and if people have savings they can enjoy the facilities of luxuries like NIKE products. Similarly, women prefer their family needs than their own needs and they do not want to spend money on such kind of unnecessary items. To excel the demand of the products, Strategies are hard to define in a country like Pakistan where resources are scarce bu t we have made an attempt to focus the attention of people. Executive Summary: For this, we have made first the executive summary of the person who will initiate a Company like environment as Sale center of NIKE products. The executive slogan is that behind great Company, there are strong leaders At Nike, environment is mutual, matrix organization where team members are allowed to report in two areas i.e. geography and global function. Nike brand include footwear, apparel and equipment product engines. The core customers categories include sports things, basketball, football (soccer), mens training, running, sportswear, and womens training; the business is being conducted in three main cities. Chairman (CEO) Chief executive President President chief Executive Officer CFO VP Financial Officer Treasurer Assist Treasurer Accountant Book keepers VP, Global Human Resource VP, Creative Design Resources VP, Commerce Affiliates President,Busines development P Marketing P Research Idea Generation: The recent survey conducted by us revealed that there was a tremendous growth and demand for the Nike products in Pakistan but females are specially deprived of using the same products as they are not too much involved in sports. Thus the promoter of the Idea takes an initiative along with other members to set up the business plan for execution of NIKE products for women in Pakistan. Later they Explored various aspects as whether to conduct plan and develop a web site or use other effective tools with some other unique ideas. Market Survey: As per the survey, Lahore and Islamabad has one of the highest demands for Nike products, since the willingness of the people for getting quality/branded products at cheap rates and within the geographical distribution is high. Also women in these areas are now stepping forward shoulder to shoulders with men to achieve the same success in every field as the man can. Thus, we analyzed the business scenario prepared a SWOT analysis. Strengths: Nike is the top most and highly competitive organization in the sports world. Phil Knight often quoted that Business is war without bullets. The major strength of the business is that Nike has no factories still it is the largest importer of athlete products because it ahs managed manufacturer overseas. Due to this ability the demand of the customers can easily be met within the country at low cost. Nike is not bound to spend its cash in premises and manufacturing workers. This makes a very tilt organization. Nike makes it strong with the help of research and development apart from assets. The Nike outlet in Pakistan will increase its revenues also the people will be introduced with different range of products. NIKE is a global brand, that make its the top most sports brand in the World. Its famous Swoosh is recognizable all over the world and even it is tattooed on the ankle. Therefore, the customers who never compromise on quality can be good target market for the NIKE products. NIKE products are especially comfortable for women as these can fulfilled the needs according to their ideology therefore, they can excel the use of the products in country. Weaknesses: One of the major weaknesses is that the organization must have a multiple line of products of sports goods while the business income still takes most of the share of the footwear promote. It means that all other products revenues could not offset if footwear market erodes. If the business will erode in parent Country that will affect the business in other countries as well. Opportunities: Nike can create many opportunities regarding its Product development. As the brand is protected by owners who do not considered Nike as a fashion brand. However, the demand of the consumers depends upon their willingness to buy Nike products apart from their likeness for NIKE products. If some argue that youth consider Nike a fashion brand, this could be an opportunity for NIKE products, There is also opportunity to innovate products such as sports clothing, sports cycling and jewellery. There is an opportunity of international business development. As Nike share strong brand recognition, many international markets that have such kind of income which can be spend on high price sports commodities can manage to enter the range of Nike brand. Threats: As Nike is exposed to international trade, it can buy and sell in different currencies which are the major threats of revenues fluctuations due to different currencies involved. Such an exposure means that Nike could be manufacturing its product at loss as well as at selling. This is an important point that every big brand has to face just because to maintain its reputation in the market in the global world. As the Model used by Phil Knight in his Stamford Business School days is now commonly used there is major threat that the edge of competitive advantage will be lost. Competitors of the Nike can take away Nikes share from the market by introducing substitute products. Regional Review: Pakistan is a highly riches resources country in agriculture and industrial point of view as well. It exports almost 60% of of its products on international standard the total population of the country is almost 18 crore and women are almost 45% of the total population. People their love to play support because Pakistani weather is very famous in the world. Now a days women are much aware readings the importance of sports and games and they are more conscious about their fatnesses and health. However there are some cultural and religious restrictions in the country but women are trying to participate in gyms activities in the ladies gyms as well. Now we will analysis the ratio of the women fitness trend in the majors cities of Pakistan like Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, Multan etc. There is more participation in women fitnesss centers. It has been increase from 2004 to 2009 up to 22% in Pakistan. Now a days Pakistani women are working in the offices whether part timer or as a full timer so they are more concerned about their fitness and almost 45% of the members of the gyms are women aged 18 to 45 years. The women fitness activities have been increased in the last 3 years and there is more chances to increment so if the Nike product is launch in Pakistan than the total estimated market share might be 6% to 7%. Product Selection: The target market (Pakistani women) selected is available in various ranges (age size), which are as followsà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ From 18- 20 years From 20-25 years From 25-30 years From 35-40 years And the above-mentioned ranges sizes are available mostly in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad because these areas are labor intensive. Most of the labor is Cheap Technical knowhow: There in no need to hire technical staff as the products at display centers will only require selling strategies and financial matters. However the sale experience must be required or there should be proper training sessions for the sale person who will stand in the retail stores and the person should know all the products as trained by the company. Availability of funds: After collecting the necessary funds, we would commence our business. We can borrow from bank as well. We can borrow from bank as well. Recruitment: The recruitment required is for 4 sales managers initially the specifications are as follows: They should be literate at post graduate level They should have enough knowledge about Nike brands Pleasant personality having skills to attract customers Feasibility Plan Capital Contribution = Rs. 3,000,000 FIXED COST PALN: à Rs. Building (Store room) 850,000 Conveyance 650,000 Equipment 60,000 Furniture 125,000 Land 70,000 Total 1,755,000 Variable Cost Plan: 1 month 2 month 3 month Total Salaries expense 250,000 250,000 250,000 750,000 Maintenance expense 50,000 50,000 50,000 150,000 Wages 60,000 60,000 60,000 180,000 Utilities expense 25,000 25,000 25,000 75,000 Rent expense 125,000 125,000 125,000 375,000 Entertainment expense 10,000 10,000 10,000 30,000 Misc. Exp 10,000 10,000 10,000 30,000 Total 530,000 530,000 530,000 1,590,000 Loan Requirement Plan Rs. Rs. Capital Investment 30,00,000 Cost of Sales 3,345,000 Requirement for General Reserve 635,000 3,980,000 Short Fall / loan requirement (Rs.) 980,000 On the basis of the projection report and the above given table, there is a requirement of a sum of Rs. 980,000/- for which we have applied for a loan from Bank. FORECASTED FINANCIAL STATEMENT NIKE Incorporation, Trading Profit Loss Account For 3 months Rs. Revenues 1,000,000 Cost of Sales 250,000 Gross Profit 750,000 Operating Expenses 530,000 Interest Expense @ 9.5% 23,275 Net Income 196,725 Nike Incorporation Feasibility Balance Sheet For three months ASSETS Rs. Liabilities and Equity Rs. Cash 1771725 A/P 980000 Land 70000 Capital 3000,000 Building 850000 à Add: NP 196,725 à 3196725 Conveyance 650000 Equipment 60000 Furniture 125000 Stock 650000 Total 4,176,725 Total à 4,176,725 Terms of Repayment of Loan: As per the agreement between Bank NIKE Inc both have agreed on the terms that loan will be repaid over a period of 5 years @ 9.5 %. MARKETING: The basic market research instrument was the survey in the TOI that told us about a possible potential in this field. All the partners then carried out research by collecting primary data ourselves. We spoke to existing manufacturers, locals etc. Though the market for our product is very huge, the competition is quite tough. But flags are used by everyone in the nation. Hence, like all of our competitors we are using Mass Marketing. There is range of product line i.e. the flags with a fair amount of variations in the product itself (as mentioned earlier). The pricing method we have chosen is the cost plus method where we plan to gradually increase the profit margin. Our products will be sold both in almost every city of Pakistan. We are using Quality Assurance as a key marketing strategy as the raw materials we use are of a good quality and the products are manufactured and stored in a good environment. Conclusion/Recommendations: The capital invested is of Rs.3, 00,000 and the total cost of production is Rs. 250,000 and thus resulting in a profit of Rs. 196,725. Since there is less availability of funds and thus as a company need a loan from the bank. Also the sales are expected to grow by 10% every year. It is strongly recommended that in order to excel the demand of the NIKE products in conservative countries like Pakistan, the business has to change its strategy and made a range of the products that is only for females and according to their likeness. As females like to be fashion oriented, the design should be made of unique style that are according to the fashions and taste of women style. This needs strong advertisement as well. Following all such the business can generate a strong demand for women footwear and apparel in NIKE products.
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